Ok, i know that when you have heads shaved that it can lower the compression right? And i also know that it means the same thing to re surface them, but what im getting at, is there really to gain in performance to be had by haveing heads shaved. Also is it the same thing to have them milled?

 

yes milled, shaved, same thing...as far as performance, if your sittin at 9.0 to 1 compression and you bump it up to 10.5 to 1, you will notice a decent amount of change...however compression doesn't bump your HP up that much, maybe 10-20HP if your lucky, higher compression usually dictates a quicker throttle response, making it feel like the car is quicker or more peppier...going from like 9.5 to 10 isn't a big change because that is what i did, because he had to resurface them anyways so he took a bit more off...i couldn't tell you if i would see any change because along with that i put another 7 grand into the drivetrain...so IMO, if you have to get them resurfaced, you mines as well have him take off a bit more, or if your compression is at 9.0 or lower, and you want to make a high horsepower motor, you would probably want to get them milled a bit...

 

Problem is that it takes a large amount of cut to make any real increase in compression. Then you have problems getting the intake bolted on unless you get the heads angle milled. Not really a good idea all around I think. Not enough improvement for the bother.

 

i agree....not enough bang for your buck...

 

Hmmm, well the heads that im using are 081's that have been ported, but 10-20 horsepower? In my eyes that a pretty decent gain. what other problems can it cause? Also what about using thinner gaskets, and what problems can it cause

 

you'll get a little bit out of thinner gaskets, but not much...i said 10-20 if your lucky, thast all depending on what your going from and what your going too...if they are iron heads, then you won't want to go over 10.0 to 1..and chances are you are in the 9's already, so your not gonna see that big of a gain...the biggest problem with getting your heads shaved is afterwards you usuallying don't get a very good intake fit...

 

Will a thinner gasket hold up as well as a regular one?

 

It does not take a large cut at all. I just did a set of Vortecs that measured out at 65cc's stock. I had .050 (not a large amount) removed and the chambers to 54.5 cc's. That change alone took me from 11.1 :1 to 12.6: 1. A full point at that range is worth more than 10 or 20 HP, provided the cam matches the potential performance of the combination.

Cost? $40.00 per head, and $80.00 for the intake. $160 total, which is cheaper than a cam kit, and will give you more power no matter what your existing combination.

As for head gaskets I use the metal shim type (.015 compressed thickness. )I have had no problems what so ever with seal or leaks and those also help bump compression.

 

If i use a thinner gasket am i still gonna have problems bolting up the intake?

 

ttt

 

the thinner gasket will not cause a problem with the intake.