I've been reading A LOT about new heads and cams. I'm VERY much into the MS3 Cam which is about $300. I have NO idea what heads to get with a MS3. As I am posting in Newbie Tech, my knowledge of the Numbers for the Cam's and Heads are still a little mystery. What I do know is I want the LSA to be 112 from the youtube video's I have listened to.

What I'm looking for out of my Head/Cam swap.

1: Daily Driver
2: 380 to 400hp
3: Drivable
4: Heads no more than $2000
5: Works with a LS6 intake
6: Cheaper to port my stock heads or buy new ones
7: OD is about 108K miles

Reason I am replacing my heads rather than porting them out is I am having a MINOR oil issue. I'm burning it/leaking it out somewhere. I got a fresh oil change and 2K miles in I was down about 2qts. Next oil change I was about 1qt after 3k, its never the same every time It's changed. No smoke when I drive or get on it, nor oil on the ground under the vehicle or smell of it. I figured replacing the heads in general would fix the issue, unless of course the issue is in the pistons which I'm praying to god it isn't. My friend also said If I went to newer heads the chances of having to upgrade my clutch was there. I'm not wanting to have to do so, but If I have to get be able to handle the HP then I will. What are your takes?

 

Pcv system on these cars is likely to blame for the missing oil. I lost random amounts all the time until I put in a catch can. Now I find most of the missing oil in the catch can.

 

Compression/leak down should be done first,whats oil pressure read at?why do you think changing the heads would fix the issue,my car is always down on oil a lil before the next change is due,imo a ms3 is a decent cam but for a dd i would get something much smaller,i had to dd my ms4 6 speed car for awhile and it was a pita,also with a bigger max effort cam ya need every lil mod to get the most out of it?big cams are not a budget way of going fast,ms3 isnt bad but ya can get the same sound on a much smaller profile,also what other mods have ya done yet?a h/c car will need longtube headers/ls6 intake/injectors etc,do bolt ons first if ya havent done so,also yes your stock clutch wont last to long with the jump in power,also your weak 10 bolt wont last long eithier if you plan to do alot of dig racing detc,imo a ms3 needs at least a 4.10 gear,

 

Dude the MS3 is not a daily driver I would want! That thing is big! I would check out Texas Speed and look at a few milder cams like the 228R and the Torquer 2 for Daily driver friendly profiles. You can get those in 112 LSA and both combined with LS6 ported heads will get you drivable 400+ whp.

As for heads I would look at any of the main shops that are seen over and over here not the forum for LS6 ported heads.

That would be in no particular order:

Texas Speed
Flow Tech
WCCH
Advanced Induction
TEA

For the coin you are looking to spend, this is my .02

 

Can ya dd with a ms3,yes.are there much better cams that will make great power and will be much better for a dd, yes,with a m6 car you should make well over 400 easy with a h/c,also the ms3 is a higher rpm cam for a street car ya want something that has alot of get up and go in the lower / mid range,imo get something that will make a solid power band all across the board,but before anything compression test/leak down,check oil filter etc,like i said mine is always a lil low on oil before the change but for piece of mind before ya spend all that money on parts

 

And yes the pcv is a very good point to check,i had that issue at one time

 

Oil Pressure Is normal, I can't give you the EXACT number because my LS6 Intake is out of my motor at the moment. But I looked it up when I checked and it was with in the standards what ever it is.

Possible Valve seals, Head Gasket, I just took off my LS6 Intake and there is a oily residue spotty on top of the block next to the heads, Blue smoke if I rev it hard in neutral comes out. Piston Rings (GOD i hope not).

I figured by replacing the heads all together I illuminate 90% of those possibilities, AND I get the HP boost I'm looking for. I am looking for a LOUD aggressive choppy Idle and It is the sound I'm looking for mostly out of a CAM besides the HP I can gain. I figured if I was to get new heads, I don't have to try to fix my Heads and get them machined. But I honestly don't know what the cost of that is compared to new heads... I can't call and quote it up, because I don't know what type of heads to get or what I want them machined to. I've called Texas Speed and Summit Racing and 90% of the reps on there have either given me wrong information or blew smoke up my butt of knowing what they were talking about, especially with my upgrade on heads and cam with my LS6 intake.

 

If I'm correct I heard a leak down was around $300 especially in the SF Bay Area. I rather spend the 300 to new parts if you get me. (Unless I'm wrong on that price) (Myself being a little rough on your acronyms what do you mean "with a m6 car" what is M6? Good point on the Lower RPM Cam. What would you put your money on for the best cam out there for my requirements. Thank you

 

M6 = 6 speed manual transmission.

Do you get blue smoke driving at all? Decel? Acceleration?

 

I have not noticed any smoke at all during acceleration, My friend has a 2010 SS Camaro and followed me when I got on it and he said he didn't see any smoke. Also I don't know if the guy was BSing me (because we work together) But when I revved the engine he told me to do it with his hand behind my exhaust and he never showed me personally, but showed another friend and said he saw "oil" on his hand. Again at the time It wasn't bothering me, until now. So I'm not sure if that last experiment was true.

 

Around my area i paid a lil under 200 for both test and a oil change,i just think if ya are leaning towards pistons/rings etc a h/c swap wont do anything for that,there are a few reasons ya could blow smoke,it is worth getting it looked over,also imo i would look for a low 230s cam on a 112lsa,honest alot of people have had very good luck with eps cams,maybe calling them and a few other good sponsers will give ya some ideas on which direction to go with,as far as the heads go i would just get your stockers worked,imo thats the best budget way to go,also what helped me alot was finding a good group in your area,theres always someone you can call that can help ya out ,plus its nice to have a few cars to go to meets/cruise with,i have meet some great guys that have helped me with my car threw ohio lsx,

 

I wouldn't worry until you see it like this...

 

This here is a great option to consider also; either send your heads in or buy
a set from them and they can match/sell you a cam that is small enough to
make great power everywhere yet have a bumpy idle sound.
http://www.totalengineairflow.com/cn...eads/gm/ls1ls2

 

Thank you everybody for the advice.

 

look at some Texas Speed stage 2.5 5.3 heads.a 228r cam with some ported heads will make 400+rwhp.

 

you can rent the tools necessary to do a leakdown test on your own as long as you have a decent air compressor

 

243/799 heads, a 228R cam should put you right about at your goal and have decent driveability. Dynos are a tuning tool and numbers don't really mean that much, dont get too hung up on them. Mod in the sense of what you want out of the car ie drag, road course, just a fun street car, etc. Good luck!