Head and cam question
Head and cam question Im kinda at a crossroad in my hp quest. I can eiher go with a cam or a set of heads. I plan on doing both later on down the road but know I have time and money for only one. My car is stock except for some edelebrock headers. What cam do yall recomend with a stock headed and ecm car?(Spec wise) Id like to gain as much as possible but still keep car as a daily driver. And just for kicks what kind of heads would yall recomend. AFR caught my eye, and I see sets for sale on E-bay every once in ahwile. Anybody have any other recomendations for maybe in $1000-$1200 range (or cheaper). Also what gear ratios come in the 93 A4 T/A,Camaros?(Didnt see it in LT-1 spec page)
Originally Posted by 93transam
Im kinda at a crossroad in my hp quest. I can eiher go with a cam or a set of heads. I plan on doing both later on down the road but know I have time and money for only one. My car is stock except for some edelebrock headers. What cam do yall recomend with a stock headed and ecm car?(Spec wise) Id like to gain as much as possible but still keep car as a daily driver. And just for kicks what kind of heads would yall recomend. AFR caught my eye, and I see sets for sale on E-bay every once in ahwile. Anybody have any other recomendations for maybe in $1000-$1200 range (or cheaper). Also what gear ratios come in the 93 A4 T/A,Camaros?(Didnt see it in LT-1 spec page)
AFRs are some great heads, but expensive. LT4 heads flow as well as stock LS1 heads out of the box. A good set of ported LT1 heads will flow great if done properly and would be your cheapest route
Stock gears for a 93 A4 would be either 3.23 or 2.73 depending on what rearend option your car has. Off the top of my head, I can't remember the code to determine the gear ratio. Those codes can be found on the inside of your glove box.
Hope this helps
On The Tree
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 189
Likes: 1
From: South Jersey
LE sells head and cam pakages for right around your budget. Right now he is not taking new orders for a few weeks because of personal reasons. But with either a cam or a head swap there are many hidden costs(pushrods,rockers,gaskers,fluids,tuning) all of these things will add up. IMHO I would save up and do both at the same time as pulling the intake manifold on an lt1 is a pita and I'd only want to do it once if I had to.
Rich
Rich
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 549
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From: St. Peters, MO
If I were you I would get a set of LT4 heads off ebay or something like that...(mine were 600 when I bought them)...then buy the GM 847 cam...$209....then buy some crane or something comparable roller rockers, valve springs, high energy lifters, and gaskets, and then you can get a pcmforless tune and maybe even find a used 52mm or 58mm throttle body in that budget range...that would be a pretty nice budget setup IMO.
On The Tree
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 195
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From: Upstate NY
Originally Posted by Jordan57
If I were you I would get a set of LT4 heads off ebay or something like that...(mine were 600 when I bought them)...then buy the GM 847 cam...$209....then buy some crane or something comparable roller rockers, valve springs, high energy lifters, and gaskets, and then you can get a pcmforless tune and maybe even find a used 52mm or 58mm throttle body in that budget range...that would be a pretty nice budget setup IMO.
How did u get LT4 heads for $600?
On The Tree
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 195
Likes: 0
From: Upstate NY
Originally Posted by Jordan57
Ebay man....600 bucks for fresh lt4 heads with a three angel valve jobs and comp valve springs...not too bad a deal IMO
Thats one hell of a deal. The cheapest i can find lt4 heads are for over $1500 on ebay. ****, $600 is just a little more than what i paid for my headers, nice job man.
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Verdad Gallardo
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 1,593
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From: Halfway back on the Highway to Hell...again!
Well, either way, you will have to work with the heads anyway. You will need to put new springs on. your best bet is to save and do it all at once so your new chip can be programmed for the changes. otherwise you'll be double dipping $$ into your programming fees. Oh and I sold my set of LT4 heads, fully p&p'd minus springgs and valves for $700, They were brand new, right outta Bowling Green plant in 96 and I paid $250.
TECH Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 9,339
Likes: 3
From: NYC metro area
I'd recommend my same old to those looking for a good DD cam- the comp xe 224/230 on a 112 or 114 lsa. The hotcam is a little too mild for my tastes, but that's just me. Don't worry about the throttle body too much, replace it whenever you have the spare money, it's not that important of a component. Get rid of the Edelbrock headers and get some good longtubes. I'd advise you to save money for some AFR 190s or 195s if you want a larger cam in the future, they'll cost around the same and will outflow the GM LT4 heads.
That was really helpful guys thanks! On the heads though getting them ported would be as good as getting a set of Lt-4 heads or AFRs or no? I guess with those type of mods my edelbrock headers would be choking the engine as opposed to some longtubes, the only thing about the setups Ive seen with longtubes was that there was a bit of a clearance problem on the bottom of the headers especially on a lowered car. I would like the car to pass inspection also if there is a set that is emission legal.
TECH Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 9,339
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From: NYC metro area
As for emissions, I'd recommend getting friendly with a mechanic. The AFRs will end up getting you more power since they've got more meat on them and can be ported more than GM LT4s. LT ground clearance shouldn't be too bad at all.
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 1,593
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From: Halfway back on the Highway to Hell...again!
Check out Brian Tooley's site on the right, Total engine airflow--------------->
He does the best work I had ever seen. He's a friend of mine and a short description of him is he used to be in charge of Holley's head design. He is the innovator of the "Systemax" system. Now he has his own shop and his work and flow #'s are uncomparable. His cost is a little more but he uses the best components, Ferrea valves, ARP, etc. LT1's are/ were $1500 w/ exchg. Last I saw.
He does the best work I had ever seen. He's a friend of mine and a short description of him is he used to be in charge of Holley's head design. He is the innovator of the "Systemax" system. Now he has his own shop and his work and flow #'s are uncomparable. His cost is a little more but he uses the best components, Ferrea valves, ARP, etc. LT1's are/ were $1500 w/ exchg. Last I saw.