I have a 92 RS with a carb'd 350. Right now it has cam, headers, exhaust, edlebrock intake and carb. I store the car during the winter months so this means it's time to spend some money. For about the last week or so I've been contemplating what I could do. What I'm asking is what are some of the most cost effective ways to increase performance.

 

First, we have to know what it has for cam, headers, exhaust, edlebrock intake and carb. "Upgrade", "stock", "aftermarket", "Performer" aren't sufficient to know what you have that is holding you back, or what needs to be changed to work best with the rest.

 

The intake is edelbrock performer I think, and the carb is edelbrock 750 cfm 4bbl. It has hedman headers not exactly sure which ones specificly and full flowmaster exhaust, no cat. the cam is a summit cam part no. SUM-K1105.
you can check out the specs on the cam at summit's site.

 

That's a pretty good start right there. Not the best parts, but certainly better than a stock L03.
Tranny?
SFC's?
Heads would be the next upgrade.

 

if it was me, i would invest in some high flowing heads that would really add some horse power, especially since its cammed

 

I was thinking that heads would be next. Are there any suggestions on what heads I should get. I'm trying to stay as cost effective as possible but I'm willing to spend what is necessary.

 

Vortec requires the intake manifold, but would still be cheaper than any other set of aftermarket heads.
Edelbrock Performer heads, I think are 170cc's and would be alright.
Dart Iron eagles are 200's, but a good price. Keep in mind it'd kick up your high end substantially, with low end suffering somewhat.

Before you purchase heads, you'll want to know what your piston style is, deck height, etc. Also what heads are on there now actually

 

What is the difference between the different cc specs? Also what cc range should I be looking for with my cam? What is deck height and how do I measure it? You mentioned piston style, deck hight, etc. What else would i need to know before buying new heads? Thanks for all your help so far.

 

Heads cost enough money you really don't want to do it wrong. Pick up a book on the topic and do some reading, your best bang for the buck is matching all the parts together just right. Vizards book on hot rodding the SBC, or heads and valvetrain would be great.

Port cc size dictates the RPM the engine will run best. For 350 cubes of engine, 170-190 is good. 190+ means you won't have anything below 2000RPM but it'll pull really hard over 4000RPM. Since it's a street car i'd recommend to you that you stay below that. 180cc ish is good.

Deck height means how high your pistons get up to when they are at the top (TDC). You need to pull off your current heads to measure this.
You'd also then see what pistons are in there.

With that info, you can pick the right heads. ie, if you have a typical 12cc dish piston and a normal .025" deck height, then 64cc heads would work great. If someone put in flat tops and decked the block, 67-70cc might be best. If.... And so you want to measure first.

Also you'd want to lay a straight edge on your deck to see how flat it is. You'll probably be using a composition head gasket (.041" ish) thick after, and you'll want to know how well it'll seal.

First things first : Find out what's on there. You may have good heads already (doubtful, but maybe). Check the casting number by pulling off a valve cover and reading off the number to us.

 

Thanks for all your help. Can you give me a site I could order that book from? I will pull the valve covers off within the next couple of weeks and let you know what heads I have, although I am very certain they are just stock heads on a 74 block.

 

amazon.com
chapters.com
I order from chapters.com

Chances are the heads are junk then.