i have a gmpp 290/350 to put in my car but before i do i would like to change the heads and cam. i am thinking of putting dart pro 1 200 cc heads and am uncertan of the cam. what i was wondering is if the heads will work with the stock pistons and if the compression will be high enough as the engine has a 8:5:1 ratio as it comes.

well first off ur cam and heads have to be on the same page.. u want to make sure they are gunna flow the same amounts of air.. as far as clearance u have to find out from the head manufacturer how far the valves open.. and for compression ratio u gotta know the original head size on the motor.. or how many cc's ur cylinder is w/ piston at top dead center.. and do some fun math.. i usualy leave this fun math to engine builders cause they make me do it at the school i go to and its annoying

Well, I can tell you that anything is going to be better than the heads it comes with. Your stock heads should be this:

Heads, Chamber Size : Cast Iron, 76cc
Valves (I/E) : 1.94"/1.50"

Get something in the 64cc range and I think that will put you in the 9.x range. If you go aluminum then you will wanna go a little higher.

Hope that helps some...