Alright guys well I just blew me head gasket. I already bought a set of lightly ported and polished aluminum LT1 heads. While I am taking my old heads out I want to go ahead and do a little upgrading. I want to get some good Roller Rocker Arms. The new heads have some new comp cam springs good for .540 lift. Now here comes my problem. I have never replaced heads before. From what I have gathered from other people information I will need some new head gaskets (obviously) but I need to know ANYTHING else I will need to do this swap. I plan on buying new spark plugs and and wires. The problem is I dont no which roller rockers to get because I have heard about non self aligning and self aligning. From what I can tell the non-self aligning are the better but you have to get some other supporting mods like some kind of guideplate and hardened pushrods. Please can someone tell me what I need to get to properlly install new roller rockers and which ones i should get.

Please anyone with any info that can help me would be greatly appreciated. Any other gaskets, wires, ect. that I will need.

Thanks any and everyone with ANY info



Here is my list thus far:
1) Head Gasket
2) Spark Plugs and Wires
3) Roller Rockers (not sure of supporting mods yet)



Geordi

 

First you have provided NO information about the vehicle in question. If you have OBDII, you're gona have issues. You need a signature at the least.

Next issue. You have not done heads before, so why start modding when you are a novice? (nothing bad meant by that). You have a difficult enough time doing the repair, but to add mods like that on top of the repair. Whew boy, you're asking for it.

I highly recommend you do the repair only with all the original equipment. Get it running good. Then in the near future, start modding one step at a time.

Once you change a component in the valve train, geometry can change and that is a whole other issue. Guide plates and NSA rockers are another issue. SA have their own set of issues.

High valve spring tension on a warn cam (again there is no information) is a very bad thing. New cam in old worn bearings, another issue.

Incidentally, you will need to add intake gaskets at least.

You need to think this thing through a little more and give my 3rd paragraph more consideration.

 

Hey man if your trying to learn then you need to read up on all of this stuff for about four good months solid looking on websites and in articles like gm high tech performance making sure that you get a combo that works. But first off definetely have a haynes repair manual which will shoe you step by step on how to take cylinder heads off and even if they are after market heads they will go on the same way as in the haynes manual. But when you start modding the valve train that is a touchy area. But if you follow the steps in the haynes manual it will show you the minimum clearances for valvetrain which you will have to have with either aftermarket parts or oem so the haynes manual will work fine. It will show you a few techniques to find the valve distances. Anyway usually when you buy a new set of heads it usually specifies valve train components i know mine did. When it comes to gaskets youll need intake manifold gaskets, head gaskets, water pump and seals come in a complete gasket kit for the cam and all for like sixteen bucks on ebay, rtv silicone sealant, and difineately keep in mind as to where the unpugged hoses go as you are taking your car apart. Theres a site on the computer for technical advice also just type in 4th gen lt1F-body tech aids and it should come up with an address under it as follows: shbox.com/1/4th_gen_tech try it and let me know what you think. And also they have an lt-1/lt-4 rebuild manual youll probably want to buy off ebay.

 

Get you a book a start reading up on your engine...to do a head swap you will need,head gaskets,intake gasket set,NEW HEAD BOLTS(use ARP),antifreeze,make sure you change the oil when your done,if you have headers,new header gaskets or manifold gaskets.take your time and make sure everthing is clean.Keep us posted.

 

Alright to all who have given me this very useful information I appreciate it GREATLY. Now on to other topics. Although I may have sounded a bit inexperienced with "motor talk" I still know a lot about cars and my knowledge for the LT1 is only growing. All of you are right in saying that extensive research is key to any upgrade but I am in a bit of a situation because my 95 Trans Am is my only means of transportation so I need to get this project started and finished in a timely fashion. Although I have never installed new heads I still know how the basic engine works. Although I am still new to modding the LT1 I know that it can still be done at home (not in a shop, done with my own two hands) therefor I know that I can complete this project with minimum problems. I just replaced my clutch and flywheel for the first time a month ago with no prior knowledge (just took the bitch apart and got it back together and it works great. so please no one assume that I am just a kid trying to soup up his car, granted I am only 20 years old

Finally from what I have gathered from everyone thusfar I will need the following parts for a head swap.

1)head gaskets
2)intake gasket
3)new head bolts (ARP preferably)
4)new spark plugs
5)new spark plug wires
6)Roller Rockers (still have not decided on NSA of SA)
- I have been told that when changing from the standard rocker arms to NSA roller rockers that I will need to get the heads machined so that they will fit (something about the studs going from the standard 3/8 stud to a 7/16 does not fit- any information on that topic would be great because im not 100% sure that my information is correct).

Also when switching to a NSA RR I need to get hardened guideplates and hardened pushrods. If this is the case could someone please let me know what length pushrods I would need to get if I plan on getting a 1.6 RR. I am just trying to make sure my project list is ABSOLUTELY complete so that I dont have to wait for more parts to get in because I didnt have everything needed prior to.

I do have a haynes repair manual and have used it many times so that item is already bought.

