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LS7 head Re-Work

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Old 06-21-2016, 09:11 PM
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Default LS7 head Re-Work

I asked the question at the CF, but none really on inputs for Texas Speed that btw are considerably better priced than AHP and WCCH.

Anyone here have their LS7 heads reworked by TSP?
Old 06-21-2016, 09:40 PM
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If you google ls7 heads repaired by TSP you don't see many.
If you google LS7 heads repaired by WCCH there are many.
Thats not really an issue you want to cheap out on, you just might get what you pay for.
WCCH repaired my heads and they look great, and had great customer service. my .02
Old 06-21-2016, 10:33 PM
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Originally Posted by slogo
If you google ls7 heads repaired by TSP you don't see many.
If you google LS7 heads repaired by WCCH there are many.
Thats not really an issue you want to cheap out on, you just might get what you pay for.
WCCH repaired my heads and they look great, and had great customer service. my .02

Not really cheap out, looking for the best value. Texas Speed is not a hole in the wall and I have had good results with their heads and cams in the past. This being the reason I asked....not too many seems to use them, but why?

IMHO, it seems like WCCH and AHP are expensive because they are in California. Higher wages, more rules, Internet hype drives prices up.
AHP charges $1300 and no porting included and WCCH is $1600 with thier port job..TSP $1050 and includes CNC porting.
Old 06-21-2016, 11:40 PM
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Who is AHP? Also what do you mean by:

AHP charges $1300 and no porting included
So what is it that your paying $1300 for with a non Cnc head? Bowl work, short side radius, valve job etc? Your getting a known to Fail, install of bronze valve guides with that price with WCCH. So factoring in R&R and parts with port work, sounds like it would be around $1200 just for port work without guides.

There are others: Advanced Inductions from $995 to $1150 depending on runner size . Also BES Starting @ $1,050.00. SDPC or FRH along with others are all around $1000 to $1200. Seems like you have not looked around and are dead set on TSP? Tony Mamo also has a program that I'm sure would be competitive in price also.
Old 06-22-2016, 01:34 AM
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American Heritage Performance is AHP.

Their work is basically replacing valve guides, valve job, and replacing the exhaust valves.

I'm not dead set on anyone, but I want someone with ls7 head experience, but not overcharge. Hence reaching out to y'all

A valve job is typically $250, new valves $250, guides $150...plus some odds and ends. Those prices do not include new springs.
Old 06-22-2016, 03:28 PM
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I have an excellent program for the OEM heads

Heads are cleaned, valves are media blasted (exhaust) and tumble polished (intake), guides are replaced and honed to spec, competition valve job, heads are then fully CNC ported and hand finished in the bowls and chambers (looks awesome when Im done), and then I cc and mill them to clean up the deck and usually bump the static compression some for even more performance. Its a very extensive amount of work that not only fixes the head but improves the performance a great deal as well....heads look better than new when I return them to you.

It's only $1950 for all that work performed (assuming Im keeping/reinstalling all your OEM spring hardware), but most guys opt to upgrade while they are apart and have me install PAC hardware but most of that is warranted due to the fact they are replacing the OEM cam when the car is apart. We can discuss your situation in greater detail one on one but now would be a good time to upgrade the cam as well and really see a huge gain in performance when the car goes back together with a custom cam I could spec for you and a really efficient set of ported OEM heads (407 CFM and only 275 cc).

OP....hit me up via email or phone if you would like some more info. I have dedicated a tremendous amount of time to the LS7 platform since leaving AFR almost two years ago (time flies!) and the guys that really benefit from all of this is you.



Regards,
Tony

PS....Now is the time to upgrade to one of my ported MSD intakes as well....we can discuss that in more detail on the phone as well. Look at this situation as an opportunity, not a burden to simply repair the car. The LS7 platform is incredible, especially if modded properly, and that's where my guidance can help you
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Old 06-23-2016, 06:15 AM
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I'd love to see Mr Mamo work his majic on some LS7s. With that said, TSPs' Has proven LS7 port program and aftermarket heads. I wouldn't consider TSPs head package "settling".
Old 06-23-2016, 10:31 AM
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wow. I wish I could spare the $2500 to rework my castings. I'm sure it would be awesome. I went into this really just to fix the head problems. I still haven't installed the engine and getting it running would be the priority.

Texas speed does seem the way to go for $900 and with a spring upgrade about $1300. I could even add a can and stil be cheaper then WCCH.
Old 06-23-2016, 10:48 AM
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LPE charges 1050 for their CNC port job.
Old 06-23-2016, 11:07 AM
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If it's just a Cnc, I just paid $995.00 for Ls7 bare as cast heads to be ported. Did add other work also to be done by Darin Morgan. With that said would you still choose TSP if you know with whom I'm speaking of?

BES and AI would be my best bang for the buck Cnc programs. Not saying TSP is not good. BES has a track record that is well know in the Drag community for any engine.

Calling some of the places listed works a lot better as you get the real price not some listed stuff.
Old 06-23-2016, 10:21 PM
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Originally Posted by Wasabi
If it's just a Cnc, I just paid $995.00 for Ls7 bare as cast heads to be ported. Did add other work also to be done by Darin Morgan. With that said would you still choose TSP if you know with whom I'm speaking of?

BES and AI would be my best bang for the buck Cnc programs. Not saying TSP is not good. BES has a track record that is well know in the Drag community for any engine.

Calling some of the places listed works a lot better as you get the real price not some listed stuff.

I'm confused about your statement. Could you explain?
Old 06-23-2016, 11:31 PM
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Do you only want a Cnc program done to your heads? If so:

I paid $995.00 for Ls7 bare as cast heads to be ported. Although I did add other work: milling along with other things to be done by Darin Morgan. With that being said would you still choose TSP if you (know of whom) I'm speaking of? Google: Darin Morgan & compare. It maybe hard to get him to do a set as he's really busy.

