Hey guys. I was just wondering, what are some of the best cylinder heads for the money for an LT1. I like AFR, but they seem a bit pricy. What about some good head/cam packages out there, any links or prices? Thanks a lot.

 

www.advancedinduction.com
or
nighttrain66@msn.com (Lloyd Elliot)
or
www.combinationmotorsports.com

just to name a few

 

Best head for the money is going to be a stock ported LT1 head by any of the above listed guys.

 

What are your goals?

What do you want to spend?

 

Other considerations aside from your goals should include the quality and consistency of the work as well. For instance, is all of the work completed in house? Machinework will make or break performance (best case) & inconsistent machinework can trash most everything associated with your combination (worst case), so IMO it's an important thing to consider. Shop & ask around, because "farming" out work may work for stock/cheap rebuilds, but even given specifications and/or tooling to complete the job, how it needs to be done will vary with each head (not just each casting, but each head of the same casting), and odds are if you don't do it yourself, it won't be near optimal

Good luck!

 

AI is the shizzle for rizzle my nizzle.

Mike

 

ehh hes alright kidding Phil..... kidding

Mike, your avatar kills me

 

Those 'izzle' endorsements are what every vendor hopes for...

Thanks Mike, be good buddy & when you're ready to do something in the future we'll work out something for you. You've been entertaining over the years, we all owe ya

Stevie, I'm workin' on it . Getting into the 420-430rwhp range (SAE) hasn't been a problem, but by mid-summer we should consistently be able to make 430-445rw with normal stock displacement HR packages. Everyone may throw those #'s out, but we'll see who has actual dyno sheets w/o tricks when the time comes... Hopefully then we'll move up a rung up from 'alright.'

Take Care guys,

-Phil

 

So, who farms out their heads?

 

Not bad, you!

I am just in the process of fixing the body on my LT1, the motor I think will be a 355 with a mild hyd. roller cam, forged pistons, stock ported heads and a few other things. Nothign wild. I was gonna do a 383 LT1 motor, but decided to treat my old '88 bird to a 383 instead. Actually, in about a month (this is what the machineshop said) it should be all done and ready to go. Maybe next time you come into town Grip, we can do third-vs. fourth gen wars, if the car is ready, lol.

For now I am just in the process of fixing the body on that car.

 

I sent my heads to Advanced Induction as well, we'll see when I get them back

Actually, I had a dream that they were done already hehe.

Hmmm, maybe I better have you hold onto my heads for a few more months

 

damn, makes me wanna not port my own heads..lol!

 

AI, You quoted that "farming out" is fine for cheap rebuilds. You still havn't answered the question who farms them out? Thanks

 

I don't spend much time on the board anymore, sorry to make you wait

I couldn't possibly list everyone who doesn't do their own machinework, nor would I since not everyone cares to put that much into it. Most parts/install stores don't, but that's understandable in alot of cases - cylinder heads are a very specialized business & they're not into that. The poster asked what to look for, and any professional shop is going to complete their own product. By shopping around & going into local shops you can see who has equipment & does their own work, so it's not usually too tough to check out. There are many people who can port a decent 23deg SBC head, so to help narrow them down, one of the questions I'd ask would be along these lines. Cylinder head work in any capacity greater than your average stuff is centered around your machinework first & flowbench 2nd in my experience & opinion .

Hope that helps


-Phil

 

I cant wait for the 460-470 rwhp heads/cam package