well, im debating on what my next winter project should be. im thinking of swapping the cylinder heads and camshaft, or just doing the lower intake manifold first. i figured id get some opinions on what people thought would be a good starting point. only problem is, since im new to this, im unsure of how to tell if a certain cam and set of heads would work well compared to stock. id obviously like to get the best bang for my buck without going over 2500$ for heads and a cam and without replacing the rest of the rotating assembly. and before anyone suggests it eventhough i did ask for suggestions, im not a fan of nitrous. id prefer the car to be all motor

the car is a '88 gta, 5.7, gutted air intake, slp runners, afpr, with edelbrock headers. if i go the route of intake manifold first, i thought about getting the edelbrock intake for it. im looking for something that can be fun for a weekend driver. something that can make the car quick out of the hole. ill probably finish up the exhaust work and get a different torque converter after doing some work on the car though.

any opinions, and if someone could explain the relationship between picking a better cam and heads would be greatly appreciated. thanks in advance.

mike

 

My suggestion is perhaps based upon not so much a "bang-for-buck" gains but a logical progression. If you are considering ever changing the heads and cam, do that first. If you swap the intake base now, you'll get to tear it all out again when you get around to changing the heads and cam. If you change the heads and cam now, the intake base at a later date will be basically "minor surgery" by comparison.

And just for argument's sake, consider using the Accel intake base over the Edelbrock. Make sure you get a REAL Accel base, and not a re-labeled Edelbrock (long story - Perform a search).

The stock bottom end will support plenty of power if it is intact and not seriously worn.

If you are performing the exchange yourself, $2,500 is a lot of coin for a cam and prepped heads. The complete roller cam package (cam, lifters, springs, retainers, push rods, guide plates, rocker studs, rockers, valves, seals, keepers, and timing set) should be well under $1,000 if you shop right. That is not bargain-basement stuff, but top names like Comp, Manley, and Iskendarian. That leaves a lot left over for a pair of bare heads and gaskets.