Heads without headers?

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May 10, 2006 | 10:13 PM
  #1  
Would putting 113 (aluminum L98) heads on my engine (after possible 350 replacement or 305 rebuild) without headers and full exhaust be worth doing?

I want to do a LT1 cam (already have the cam) swap at the same time, but I am VERY limited on cash.

I want to get out of the 16s. Last I ran at Thunder Valley was a 16.5. Since then I've done open element w/K&N, 3.23 posi (vs previous 2.73s open). Not alot, but it should get me something more than the 16.5. Would the cam and the heads w/tune see me into the 15s without the headers and exhaust?
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May 11, 2006 | 07:51 AM
  #2  
Ditch the exhaust from the engine to the rear. Thats probably one of the first steps to speeding up the car.
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May 11, 2006 | 11:22 AM
  #3  
imo if your going to do the cam and heads, you might as well do the full exhaust at the same time
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May 11, 2006 | 12:58 PM
  #4  
I want to keep the car street legal, so I can't ditch the exhaust.
I would get the full exhaust, but I won't have the money. I just want to know if the heads, cam, and tune would drop my ET into the 15s
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May 11, 2006 | 01:44 PM
  #5  
possibly but whos doin your tune?
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May 11, 2006 | 07:15 PM
  #6  
I don't know as of yet. I'm trying to get all the parts together first. Who would you recommend.
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May 11, 2006 | 07:42 PM
  #7  
The heads are not the choke-point of a stock or near stock L03. The exhaust, the air cleaner, followed by the puny cam are. Given the gain possible with a full exhaust and 1.6:1 roller rockers only heads are not worth the swap with the stock pre-cat exhaust.
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May 11, 2006 | 07:47 PM
  #8  
So, I would be better off to go with a full exhaust and the LT1 cam and a good tune than I would heads, cam, and tune?
I'm already running a 13x4 open element behind the functional SS ram air hood. Would a TB spacer to get the element higher and get rid of the plastic breather spacer be a good mod?
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May 11, 2006 | 07:56 PM
  #9  
IIRC, Dewey ran into the mid 14s with only a single plane carb intake (a Holley Projection intake would be better), ultimate TBI mods, cam swap, full exhaust, gears, and tuning.

There are alot of mixed emotions on the TBI spacer. I have used the 1" tall open center spacers with good power increases, especially over 3,500 RPM and above.

You will have to do some work to get the geometry on the throttle, cruise, and TV cables right.

The more you can unshroud the TBI bores from the top, the better the TBI will breathe.
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May 11, 2006 | 07:59 PM
  #10  
By gears, would my 3.23s suffice? I don't want to run anything higher, so I think another swap is out.

I know where I can get a 3/4 (I think) inch spacer. I might try that.

You mean like clear some area around the injectors to let more air into the TB bores? The same guy has a 1/4 injector spacer, as well.

Will the Holley Projection intake fit the stock (Ulitmate Modded, of course) TB? They look like they should.
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May 11, 2006 | 10:39 PM
  #11  
switch the gears to 3.42, get a high flow cat and get relocation brackets for the lower control arms since the springs lowered the car.
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May 11, 2006 | 10:54 PM
  #12  
3.23s would be fine for a 700r4. If you do the T-56 swap you are dreaming of, go with 4.10s! The T-56 has a tall 2.66 first gear as well as a tall .5:1 OD ratio. The 700r4 is comfortable taking off with its 3.06 first gear and cruises well with 3.23s due to its .7:1 OD.
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May 12, 2006 | 08:31 AM
  #13  
Yea, the car is my daily, so the 3.42s would be too stiff for that (IMO). If I get the T56, it is getting the 4.10s or 3.73s.
I want the LCAs, I am gonna try to get them sometime this summer.
What about the Holley intake? Would the factory TBI mount to it?
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May 14, 2006 | 10:19 AM
  #14  
I've owned my camaro for 3 years, and only recently come to realize that it's got a 3.42 in the back, I hadn't known before.

the reason I say that, is because the difference in driveability and gas mileage are almost completely unnoticable, in fact the only real difference(and in fact, the reason why I ended up figuring this out) was the fact that my car sits at 2300rpms at 70mph.

but the way gas mileage works can be tricky, a lower rpm doesn't always mean better gas mileage, I average 18 with a cai/rai setup, 2200 stall converter, and 3.42 gears...the car spends much of its time around 3k-3500, and it currently doesn't have a working o2, egr, or esc(recently discovered the ground wires to the o2 and the esc were cut, causing them to overvolt), the point of all this being that gas mileage isn't 100% about driving around town at 1k rpms, it's about efficiency, and getting your car up to cruising speeds quickly so you don't have to hold the throttle at more than 15%.
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btw the reason why I mentioned the bad sensors is that I should be getting horrendous gas mileage without those sensors, but I'm getting pretty good gas mileage, even with the mods done to it and not having those sensors.
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May 14, 2006 | 11:45 AM
  #15  
Quote: What about the Holley intake? Would the factory TBI mount to it?
Yes the factory tbi unit will mount right up as well as a factory 454 tbi unit with 2" bores.

I think that BronYrAur has had the stock and a 670 Holley tb unit on his Holley intake.

And I agree.........exhaust and intake first. And check out the thread at the top of the stickies for tuning which will make a differance.

HTH
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