Current setup as of this coming thursday...98 Z28 M6

BBK SSI intake (i know, heatsoak, it was cheap and its still better than stock)
XER281 comp cam 232/234 .595/.598
pacesetter LTs ORY
magnaflow catback (was gonna run flowmaster but gonna change it!)
!AIR !EGR !MAF descreen
3.73s
and lastly, of course, nicely dyno tuned to squeeze out what I can.

all of this with the stock 853 heads
Im dropping all this off on this thursday to get it all done

My questions is...I just found a good deal on some stock 241s or a set of lightly ported (he said he just "cleaned them up a lil") 706 5.3s.

Should i spend a lil extra money and get one of those heads to throw on there before thursday? and which ones? Can I run a more aggressive cam than that if I change the heads?

Not a daily driver, its a weekend warrior, so I just want to squeeze as much power out of it as I can...what you guys think?

What will the 706s or 241s add as apposed to the stock 853s??

what about running the XER287 cam with the 5.3 706 heads??

 

im no expert but it seems like the prc 5.3L stage 2.5 heads would be a good chioce for that cam

 

im on a budget...my choices are the stock 241s or very lightly ported 5.3s.
I can get either set for about $200 probly. I'm thinkin the 5.3s even if they were stock, would be worth the swap for $200. what do you guys think? experts?

 

im not sure that would be worth it becasue remember youve got to factor in bolts and gaskets. so all that work and extra parts adds up and really that wont be much of a gain in power if any with those 5.3's

 

If you only have $200 I'd save it if I was you. 241's over 853's you won't see any gains and a lightly ported 5.3 isn't worth it really for the cost of swapping them. Just my opinion! Good luck!

 

done this before? i hate to sound like a dick but if not then you shouldn't tell someone info you do not know for sure. 241's do flow slightly better than 853 heads, but i do agree with ^ first sentence. my opinion would be to save it for some nice 243's because you still need to buy new bolts and gaskets and right there if you stay with stock stuff your lookin at more than another $200. good luck OP

 

my budget isnt $200. I Thats just what I can pick the heads up for from craigslist. I can spend a lil more, just not another $1000+ for a good set of new heads. I really appreciate the input from you guys. I will call the mechanic tomorrow doing the work and see what he says. Anyone else have an opinion??

Just for future reference, what would be the best set of head to go along with the XER281 cam I plan on running?? thanks

 

i would suggest a stage 2 LS6 head from west coast racing cylinder or if you have the coin go with AFR . . . course it'l cost you more than $1000 through WCRCH anyway lol

 

you can get #241s for $100.save your money and get some #243 for $400.

 

unless you were going to have the 5.3 p&p'd, change springs, retainers, guides, then you might as well just save the coin

 

Both right imo. 853's and 241's are basicly the same port. 853 is sand cast and 241 is die cast. 241's out of the box are only VERY slightly better. MAYBE 5hp, tops. It's like comparing stock exhaust manifolds from different years. But once ported they are exactly the same.

 

Also, unless the work done on those 5.3 heads included opening up the bowls to accomodate the (much) larger valves of a stock LS1, then you won't be able to use them anyway.

 

The work you are having done doesn't touch the heads so the overall savings of installing heads at this time (installation cost) is nil. I agree with the above, the 241's won't be worth the time or money and the 5.3's may be a step backwards. I would install your current parts and see how the car performs then start researching heads. If you are on a budget, then watch the used parts area for a set of good heads. Also check over on z06vette.com and corvetteforum.com as LS6 heads still come up and many are from babied cars so the mileage is low. I picked up a set with less then 20K miles for $450 and they look brand new.