Carb'd LS1...need suggestions
 

I'm picking up a zero mile LS1 shortblock next week minus heads. Im toying with the idea to turn it into a carb'd LS1 for the time being and put it in my 78 Malibu. This way, I would not need to deal with a fuel system.

I'm keeping the stock pistons so the comression will be stock. Heads will be stock castings. Should I look for 4.8/5.3/6.0 heads or LS1 heads? Again, this is gonna be a budget build but want to know what heads I should stay away from. I think I'm gonna upgrade to a 03-04 Z06 cam or there abouts.

I'm gonna top it off with the Edelbrock RPM carb intake and controller, and then upgrade ot the MSD box later on.

So any suggestions for heads? Cam? This is going into a full weight daily driver malibu.

Thanks
Nick
'88SS

do Z06 heads and cam w/ Z06 valve springs....... that should be cheap enough

5.3 heads will bump compression to about 11:1 and they flow similiar to 5.7 LS1 castings. Slap a 224 cam in there with some comp 918 springs.

Yea it looks like the 4.8/5.3 heads will bump compression but don't have as big of valves as the 241 castings and dont flow as well, but the hike in compression help make up for the power. I'd rather not raise compression unless I got the 5.3 heads dirt cheap. The 6.0s lower compression so thats a no on those.

I think I'm gonna look for LS1 castings, but if 5.3 heads pop up cheap, I may just do that.

I'm gonna watch the Sale forum and if a cheap aftermarket pops up, I may do that, or run a later Z06 cam, definitely not the stock corvette one.

Its tough to get a solid answer....the head bolts are TTY. Are the main/rod bolts?

Thanks
Nick

Yes they are as well.

If I ran a basic 224 cam, stock LS1 heads or 5.3 heads with 918 springs, an eddy RPM carb intake and 650 carb, what kind of numbers could I expect to see? I figure stock is about 345 for the vette. Add in a 224 cam, what kind of power could I see? 370 at the crank?

Thanks
Nick