Heads Build??
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 106
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From: Atlanta,GA
Heads Build?? I need some help deciding if buliding a pair of heads is better then buying a pair. I need to have a set up for street use also.
I want to no what will fit (like if 5.3, 6.0 will) and be the best for me in the long run.
Or if I need to buy what ones to get.
I want to no what will fit (like if 5.3, 6.0 will) and be the best for me in the long run.
Or if I need to buy what ones to get.
TECH Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 5,445
Likes: 4
what ls engine are you working with ?you would like to find some 243/799 heads for $400 or less,if you have a ls1 whats the closet engine machine shop ?.do you want ported heads ?how much power do you want to make ?check Texas Speed to get a idea on cnc heads prices.
TECH Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 5,445
Likes: 4
you will need good springs to go with the cam you get.do some research to build a good combo to meet your needs.you should get new rocker trunnion bearing .there are a couple of cams that mite get you 450 rwhp .
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We charge right at 750 for CNC port and CNC valve job. Its an extra 200 for larger stainless steel valves if someone wants them.
porting does NOT equal porting.
There are levels and different levels of quality or porting
A heads and cam project is probably going to be $3k easily all said and done. If you are going to choke on $200 for a higher level job then maybe you should keep the car stock, especially since to support heads and cam you are probably also looking at $500 in fuel system $800+ in exhaust.
If you can get "new" stage 1 heads for $1100 the "porting" is likely rather minimal, enough to say they are ported but not going to be the badass ported 243/799s that some companies use to put up better numbers than CNC'd aftermarket heads.
They can wave a cutter around in the port to knock out the as cast look, not make really any performance improvement and call that ported and for $1100 out the door for new castings that is what I would expect.
There are levels and different levels of quality or porting
A heads and cam project is probably going to be $3k easily all said and done. If you are going to choke on $200 for a higher level job then maybe you should keep the car stock, especially since to support heads and cam you are probably also looking at $500 in fuel system $800+ in exhaust.
If you can get "new" stage 1 heads for $1100 the "porting" is likely rather minimal, enough to say they are ported but not going to be the badass ported 243/799s that some companies use to put up better numbers than CNC'd aftermarket heads.
They can wave a cutter around in the port to knock out the as cast look, not make really any performance improvement and call that ported and for $1100 out the door for new castings that is what I would expect.
^ agreed, a high quality cnc port Job is $1000. No way to really get around it, if your looking to pinch pennies you may want to look at the classifieds as there are usually decent deals on used heads there. If you don't have a solid 2-3k to do a cam heads/cam swap I would attempt it.
i purchased some 799 heads, and i would like to get them ported.. but not interested in spending that much. cant afford it. id pay about 350 if i could get another 20 hp out of them. thats about it. my car as it sits is a 98 with parimeter bolts and a broken header bolt on driver side.
so i would say it would be a great upgrade even though its not going to be a bad *** head. a texas speed 675" spring kit to go with my trak cam and hopefully ill be around 430-440 with ls2 intake. wishful thinking lol. this is just my situation though.
so i would say it would be a great upgrade even though its not going to be a bad *** head. a texas speed 675" spring kit to go with my trak cam and hopefully ill be around 430-440 with ls2 intake. wishful thinking lol. this is just my situation though.
What would new valves plus cleaning, light milling and valvejob cost?
Maybe if people stopped and thought about what they are getting from a $750+ professional CNC job they would understand.
AI offers a "performance rebuild" option milled to the chamber volume you specify for $500 with some HP gains to be had. So half the cost of a top of the line CNC porting is in the valvejob/cleaning/milling.
On the "new" stuff selling for $1100 the only cost they should be saving is the cleaning, if it is fully CNC ported you would expect a performance valvejob and milling is usually done to reduce chamber volume for compression so add that cost if not included, or cringe at how little is being done to hit that price profitably if milling is included.
IMO a shop has to have above average equipment and knowledge to gain much from a valvejob so shopping for one on price alone is probably a losing proposition.
This isn't a cheap hobby, you can "save" yourself money by understanding the difference between "cheap" and "value" though. If you find someone to clean them, mill them, do a valvejob and say some bowl work for $350 you likely just screwed up a set of castings.
Do you know what your employer charges for an hour of your labor? How much precision work do you expect someone to complete in 4-5hours?
Maybe if people stopped and thought about what they are getting from a $750+ professional CNC job they would understand.
AI offers a "performance rebuild" option milled to the chamber volume you specify for $500 with some HP gains to be had. So half the cost of a top of the line CNC porting is in the valvejob/cleaning/milling.
On the "new" stuff selling for $1100 the only cost they should be saving is the cleaning, if it is fully CNC ported you would expect a performance valvejob and milling is usually done to reduce chamber volume for compression so add that cost if not included, or cringe at how little is being done to hit that price profitably if milling is included.
IMO a shop has to have above average equipment and knowledge to gain much from a valvejob so shopping for one on price alone is probably a losing proposition.
This isn't a cheap hobby, you can "save" yourself money by understanding the difference between "cheap" and "value" though. If you find someone to clean them, mill them, do a valvejob and say some bowl work for $350 you likely just screwed up a set of castings.
Do you know what your employer charges for an hour of your labor? How much precision work do you expect someone to complete in 4-5hours?
I am not saying looking for a person to do that. I know i need to fork out cash for porting and quality but for this build i do not have. The heads a i bought are pretty much new. valves are new. no oil, no carbon, no old gasket. Im looking for cost efficient value mods. If its gonna cost me more than 500 id rather put it towards everything else i need.for my small h/c build. i still need lifter, push rods, gasket... list is just about under a grand. so thats why i had mentioned that amount earlier about the porting. id rather just complete the rest of what i need and throw it together.
Last edited by stangkiller2005; Oct 11, 2012 at 03:30 AM.
any suggestions for my build are greatly appreciated. thunder racing trak cam and 799 heads. undecided on ls2 intake or ls6 intake. ive read that ls6 flows better. im unaware.
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 106
Likes: 0
From: Atlanta,GA
So if I went with the 233/239 .595"/.603" Camshaft from Texas-Speed and Trick Flow 215cc heads would I be able to see numbers around 450hp??
Cuz I also want to do a 383 stroker to maybe hit 500whp or get close to it.
Cuz I also want to do a 383 stroker to maybe hit 500whp or get close to it.
There is a reason Ls2 intakes can be hardly given away and the ls6 fetches a premium.