Got my heads back from TEA
Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 9,711
Likes: 999
From: Evansville,IN
Long time ago i bought a set of used 5.3 stage 1.5 TEA heads from a respected board member.
Ran them for a while, had a Comp Cam fail on me. Found a bunch of caked on oil in the exhaust ports.
Ended up putting the car back to stock at the time for money reasons. I finally decided to do something with the car again. Sent the heads back to TEA for a valve job, which ever one BTR likes, I think the exhaust is cut different and all new guides and have them flowed.
Greg calls me when they were done and gives me the total. It was way cheaper than what I was expecting. He said they checked all of the guides and said they were good. He said "We aren't going to do something you don't need and charge you for it."
The heads look really good. I had a cam spec'd for it a while back and looking at the flow numbers I probably should have waited to have the heads flowed before I had the custom cam cut for it, but it is what it is.
I just wanted to pass along my experience with TEA and say I would do business with them again.
Ran them for a while, had a Comp Cam fail on me. Found a bunch of caked on oil in the exhaust ports.
Ended up putting the car back to stock at the time for money reasons. I finally decided to do something with the car again. Sent the heads back to TEA for a valve job, which ever one BTR likes, I think the exhaust is cut different and all new guides and have them flowed.
Greg calls me when they were done and gives me the total. It was way cheaper than what I was expecting. He said they checked all of the guides and said they were good. He said "We aren't going to do something you don't need and charge you for it."
The heads look really good. I had a cam spec'd for it a while back and looking at the flow numbers I probably should have waited to have the heads flowed before I had the custom cam cut for it, but it is what it is.
I just wanted to pass along my experience with TEA and say I would do business with them again.
Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 9,711
Likes: 999
From: Evansville,IN
The flow numbers are weaker at .600 than I expected but the heads have been cut down .030 so from little I know that can hurt flow.
Regardless it's going together and see what happens.
Regardless it's going together and see what happens.
Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 9,711
Likes: 999
From: Evansville,IN
I think so from my previous experience. Nick@BTR spec'd me a cam so I'm really interested in seeing what it does. I've dealt with Nick for years and have always been impressed with him.
Right now the biggest thing that's going to limit power is the LS6 intake but a ported 92 or 102 isn't in the budget at the moment.
Right now the biggest thing that's going to limit power is the LS6 intake but a ported 92 or 102 isn't in the budget at the moment.
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TECH Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 22,298
Likes: 3,619
From: Central Cal.
Sounds like the TEA guys are good to work with, plus they are fair. I love to hear when "things that ain't broke don't get fixed".
Plus it's good to know there are still plenty of folks like that in the performance industry
Plus it's good to know there are still plenty of folks like that in the performance industry
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Verdad Gallardo Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 9,711
Likes: 999
From: Evansville,IN
They are. They could have replaced all the guides like I asked. Done it and charged me for it and I would have known any different.
Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 9,711
Likes: 999
From: Evansville,IN
233/242 .638/.620 111 LSA, ICL 109
It has a lot more overlap than what I excepted. It should be fun tuning it.
Stock bottom end, 58cc heads, .045 gaskets(if I can find some I actually trust with a notch head)
Yes the pistons are flycut.
6 speed, 3.90 gear
1 7/8 headers, flowmaster merge into 4 inch mufflex w/ flowmuff.
Weekend, nice day car. I don't DD it so I'll give up some drive ability.
Originally I was thinking somewhere between a BTR stage 2 and 3. After Nick and I talked we decided on a stage 3.5ish cam.
It has a lot more overlap than what I excepted. It should be fun tuning it.
Stock bottom end, 58cc heads, .045 gaskets(if I can find some I actually trust with a notch head)
Yes the pistons are flycut.
6 speed, 3.90 gear
1 7/8 headers, flowmaster merge into 4 inch mufflex w/ flowmuff.
Weekend, nice day car. I don't DD it so I'll give up some drive ability.
Originally I was thinking somewhere between a BTR stage 2 and 3. After Nick and I talked we decided on a stage 3.5ish cam.
Hmm, that's a lot of overlap. Should run good up top.
