On a stock LT1 with minor bolt ons to full bolt ons how crazy of a set of heads could I get. I don't really want to cam it but I was some GOOD power and heads aren't that difficult to swap compared to a cam.

So what's the "biggest" set of heads I could get without sacrificing anything major?

Also what kind of power would they make?

 

getting the largest set of heads possible is not the best route.... bigger is not always better. you should match your heads to you cam and your cam to your the rest of your combination.

 

I know, but I don't know If I'm going to cam the car ever, so I was wondering what would work the best with stock cam. And what power it would actually improve. To see if it's even worth it.

 

There are plenty of small cams out there that would give you a nice gain in HP and drive like it was still stock. Personally I would rather have a small cam and no head work than the other way around. Do you even have headers and a free flowing exhaust to go with a set worked over heads? If you don't even have headers, whats the point of better flowing heads?

 

I wouldn't consider it until I have full bolt ons. Which I plan on doing first. I did a cam swap in a W-body, but I don't like the way the LT1 sits in the engine bay... there's no way I'm going to do a cam swap in this car.

 

Not worth the money for the little gains you would get with aftermarket heads on a stock camed engine.

 

Head swap and cam swap are about the same difficulty - if anything a cam swap is easier because you don't have to mess with all the head bolts, rear water crossover, accessory brackets, or headers.

However, if you do them both at the same time, it saves you alot of effort. Once you have the heads off, all you have to do is pull the lifters, timing chain cover, and radiator to get the cam out.

Mike

 

Personally, I think a cam swap on a w-body is just as involved as on an f-body, I wouldn't let that be the only thing preventing you from considering a cam swap.

 

The difference in swapping cams on an F-body vs. a GP is that I could work on a GP with my eyes closed after 5 years with one. I did the cam swap BY MYSELF in 8 hours. I don't really want to tear my car down and have to learn all about F-body stuff at the same time. It could take forever and I don't want to deal with unforseen problems.

 

Swapping heads on an f-body requires a bit of work and removal of things as well... Check out www.shbox.com he has a great tutorial on there about an f-body cam swap and an endless amount of other useful f-body how-tos and info.

 

The most logical option is porting of the stock castings. You could see gains of 30-40hp with a basic port job.

Rich

 

Even if doing a cam swap is more difficult, it still makes more sense. Put decent heads on a bolt on car and see 320rwhp after spending $1k-$2k or see 340-360rwhp after spending $500 on a cam kit. I believe with full bolt ons, aggressive cam, and a good dyno tune, you will see those numbers. You could damn near put that car in the 11s with the stall and gears you got.

Just print yourself up a nice how-to and go to work.
Several people on here have jumped into an LT1 cam swap without knowing the ins and outs beforehand.

And since your motor was R&R'd recently, you shouldn't have to deal with any seized bolts/surprises or anything.

 

True.

Good heads on LT1 = stock LS1