Okay all, I definitely need some help in making some choices as I am ready to invest in some serious mods. First off, my goal is not to embark on an all out quest for ultimate power - this car is likely to be a show/weekend cruiser. I do want to make good power but not have a vehicle that nearly stalls at idle. And so everyone knows, its an '89 L98 GTA. The car/motor (original motor) only have 75K miles. Second, I want to maintain the original look of the motor. So I have decided I am going to go with the FIRST TPI intake system. Since the motor is out of the car, going to go ahead and swap the cam, heads, and maybe pistons/crank (undecided on that last one). Of course cam/head swap will likely involve changing out rockers, springs, etc. My current problem is in deciding on the cam head combo. I am interested in going with the DART SHP 200 heads as in the car craft comparo test they seem to make good power for a reasonable price. I've also considered purchasing the Crane 2032 cam as I have heard an L98 or two with that cam in it and is sounded awesome. Oh and I guess I should also mention that exhaust sound is also impt. I like the mellow gurgle of our 3rd gens breathing through a flowmaster - don't want to stray to far from that tune.

Anyway, after researching heads/cams for a while I think the Crane may not be enough cam to go with the DART heads - maybe I need to go a bit more radical? And does anyone have any theories on how the DART heads and FIRST intake may work together? Any other suggestions are welcome. I am about to sink some serious cash to make the car fast; but still largely look like a factory vehicle. Appreciate any and all input.

 

If you get a new crank, go with a 383. It's the same price as a 350 crank, with more cubes. The stroke of the 383 will compliment the torque of the FIRST very nicely. I have Dart 200cc Iron Eagle Platinum heads on my 383. That might not be enough to use the full potential of the FIRST, or it may work fine. It's been a while since I've seen the flow numbers. Keep in mind, a matched combination of parts is the first step to making everything "work together." The Dart heads and the FIRST will work nicely together, IF they are matched correctly. You don't want either one to be the bottleneck, they should both flow similar to keep one end from limiting the other. I would personally go bigger on the cam. I'm running Comp's XE268 grind in my 383, 224I/231E duration, on a 110 lsa. It won't be friendly to tune, but it will have a nice sound at idle.

 

If I find a deal on heads like you got then I'm all in on that ! The 383 idea is tempting and i have pondered it. With the heads/intake/and cam I figured my peak hp/torque #'s are going to be higher in the rev range. Is that longer stroke going to need other mods to handle higher revs? In other words, if I do all that and throw in a 383 crank, am I going to be able to hit 6k rpm's safely? Of course I'm assuming that is the ballpark for what the motor will pull to once the mods are in.

 

Crane cam works well on limited lift applications like stock heads but since you are going aftermarket you can handle a modern roller with more lift. If keeping 350 cubes try something around a 218/224 if you want a mild cam. 268 xfi is very streetable and tuneable but requires good springs like pac beehives 1218/1518 springs or similar, or a good double spring. Shouldnt have issues since you likely only will turn 5500 rpms at shift point, maybe 5800 if it holds power that high

Shp heads are good for the budget. Also look at jegs brand which are same as pro-filer which are good castings at 195cc and good flow

 

The block may need clearanced for the longer stroke, but that's about it. I'm looking to shift around 6k aswell. Pretty much any aftermarket rotating assembly will go to 6k safely, but of course stronger parts last longer. I didn't go with forged because the extra cost wasn't worth it to me. My car will never see boost or spray, and I don't plan on going faster than 11.50 with this motor in this car. I don't want to put a cage in it lol. I think the FIRST will hit 6k with ease. The runner diameter is big enough lol.

 

So it sounds like I'm going to go with either AFR, DART or Pro-filer heads that are somewhere in the 190-200cc range, the FIRST TPI system, and comp's XFI 268 cam for a nice streetable combo. That seems like it should be good match. I would like to find 1&3/4" headers, but seems like those are hard to find so I will be happy with 1&5/8"; I'm gonna keep the AIR tubes so i don't have to hear any crap during safety inspection I think between that, a tune, a cold air intake and a performance chip i should be able to get about 400 ponies at the crank and not need to invest in upgrading the factory electronics or need a stahl converter. Anyone have any thoughts on anything I may need to add (smaller roller rockers, stiffer springs, etc)?