For 11's, i'd run with spray on a ZZ4. Mpg is more relative to HP i believe.

 

is this a stock zz4 or the 400+ hp zz4 (hot cam, roller rockers). In either case what hp shot are you thinking? i want to be stick with a z06/viper

 

What you have to ask yourself is what would you rather have. A big block,or small block. with spray you could hit 9s with the big,and 11s with the small. If you want that powerfull sound your lookin for it's the big block. If you have the money for the 502 get that. if you go small,you'll just wish you had the 502. And how many super cars came with small bloks? none

 

How much are you going to spend on this engine? The 502 would make it easier, but it would cost more. And i don't think big blocks handle spray as well as small blocks. (don;t quote me on that...i don't know 100%). But on the street a small block with 400HP will be much more practical than a big block with 500. The spray could be used for when you want the extra ponies, on the strip for example. That would be more practical. On street tires, you're not going to be able to use 500HP. Even 400HP on the tires the stock rims can handle is pushing it. For practicality on the street, go with a 400HP or 355HP ZZ4 (both will be above 400HP with a carb spacer and nice exhaust). Then use spray for the srip and run with open headers and you'll be above 500HP for sure, ven with the 355HP ZZ4. The 400HP one would be sweet though. In the end it's still up to you. Do som more research and keep us posted.

 

To achieve low 11 sec 1/4 mile times with a 3400lb car you will need 500+ hp it is achievable with either big or smallblock especially on spray,personally we built a 406 smallblock which should achieve low 11s without spray but it is not "streetable", if cost was not an issue and you wanted the bling factor i would go big block,(I guess we will play the underdog roll) you will have more options down the road. Transmission choice th400, gears depend on rpm/hp tire size/car weight we will run 4:11.

 

would that all equal a streetable car? this is mostly a cruising car but i want to go to the strip too

 

Hmmm... the big block is easier. If you'd settle for about 400HP to 450HP without spray it would be more streetable. You could then push it over the 500HP mark with spray and uncapping your headers etc. oh and you'll need slicks for the track to pull 11's. Stock tires wont do that. If it's mainly a cruiser you might want to consider a 400-450HP small block. A base ZZ4 350 will make over 400HP without spray easily. Long tube headers, nice cat backs, 3-3 1/2 inch pipes, a carb spacer, and even more if your car has a cowl induction hood. 450+ would be my guess if you used the one with hot cams etc. I'll tell you this though, if you're using the original rims with original style tires, it would be more streetable to go with the small block.

 

And furthermore, a 400HP small block will get better MPG on the street than a 500HP big block. What you need to ask yourself is do you need the 500HP for the strip or the street. If you could live with 400-450HP on the street it would be better on the street with original style tires etc. If the 500HP is only really going to get effectively used at the strip, go with the small block. Original style tires on original rims will NOT effectively transfer 500HP to the ground. Even 450 is pushing it on original style tires. That's my 2 cents anyway...

 

For meeting your low 11 sec criteria being and being streetable is achievable using either the big or small block. To use nitrous make sure your engine can handle it fuel pressure is important, a vortech style supercharger can also help meet you goals(there is one for sale on the hollywood knights erie pa web site) I do lean towards the big block though.

 

You could always do your original plan and make a stoker. If you bought a stroker from GM, just make sure it has good heads, pistons, valves etc. to handle the spray. With a 375HP stroker, you'd make well over 400HP with headers, carb spacer, cat backs, etc. Im sure the strokers are no less reliable than a 350. Maybe look into a stroker with aluminum heads and shoot for about 425HP-450HP. Save the spray for the strip when you've got better tires that can handle that kind of power. In this case you'd probably make 550HP+ with spray if you do it right and buy a nice kit. Either way it will make a damn nice car. I'd personally go with the small block, but it's hard to ignore that big block allure. Me and 74454bb are kind of playing devil's advocate for you. In the end it's your choice, and really there is no wrong choice. One might be slighly more practicle on the street, and the other might be slightly more practicle on the strip. And by more practicle, they're still so close to each other. Do more research. Find out what you want 100% in terms of driving it and the setup you'll have with suspension/tires etc. Know what you're going to do with everything else and that will make choosing the right engine that much easier. Good luck to you. Either way you're going to have a damn nice car. (Get us pics!)(Lots of them)(We like pics!)-Canuck