Edelbrock performer heads?
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Staging Lane
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Joined: Jun 2012
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From: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Edelbrock performer heads? Are these heads any good? what about the edelbrock intake? 58mm TB? Can get a local deal on all three and want to know if I would be wasting my money. Car is a 1995 camaro z28 with 197xxxkm with a cai. plan on doing full exhaust aswell.
No, no, and no.
Stock ported heads done by the right porter will outperform those Edelbrock heads ALL day long.
The Edelbrock intake is nothing but a gimmick - the stock LT1 manifold can support big HP.
A 58mm throttle body is overkill for most builds and generally isn't worth the tuning effort.
For example, my car has ported stock heads and a stock manifold and runs its *** off.
Stock ported heads done by the right porter will outperform those Edelbrock heads ALL day long.
The Edelbrock intake is nothing but a gimmick - the stock LT1 manifold can support big HP.
A 58mm throttle body is overkill for most builds and generally isn't worth the tuning effort.
For example, my car has ported stock heads and a stock manifold and runs its *** off.
http://elliottsportworks.com/?page_id=30
And unless you're experienced I would say no to porting it yourself. Guys like AI and Elliot have access to CNC machines and hand porting experience when you need that little extra advantage.
Note that when you upgrade heads and cam everything starts to snowball and add up so if you seriously want to do a head and cam upgrade, triple the price for everything that goes with it to support the extra power levels.
Good luck.
People seem to think "ported heads" means something specific. It does not, it can mean anything from big expensive paper weights to something that will outperform aftermarket heads or anything in between.
Even at the "professional" level heads that flow about the same and make the same peak number on the dyno do not perform the same once sent down the track.
Heads and cam ends up needing supporting drivetrain stall/clutch upgrades, fuel system upgrades, suspension, replacement parts that you might as well put on long as you have the old worn original stuff removed.
My advise would be don't seriously start looking at buying heads/cam till at least mid winter spend all the time between now and then reading and asking questions.
Even at the "professional" level heads that flow about the same and make the same peak number on the dyno do not perform the same once sent down the track.
Heads and cam ends up needing supporting drivetrain stall/clutch upgrades, fuel system upgrades, suspension, replacement parts that you might as well put on long as you have the old worn original stuff removed.
My advise would be don't seriously start looking at buying heads/cam till at least mid winter spend all the time between now and then reading and asking questions.
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Edelbrock's own numbers for their LT1 and LT4 kits are 396fwhp and 406fwhp respectively so they can't even make what the GM LT4 kit made with an intake that was internally the same as the LT1 intake and they designed it a decade later. You would hope that in a decade and with the "airgap" and everything else they could have actually made an upgrade vs. what GM already offered.
Their TB is fine, doesn't require any more hassle to make work than any other aftermarket TB. The heads/cam/intake though they seem to have been made just to sell some parts on name alone and didn't seem to much care about them actually being performance upgrades. I wish it weren't the case.
... and there will come a time when the credible shops like GTP, AI and LPE will no longer work on LT1 things because of that very reason. There is hardly any profit to be had working on this platform anymore. It's retarded to blame members for "killing" the aftermarket when it has been a dying breed for the last several years. It used to be back in the 90's there were places that did quality work and it showed through track times and dyno numbers. Over the last several years there has been a couple of clown houses that are hailed top tier porters, producing **** quality, dynoing high numbers yet performing poorly at the track, and the components mentioned by the OP are a perfect example. I reckon what could happen are those who still remember LT1's could actually perform well will be long gone and if there is a next generation they will buy aftermarket heads/cam and be happy they ran a few tenths faster. So sure, you can ignorantly blame members for telling the truth or you can face reality and accept the fact this is the name of the game.
We are left with a bastard intake, a bastard set of heads, and a bastard block. I guess thats whats still great about the LT platform and sets us apart, you can go pretty damn fast on ported stock head and intake castings on a stock block.
People look under the hood of an old ford and say "holy crap a Flathead! I remember those!" Thats what the LT is going to be, nothing but a "dare to be different" engine come 10 years from now, the redheaded stepchild for GM that only us wierdos could love.
Small/turbo engines are the wave of the future. Ford is leaning that way now. In the near future the track will have all these old-tech dinosaur V8's with a bunch of Chinese aftermarket parts thrown on screaming down the track and run hideously slower than what is to come.
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I'm whining probably because I am disgusted how our current administration is handling the situation in Libya. Just like Clinton and the USS Cole, let's ignore the killing of Americans on US soil so we don't **** off a minority group. I mean it's an election year for goodness sake!
I wouldnt even call it slowly, its more like deliberately and quickly at this point, and I dont see anything wrong with it. Aside from the Trickflows having more meat for porting, there is almost no quality aftermarket LT1 specific part that I can think of. MSD coils are junk (although I like my MSD opti), everything Edelbrock puts out for this platform does NOTHING, there is no aftermarket block, we share the same rotating assembly and valvetrain with the rest of the 1pc rms smallblock world (lifters with LS), we use Ford injectors, cut to fit plug wires, and generic NGK plugs.
We are left with a bastard intake, a bastard set of heads, and a bastard block. I guess thats whats still great about the LT platform and sets us apart, you can go pretty damn fast on ported stock head and intake castings on a stock block.
People look under the hood of an old ford and say "holy crap a Flathead! I remember those!" Thats what the LT is going to be, nothing but a "dare to be different" engine come 10 years from now, the redheaded stepchild for GM that only us wierdos could love.
We are left with a bastard intake, a bastard set of heads, and a bastard block. I guess thats whats still great about the LT platform and sets us apart, you can go pretty damn fast on ported stock head and intake castings on a stock block.
People look under the hood of an old ford and say "holy crap a Flathead! I remember those!" Thats what the LT is going to be, nothing but a "dare to be different" engine come 10 years from now, the redheaded stepchild for GM that only us wierdos could love.
Small/turbo engines are the wave of the future. Ford is leaning that way now. In the near future the track will have all these old-tech dinosaur V8's with a bunch of Chinese aftermarket parts thrown on screaming down the track and run hideously slower than what is to come.
no kidding huh? guess tampax increased their prices lol
cost me 120 to fill my truck and 16.75 a gallon for the race car......whatever im having fun man thats what matters
keep in mind though the only thing stopping an lt from being this wonderful LS that everybody thinks is so great is a 3/8 drill bit and a set of sbc 18* heads that can be bought on racing junk for $1500......
the more i build ls1's the more i think they are throw away motors.......theres PLENTY of SBC Gen I motors out there outpowering ls1's with <18* heads....the ONLY advantage of an ls1 is the head......if u told me to build a serious race motor it'd be a gen I bowtie block with 15* heads on it ALL DAY over an LSx platform
besides ive upset moreeee than enough "serious" na ls1 guys with my little junk antiquated old school out of its time 23* headed small block