Hey everyone. out of curiousity, what are the best heads to get for the Lt-1??? Im not really concerned with the price, but basically looking for some heads that will deliver the most hp. ANyone have any ideas, suggestions????


Thanks,
-Nick

 

i use a set of ported afr 220,i would only suggest them for a radical combinations,great flowing heads,the 190s are a good head my cousin nova has a lt1 with them makes good power.

 

I think it probably depends on what else is done to the car. Full race heads probably won't net nearly as much of a gain on a basically stock car compared to a full race motor. Also you have to find the most comparable complementary parts for the heads to get their full potential.

 

If price is no object, then definately go AFRs, dont just bolt them on from the box, have them worked and they will flow like gangbusters.

 

AFR 190s and 195s are awesome...also might want to call Lingenfelter Perfomance...www.Lingenfelter.com...if price is not an issue...

 

Do you want to use heads that are designed (reverse cooled) for Lt1's already (Afr, Edelbrock, trickflow)... or do you not mind converting regular sbc heads? There are better heads out there (Brodix, etc) that can be converted and used. More performance, but also more $ for the castings, conversion, and then any possible headaches from any little things that may come up...

 

hey guys, thanks for the replies. Well im planning on building a stroker motor..either 383 or 396...and yeah something designed for the Lt-1 ( the less problems the better). I basically want heads with the highest flow possible..something that will make a big difference. I was thinking along the lines of Lingenfelter, AFR or CNC.....which one of those three the best? Also i am considering adding a forced induction system later down the line (Im not sure if that will make a big diff in my choice of heads).

 

If money is no issue you might look at the arao 32 valve heads. You need the block clearanced for the pushrods, custom headers, a modified intake, and a large cube motor with a bottom end that will reliably rev to 9+k. Nobody publicly aside from arao has gotten them to work, but your talking about heads that are capable of flowing 390cfm on the intake side.

http://www.araoengineering.com/


If your serious, fully ported AFR LT4 220cc or 227cc should flow more than enough. Youll probably end up being realistic and having to go with less.

 

I was just checking out the CNC ported Brodix track 1-23 degree heads at www.lingenfelter.com. How is that head, like power wise? And also what rocker arms, valve springs and cam would I use for that kind of set-up?

 

I was just checking out the Areo Engineering webpage... 32 valve head sound great, but how come you have mistrust with the company? Have you heard about any shady business deals? I'm only wondering because i was considering the 32 valve heads.

 

I talked to a guy who owns a pair of their heads(Bobby Simpson). He never said anything bad about the company, but about the difficulty and money involved in getting the heads to work. Its sad but I have to say alot of the people involved in the aftermarket performance sector have a shady side. Regardless Id be careful about sending $5500 to someone in another state.

 

Yeah it does sound like a huge headache with the 32v heads. So far im considering the AFR and the Brodix heads. Any other suggestions?

 

He must have been sick, half asleep, or real busy because Bobby has had lots-o-problems with Russ Arao.

 

Yes the Doms are a PITA compared to a set of AFRs ready to bolt on to a LT1. You said above that you dont want any problems but you then say your considering Brodix heads... Brodix doesnt make a LT1 head, you will have to get a track 1, -10, etc and convert it to reverse cooling, have the heads drilled so a LTx intake will bolt up to it, etc.

 

Like Ken is saying, you are talking a whole order of magnitude more work getting a gen I (Brodix) head to work on an LT1. I realize this may sound rude, but if you have to ask about a conversion like that, you shouldn't even consider it unless you have deep pockets and are willing to hand the car over to a good shop with a blank check and a number of months to wait. It is not a DIY in your own garage kind of project for 99.99% of us, at
best.

It's not clear to me if this is a street car, a street/strip car, or a race car. You also don't specify if it's gonna be fuel injected or have a carb. If it's fuel injected using the OEM PCM, you will be limited to 7,000rpm. This means that huge intake ports, which work best at high revs, may not be what you want.

In general, a set of fully hand ported AFR 195cc heads would be the best choice for a street car that occasionally sees the strip. The larger AFR heads would be the way to go for a more track oriented car.

Rich Krause