I'm looking at getting heads for my GTA. I am looking at Brodix ik180's and the Dart Pro 1's... both are priced about the same. Does anyone have an opinion on which are better? Thanks a lot for the help!

They're priced the same? I got my IK180s for 995 from Jegs. I think they're pretty decent.

yea the brodix ik180's go for about $1014- $1095 with more valve lift and dual springs and the dart Pro 1's go for about $1023. im kinda leaning towards the brodix... can anyone else tell me what they think of the ik180's and the dart pro 1's?

If the Dart Pro Ones you are looking at are the "Platinum Series" then they have a good reputaion. They are supposed to be right up there with the new AFR Eleminators.

i've heard more good about Dart Pro 1's than brodix.. Brodix has weak flow numbers and inconsistent chamber volume.. i cc'd my racerite 200's and had to make them all the same.. other than the flow numbers, i think my racerites are doing ok.. got her down to a 11.65 with untouched heads besides the chamber corrections.. also running on one very bad cylinder.. it has 10's in it.. just need to find the combo..

i have Dart pro 1 heads with a 215 runner, straight plugs, and 64cc combustion chambers, I am pretty happy with them but was pretty surprised at how crappy the casting looked. I had to clearance for the push rods and everything fit well. If i could go back i would buy the platnum edition or a set of AFR heads. If you plan on the standard pro 1 head plan on clean-up

I have the Brodix 200IK heads on my car and have been very happy with them

can get heads with straight angle spark plugs for my 87 gta with shorty headers? im looking at the brodix ik180 and dart pro 1 platinums... do the ik180's only come with straight angle? thats what i found atleast.

yes, i have straight

Yes my IK180's have straight plugs. I have to run Auto Lite Racing plugs in them since my long tubes will burn up the plug wires and the Accel header plugs were $60 for required plug.

i have decided to go with the pro 1 platinums. i am looking at the 180cc ones because i've heard they are good for low-mid range power. but ive heard from some people that my 383 will like the 200cc heads better. so should i get 180 or 200??

With the 383 go with the 200cc heads. I'm running them on my 355 and believe me there are no low end power losses or driveability issues. I would try and get the compression up to around 10.5:1.

i will definately consider the 200 heads! my compression will be around 10.7:1 with the cam i have.

With 10.7:1 compression that would seal the deal on the 200cc heads.

the reason I am thinking about going with the 180cc heads is because I think my cam with 224/230 duration and a 501/510 lift will match the 180cc heads better. will the 200cc heads still be a good match with my cam?

For the love of pete dont put tiny little 180cc heads on a 383. Im the biggest proponent for not putting too much head on a motor but the 200's absolutly are not too much head for a 383.

Not to mention at least for their iron heads the port design for the 180's is garbage and the 200's are completly different and a lot better.

I promise you will kick yourself if you get the 180's, my dart iron eagle 180s are choking the hell out of my 355.

i have decided to go with the 200's. now im thinking i should go with a bigger cam... i am thinking of upping my 224/230 dur 503/510 lift cam with an operating rpm range of 1,800-5,800 to one of the following:

- 230/236 dur, 510/520 lift, operating rpm range:2,200-5,800
- 236/242 dur, 520/540 lift, operating rpm range: 2,500-6,000
- 242/248 dur, 540/562 lift, operating rpm range: 2,800-6,100

all opinions are appriciated for the best cam to go with my heads!

for a camshaft, i suggest checking out comp cams CamQuest software http://www.compcams.com/Camquest/ basically it's a free desktop dyno that has all of comps cams in it. also, i would highly recommend a roller camshaft with today's oils missing a lot of the components to hold a flat tappet together. i've already chewed through 2 flat tappets in under 1000 total miles. good luck with the engine, whatever you end up doing the 383 is a great engine.

Those heads will handle up to .600" lift. Don't cheat the heads. Get a cam like the Comp 280XFI and don't look back. See if you can get the heads with 7/16" rocker studs.

I will definately consider that cam. will that cam work with fuel injection only?

thanks for bringing the 280XFI cam to my attention! i decided to go with the dart pro 1 platinum 200's and the 280XFI. Cant wait to get everthing put together!

just fyi the operating range will be about 300 rpms lower in a 383 then it will be in a 350

and 89gta just because they handle .60 lift doesnt mean they flow till there. Thats just what springs you put on the heads.

"and 89gta just because they handle .60 lift doesnt mean they flow till there."

It means the valves will be open longer for the given duration of the cam. That means more cylinder filling, more horsepower, better volumetric efficiency, more torque and most likely better gas milage. Remember lift is your friend.

not true, if you flow bench the heads and the airflow starts falling off or even going static around lets say .54 opening the valve to .60 will just cause air turbulence, decreased velocity, and no extra air in the cylinder.

[b]19doug90, [b] are you saying that 576/570 lift is too much for the 200 heads?

i have no idea, you need to find flowbench data that gives you flow numbers for every .01 of lift between .50 and .60

The lift that the flow numbers either start to fall off or stop increasing is where you want your cam ot make lift until.

The more the valve opens the larger volume of air the vacuum in the engine will try to suck in. If you open the valve past where the heads can flow then you just end up causing turbulence and not any more air is getting into the cylinder anyways.

Any less lift and youre simply not achieving the full potential of the heads.

I dont know the specifics on that head tho.

"i have no idea"

I do. I have them on my car.

Back to your point. I would like to know what modern aftermarket head that is rated to .600" lift shows any sign of backing up. Even if it stops flowing more it would not matter. It would still be open at the highest flow rate that much longer with the higher lift.

okay then, where do the heads make peak flow

i'm shifting my 385 at 6700. cam's range is 3k-7k. but heads are till 6500..... oh nevermind, vic jr. lets me breathe well.. haha


majority of the lift in a roller cam will be done midrange so peak lift numbers dont matter that much compared to duration.. it will only be at the 576/570 lift for an instant..

silvergta, get the cam and heads and be happy..

oh i will be happy! im going from around 265 hp to i dont even know how much! thanks for all the input though! i cant wait to get this beast running and let ya'll know how she runs!

hey 1989GTATransAm, how is your 700r4 holding up for ya? what kind of hp are you running and how many miles does the tranny have on it? I was just curious because im looking at beefing up my tranny.

Flywheel horsepower is around 435 and I'm hoping to up that some with the next dyno tuning. I have the nine clutch 3-4 gear pack. I also have a transmission cooler. Tranny has a total of around 71,000 miles with maybe 5000 miles on the 3-4 clutches. I had to replace them on the previous build.

It just needs to hold up for another 3 months and I will have a built 4L60E in its place. Just ordered the 4L60E wiring harness today. The reason I'm going to a built 4L60E is that I can dial in whatever shift points I want. Probably will be shifting in the 6300-6400rpm range.

By the way on my heads the peak flow is at .600" lift as that is as high as they were tested on the flow bench. No reason to go higher with only a .570" lift at the time. Lift is now .576" with the new cam.

well whadaya know... im switching up the cam again! the XFI's lift of 576/570 is with the 1.6 rocker arms. the xtreme energy cam i was looking at, 224/230 dur, will have a lift of 543/550 with 1.6 rocker arms. plus i would be losing power with the XFI because of the wide LSA.