ok i have a crate 350 and im looking to put heads and a cam in here soon. only thing is i cant figure out what heads i should get, mainly valve sizes. rule of thumb is that bigger is better, but ive heard that 2.02's on a 1st gen small block actually hurt the flow into the cylinder. im planning on going with 56cc heads to bump my compression to right about 10/1. the car currently has a fully ported edelbrock highflow tpi setup, and im getting a cam thats right about 490/490-112. the plan is to only rev to about 5600-5700 rpm.

so with that all in mind i was hoping you guys could give me some good input for my head selection

 

Is this a street car?

 

yes it its a daily driver in the summer so i dont wont to sacrafice much low end but i dont want it to fall flat on its face after 3500rpm either.

 

With that cam lift, you'll be looking for low and mid-lift port flow, so minimizing intake valve shrouding should be your priority, and a bigger intake valve just hurts you there. A stock size 1.94 valve will probably outperform a 2.02 in your case.

 

I agree with 86GT4Bird. Vortec heads would run great but require a vortec lower intake manifold.

 

ok well the big question that i have then is will an aftermarket 1.94 head (looking at these ones http://www.summitracing.com/parts/TFS-30300002/) really out perform the stock ones that came on the crate motor (gm 350/290) enough to make them worth the cost?

 

Yes. The heads are going to raise compression that will give you more power and the Chambers and runners are going to be more efficient. Cam seems small, what is the duration?

 

im getting a higher profile cam, im looking around 490/490 its not much only about 030 larger lift im not sure if i would need valve reliefes for anything over 500 or i would go bigger, im also investing in a torque converter.

 

Yes. The heads are going to raise compression that will give you more power and the Chambers and runners are going to be more efficient. Cam seems small, what is the duration?

 

the few i looked at have a duration in the relm of 230-236 im just not sure what lift im safe with without clearence issues the current cam is rated at 450/460 lift and 222 duration for both.

 

The cam you have now should net you 350 to 375 HP with the heads you picked. it should idle smooth and have gobs of torque. would be fun to drive.

 

my current cam would really net me that much? even with the tpi

 

I think so, With all the tricks, bigger runners, thottle body, headers, and fuel systen upgrades.

 

Set of Lloyd Elliott ported L98's 113 castings setup with 1.94 valves...if he still does them. Just need a basic port job and valve job with new matching springs for the cam. They are already 58cc so you can mill them to 56 or even 54 easily to get more compression.

probably your best bang for the buck. The summit brand, trickflow 175s or dart 180's arent bad either. Brodix 180IK's would fit the bill too. Depends on how much you want to spend but some of these heads come in 64cc and harder to mill down below 60cc. You may need angle mill and get the intake milled to match.

1.94 valve will work, but a 2.02 wont kill anything on a 4.000" bore. Alot of guys run 50% of the bore size for the valve diameters and more but usually are shooting for alot more rpms than TPI

For that rpm range and with TPI i dont think you need a huge head. That cam at 222 deg is already big enough for TPI's range of operation. That sounds like the mild GM 260-290hp crate cam. You could swap it out for a more aggressive modern lobe cam if you wanted but I wouldnt go too high over 220 deg anyway.

 

alright well i suppose i could skip on the cam and save myself the money (and the big headache) for now, and if im not happy ill get it later. ive got lots of time so i could set it back. ive already got 26pph injectors in the car, and a bigger throttle body and headers are planned for early summer. in the long run im trying to chase down my cousins LS1. the crate motor was the 290hp budget 350, if i had the money i have now when i needed the motor i would have went with a 383 or lsx but what can you do

 

Not sure what the LS1 runs but you could get nasty with that motor, just get a good set of heads and throw in a bigger cam or a solid flat tappet and a short runner intake like a stealth ram/single plane/miniram if you want EFI and it will run very hard. If you have the money to spend... wont take much to get low low 12's out of that and possible high 11's on that crate shortblock