jakesm89

ok guys a recently bought a 96 z28. stock. i blew the headgasket last week so now im looking to rebuild the motor. im looking for a good dependable street car but i want it to have some ***** too.
im wanting to bore it 30 over and work up the stock heads, add a set of roller rockers as well as headers and intake
any camshaft suggestions? pistons?
i dont mind getting the car tuned

RamAir95TA

First and foremost, what is your budget? And why fix what isn't broke? Just because you blew a head gasket doesn't mean the bottom end needs to be rebuilt...

But if you insist on it, establish a budget. A reconditioned stock crank, forged i-beams and a good forged .030" piston can handle some serious power. Have www.advancedinduction.com work your heads and spec you a custom grind cam. With the proper tune and bolt-ons, you can expect 410+whp. Keep in mind you'll need gears and/or a torque converter (if you have an A4).

But like I said, budget budget budget.

jakesm89

budgets around 2k

RamAir95TA

There is absolutely no way you can accomplish a rebuild, cam swap, headers, plus the necessary bolt-ons and tuning for $2000. My suggestion stands - if it ain't broke (the bottom end), don't fix it.

jakesm89

i have headers... and ive got a shop that would do the build and machine work for 1600. all i would have to buy is the cam and pistons

RamAir95TA

Sounds like you have alot to learn yet. There's more to it than just machine work, cam, and pistons. You're forgetting things like valve springs, rockers, pushrods, timing set and more importantly the tuning. I'm not trying to be a Debbie Downer, but that's the reality you've gotta deal with.

SkiBumDreams

just for a point a reference when i did my rebuild it cost me 2k and all the assembly was done at no cost. i reused my cam and all the parts and gaskets set me back 1k. that was for a cheap rebuild of just the motor after having to go .030 over.

..DAMN..

Take your 2k buy a headgasket and LE2 heads and Cam package and call it a day.

97Z28Muscle

Have your stock heads rebuilt with comp cams beehive valve springs, locks & retainers. Have them resurface the heads and do a mild port job. Add a comp cam 503 cam, comp cams magnum roller rockers and you'll be in love. I wouldn't open the bottom end up unless you have over 150k miles on the clock. If you do, you are really just wasting your money, unless you ran for a long time with water in the oil. The cam and springs I recommend to you are what I went with after doing a lot of research. It is cheaper than going to Lloyd Elliott, but probably not as good. LE has a great reputation for a reason, he is the best. But it does come with a hefty price tag. It's really up to you. Go to www.atlanticspeed.com or look them up on ebay. That's where I found the best deals on all of my performance parts.

97Z28Muscle

Oh and make sure you get a tune from madz28 or pcmforless.com I went with pcmforless after talking to keith. They did a great job tuning my LT1 computer, and it only cost $190 with shipping both ways.