Thanks for the replies everyone. Sounds like there aren't many people who have done this, and a lot or hearsay also. That's pretty much what I expected. I'm just kicking around ideas for my next mod. I'm pretty set on a small nitrous setup (50-100 shot), but thought I'd look at all my options. I want to SC the car eventually, but it's more than I want to spend right now. I could part with $500 pretty easily for my next mod, so nitrous makes a lot of sense, I just don't like the fact that it's not available all the time.

As for my thoughts to keep the stock cam:
Pretty much as close to stock driveability as you can get
Maintain good gas milage
Good vacuum for brakes
Don't have to touch the bottom end
Already have good valvetrain setup to swap in
I don't really want to spin over 6000-6200 rpm
Doesn't draw unwanted attention due to cam lope

The motor only has 75k on it, and runs like a dream, so I'm leary of a cam swap and spinning a bearing. I know that can happen with a head swap, but it's much less probable.

If I did get a cam instead of heads, it would probably be the GM845, GM 846 or custom. (most likely custom, but close in size to the GM845)

Dan

 

Don't want to beat a dead horse but everything you explained describes a supercharger. Except the bottom end, I guess it's a crap shoot how long an LT1 will last under boost.

 

I cannot believe what I am reading!
A good set of ported heads with stock cam will always outperform a cam with stock heads. Not just ET's but total area under the curve which equates to great driveability.
Years ago, before I did a cam I put LPE LT4 ported heads/intake/1.6rr's on the car with Edelbrock shorties going through stock Y-pipe with cats and put down 350rwhp and torque. Torque was ready, willing and able by 3000rpm. Baseline was 280rwhp/310rwtq. Went from a 13.9 @101 to a 13.2 @ 106 on stock gears and DR's at Texas Motorplex (~700ele).
Point is, with heads alone from a reputable shop, you won't be disappointed and you can sell it off as a stock "bolt-on" car.

 

Great info. Any idea how the LT4 heads/intake would compare to well ported stock LT1 heads and untouched intake on a full bolt-on car?

I'm already trapping 104.8 mph. I wonder what well ported stock LT1 heads would do?

Dan

 

I wouldn't put heads on the car unless the intake was port matched. I have no idea how it would perform, but it is guaranteed it would kill performance. From what I understand the LT4's I have flow around 276cfm on the intake side @ .600 lift. That can be achieved easily with LT1's with a good head porter.

 

My car had ported heads when I bought it but I didn't know till I did a cam swap. With an auto I put out 303rwhp on the stock cam. There are cams out there that drive like stock that still give you decent #'s. The crane 227 (210/224) drove just like stock, I didn't loose any lowend tq at all, I gained torque from idle-redline. It didn't have any surge at all either, it drove exactly like the stock cam except with more power. With a 6-spd and that cam and my heads I made 352rwhp with it breaking up on topend.

 

I would think that a well ported stock LT1 head with the intent to make head work with the stock cam should produce some noticeable gain ! I would like to think with a full bolt-on car it should be worth 10 to 15 rwhp ? I know my full bolt-on 96 WS6 6spd car makes 323 rwhp / 343 rwtq and that was without a PCM tune and cut-out. I'm sure if I re-dyno the car with the Ed Wright PCM tune and my Electronic cutout it should easily make 330 hp / 350 tq at the wheels. If I added a set of ported LT1 heads I would certainly expect my numbers to go up higher. My 323 rwhp / 343 rwtq was a full bolt-on number, no heads or cam.

My car also ran a 12.61 @ 109 with everything except the PCM tune and cutout. I expect the car will run somewhere in the 12.20/30's @ 110/111 as a complete bolt-on car with the last two mods.

 

Believe it or not THERE IS LOTS of power to be made with just the stock cam. Here's an example http://www.airflowresearch.com/ go to dyno tests and then 95 auto mustang they made 100RWHP and 95RWTQ more than stock with bolt-ons and a set of there out of the box heads.

I myself Would run as much lift as you can so some 1.7rr's with the stock cam would bring the lift to .510-.521 (I think thats right) that and some Nice heads and intake would make mad POWER.

LOL, I actually think 400+ RWHP is possible with the stock cam some 1.7's, LE heads, and a nice single plain on a stock bottom end car would do it no doubt in my opinion. But if your gonna spend that type of money I would do it right the first time. But I am shooting you some info that you could do. May not be the most Logical by any means, but would get the job done

 

stereomandan

Since you are considering LE heads, did you ask Lloyd for his opinion on this?

Ask him about one of his custom cams that in combination with his heads:

"Pretty much as close to stock driveability as you can get
Maintain good gas milage
Good vacuum for brakes
Don't have to touch the bottom end
Already have good valvetrain setup to swap in
I don't really want to spin over 6000-6200 rpm
Doesn't draw unwanted attention due to cam lope"

...and produces considerably more usable torque and power than the stock cam and generally passes emmisions?

He might offer some suggestions for you to consider.

Just a thought.

 

I did what oldSS suggested a while back and Lloyd told me that it was really pointless. The heads would never reach their full potential. Just to chime in. It's you car and it'll be set up for you if and when you do a cam swap so it couldn't hurt, could it? Maybe just tell him what you plan to do and he can set up the heads for future mods.

 

I think atljar knows of a bolton/ported head LT1 running 12s...I remember him telling me it was quite a sleeper.

 

In my case I gained 70rwhp with heads/intake/1.6rr's and an average of 6mph through the traps.

 

Ya a local car. Full bolt ons and ported heads. Ran 12.4s at full weight at 112. Car was stock driveable. m6

 

Wow, that's pretty dang fast. He was bolt-on only and ported heads?...and you are sure it was only the stock cam? Were they stock LT1 ported heads?

Did he have a rear gear change? Electric water pump? larger TB?

Just trying to see what it would take to duplicate what he did.

Dan

 

4.56 gears, 9 inch
e water pump
stock TB
ASP pulley
Moroso CAI
Ported heads, bigger valves, done locally
hooker LT, cutout
and lots of tuning