Vortec350ss

iTrader: (17)

Hey guys,

I'm lookin or some advice and diretion on heads. I need to know how much is too much and how I can get the best power under the curve for my current set up. My Mods are in my sig, but I'll give a quick run down:

I have a 90mm truck intake manifold and 87mm TB
EPS 222/226 on a 114 +4 with about .600 lift on both sides
1 7/8" catless ARH
Currently running a 3" cat back, but I may be switching to a single 3.5" with a cut out.

I currently shift at 6300 RPM and I just want to make as much power as possible with that in mind. I have seen some decent deals on patriot stage 3 243's, but i dont want to make sacrifices on such a key part to making NA power. The problem with most cnc'd 243's is the intake runner is jacked up to about 225-230cc which I think may deliver more power at the cost of low end torque. I know in the big scheme of things thats fairly small, but as I said I just want as much power everywhere as I can get on a decent budget. I'm not revving this thing to the moon like some of you. I have seen impressive results on this forum from AI's cnc'd 243's (about 50 HP over untouched 243's) with a cam similar to mine (224/228 on a 113) that pulled to 6500.

I think my biggest fear here is that I will pony up for heads but then not see most of what I would have gained from them by not having a more aggressive cam and shift points. Is that something I should be worried about?

Can a cnc'd stock casting like what is offered from WCCH or AI compare to the small port offerings from TFS and AFR? Is a head designed for a 4" bore like the AFR 215 my best bet? I really don't want to spend that much on heads, but if it really is truly worth it I can be patient to see what pops up used.

Where would untouched 243's get me?

Keep in mind these will find their way onto a LQ9 in a 5800 lb daily driven crew cab pick up truck. My race weight will be 5300-5400 this spring. My end goal after heads and the converter are installed is to run 12's in a crew cab 4x4.

1nasty86

iTrader: (63)

Trickflow 225 with the powder metal guides and rock out

Rise of the Phoenix

iTrader: (27)

Why not buy a used set of AFR 205's? They will give you great under the curve power. I wouldn't go any bigger than 215 though.

Vortec350ss

iTrader: (17)

A little bit of conflicting advice here... 225's or small port design? I don't know why but I like the idea of a head that takes advantage of the larger 4" bore of the 6.0.

Shifting at 6400 or so will I even see the benefit of 225 over a 215 or 205 head? I guess my question is where do the larger ports really start to shine, and how well do they compare at 3k RPM or even lower? Are there any direct dyno numbers to show this? I tried to search and came up with nothing, I'd also be interested in any dyno comparisons available for the 205 vs 215?

Thanks for the opinions guys. Keep em coming!

wildcamaro

iTrader: (15)

The 220/225 heads are def not too big for the 6.0...if your cam is big enough (it is) and you got enough compression you should have no problem getting the port velocity you were talking about...personally I go with trickflows

1nasty86

iTrader: (63)

Well I purchased a set of 225's for my ls2 but im running a 230/238 vs. ur 222/226.. Ill say this tho a very nice ported 243 head is hard to beat.. If you have the coin then id say get the 225's but if your on a budget a set of t.e.a. ported 243's would,be ideal.

wildcamaro

iTrader: (15)

^^^exactly what I think

There are guys running 225 on 5.7s....although I see where he is coming from bc you need all the loaned torque you can get for that big a vehicle

02_Orange_D1SC

iTrader: (27)

I'd look at a set of the PRC 215s I almost went with a set of those before I did the AI 243s

Vortec350ss

iTrader: (17)

Those PRC's look pretty legit. What made you go with the AI's over them?

So many options... how the hell am I supposed to make the right call here?? haha

wildcamaro

iTrader: (15)

The difference between the prc's and the ai's wouldnt be significant...go with either and you will be happy as a dog with two dicks lol

ct06gto

As stated, tfs 225's with powdered metal guides milled to 62 cc and upgraded trunions on stock rockers.

Camaro99SS

iTrader: (4)

The ultimate choice would be to find some used AFR 205's and send them to Tony to get lightly ported or "Mamofied". They've proven to work very well even on a 402. The new 210's untouched would be about the same but with either choice, you'll be looking at spending close to $3k once you factor in the need for roller rockers and possible upgrades such as valve springs.

If that's not in your budget, the best OEM option would be AI ported 243/799's. Several have eclipsed 500rwhp with these on 6.0's with excellent under-the-curve power, and I doubt you'd be disappointed with the low end.

Jason

Vortec350ss

iTrader: (17)

3k is definitely more than I would be willing to spend. I think I could get a really complete TVS1900 for about 4k, and no set of heads will give me the power that one of those would.

At this point I'm leaning toward the AI's since they seem to offer a great bang for the buck.

02_Orange_D1SC

iTrader: (27)

biggest was the price but what made me do the AI heads was the power numbers people are putting down with them

Vortec350ss

iTrader: (17)

Yea I have been seeing real impressive power numbers with them too. Crazy stuff. I sent them an email to see how they would respond and what they would recomend for me. I wonder if the smaller port job would be a better option since I don't really rev all that high.

Who knows... I have emailed some other people who I think would be good options too.

1badeagle

iTrader: (9)

I ran a set of T.E.A 5.3 heads on my 6.0 that I picked up cheap and they worked great.

hammertime

iTrader: (1)

I'm afraid comparing 6.0 head choices in 3500lb cars with a stall converter to your heavy truck will leave you wanting more down low. The AFR heads will give you the most velocity and low end throttle response because nothing else flows close to what they do at 205 to 210 cc's. You don't need 215's either for this application, 205's and 210's work great on a 4" bore, and you stand to lose more power where it really counts by going bigger than you need.

You don't have to get AFR heads 'Mamofied' for your application, and you should not have to anything other than stock rockers either.

If you can't save up for them and insist on a ported stock casting, get some 243's and send them to AI for the performance rebuild. You get a good vavle job, without enlarging the port anymore than necessary -inexpensive, and will make significant gains without going to big.

Vortec350ss

iTrader: (17)

Going into this process thats where my head was too. I just assumed that the AFR 215 which was designed for the larger 4" bore might be a better choice than the 205's... but i really didnt have much to base that on.

Rise of the Phoenix

iTrader: (27)

I totally agree, and that's why I suggested looking into AFR 205's. You can find them used in the classified section for around $1,500.00. The 205's will give you great power under the curve and still flow well enough for power up top.

hammertime

iTrader: (1)

Do a search for threads started by Tony Mamo with results in the subject line. He has built several well performing 402 combos using 205 heads and details galore. He openly admits that his porting tweaks to the 205 heads are not for everyone, and you can still achieve excellen results without it.

With 38 less cubic inches, you are not in danger of running out of air flow on your 6.0. Any gains from the bigger head would only come in the upper rpm ranges which you rarey see on a street driven truck.