OnlyACamaroCanbeAZ28

Bought my parts truck with motor a few months back and have yet to get it out but winter is approaching soon and I will have much more time to get this engine out and swaped into my 93 chevy rcsb street truck (unless I can find a deal on a 84-87 Regal in the meantime). the motor is in a 2000 chevy 2500 so it does have the long crankshaft (not a problem since im running a turbo 400 or 7004r) and has the Cast Iron heads (873's I think).

Anyways Im trying to start gathering parts, this is a budget build but I do have some money to spend. From the research ive done on the forum, the L92 heads seem to be by far the most popular and best stock head available. My other best option would be a set of 317 Heads. Both would bump up compression I know although Im not sure how much. I do want to keep the 873's though because if I eventually decide to go FI i feel like those heads would be much better with the lower compression numbers but my plan right now is NA motor and nitrous later on (100-150 shot).

My biggest question is how much better are the L92 heads than 317's and are they truely cost effective? or would i be better milling another set of LS heads or 317's. etc? To get compression up im going to have to do something as the 873's are just not going to get me where I want to get the power too. Also with either Heads what type of Cam should i be looking for? I want more useable low end torque and power, I do want to race this truck every now and then but im looking more for streetability than high end power. This will NEVER be used as a DD though. I have read the carbed motors like the LSA around 110 or less.Does anybody make carb specific Ls Cams?

Overall im looking for some input on where I should go here. 317's vs L92's cost and performance wise and what cam to use with either. I do not want to flycut the pistons and want to make sure I have enough PTV clearance. Ive researched and read so many articles i feel like im going brain dead. share what you would do and why, would love to hear from some guys who have had their set-ups running for a while and have few to no issues with it.Thanks in advance

Other plans:

-4.10 rear axle ratio
-700r4 or Turbo 400 with a stahl around 3600-->may change depending on cam
-MSD 6010
-Longtube headers
-Victor Jr (L92) or Super Victor (317's)

OnlyACamaroCanbeAZ28

Bump...


317's (milled possibility?) vs L92 heads, Cam selection? , valve springs? , pushrods? etc??

Would really appreciate some input here

ZONES89RS

iTrader: (25)

I have milled 317s that work fine. If you will spin the hell out of it, or just want the bit of extra, get L92s.

OnlyACamaroCanbeAZ28

whats the average cost to get a pair of 317's milled?

Doug G

Be very carefull with cam selection if you're not fly-cutting.

I went LS3 heads, cut .050, a 110 LSA .624 cam, and had to have them cut the pistons .100

OnlyACamaroCanbeAZ28

well if i go with l92's I dont plan on milling at all, only if i go with 317's. Does anybody know how big of a cam I can run with stock l92's without flycutting the pistons? and milled 317's for that matter since there basicaly my 2 best options from what I can tell.

ZONES89RS

iTrader: (25)

Shoot, with my Trex I had my 317s milled .040 and did not have to fly cut.

jaybuller

in my opinion i would go with 243 heads and not mill them. on your lq4 you should be able to bolt on a set of 243s and be right around 10.4 or so with out milling. the 317 untouched will flow the same just be lower compression. the cost is about the same for 317 or 243 as well mabey 100 dollars more for the 243s but milling your 317s would cost more than that and you would need to get different pushrods if you milled them. as far as l92 verse cathedral port heads i would stick with cathedral port if you do most of your cam is going to have lower lift numbers than .600

ZONES89RS

iTrader: (25)

If you have 317s, they are great. If you have no heads...spending 400$ for 243/799 castings is always worth it.

OnlyACamaroCanbeAZ28

Thanks for all the responses. Ive been doing a lot of extra reading and searching the last 2 days and the general conception seems to be to stay away from the l92's unless your really building something to spin high, im looking more for useable street power than a drag car build. I did find some for decent pricing but I feel like i could use the extra money elsewhere if those heads really arent going to be that much more helpful.

Theres a lot of threads about 317's vs 243/799's and a lot of posts..... From what i can tell (and this is also what Jaybuller stated) is that they flow the same but 243's will have higher compression, obviously better if im going NA.

I have noticed the price of 243's seems to be on average a few hundred dollars more than the 317's im finding though. I understand the bump in compression is going to help but is that small bump in compression worth wild for a few hundred dollars extra and lets say what 10-15 more hp/tq?

OnlyACamaroCanbeAZ28

or maybe im just finding some overpriced heads What the going rate for a set of 243's or 317's complete that you guys are seeing or would expect to pay?

jaybuller

? Ivegot a set of 317 heads complete I pulled off my 2004 lq4 so i could swap on my 243s. I didn't know what to price them at that's why I never sold them. I bought my 243s for 450 dollars but I see 317s going for any where from 200 up to 400?

Doug G

317's are 70cc and the 243's are 65cc as best I remember reading ????

