CELEBRATING 20 YEARS!

OK, I've got a '88SS. I've got the top end of the motor off to replace the head gaskets and things just aren't adding up. First thing being it's not a roller motor anymore. The lifters are flat on the cam, etc...
BUT...the block casting # (14093627) indicates it's an 87-91 roller motor.
Anyone have any thoughts on this?
Also the head's came up as 87-95 305, and that's all...I thought they were aluminum? The casting #'s are 14101081.
And finally the intake has ZZ cast into it - does this mean anything special? The casting number is 14101074, which I couldn't decode anywhere on the net...anyone know about this?
Sorry about all the questions.
Brian Garber
Blacksburg, VA
1988 Monte SS
1989 Camaro RS

the heads r cast iron. the intake is alum. The heads r modeled off the heads that vette's came with and the intakes r the hi-po variety *prob why it has the ZZ casting* Well, starting in 87 i think is when they put roller motors in the g/f-body's. So ur casting would come up as a roller motor. Why its not now....

4th gen montes dont have roller motors, first year was either 88 or 89 for the fbody which time the monte was discontinued.

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1987 Monte SS
sbc 355
Flowmaster 40s, Custom 2.25" Exhaust

'87 and '88 SS's got roller motors from the factory, this I know.
As I said... "the block casting # (14093627) indicates it's an 87-91 roller motor."

Well, I don't have any fact to base this on. I haven't had my 88 SS's motor appart yet.

But I would suspect that the literature for your block casting numbers is in-accurate. My guess is that it should have read as "machined to accept a roller cam".

To the best of my knowledge, F-bodies got roller cams starting in '87 (only TPI). But I've never heard of an 87/88 G-body car having a roller cam... but I could be wrong - who knows - maybe my '88 has one! It would be a nice surprise if it was. Sure doesn't feel like it though.

aaaaaahhhhhhh, nope.

I've had too many 87 SS motors open to not
argue with you, including my own 87 L69, none of which have been roller. Remember that flat tappet stuff fits right in an 87 block too

The casting # indicating roller just means it's roller ready, although the 3 bosses for the spider shaped lifter retainer are not drilled & tapped generally.



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J. Matthew Daugherty
78 Cutlass, 78 Landau, 83 SS, 86 SS, 87 SS Aero
http://www.monte-list.nu Monte Carlo Email List!

Let me attempt to shed some light...

I had 2 87 Z28's. Both were roller motors. Know why? They were both LG4's produced in 1987. The Monte's, from what I understand, are for the most part L69's which, are the H.O.'s, and none of which are roller cams. Head casting numbers are just that, and no Monte SS in the 80's ever had aluminum heads from the factory, as did no camaro. The L98 in vettes had aluminum heads, and the Camaro L98 in 87-92Z28/IROCs had iron headed versions of this head. Only Tuned Port Z28's(91-92) and IROCs (87-90) had L98's when optioned with the 5.7L TPI motor, and they all came with automatic trannys. For your car to be a roller, it would have had to be an 87 or later LG4, or it's not the stock block. Also, if it was an earlier block, it could have been converted to accept a roller cam as well as lifters, etc. The kit is expensive though, and much easier to start out with a roller motor than to convert. They are powerful combos with the right cam, and lift is a cooler ballgame when dealing with the rollers than Hydraulic-cammed cars. I am no expert by any means, don't wanna step on anyone's toes, but these are facts, and if I'm wrong, let me know, we all learn something every day. I have loads of info on these roller motors and buildups, it's the early models that I look forward to working on and adjusting to, kinda strange to work backwards, time-wise, in learning auto mechanics, but it's working for me so far-haha! Good luck with your build!



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Dan Young
1995Z28/M6
Groton, CT

In the 12's

MEANGREEN,

Thanks for shedding some more light on this topic.

Just to clarify (and correct me if I'm wrong) LG4 stopped in '87 for the F-body. It was replaced in '88 by the L03 which was a tbi 5.0L.

Need some help....I have 84 Monte. But casting is 14093627? 87 - 91? My qestuon is, did this block come in the 84

Need some help....I have 84 Monte. But casting is 14093627? 87 - 91? My qestuon is, did this block come in the 84

What happened is in 87 the blocks became roller in the vetted and f body by 88. Now everything else got the same blocks. But the Monte witch was done in 88 and even the trucks 87-95 where what we call roller ready blocks. As they received flat tappet cams.
The blocks where machined for the dog bones to hold the lifters,and lifter valley drilled for the hold down spider.

Bob-iirc your block should be a 201 casting 80-85 block

Thinks....and do you think it's roller cam

.
. Depends what vehicle it came out of whether it has flat or roller lifters/cam...

No 4th gen Monte SS came with a roller engine. It is possible that an 87-88 engine was built with a "roller ready" block, but the roller valvetrain was not installed. You may have a block with the roller bosses drilled and tapped or even a block with the bosses present but not drilled or tapped. And then you may have a completely non-roller block. Non roller engines were used in trucks until I think 96. My 91 GMC C1500 had a non roller engine. By the time the G bodies were gone I want to say most of the cars had roller engines with the exception of at least the Cadillac Brougham which used a 4bbl Oldsmobile 307 through 1990.

The olds 307 whent roller can in 85.