I ran into some issues with the stock LT1 headgaskets so I had to have a custom set made. They ended up turning out pretty damn nice and showed up at the shop yesterday so we put the heads on last night. I figured you guys would like to see some teaser pics. Wow...talk about a long time coming....







I'm still waiting on my set of Morel lifters and then we'll order pushrods and seal the deal on this project. Stay tuned...

 

HOLY ****
32 valve heads, this ain't photoshoped is it.
Tell us more about this motor, what intake is that BTW.

 

LOL...no, no photochopin' necessary. It's been a project I have been messing with for like 3 years and I'm finally just finishing it.

Motor is a 385 (.040 over) ci LT1. Heads are the Dominion 32 valve (now called Arao) that have been extensively worked over. Bottom end is stuffed with Nascar style Carrillo rods and I forget the manf of the crank since it's been so long. Cam is a relatively small hydraulic roller and the intake is a dart wilson that has been welded, ported, and converted to EFI.

Things you might notice (or not have noticed) is that the opti has taken a hike. I'm going to run a stand alone ignition setup so people's jaw can hit the floor when they see plug wires coming out of valve covers heading back to a pro-billet distributor on an LT1

Other than that, it's allllllllllllll LT1.

 

Very impressive. Just wondering what kind of number's you hope to put out with this thing?

Way to represent the LT1 crowd (even though it's not REALLY an LT1 _

Keep us posted.

 

Hey, those heads are still getting cooled first so it's still wearing the LT1 badge proudly

If this thing will stay together, I'm expecting 700+ naturally aspirated.

 

Again, very impressive. I thought my goal of 600+ N/A was alot but 700+ You're in an entire different league.

I have just one more question. Do those 32V heads flow that much more than the typical aftermarket head. The reason I ask is because I plan on going with AFR 215 "raised runner" LT4 heads on my 396 build up. As far as I know, they're the best flowing head available for the LT1.

How would the 215's fair against those 32V heads of yours?

I wish I had that kind of money, and knowledge to be able to buy those heads and modify them to work with the LT1 but I don't.

Maybe one day....

For now though, I'm still saving up for those 215's

 

The place where these heads shine is in the low lift range. Peak numbers are for bragging rights but when you can tell someone your heads flor over 300 cfm at .400 lift than you've got yourself something that stands out. The manf. supposedly made/makes a raised runner version of these heads that flows 400+ cfm but I'm just going off what the website says. The raised runner AFR head is a solid head and you can't go wrong. Plus you can easily get the parts you need which hasn't been the case with these heads

Despite what ya think, I have been fortunate during this build as far as cost. I have alot of high end parts in this motor that I managed to get deals on. I am good friends with my engine builder and he has built every motor I have ever put in my camaro's so the trust is there as well as the fact that his engine building is bar none. I have built the entire car in my garage so labor has just been me and friend's which is always a huge savings. The knowledge has come from blowing up LT1's for the last 5 years

 

Very cool! To say the least. Keep us posted on the results please.

 

Looking good, Big Daddy!

You set the pace, and I'll cover yer back!

 

Where did you find those haeds and what do they go for? What kind of cam and rockers do you use?

 

http://www.araoengineering.com/

As for price, you probably dont want to know. (Not to mention installation issues)

 

hmm, at what point would you have problems with the valves hitting each other? The intakes and exhaust are obviously on different angles by looking at the pictures. Your cam has got to be "small" because otherwise the valves would kill each other during overlap.

What size valves are they? Any idea on port volumes? Do you have any pictures of the intake ports?

You know that when you are done people are going to be asking if it's a Hemi

 

Actually installation was a snap.

 

I had some pics of the intake ports way back when but I dunno where those pics are now. They measure 2.5" tall and an 1.5" wide and no, I'm not kidding. I also use to have all the specs on port volume and what not but I just don't remember where that stuff is. This project has seemingly been something I've been working on here and there because I've had some set backs waiting on parts so alot of stuff is at the shop underneath stuff. Evacuating for Katrina didn't help either....

I think the valve sizes are on Arao's website.

Do a search on the thread on head flow and you'll see why I didn't use a big cam

LOL@hemi...yeah I know but thats all the better when I let'em know it's what the general "should" have built LT1 style...

 

nice to see it coming together bobby! look forward to hearing about the results! i just yanked my motor, after 2 years of abuse i want to tear it down and replace bearings and upgrade the pins.