which of these castings would work best on my stock LO5? 601, 081 or 416? i have heard good things about 416's, but this motor still needs to pass smog, so all the EGR and stuff has to remain in working order... im just looking for a better flowing head than what is on my stock LO5 crate... of course i plan to fix them up and port/polish...

 

416's by far

 

Any of them, the 416 and 601's are essentially the same, with perimeter valve cover bolts. The 081 are the same as the others but with center valve cover bolts.

The ports in the heads are almost copies of each other.

 

but all of them are smog legal (egr intact) and stuff right? since CA smog laws require all that stupid stuff and non-vortec i cant do anything worthwhile to my motor... having to be smog legal sucks...

 

Yes they are all stock smog heads with EGR. The only ones that are not, in the smog area are the Al L98 113 heads and the vortecs.

 

about how much would they cost me new/used and how much for a good port/polish? or rather, average price. and if its better to get them new, are they still sold through GM with an active part number?

 

The 081's will mate best to your post '86 block. Better than the 416 heads anyway. I'm not sure about the others. The four bolt holes on the manifold are the issue. But if you don't plan on using your stock intake, then it isn't an issue.

 

im gunna use my stock one till i can get the one youve got.. the edelbrock TBI one

 

It wll cost way more then its worth to pay somebody to port them. For the price is would cost $500+ you could get some better aftermarket heads.

Why not port them yourself?

 

cuz i suck and would probably screw them up... lol i could try though... how much are they from the junkyard?

 

$50.

Just follow the directions on this site. You can do a for porting 305 heads.



Porting 305 heads

 

i have sitting bull's post where he ports his on my favorites list... ive been thinking of doing it for a while.. just never really got motivated to.... until now... my car stinks... i need more power...

 

Thats a combination of your super crappy swirl port heads, resulting low compression, your tiny cam and your TBI. Just replacing the heads without porting them will gain you alot.

No offense but your LO5 is about the worst combination of parts ever!

 

i know! thats why i plan on changing them out... heads are easy and quick and i dont have to do a lot of chip burning to fix it... and a cam creates smog problems, so that will come much later... but im hoping to at least get 3-5% hp gains with this head swap...

 

Just FYI, you can run vortec heads with a remote EGR.. Take alook at a vette, or a v6 thirdgen.

Though You wouldn't want to run vortec heads on a 5pointslow.


-- Joe

 

not in cali you cant... has to be stock plumbing.... all original smog equipment has to be present, so since my car came with internal egr... its gotta stay internal... darn CARB board....

 

Ugg. Someone brought this stupid rumor up the other day too..
It is absolutely bogus. You can run an emissions system from a LATER model vehicle of the same capacity.

http://www.jagsthatrun.com/Pages/Che..._V-8_Smog.html

After reading the above, buy the book and see for yourself.

-- Joe

 

AFAIK you can't just swap parts from a later engine, you have to swap the entire engine. And with that the entire fuel/ air management system, which in some cases includes the gas tank and transmission.
At least that's the way it was explained to me.
It makes me want to move back to Mich. But back there cars rust in 5 yrs...

Edit ... I just noticed that SchwartzCamaro's location is Ariz. Makes me wonder, why the Qs about Cali smog?

 

Well, try for the 081s then because they are centre bolt style and will pass a visual inspection much better than the perimeter bolt 416s and 601s.

Hey, you CAN do this porting and polishing. It is NOT beyond your capabilities. What we do in my thread is VERY straightforward and simple so don't psyche yourself out

A decently ported set of 081s will add about 30 hp or so. Stick in a better cam (a used LT1 cam can be had for 50 bucks) and you're looking at a combined total of maybe 60 or 70 hp.

I know it seems like rocket science when you start but JUST TAKE YOUR TIME!!! It is not a contest to see who can get done first. The beautifully sculpted heads that come at the end of 25 carefull hours of work will make you pretty proud

There is just something about experiencing all that extra hp that comes from carving it out with your own two hands :hail: :rockon: :yes:

 

BTW, Sitting Bull, if I have never thanked you for that great article you did on porting heads and "de-mystify" head porting (like we have tried to do with eproms).....THANK YOU!

 

Hey Glenn,

Thanks, but I can't take all the credit for that. Lots of guys jumped in with great insights and tips. I owe everything I know to F-Bird'88, not to mention the help RB83L69, Damon, five7kid and a host of others offered

But I'm glad it has turned out to be a good resource for our members

 

ok, so its decided... 081's with my own porting... but now... where in Phx, AZ area do i get them? and what car originally had them on it so i can find one at a junkyard.... and, how much prom burning will be necessary if i do the heads and the lt1 cam? gah, its a can of worms, but i love it

 

that is because my car is registered/smogged in CA... i only live here in AZ because of school. My car will still stay CA smog legal and CA registered because as soon as im done with school, i plan on going back...

 

Any thirdgen newer than 1986 with a 305 tpi engine. A few carbed ones in 87 had them, too.

Probably any full size Chevy or Pontiac from 87 and higher with a carbed 305.

Junyards, my man!

Or, check out the head rebuilders. They might have a set someone didn't pick up and sell them cheap and already rebuilt. Then you just have to disassemble them to port and polish.

 

cool, ill be callin around then, hope i can get these goin soon, my 3rdgen might get a new set of lungs for a Christmas present.. hehehehe

 

Wait a minute, I just figured this out. You have a 350 and your talking about putting on 081 heads. Those are 305 heads. If you are keeping the 350 you need the 083 heads. They are off an L98 350. Like a '92 Z28 with a 350.

 

No, stick with the 081 heads off of a 305. It will help boost compression, and the 083 L98 heads don't flow any better, even with the larger intake valve.

 

exactly... compression... i know the 081's are 305 heads, but they flow just as good, and will boost compression... Stekman uses a set of 416's on his .030 over 350. Im just looking for a streetable smog legal combo... it makes no sense for me to get all into aftermarket heads and everything cuz i still need to pass smog. since my car is a 91 and CA doesnt exempt smog until 30 years after manufacturing date, i figure ive got until 2021 till i dont have to smog anymore, so... i got a lil bit of a damper...