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Attention Moderators: I think it would be nice to have a sticky made where the more educated members of this forum could discuss all aspects of heads, and how to match a cam to them. I want to start shopping for these parts, but dont know what to look at as far as a streetable head. 
I am not saying it is a bad idea, but in PRACTICE it wont work.
Pick heads and then let those guys help you pick a cam.
Not to mention every time someone has results to prove their opinion of the subject the other side will have a boat load of excuses to dismiss that proof.
Pick heads and then let those guys help you pick a cam.
Not to mention every time someone has results to prove their opinion of the subject the other side will have a boat load of excuses to dismiss that proof.
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From: Decatur, TN (N-W of Athens)
I have to agree with Caprice. There's going to be too many combinations, and someone will have one thing to say, while the other will have another. Then don't forget the aspect of custom cam grinds...
Your head company would be able to get the best cam for your combo, if you let them know your goals, wants, trap, et, etc. From there it is all about getting it together, have the correct combo of parts, and making sure you find a tuner who knows what they are doing. After that ... beat the **** out of it, until it breaks. Just my .02
but dont know what to look at as far as a streetable head./
Pretty much all the top companies make a cylinder head that will fit your needs? AFR, AI, TEA, Lloyd Elliot, the list goes on and on.... pick a head, flow it, then get on here with the results and you can pick a cam that best fits your needs and flow and power potential of your heads.... Don't get caught up in the numbers... My old LT1 casting heads ported by racenet flowed a measly (by somes standards) 258cfm at .550 and .600..... but those heads with a 236/242 hyd roller put down 422 RWHP all motor with zero tuning... 355 cubic inches of LT1 no less... so there is more than just flow #'s.... get a reputable company with proven port designs, get a reputable company with proven cam grinds that you can live with in your car and you'll be 89% there to a stout combo....
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I'm not looking for a thread where one guy says these heads are good, and another says they're bad... I'm looking for an informational thread that teaches the average guy ( me ) what to look for when deciding on a head and cam package. everything from flow rates to max lift, and valve sizes, and how those things interact together to give an overal conclusion.
I am looking for a factual thread, not one that is opinion based.
That said, the car will spend much more time driving to and from work than to and from the drag strip. My goals are to put down about 450 to 475 without breaking a sweat. I was also thinking about going to a 396 stroker. edelbrock LT-1 manifold with 58mm TB. Obviously fuel delivery will need to be upgraded, but i didnt want to do too much else.
I have been looking at AFR, but it seems there are a lot of L.E. fans out there. I dont mind a little choppy idle, but dont want to worry about the car stalling coming up to a traffic light while braking.
I am looking for a factual thread, not one that is opinion based.
That said, the car will spend much more time driving to and from work than to and from the drag strip. My goals are to put down about 450 to 475 without breaking a sweat. I was also thinking about going to a 396 stroker. edelbrock LT-1 manifold with 58mm TB. Obviously fuel delivery will need to be upgraded, but i didnt want to do too much else.
I have been looking at AFR, but it seems there are a lot of L.E. fans out there. I dont mind a little choppy idle, but dont want to worry about the car stalling coming up to a traffic light while braking.
Last edited by BLK,97,T/A,M-6; Jul 4, 2007 at 03:51 AM.
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I think this is where LE gets mentioned cuz of his proven heads/cam packages at different levels. There are other choices for heads obviously, but LE already has the cam picked out for XXX goal.
Originally Posted by formula355LT1
I would like to see a sticky of head flow #'s and who ported them or what company makes them and prices on them.
There is way more to a good head then just port flow, and theoretically a head that flows less cfm on paper can make more power depending on many other factors.
Just picking the highest flow @ xxx lift from a list of heads isnt the smartest decision for your ET's or your wallet
Look into advanced induction and port pros too, everything i have heard from them has been very positive. call around to a few places and go with who you feel most comfortable with. Also like everyone else said get heads and then a cam to match not the other way around. good luck.
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Originally Posted by Puck
There is way more to a good head then just port flow, and theoretically a head that flows less cfm on paper can make more power depending on many other factors.
I agree, a motor will only make as much power as the least capable component will allow it.
Originally Posted by BLK,97,T/A,M-6
I agree, a motor will only make as much power as the least capable component will allow it.
That is not where he was going with that.
A flow bench measures static valve flow, that is nothing like what a valve does in a running motor.
? if i give you guys a choice between two heads for the same engine.one head flows better than the other overall.which one would you pick?i'm not saying there is no chance the lesser head could make more useable power.it just seems to me the better flowing heads more often than not make the power we strive for.
Actually you raise another good point.
OVERALL
People get hungup on peak numbers which often occur at high lifts you can't keep the valve open too for very long and many heads that flow over say 300cfm do not flow anywhere near as well as a worked stock casting does .400 and below where the valve spends a lot of time.
I don't think any of us means to say flow numbers are meaningless just that they have less meaning than people believe they do, same with dyno numbers.
Big ports and big flow numbers often need BIG rpms to take advantage of them too, with the LT1 pcms hard 7200rpm limit, throw a set of AFR 227 on an NA 355 and you wont be able to use them effectively. In that case I would certainly take a set of ported stock castings flow 30-40cfm less at peak over the AFRs. I setup a grossly exagerated example here to avoid debating the exact threshold to were big or smaller is better. Now if you could spin to 9000rpms then the AFR 227s might work fine on a 355.
OVERALL
People get hungup on peak numbers which often occur at high lifts you can't keep the valve open too for very long and many heads that flow over say 300cfm do not flow anywhere near as well as a worked stock casting does .400 and below where the valve spends a lot of time.
I don't think any of us means to say flow numbers are meaningless just that they have less meaning than people believe they do, same with dyno numbers.
Big ports and big flow numbers often need BIG rpms to take advantage of them too, with the LT1 pcms hard 7200rpm limit, throw a set of AFR 227 on an NA 355 and you wont be able to use them effectively. In that case I would certainly take a set of ported stock castings flow 30-40cfm less at peak over the AFRs. I setup a grossly exagerated example here to avoid debating the exact threshold to were big or smaller is better. Now if you could spin to 9000rpms then the AFR 227s might work fine on a 355.
How about something that would be a little less disputed. For people who would like to do off-the-shelf cams/heads (and there are plenty of these people), a sticky that would list the common cams available such as the hotcam, cc305, etc. and list what would work best with those cams. Maybe a range of stall, spring lbs, rockers, if stock heads would work, price, etc. This would be nice because you could compare the cams in one spot (without having to search for hours or start a new thread) to find out what might be best for you.