i've searched, but it keeps on dropping the words "no" or "without" or anything else like that and keeps just doing a search for "heads, cam".

Anyways, has anyone gone and put some ported heads on a stock shortblock LT1? Just playing around with ideas and stuff laying around the garage.

Just looking at purchasing a LT1 car to play with while the LS1 car is getting the turbo swap over winter. Got to have SOMETHING to mess around with right out of winter time so I figure the LT1 car would do. Got alot of parts able to be switched over to the LT1 car.

Anyways, just wondering if anyone has and what kinda performance gains did you see.


*disclaimer* i know i'll possibly come back to read a whole bunch of posts like "what would you do that for" and stuff like that, but i have my reasons, nothing special, and just wanted to ask thanks.



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1999 Z28
ARE 382 All Bore, Kook 1 7/8 LT's and True Duals, TH350, Moser 9" w/ 3.50's + Spool, Weld Pro Stars, QA1's, TNT Nitrous Kit

10.70 @ 127mph w/ 1.53 60ft, 3400lbs, 75 shot, easing it out of the hole, shortshifting, and many other excuses

 

I think someone tried it awhile back and noticed almost no gain. The heads flow plenty for a stock cam.

It might make a small gain way up top if you had good sprinds and could rev alittle higher but i doubt it.

 

From everything that I have ever heard, aftermarket/ported&polished heads on a stock cammed LT-1 are pointless.

 

Just buy a used cam and throw it in the old lt1...that would be a good idea.

 

I looked into doing this awhile ago there are some posts about it. with 1.7rrs u can get about 330hp and it will pull decently... IMO go with a cam though the gains are far better

 

My friend who has a 93 Firebird A4 in Florida had home ported heads, stock valves, stock cam. shorty headers, ran low 13's to high 12's all day long at 106-107mph. On the nitrous before his 306 cam, I saw him run 11.80's. So yes you can see some descent gains with ported heads/stock cam set up. Go for it, you won't be disappointed.

ZMAN

 

What else was done to the car besides the heads? Because my A4 LT1 went 13.2 @ 104 N/A with just 3 mods.

 

His gears were stock 3.23's. Pretty much all the bolt on's. His headers were the crappy edelbrocks. I used to live in Jax, we used to run at Gainsville. The night he went his first 11.80, we were at OSW. But that was back in 96 or 97.

Z

 

Thanks guys. I guess it's I just like the ability to sound 100% stock minus the bolts ons for exhaust. My '93 Z 6speed went 13.3 with a shifter/muffler/K&N/and AFPR so i was hoping with the addition of some gears, REAL exhaust mods, and some of the other bolt ons with the ported heads, to see some improvement. a local guy/friend does reallly good port/machine work so cost isn't a factor.

guess maybe it's time to research "sleeper" cams

 

Since you have the means to do it, and it's not that difficult to pull the heads. You're going to have a good advantage over those who don't have ported heads. The you'll get the "where you hiding the bottle debates" from some guys. hehe. I aint trying to say its that noticable, because it isn't that close, but it will be enough to have some people think that way.

 

I'd go with a custom grind instead of a best guess off the shelf... Get the best bang for your $ you can.

 

There are ImpalaS running that fast with stock heads and cam and those are the iron heads everyone here hates and a smaller yet cam so your point is??????????????????????????????????????? Might be useful info if he had before and after data WITH weather data.

There are plenty of off the shelf inexpensive cams which would be a better choice than head porting for mild gains and perfect manners. For example I drove my Caprice with a ZZ3 cam 2.93s and a 1650 stall for awhile and it was fine even towing a small fishing boat, and guys that know it is there say it sounds stock. This cam is still a good bit bigger than the stock cam, but not so big as to develope any "cammed" manners. Custom grinds can be good but for a mild application the benifits of some of the redily available grinds would be minimal.

 

Since the price difference between an OTS and custom is likely to be minimal (like if you went to Bret), I'd still go custom. JonA (I think that's is name here) had fantastic results with one of Bret's cams and stock heads IIRC.

 

bottles are always on my cars, haha.

i realize a custom grind is the best for my particular application, as that what was done for my LS1 engine.

now what about possible benefits of an LT4 head/intake on a stock cam'd car? I just like playing devil's advocate to see what COULD be done.

 

I have also seen LT-1's with only cam and exhaust and cold air only run 13.7's at 102. My point is he has a friend that will do the porting, so why not. He aint going to lose anything by doing it power wise unless they don't know how to port heads.

Dwayne, I am only going by what I have seen. So if you have a problem with me, then take it pm.

As for your info. We used to run at Gainsville in the summer. Our cars had similar bolt ons, averaging 13.7-to mid 13's at 100-101. He ported his heads and went consistant high 12's to an ocassional low 13 at 106.

ZMAN