I don't know if you need that much lift with TEA heads, though. They stall around ~.600ish. TEA designs them this way to bring up the midlift numbers (why your .600 numbers aren't world-beating). But better midlift means more power. Actually, I shouldn't say stall--but they don't climb and fall off toward .650.
Might be worth it to get a slightly less aggressive lobe/overlap profile.
I don't know if you need that much lift with TEA heads, though. They stall around ~.600ish. TEA designs them this way to bring up the midlift numbers (why your .600 numbers aren't world-beating). But better midlift means more power. Actually, I shouldn't say stall--but they don't climb and fall off toward .650.
Might be worth it to get a slightly less aggressive lobe/overlap profile.
Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 9,711
Likes: 999
From: Evansville,IN
Hmm, that's a lot of overlap. Should run good up top.
I don't know if you need that much lift with TEA heads, though. They stall around ~.600ish. TEA designs them this way to bring up the midlift numbers (why your .600 numbers aren't world-beating). But better midlift means more power. Actually, I shouldn't say stall--but they don't climb and fall off toward .650.
Might be worth it to get a slightly less aggressive lobe/overlap profile.
I don't know if you need that much lift with TEA heads, though. They stall around ~.600ish. TEA designs them this way to bring up the midlift numbers (why your .600 numbers aren't world-beating). But better midlift means more power. Actually, I shouldn't say stall--but they don't climb and fall off toward .650.
Might be worth it to get a slightly less aggressive lobe/overlap profile.
It's one of those things. You call and ask someone you know what their recommendation is. Then doubt it but don't have enough knowledge to doubt it.
From what little I know, I would have backed off the lift quite a bit on the intake.
From the flow sheet I got. The heads flow what I expected them to at .550 but at .600...well not so much. Maybe it's because they've been cut so much.
I really wish I would have waited and had the heads done first, got some numbers, then ordered the cam. That would have been the smart thing to do.
I don't know enough about head flow and cam dynamics to say one way or another.
At least i will sound cool right? HAHA.
Thank you for taking time to post in my thread. I really do appreciate it.
Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 9,711
Likes: 999
From: Evansville,IN
Hopefully I will be happy with it when I get it done, but the way I feel tonight I wish I would have went the BTR stage 2 cam.
But again, I don't know enough to be able to articulate why.
But again, I don't know enough to be able to articulate why.
I don't think it will hurt horsepower. .600 lift cams in stock LS1s make more power than .550 cams and the LS1 head doesn't flow at .600 very well either. You're not there during the sweep for very long so it doesn't matter as much.
But that's a more aggressive lobe and requires better vavlesprings than a milder lobe. I think Cam Motion recommends their .621 intake most times. I ran the .607 and a Comp LSL with a .615 intake lift with my heads... running the cut down LS3 valves which were 83g vs the solid stem stuff that checks in around 104-105g.
But that's a more aggressive lobe and requires better vavlesprings than a milder lobe. I think Cam Motion recommends their .621 intake most times. I ran the .607 and a Comp LSL with a .615 intake lift with my heads... running the cut down LS3 valves which were 83g vs the solid stem stuff that checks in around 104-105g.
TECH Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 22,298
Likes: 3,619
From: Central Cal.
I don't think it will hurt horsepower. .600 lift cams in stock LS1s make more power than .550 cams and the LS1 head doesn't flow at .600 very well either. You're not there during the sweep for very long so it doesn't matter as much.
But that's a more aggressive lobe and requires better vavlesprings than a milder lobe. I think Cam Motion recommends their .621 intake most times. I ran the .607 and a Comp LSL with a .615 intake lift with my heads... running the cut down LS3 valves which were 83g vs the solid stem stuff that checks in around 104-105g.
But that's a more aggressive lobe and requires better vavlesprings than a milder lobe. I think Cam Motion recommends their .621 intake most times. I ran the .607 and a Comp LSL with a .615 intake lift with my heads... running the cut down LS3 valves which were 83g vs the solid stem stuff that checks in around 104-105g.
One reason I say you need more lift on the LS3 heads... they are less efficient from .200-.600 than a cathedral port head. Even though they flow more, they flow more with a larger port and much larger valve. They become equal in efficiency above .600 where the large valve supports big flow numbers. So you shouldn't cam them the same with low-lift stuff. You should consider.700 lift cams with the LS3 architecture...