n2ojunkie

Ok I started my APS install and have everything apart. Intake is off to remove the dp nitrous kit. I called about new valve springs and injectors, and well you know how it goes. Now I'm thinking a new cam, lifters. And for a couple of hundred more I can get stage 2 heads. lol.

I said no to the heads at first but now I'm thinking I can get them and sell them to help with some of the other money I'm spending. Or jsut go ahead and put them on and when I do my other engine (next winter, I hope) and sell them then.

What should I do? I know what all of you are going to say but realisticly what should I do? Sell them while there new? next year? Well? Oh I need to know by tonight so I can go and get everything tomorrow and get to work on it.

MY99TAWS6

iTrader: (3)

Not sure I followed your thread. You want to know if you should do heads and cam now or wait till next year? Depends on your goals and what you expect from the car powerwise.
What cam are you thinking of? I debated throwing the kit on my near stock block last fall but car was going away anyway right after kit came so decided to wait.

You can get heads to drop compression a half point or so if you go larger chambers like 72cc. The stock pistons are not very strong and would not recommend going much past 7 or 8psi unless you drop the compression with those heads. Withthe heads 10psi might be safe with good tune. Don't get greddy. I decided I wanted the full meal deal ,to be able to run like 15psi or a bit more so went with fully forged 408 and with luck have it in the car in may/june.

n2ojunkie

Ok sorry I didnt make it clear. I have to get the springs and injectors now. thats a gotta have. But I was thinking of doing a cam at the sametime. Its the livernois stage 2. With everything else I need for the cam its going to be around $xxxx for $xxxx ($x00 more) they said I can get stage 2 heads.

Their stage 2 heads are $1350 according to the flyer I have. I can get everything and install the heads with the cam, or just sell the heads and just install the cam. The money I would get back from selling the heads would pay for most of the stuff I need. If I install everything I would just take it all back off next winter and sell it then so I could build a different engine (400ci+).

My goals for this year were 550 rwhp with the stock motor on meth. Now if I do the cam heads maybe 600 I know thats pushing a stock engine but it wont be at that level all the time just every so often. I have hit 500 rwhp on the stock engine with just nitrous and that was a lot harder on it then the twins will be.

MY99TAWS6

iTrader: (3)

Again still sounds silly to buy stuff and then sell it next season. Just buy springs and injectors ,go for 60s rather than 42s to allow some room for growth.
Stock cam will do fine until you do the motor and is still pain in the butt to do with engine in the car. Then next year get new 4xx engine. Get a nice cam and heads and install them on the engine stand. You can use your nitrous for small shots to give you the 50 extra or so hp you would miss with heads and cam now. You can also use the money from the heads and cam on other things like rear end maybe or clutch or stall..

n2ojunkie

I am selling the nitrous, DP nozzel kit. the headers I put on last year to beable to run the mcleod sfi bellhouseing, I have a mcleod twin disk already, and a 12 bolt. The only thing I need to buy other than the springs and injectors is maybe a meth kit. and then have it tuned. I see your point on not doing the cam now. I just figured I had it almost all the way down. I just need to remove the front acc. to get the cam out.

I think you talked me out of it, lol. I'm not in a hurry to get it done as its still cold here in MI. Right now I'm just cleaning stuff and painting my valve covers and oil pan. I didnt like the oil look. I'll sleep on it tonight and let you know what I decided tomorrow. Thanks.

MY99TAWS6

iTrader: (3)

Ok you got a good clutch and rear end..ahead of the game. And yeah you can sell your headers. What make of direct port kit? Nitrous and turbos work excellent together.
And of course you don't need 918 springs if you get new heads next year. They will likely come with springs already on. Trust me doing springs with the engine in the car sucks!

n2ojunkie

So your saying just leave the stock springs in? I have never had valve float that I know of, but then again all of my pushrods are straight and I have done the 2-1, 3-2 shift a couple of times lol. so maybe they are floating but I reset my revlimiter to 6500 last year just so I wouldnt hit it with the nitrous on. and I have pulled it to that on the motor with no problems. The car only has 27 or 28,000 on it. 3500 of that was last year on power tour.

I do have the motor droped down right now. not all the way, but enough so I could remove the intake without cutting my hands and arms up. I have the balancer sitting on the sway bar, it works just like the jackstand in the aps install instructions. I dont like it sitting on it but I dont have a choice right now. I'm going out to reinstall the pan now and use my tranny jack to hold the engine up on the pan. It works great for installing the K member.

MY99TAWS6

iTrader: (3)

I don't think you need springs with stock cam.With aftermarket yes for sure put in the springs. I would maybe keep the rpm at stock limit for now or even a few hundred rpm lower.

Again why do things twice. Next year you could do the engine properly cam ,heads and have as much power as you would likely need. Well up to 1000 or so engine from the aps and more if you used that nos kit.
Nitrous will spin the turbos up super quick. And cool the charge as well.

Murdock

iTrader: (2)

I'm not gonna waste time and $$ on ported stock castings. If I do heads, I'll go with an aftermarket casting with a thicker deck.

Does APS recommend springs if you run the kit as-is, with whatever psi the WG springs give you?

Good luck with the install, I'm going to start mine (8.6 cr LS2, stock LS6 heads, cam tbd) easter weekend if weather permits (outside, jackstands, ugh!). Still need to buy fuel parts and swap my 4.56 for 3.42 gears.

Maybe I'll see you at a track this year.

MY99TAWS6

iTrader: (3)

Well great to see more APS guys getting their kits on their cars. I have a buddy running sts but only at 5psi and he has stock springs. I can't see the stock cam being high enough lift to be a problem. Maybe on super high mileage car possibly.

Murdock

iTrader: (2)

I thinking more of the boost pressure fighting the spring, not the cam. Check out the posts from Turbo Tech and INTMD8:

https://ls1tech.com/forums/showthrea...+pressure+seat

Granted at only 7psi, it's probably not a big deal. But I'd upgrade springs before I started raising boost.