A crate engine is a brand-new engine fully assembled from the manufacturer. Crate engines commonly serve to replace non-running engines, help improve performance in a vehicle or act as the powerplant in a custom project. The General Motors (GM) ZZ383 crate engine is a Chevrolet small-block known for producing big-block power.
The ZZ383 crate engine displaces 383 cubic inches and features a 3.8-inch stroke, a compression ratio of 9.6 to 1 and a .509/.528 lift camshaft with 222/230 duration at .05 lift.
The ZZ383 comes equipped with GM's Fast Burn cylinder heads, a 4340 nitride and induction hardened crank, a steel camshaft and forged PM rods. The Fast Burn cylinder heads have lightweight valves and retainers, manufactured from stainless steel, to provide dependable operation during extended revolutions per minute (rpm).
GM equipped the ZZ383 with its single-plane intake, a 750 CFM Demon carburetor and headers measuring 33 inches long with 1.75-inch primaries and a 4-inch collector during testing. On the Dyno, the ZZ383 crate engine registered 425 horsepower at 5,400 rpm and 449 foot-lbs. of torque at 4,500 rpm.
