It’s official. Our 1985 Chevy K10 “Big Green” project truck is getting a new engine! It’s the Chevrolet Performance ZZ6 350 cu-in V8.
Big Green was powered by its original 305 cu-in (aka. 5-liter) Chevy V8. When new, this engine produced 160 horsepower and 240 lb-ft of torque. That may be OK for a daily runabout, but it did not match the big and bold attitude of Big Green. This truck must we powerful, fast, and loud. It was slow and quiet.
This is the first video in the “Big Green” engine swap series. We are also live streaming most of the process on our TFLnow Youtube channel. This is the unboxing or the “uncrating” of the brand-new performance engine. We chose the carbureted ZZ6 turn key package. This engine produces a very healthy 405 horsepower and 406 lb-ft 0f torque. Why carbureted? We feel it better matches the character of the truck, and it makes the swap process a little easier.
The “turn key” package means that the engine comes with all of the accessories and components to make it fully functional and running. We also got a new AC compressor. We chose to keep the original 4-speed manual transmission, but we did purchase a new clutch for it. Naturally, we will be going over all of the driveline components and the brakes to make sure every part is up to the newly-found ZZ6 power.
Join all the fun as Roman, Ted (professional mechanic), and Andre unload the crate and open it up to reveal the beautiful ZZ6 Chevrolet Performance engine. Stay tuned for many more videos with the engine swap.