If I had a choice BES and AI would be my best bang for the buck Cnc programs and both are around the same price. Not saying TSP is not good. But BES has a track record that is well know in the Drag community for any type of engine. Also calling some of the places listed works a lot better as you get the real price not some listed stuff that has not been updated.
Old 06-24-2016, 09:22 AM
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His original question was about repairing
the known issue with LS7heads not performance. The reason I used WCCH was
I read artical from LSx or hot rodding can't remember where they do all the test with actual
know engine builders, and they said something
like WCCH was one of the original shops who
figured out the repair, don't remember exact
wording, but WCCH was the ones to use, they use CHE valve guides, tumble polish whatever.
And personally WCCH means west coast CYLINDER HEADS, my thought is that's one
of the things they specialize in, just my .02
Old 06-24-2016, 12:04 PM
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Oh, so he does need guides and basic work needed to fix the factories known problems. Well TSP does sound like a damn good choice for the asking price although your right about what Richard has done. I thought he was asking for just Cnc machining.
Old 06-24-2016, 02:13 PM
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We have a really awesome ls7 head service. You end up with the exact same port as our aftermarket 265cc heads. For $1050.00 we not only port the heads, we valve job them, put in bronze guides, and replace the exhaust valves with a stainless single piece valve. We don't create a head you settle for, we create a great head. We just don't force you to take a out a 2nd mortgage to pay for it.

Originally Posted by badazz81z28
wow. I wish I could spare the $2500 to rework my castings. I'm sure it would be awesome. I went into this really just to fix the head problems. I still haven't installed the engine and getting it running would be the priority.

Texas speed does seem the way to go for $900 and with a spring upgrade about $1300. I could even add a can and stil be cheaper then WCCH.
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Old 06-24-2016, 10:45 PM
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you put a heavier exhaust valve in, and bronze guides that won't play well with the stock rockers.
great deal LOL
Old 06-25-2016, 06:54 AM
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I have mine but they arent installed yet... I went with AHP for a couple reasons. Now first off I have no experience with TSP ported heads however my biggest thing is I did NOT want bronze guides. I drive my car every day and unless you go with a good roller rocker the stock geometry will cause some side loading of the valve and wear the guides out faster.

AHP was the only company I could find in my research that uses PM guides which is the same material as stock gm heads. Next was the valve selection companies like wcch and others use a solid stainless exhaust valve. These valves typically weigh 100-120g depending, while the stock valve weighs in around 74g. Lots of people say there is nothing wrong with the stock valves and use them again, however I would rather be safe than sorry. Enter in the Ferrea 2042 hollow stainless valve. It is still a 1 piece valve and weighs in around 84g, solid valves have been proven through spintron testing by katech to lose control above 6500 rpm with stock AND dual springs. I did not want to lose rpm in a stock engine, the 2042 valve has been tested and even with stock springs retains valve control to well over 7000 rpm just as the stock valves. Again AHP offers these valves in their heads as part of the 1300 dollar package.

Finally I looked at the reviews, wcch has good reviews but uses heavy valves and bronze guides so they were out. I couldnt find much info on tsp and they also used bronze guides. Now could someone use bronze guides, buy roller rockers, and use an appropriate spring to control them and a heavy dual spring? Yes, but at that point the whole budget minded consensus sort of goes out the window. I also found several people who had 10's of thousands of miles on their AHP heads with no issues which also helped me feel better.

My whole thing was that I did not want to sacrifice rpm over stock and make the valvetrain heavier when there was no need. AHP delievered that for me, Kohle is a great guy to talk to and offers a core exchange program to eliminate downtime, if you want the cnc porting done it brings the total cost of the package to 1850.

Last lets address the fact that TSP heads do not cost 1000 bucks. I went in and built, what I consider the bare minimum for ls7 heads. I selected to just remain with the base solid valve they replace in the heads, which I mentioned are not good for valve control, and to replace the guides with bronze ones. Now at that point you would need to at least try to control all that with a dual spring even though tests have shown it does not work well to 7k like oem does. The price is already 1300. So all in all its a 500 dollar difference to have ahp do it.

Now I am not bashing tsp, I'm sure they do good work. But these are facts and the buyer should be informed about the pros and cons of what he is doing.

Old 06-25-2016, 08:26 AM
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Originally Posted by A_VAS
you put a heavier exhaust valve in, and bronze guides that won't play well with the stock rockers.
great deal LOL
That's pretty much what everyone else does too and it seems to fix it. The last LS7 I built went 210MPH at the Texas Mile with the same fix.
Old 06-25-2016, 08:40 AM
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Originally Posted by redbird555
So all in all its a 500 dollar difference to have ahp do it.

Now I am not bashing tsp, I'm sure they do good work. But these are facts and the buyer should be informed about the pros and cons of what he is doing.
So you're saying AHP will do the same work as TSP, but with powdered metal guides a more expensive hollow stem valve for $500 less than TSP? That doesn't seem right. I don't think there's enough profit margin in machining cylinder heads for one company to have a $500 difference from another, especially when you're talking about the cheaper company using more expensive parts.
Old 06-25-2016, 08:51 AM
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I don't see anyone mentioning cam lobes here when referencing rpm limits. I am running TSP PRC heads with titanium intake and stainless exhaust valves. I had a cam designed by Brian Tooley and told him I wanted to run to 7300 rpm using stock rockers. He said we would limit the lift to around .630 and use a gentle lobe. According to my tach memory the engine regularly goes to 7500 and this is on a road course where the rpm hangs between 5000 and 7000 much of the time.


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