Heads on a budget.
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Teching In
Joined: Oct 2008
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From: Collegeville, PA
Heads on a budget. I found a set of used 04 Z06 heads from an LS6 that have about 15K miles. Guy is asking $500 on Craigs List for them.
My question is. I know they are almost the samw as stock 243 but with some minor difference. What kind of HP increase am I looking at and is there anything I would have to do or are they just bolt on for the most part. They guy said he would give me the cam that is the stock Z06 one. Should I stick my my stock Ls1 cam or use his cam. May upgrade in the future but funds are short right now.
My question is. I know they are almost the samw as stock 243 but with some minor difference. What kind of HP increase am I looking at and is there anything I would have to do or are they just bolt on for the most part. They guy said he would give me the cam that is the stock Z06 one. Should I stick my my stock Ls1 cam or use his cam. May upgrade in the future but funds are short right now.
The z06 heads are the 243 casting heads. I would look to pick up anywhere between 10-20rwhp with a head swap like that. They will bolt straight on to your block with no issues. You can switch to the z06 cam if you want but it won't make a huge difference in power, i wouldn't expect more then another 10-15 rwhp. If you are sure you are going to upgrade in the future I am not sure that I would see it worth it to switch cams at that time.
If youre on a budget, Id pass on the 243 heads for now. You can pick up 243 heads for $500 all day. Id personally save a few more dollars and get some LT Headers. If you're an auto car, Id get a TC right after headers!!! And then a nice Cam or Head and Cam package!!
Just my opinion! The higher stall converter will give you all the accelleration you need!!!
Just my opinion! The higher stall converter will give you all the accelleration you need!!!
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 9
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From: Collegeville, PA
I like the idea of 20-30 hp for onliy 600 and directly swapping parts. THe only other near future mod is going to be headers and ls7 clutch. I'm not looking to drop 500HP but enough to keep up with the newer cars.
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Well then you may want to re-think about dropping that 500 to the ground. Have you seen the horse power these "Newer Cars" are coming out with stock! The new camaro is coming out with a 300hp V6, and thats close to a stock LS1! Will they be as quick as a stock LS1, not sure, but I'm sure that the SS will! Just my 2.
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If you think you are going to only spend 600 bucks you are wrong. You will need a tune, head gaskets, head bolts, coolant, oil, and I'm sure some other things will pop up along the way. Do bolt ons first then do a h/c and get it tuned.
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If you want a good start the 243's are hard to beat. If you buy those just check the valves to make sure they're sealling and slap them on. Your not going to break any records with them but you'll have them when your ready to get them ported.
You can find better deals on those heads on here. TSP and Patriot performance have great deals on CNC ported stock castings all the time. Especially with the holidays coming up I'm sure they'll be doing sales.
500 for heads and the zo6 cam...thats a steal...with a tune you could see 35-40rwhp....anyone that states different doesnt know what they are talking about...do a small search you will see im correct...
Those 5.7 GTO's are gonna need a little more than 243's and Z06 cam to run with the newer cars, youll basically wind up with similar stock power as a LS2 GTO. Like said above, you gotta account for new gaskets, bolts(head and balancer), and other supplies used during the swap. And a good tune too! And then its still not at its max potential because of the lack of a good header.