sounds like your doing about the same thing i am. Im gonna be rebuilding my lt1 and goin to a 355 and then doing the le2 package from lloyd elliot which is his le2 heads and cam i might also get the intake ported at that time. Then im gonna go and buy my full bolt ons and new shocks and springs along with lca's and adj panhard bar and some other stuff. Also gonna upgrade the rear to a 12 bolt so i dont snap it. Oh and doin a six speed swap on my car. Basically in the end im looking for a daily driveable reliable car that i can take to the track here and there and then still be able to count on it to get me to work everyday.

 

I'm trying to go the cheap route to 400, or something close. 230/236 comp xe cam @.544/.555 112 lsa, 1.6 RR, decently ported stock heads and intake to match, all the supporting stuff: pushrods, lifters, comp 918 springs and full bolt ons. I only have about $1500 in parts and have not sold any of my stock parts yet. I will have it done in a month or so, I will post up some dyno #s then if you're interested.

 

yeah man let us know how it ends up

 

ok IMHO here's what I think you should do.... you mentioned that you were thinking 355 ci.... great choice for a street warrior and you can make it a f-in beast if you feel like it.... your rod bolts will become the limiting factor for how much power it makes taking a huge cam out of the mix cause you won't want to spin the **** out of it.....

so here's what I think you should do since you're already going to need to buy custom pistons (you're going to a .030 over on the block so you'll need 4.030 flattops).... So get some SRP pistons with -5cc valve reliefs. They are pretty cheap but they're forged and quality as long as you aren't running an assload of spray.... your compression will come in at about 11.7-12.0:1 which is nice and healthy. Get pistons designed for a 6" rod. Buy 6" Eagle H-beam rods. They are about $600 bucks and come with good bolts that can more than handle the RPM you will put to it..... stock crank, keep it just get it checked out prior to rebuilding it.... Those 6" rods have one of the best smallblock rod/piston ratios there is with a 3.48 stroke crank. lower side loading, lower friction, lower oil temps, more dwell time at TDC. the list of POSITIVES goes on and on.....

So in reality you are $600 bucks maybe less short from getting a good set of h-beam rods.... So rob a bank, liquor store, beat up your neighbor, sell your dog, or ***** yourself out to old ladies to buy those rods....

Everything else is fine and you're going to right direction. I ran trick flow chromoly pushrods on my setup. have your engine builder measure to figure out the length.. as far as cam you have been getting good advice.... 230/236 on duration would be nice..... 236/242 would be even nastier but if it's daily driven you might get sick of it..... Get lift in the high 500's..... run a 1.6 comp pro magnum rocker. get good rocker studs from ARP.... they should come with good ported heads from AI or LE..... try and have LE or AI or whomever does your heads spec you out a good cam to meet your power needs...... get a good timing chain DOUBLE ROLLER.... spec out money for an electric water pump as the double roller won't have the capability to have that idler gear in back to drive your stock water pump driveshaft.....

wheww...... i think that's it... easily 400 REAR WHEEL HP out of that combo if it's tuned right.....

 

oh man, you guys are scaring me away from doin the heads and cam and with all these extra parts and stuff i need to buy.

 

I just had my stock heads ported and had 2.00 1.6 undercut valves installed with comp springs and rockers, installed a lunati voodoo 218/228 cam ( basically a hotcam with a more agressive ramp) went with the lt1/lt4 extreme duty timing chain set whcih retained factory water pump configurations and don't forget headers and torque converter to support your cam. whole set up with gasket kit pushrods lifters and machine work is running about 2200 dollars if you shop around. I have yet to get it buttoned up and get it on a dyno but I am expecting not quite 400 rwhp but should be damn close. I wanted to keep it below for the simple fact that once you get above those numbers then you really need to start thinking about rear end and that is just more expenditures not really necessary for a decent street machine.

 

I agree with the LE2 set up should get you there with the suporting mods

 

don't get me wrong you can do heads and cam but when you are talking about doing a 355 you NEED new pistons anyways.....

so 600 dollars in H-beam Eagle rods and now you have a package that you can reliably spin higher to make the kind of power you want and still maintain reliability....

 

wow outlaw z you know you stuff. thanks! and i agree with you completely. The only problem is that i dont think the girls would like it if i just start charging with no warning. haha

 

so ur already gettin wit the old lady's lol jk but i agree wit outlaw do the rods and pistons while u got it apart

 

Maybe, but there are some of us that had some pretty stout setups with the Hot Cam.

Mine was just a 350ci LT1, 11.0:1 Comp. I only had milled the Heads a little bit, Felpro #1074 Head Gaskets, Forged Rods and Pistons, Balanced, Port-matched Heads to Intake, and Bolt-ons. It Dyno'd 335/335 through a slipping 3rd Gear, and was spanking LS1's around pretty easily. Ran 12.6's with Stock Stall, 3.73's with a 1.85 60ft.

It might be a small Cam, but it can deliver some good numbers, I wouldn't necessarily call it a waste when someone just wants a Cam.

 

hey man, your firebird is looking awesome. What wheels do you have?

 

might be but the stock bottom end isnt

 

actually z28 rob 18, i just broke up with my 2yr almost married relationship so im milkin the rebound for all its worth haha

 

I was actually kidding, i hate the hotcam

 

Like I said, there might be alot of cougars in your area looking for lovin...... old ladies need love too... LOL

but yeah it only makes sense to get rid of those stock rods for some good h-beams when you have it apart anyway.... the better bolts and better rods will make for a much stronger foundation....