As for the "vehicle in question"
I have a 1995 Pontiac Trans Am
The list of mods include - Powerdyne supercharger (4.5 psi of boost), 150psi of Nitrous (dont worry I dont EVER hit it unless I go to the track which is less than once a year), front and rear sway bars, sub-frame connectors, Spec Stage 3 clutch, and Im probably missing a few minor upgrades but for the most part thats what Im working with.


Thanks again guys for EVERYTHING that you have provided me with and any more info would be great.

Geordi

 

What is "150psi" of nitrous?

 

Respect for being ambitious, but if it's your only car..... wow.
Boost and spray on a stock daily driver?

Anyhow.
7/16 rocker studs do not require any work. Just unscrew the old ones and torque the new ones in. The part that goes into the head is the same size. The stud sticking out is bigger. Make sure the rocker arms you buy match. Studs are held in with helicoils (well mine were) and I had one pull out so I had to get a replacement at ACE. No biggy.

Guide plates keep it simple. Adjustables are usually a pain. I think mine are just gm. Pushrods you can use stock length unless you swap cams. Check out tickflow - they don't make an lt1 specific pushrod but have the right sizes for a lot less than some of the other brands.

Probably lots of cleaner on hand. Be ready to scrape for a few hours if you are cleaning.

Torque wrench to get the heads right.

It won't get you much wiggle room but assuming the pistons/rings are still in one piece you might go with a little thicker head gasket to drop the compression a 1/10 or two.

 

dont forget all new gaskets. everyone forgets the gaskets lol. id recommend the felpro top end set from autozone or somewhere else if you can find it cheaper. its like 220.00 or something like that. not junk, and will get your car sealed well.

 

Fred.. We can lead a camel to water.. we both try so hard. Never means a thing.....

 

I figured you were a college kid becasue of your username

 

Be sure to have your heads checked to make sure they are not cracked and flat. At least make sure they are flat, thats a lot of work to do over if they are not and you put them back on.

 

Yes I understand that having this "hot rod" as an everyday driver is a bit "risky" but i cant afford another vehicle and my friend has a spare s-10 that i can drive when the TA is down. But I figured I could just get a just get on some of these forums and see if any guys with this similar hobby of fixing up there car and having the fastest bitch out there could help me out with some of my problems. But hey this must not be the right place.

But back to my problem at hand. Jset i think you explained it in a "simpler" form and that better explains it. Im not swapping out my cam so I can just stick with the stock length for the pushrods (if anyone knows the stock length of pushrods in an LT1). As far as the studs being the same size, I talked to a guy at summit and he said i would need to get my heads machined in order to put 7/16 in. Is he wrong? Already got some cleaner on deck and any tool i'll need. The motor only has 71k miles on it and the blower is only pushing 4.5 psi. I havent taken it to the strip or dogged it too hard in my opinion. I've also never hit my "150 shot of Nitrous" on this motor either so i think the rings and pistons should be fine. So the high end felpro gasket set will seal it up but will it be thick enough to drop the compression a little?

As far as the snide *** comments go... come on guys, i figure you "men" are grown ups with a lot more "wisdom" and "experience" then me (whether or not your maturity level is on the same level is beside the point) and you could "teach" me a thing or two about this hobby of mine.

anyway, thanks again for of the much needed and much appreciated info from everyone!

 

I surprised nobody has asked the most important question yet.
WHAT CAUSED THE BLOWN HEAD GASKET?
If you have any kind of overheating/coolant leaking issues you need to solve them before you even think about trying to make more power. If you dont your problems will only get exponentially worse. More power=more heat and even greater chances of another blown head gasket, cracked heads, damaged pistons/rings, or milkshake in your oil which can damage the bearings.

 

Im still not exactly sure what caused the head gasket to blow and technically I am just making an educated guess as to what the problem really is. I assumed since I was loosing coolant and white smoke was coming out the pipes that it was a blown head gasket leaking water into the engine. I checked my dipstick before I last tried to drive the car and it had that milky white with a hint of green on it (which from what I can tell means water is in the engine which is BAD right? Since those are my symptoms and the coolant is not leaking anyway in the front of the motor i expected a blow head gasket. It is also very possible that I might have cracked my heads in the process. Also the last time I drove the car it started to overheat and I pulled over to pop the hood. When I crawled up underneath the car I noticed a dripping of coolant/oil where the tranny and block connect. I dont know if that could have just been from the coolant reservoir overfiilling after the coolant getting too hot or what. I just know I have a serious problem. Also I dont know if the water dripping from the tranny/block was mixed with oil prior to actually coming out of the motor or if that oil was already there from a smaller oil leak having nothing to do with my coolant problem. Sorry if this description is a little rough but its the best i know how to explain. If anyone has any input please feel free to leave your 2 cents.

Thanks again

Geordi

 

Only way to know for sure would be to do a compression/leak down test on the cylinders. Sounds like a blown head gasket or cracked head. Looks like you got a little work ahead of you just to fix the HG. Once you get that resolved you need to find out why its getting hot and solve that problem before you go any further with your hot-rod plans.