I was curious if anyone was running a heads only setup? I'm a struggling college student and I cannot do heads and cam at the same time.

I blessedly got plagued with the crappy 98 heads from the factory. Seeing how I will have to run an outragous sized cam to reach 400+rwhp, I would like to possibly do the heads first so I can be up to par with the rest of the heads/cam LS1s.

My question is what would be a good budget head on the stock LS1 full bolton engine? I was looking at some patriot heads since they are affordable. Are patriot heads good?

My plans are running a large cam on the stock 346cid.

Lets say I planned on running a MS4/Trex or equivelent. Which would be better heads for my application? the patriot 5.3 heads or LS6 heads.

Heads and cam I'd like to see 430-450 rwhp.

Is there any gains to be had running better heads in conjuction with the stock cam temporarly.

Help me pick out a set of affordable heads that will rid me of the cursed 98 heads!!

Thanks it advance!!



PS: I plan on spraying the car if that changes anything.

 

the ls6 would be the way to go. i just picked up a set for my car

 

Ohhh... so the 243 heads = LS6 heads?

Bare with me, I'm new to the internal section.

Thanks for your input!

 

this aint a foxbody wit ha 5.0 in it, the heads are pretty decent from the factory, just get a cam, plus a cam will be cheaper. first do the bolt ons, then a cam. 400rwhp isnt anything special, just be concerned about performance, numbers are just numbers

 

Do the cam first............g5x2 or x3 with valvetrain upgrades

 

cam>heads......done

 

Your heads are not inadequate by any means. Stick a minimum of a 224 or up to a low-mid 230 duration cam in there and your face will hurt from smiling so much When you have money in 6 months, 1 yr, 2 yrs, or whatever, then you can add the heads.

 

Thanks guys!

 

i say do the cam first also.if you are looking to be in the 430-450 range even something like a 228r will get you there.i had a 228 with a set of tea 1.5s that put down 436 rw through the exhaust so with a cutout i "should" have been in the 44x range.i've still got the heads setting here at work awaiting a new home but you won't be able to run a monster cam with them since they are 5.3 heads and have been shaved .030 thou. i have finally got my junk back on the road,just got to get her tuned this weekend.

 

Yea if anything cam only over all is cheaper but either way supporting bolt ons will help any combo.

 

to tell u the truth i would do heads cam and headers at once. u wast your time putting the headers and valve springs on to take them back off down the road to put heads on thats the way i would go.

 

do the cam first. your 853 heads will perform almost identical to the 241 castings. you'd get a much bigger gain from a cam, not to mention it would be a hell of a lot easier to do in-car. however, bear in mind that your 98 block is plagued with poor oil return @ high rpms, so i would suggest a cam that puts your shifts ~6,700 at most. when you're ready for heads, pull the engine, do the head swap and also change rod bolts, engine mounts, and probably another clutch by then.

 

+1 This sounds like the way to go. I did headers, intake, and cam, then 8 months later went back for heads, clutch, rear end , pully, electric water pump, wilwood sl-6 front brakes, radiator with built in oil cooler and some other stuff. Do as much as you can at once. Good Luck !!