317's are $100-$200 (maybe more?) milling about $100, new push rods about $100 (and should get new ones anyway IMO), and the Machine shop is going to hit you with new seals and clean up anyway....and don't forget springs for the new cam.

243's are about 2X the price, same machine shop costs (minus milling), still need new pushrods....again JMHO.

speedtigger

iTrader: (16)

I will give you a very specific recommendation for your combo of LQ4 with 3600 converter and 410 gears:

• 243/799 heads or if you can spend the cash Texas Speed Stage 1 or 2 CNC ported LS6 heads ($1100-$1500)
  
• Camshaft in the low 230s degree @ .050" range duration with a 110 to 112 LSA on a 107 to 109 ICL with lift in the .580 to .615 range.(Don't worry about all the custom cam fans, if you find a deal on a good grind in this ballpark, it will rock and roll)
  
• Get some PAC 1518 valve springs.
  
• 750 HP Holley or 750 mechanical secondary Quick Fuel (best choice)
  
• The old standard Holley 12-803 fuel pressure regulator set to 7 psi. Or the 12-804 if you are running a return system.
  
• A nice Aeromotive Street/Strip or Mallory 140 fuel pump.
  
• MSD 6010
  
• 1 3/4 or 1 7/8 headers with 3" dual exhaust.

OnlyACamaroCanbeAZ28

Thanks for all the info guys. Ive read your build thread a few times because you were very detailed in mentioning everything you did and providing lots of parts numbers as well as your opinion on them.lol

Ive found a pair of 806s that were CNC'd for a reasonable price but I cant find any info on them. I know as a stock casting head they are frowned upon but being CNC ported I dont know how well they would flow compared to a stock 243/799.Not many people invest that kind of money into those heads so finding research on them is pretty tough...Opinions?

I am deff leaning towards the 243/799 stock heads with the springs (PAC 1518). Ive found 2 other places on ebay but these (http://www.ebay.com/itm/GM-REBUILT-C...05e2b3&vxp=mtr) although are nice, are rebuilt with factory springs that are not going to be rated to the cam I need and after adding a set of springs im going to be better off price wise buying stage 2.5 LS6 heads from texas speed.I also found these (http://www.ebay.com/itm/CNC-Ported-L...a3cbff&vxp=mtr) which are already CNC ported but I have the same spring issue. These plus springs and im back to the same cost as originally buying everything together from texas speed. Ive just got to find a set of 243/799 heads that are in decent shape for the right money, just dont know how long thats going to take to find.

Those cam specs seem in line with the oother things ive been reading. Seems like maybe a torquer V2 or TSP 233/239 .595"/.603" Camshaft. I know there are others out there but these seem fairly popular from the other posts ive read.


The other things I need would be head bolts (around $60 I think) and gaskets ($??),and pushrods( $115). Am i going too be okay using my original rockers from my 873 Cast Iron heads and swapping them over to 243/799 or 317 heads?

speedtigger

iTrader: (16)

As long as the rockers are in good condition. Also, do the the Comp Cams trunion upgrade. I think either of those cams listed would work great, just make sure you order a lobe separation angle of 111 or 110. I would also shoot for an ICL of 108.

OnlyACamaroCanbeAZ28

What would be the effects of running a lsa of 112 instead? Found a good deal on one but everyone says a lsa around 110 is better.just wondering why?

ZONES89RS

iTrader: (25)

110 is the sweet spot for whatever reason, but a 112 will move the power band up a bit and decrease the signal to the carb at idle. Will still work but not optimal. Have a torqer v2 in the 6.0 in a 79 Malibu. Went 11.58 in the 1/4 on one pass, and that was after my buddy told me he moved timing down for some reason. Which slowed the car compared to our best 1/8th mile pass by a tenth.

speedtigger

iTrader: (16)

Speaking in general terms, widening the LSA broadens the power curve and reduces peak torque. It will also have a tendency to "tame" or "smooth" the idle.

The reason in your case that the narrower LSA is a good choice is for two reasons:
1. Single plain intakes have a higher RPM torque peak than dual plane carburetor intakes and the factory long runner plastic intakes.
2. You have a high stall automatic transmission. This typically narrows the practical RPM range demands of the engine.

Since narrowing the LSA of the camshaft tends to bring the torque band in sooner and generally concentrates the power into a narrower RPM range, it is often the perfect choice for a naturally aspirated engine equipped with a single plane intake manifold and an automatic transmission with high stall torque converter.

OnlyACamaroCanbeAZ28

As of right now this is going to get 317s milled and a turbo 400 simply because of cost issues. some CNC heads and a nicely built 700r4 are my eventual plans but thats not in my budget right now. Ive found a 4 k stall for cheap that is for a turbo 400. my questions is is a 4000k stall going to be to big? I was always told that you wanted a stall around 1000-1500 rpm below your peak hp area but I dont know where the peak hp would be without seeing this same set up on a dyno graph. i also plan on using a 100-150 shot of nitrous and i know that makes a difference but it will be rare so not overly concerned with that.