big dave

My stock high mileage motor finally gave up the ghost and I'm looking into possible budget conscious combos. The motor had PRC 2.5 5.3 heads and the t2 cam.

Would it be a waste of time putting those heads and cam on a 408 or should I just consider putting it on a 6.0 .

96capricemgr

iTrader: (1)

Define "waste of time"?

It wont make as much power as it could with more head and cam but it would still make at least the power you had likely more with milder manners. Just to explain that further the biggest advantage of displacement is to be able to run more head and cam, keeping the same heads and cam you will likely see some gains but not nearly what you could with parts to compliment the displacement.

big dave

Thanks for the reply. By "waste of time", I mean, with the added cost of stroking the motor, would there be anything to be gained if I'm still using the same heads and cam. I know the added cubic inches will give me more torque.
Would I be better off going with just a stock 6 liter, but with better heads and cam...assuming the cost was equal?

yonerhottlt1

iTrader: (21)

If you plan on just running that topend setup for now and then upgrading later I would do the 408. And you could always sell the TV2 and get something a lil bigger for the 408 while its out.If not then just throw it in a 6.0 and save yourself a bunch of time and money. But of course, there's no replacement for....you get it lol

thompson

iTrader: (4)

The short block is nothing more than an air pump, if you leave the heads and cam the same the power will be relatively the same (within reason omitting factors such as CR*). As stated above "waste of time" is a very relative term, If you like the power and mannerisms of the current set up you will like it on the 408 as well. If you are not looking to make any more NA power it will work great. You can achieve the same results with a 364ci LQ9 or 370 for much less (ours start at $1999). It will all depend on how much you plan to spend and your future goals but I believe you will be able to find a more budget friendly version of the 6.0 for a much better price that will achieve all of your goals. We have forged H-beam rods, ARP rod bolts and Diamond pistons in a 6.0 370ci short block (rated to 800HP)for as little as $2799.

farmington

iTrader: (14)

If you're doing the 408, sell your heads, intake, and cam and buy some LS3 heads and intake and go with a bigger camshaft. Probably come ahead, money wise.

big dave

My goals are pretty simple. I want to make at least 40 rwhp more than my current combo, while remaining very streetable. I'm not looking for a max effort combo because, though it will see quite a bit of track time, will also be taken on long drives. If I can get away with the 408 , plus my heads, plus a more suitable cam, I would consider that route. The problem I think I'll have is the heads being inadequate for the larger motor.

badassracing

iTrader: (13)

I dont think it would be a waste of time. You could always do a cam and head swap down the road. Those 5.3 heads still flow pretty good...especially when compared to aftermarket sbc aluminum heads. People have been running heads with less flow than that on 400+ci sbc's for years. It would definitely be a torque monster!!

speedtigger

iTrader: (16)

I am not much on wheel dyno stuff. I am drag strip kinda guy. I think you will pick up about 3-4 tenths in the quarter. The problem with just looking at peak numbers as many dyno guys do is that it a is a poor measure of overall performance increase. Average horsepower is a much better indicator of actual acceleration and that stroker will produce a very nice increase in average horsepower and torque.

Also, since you are likely to increase your compression on your build, you will have that extra torque too.

badassracing

iTrader: (13)

What he said

Gunslinger09

I know of a guy that has run 9s with those heads on a 408 with spray. The heads will be adequate Id just get a cam that is profiled for the cubes.

big dave

Thanks alot for the replies. It does make my decision a little easier. I think I'll try my current heads on a 408, talk to one of the cam guru's on here about designing a cam for my needs, and hopefully I can reach my goals. Maybe down the road, I can consider a head upgrade.

Sales@Tick

iTrader: (3)

Keep the heads use a different cam with events tailored for the added stroke.

That said the Torquer makes a great cam for the 3.622" stroke engines.

speedtigger

iTrader: (16)

That Torquer is a popular cam. If it is still in good shape, you should be able to sell it and recoup some of your costs for a new cam.

big dave

Once again, thanks for the replies/assistance. My biggest concern now is if I'll be giving up any streetability with a cam that's sure to be a bit larger to make use of the extra ci. The torquer 2 was more aggressive that I thought I would've been able to handle. With proper tuning, it turned out to be very liveable.

speedtigger

iTrader: (16)

The cool thing about larger displacement is that it will make a bigger cam behave more mellow. The cam gurus should be able to to tell you how much bigger you can go and still retain your current drivability.

badassracing

iTrader: (13)

With a 408 and those heads you will definitely be able to go to a larger cam and still be very streetable.

badassracing

iTrader: (13)

I don't think you really have to go to a bigger cam though...just one spec'd for the 408.

Sales@Tick

iTrader: (3)

The torquer checks in with 10* of overlap@.050 if you used the 111LSA version that I personally favor myself as I have an extremely similar cam that is 231/235 111+2 LSA. It's only difference is it uses LSL lobes instead of LSK/XER lobes like the V.3 Torquer does.

That said, you could easily get away with up to 16-20 degrees of overlap @.050 and have a very drivable set-up. The main point of lift you need to be careful with overlap though is near or at TDC which this piston position occurs at low lifts (i.e. advertised duration@.006") and you need to really watch the overlap@.006" to determine ultimate low speed drivability. The IVO event which begins the overlap stage is the most critcal point in relation to drivability which again plays right into the hands of how much overlap the cam has whether it be @.006", .050" or .200".

speedtigger

iTrader: (16)

Martin, I would think that size motor with those heads would favor a wider LSA. With that many cubes the tight LSA is not needed to boost the midrange intake signal and would just waste some of the intake charge out the exhaust.

While I have not had personal experience testing LS strokers vs stock cubers, on the small block Chevys, the 400 always preferred the wider LSA than the 350. It was an important consideration when camming a 400.

Also, the wider LSA would also benefit the OPs desired street manners.