Danny Richie

I was interested in taking my stock LS-2 up a level or too. I have been putting aside various parts and plan to do a complete install of everything before spring. I am replacing the heads, and a cam that leans more towards wild than mild (as much as I can get away with considering a stock bottom end). I have port matched a stock LS-2 intake to match the new heads as well. I have a custom built FTI converter rated to stall to 3800. I have a Vararam air intake. I am getting long tube headers and electrically operated dumps. I plan to use stock mufflers to keep it quite. The dumps should give plenty of good air flow when needed.

After doing some research on the heads and making several phone calls to all my pals in the racing industry, and cam design business, I decided to give the Procomp heads a shot. http://store.procompelectronics.com/c-115-bare.aspx

I got the exact heads that were used in this shoot out. http://www.hotrod.com/techarticles/e...t/viewall.html

And I got the heads bare with the CNC porting. See pics.













The CNC work looked real good, and the combustion chambers looked like they were opened up real well too.

I like this bare head option because it allowed me to chose my own valve train. This also allowed me to polish out the exhaust ports and combustion chambers. I have ported many sets of heads back in my racing days. So polishing a set up after the CNC work is a piece of cake.

I took the heads to a local friend (Al Weiss) that I used to do some drag racing with in my younger days. He used to let me be part of his comp team back then. I think he set four NHRA records in a comp class. Two of them I was a part of. Al was also a former crew chief for Eddie Hill in his final year of competing in top fuel. Al has ported tons of racing heads for years, and is well known for his port work. So Al knows heads.

See info on Al and the Auto Shop here: http://www.facebook.com/AutoShopRacing?fref=ts

I was just going to have Al do the valve work and get his recommendations on value types. Al looked the heads over very closely and thought that the intakes looked real good, but he felt like they were leaving a little performance on the table in the exhaust ports. Al said these LS motors really like to breath and opening the exhaust up a little more would really help. Looking at the posted flow numbers in the head shoot out showed these heads were down a little in that department, and they still made more power (very slightly) than any of the other heads tested in that shoot out. Maybe these things can get even better still.

So I let Al do some work on the heads. He opened up the exhaust some more. He polished the exhaust ports, and polished the combustion chambers. Al installed some nice Fearra racing values and did a nice valve job on them. Some dual springs were used rated for a cam up to .650 lift. And Titanium retainers were selected.... All finished up, polished and and ready to install, I have $1,732 in them total. Not too bad.

Completed pics:













The ends of the heads do not have any decorative advertising engraved into them. So they will look like a stock head on the car. I like that.

I look forward to getting these installed with everything else, and I will let you guys know how they turn out.

What do you guys think about new head gaskets? I hear that the stock head gaskets can or are often reused on these, but I have never reused a head gasket before. With this combustion chamber size I am going to have the same compression ration as stock (10.9 to 1).

And the motor currently has 35,000 miles on it.

Reuse the stock lifters or replace them?

Any other suggestions or advise is welcome.

TurboMonte100

iTrader: (1)

Good post. I have thought about trying some of them myself. I have used PC heads on sbc and bbc in the past with good sucess.

Cwarta

iTrader: (12)

Glad to see this!! I to am trying a set of Procomps out, but im doing the LS3 topend combo! The head castings looked beautiful and there decked to bring compression up to 11.5-1, intake ported etc! My engine should be done soon so ill post up results if your interested!

chino_man279

iTrader: (7)

Are the valve guides machined that far off of center or is it an illusion from the pictures? Looks like some of the walls are really really thin.

Danny Richie

I'd appreciate that.

Danny Richie

They all look great, and the walls don't seem too thin either. Even Al Weiss was impressed with them.

LS1MCSS

iTrader: (18)

That's just where their cnc program had the cutter cutting a little bit more off one side than the other. It's just at the tip and a lot of cnc ported heads have more cut off the tip of the giudes than those do.

What are the flow numbers and the chamber size for the heads?

Danny Richie

Data from Hot Rod test:

FLOW DATA: CFM (AT 28 INCHES)
LIFT INTAKE EXHAUST
0.050 34 25
0.100 72 57
0.200 148 113
0.300 203 155
0.400 261 195
0.500 301 213
0.600 321 219
0.650 321 223
0.700 306 224

On my set we opened up the exhaust ports quite a bit more though.

Read more: http://www.hotrod.com/techarticles/e...#ixzz2Fz74pHAV

And these have 64cc combustion chambers.

studderin

iTrader: (28)

Have you or al ever worked with the 243/799 casting to compare these too?

Danny Richie

There is no telling what Al has done. He has been doing this stuff day in and day out for about 30 or 40 years.

I lived engine building and drag racing from age 17 through my mid 20's and then walked away from it (as far as heavy involvement) to raise a family. Now I am getting back into it and I am new to LS motors. So my LS experience is limited.

I think there was a pair of those heads used in the shoot out that I posted a link to.

What struck me in that shoot out was that there were 6 pairs of heads within 11 horsepower of each other. But the pricing of those heads were separated by as much as $1,123.

And the ported stock heads were only $1,320 and the customer has to supply the stock heads. I think those represent a pretty good value too.

I don't think anyone can go wrong with any of those heads, but I always look for the best value. And by the numbers the Procomps looked real good. So far so good, but they are not on the car yet.

jalper

iTrader: (9)

I agree we use the procomp head all the time, I think the castings are good, I would just prefer using lunati drive springs and valves

adamantium

iTrader: (3)

Excuse me for my ignorance but are these aftermarket casting's or OEM? They look OEM to me. Thanks for sharing this, ive seen countless threads with questions about these heads!

keith102371

iTrader: (20)

heres your heads I believe.....http://www.ebay.com/itm/LS1-LS2-LS6-...item43b3e1c072

if u look at their other items in their store they Procomp ele. parts

Danny Richie

Dang! Those are priced really cheap.

Mine were set up for the larger 2.05 and 1.60 values. Other than that, they look just like mine.

keith102371

iTrader: (20)

how is the quality of them?

TurboMonte100

iTrader: (1)

I have been toying with the thought of these myself, the unported ones are 389 or make offer. I bought sbc heads from this seller, no problems. I am just not sure if these will work on a 5.3.

Danny Richie

Mine aren't on the car yet, but they look real good. I could see no issues with them, and they were the top power making heads in that shoot out.

Cwarta

iTrader: (12)

The quality on my heads looks excellent. Im almost not anting to put these on my engine lol. Few pics of mine

studderin

iTrader: (28)

so thats a no?

Cwarta

iTrader: (12)

In my case, there is one main thing that I am unsure about, and I was not notified/aware of when I purchased these heads. These LS3 heads are a "Raised runner" design, therefore the GM rocker stands do not fit. I was informed In order to use stock GM LS3 stands and rocker arms I will need to cut the middle stands in pairs of 2, and I will need to cut the outside stands off as single and drill/pin them. That I am not real thrilled about :/ Just an fyi for others

Stock LS3 rocker stand boss`s:




My CNC Procomp Heads:

Notice the gaps between stand boss`s and the stands? That's due to the intake runner being raised so far.