Well first let me start off that it has been over a decade since my 1997 Z28 convertible has seen pavement. It's been up on a trailer since 2003. Doh!

Back in 2000, we had bored the LT1 block out .030 over to a 355, forged the pistons, reconditioned the rods and crankshaft...then added the LT4 Hotcam, LT4 Intake, LT4 Heads (ported and polished), larger MAF and added a 100hp shot of juice to her. She was running very well.

Long story short....I pulled the engine down to nearly a bare block back in 2003 and never put it all back together again since.

The block is in great condition however, with it sitting so long...it needs to be cleaned up. I have not inventoried all of the parts for the engine to see what I have still and what condition they are all in...will be doing this this week.

I also have another short block. This one was all prep'd and ready to have built back in 2002, but I never did anything with it. It's an LT4 4-bolt mains short block and is bored .040 over.

So...... I'm looking for help from those who engine these F-bods and have had their engines built up to help me in making some decisions as well as assist in finding engine builders in my neck of the woods.

I recently retired from the United States Marine Corps and relocated to Virginia. Fredericksburg, VA to be exact. I don't know of any performance engine builders who are reputable and know about our LT1/LT4 engines in the area.

For those that may think they remember seeing "smoknz28" around on forums and have heard of "Speedy" or "Project Speedy", or the "F-BodyHideout.com"...that's all me. I ran the Hideout for many years and I actually turned it off finally last year after too many spam bots took over our forums. Just too much maintenance with so little time on my hands to manage.

Financially...it seems it my best interest to just have my LT1 355 block cleaned up and install the existing parts I have for it. There really wasn't anything wrong with the parts. I didn't mic everything as we were taking it out...but after boring it out and building it up...it may have had 30k on it. The challenge I will have is tracking down all of the parts for the engine...but it seems like it will be the least money out of pocket. I think it would be best to put all new bearings and seals since it's torn apart anyways.

Building up the LT4 350 bored .040 over (believe that's a 357) would be more expensive...as I don't think I could use the same pistons from my 355. This is an area I'm very ignorant on. Maybe I can use it to build from....I dunno....

Knowing what you all know from what I've put out there...what would you all do in keeping the cost down?

Also, please point me to any reputable engine builders close to Fredericksburg, VA (22406). I would love to speak with them and bring them the parts I have for them to quote me one way or the other.

The Z was a fun car...and I want to bring it back out again. Been way too damn long!

Ahhhh....the good ole days....

 

Wow! I remember all those videos and the car as well. What an awesome flashback. I hope you get the Z28 back up and running again. With that being said, here's my suggestion:

Shawn Miller @ Virginia Speed
- Experienced in Turbocharged/Supercharged/N/A small/big blocks - Ford/Chevy/LSx
- Attention to detail 2nd to none
- Full CNC shop, can do anything from basic to one off parts
- IMO one of the best in the business when it comes to ability to diagnose problems before they start
- 2 engine dyno rooms, one for endurance style testing
- Between Shawn and Douglas the owner they are very knowledgeable in setting up valvetrain correctly
1397 Taylor Farm Rd, Virginia Beach, VA 23453
(757) 468-5101

Good luck and hope to see it running again soon.