Kale

Can someone suggest some cheap heads, decent cam, for my 86 w/iron heads?

Here's the idea:
Take a personal loan for 6k
buy a $2500-$3000 beater, put the rest into my car.

$3000 into my car... All engine work. Can I get near 300hp with a decent cam, cheap heads, and hi-flow intake manifold? This is including labor @ $65/hr including a full engine rebuild.

300+ hp is my power goal. I decided I don't need anymore, just a little "refresher" so I can beat my coworkers WRX.. and Rich's Lt1.. or at least be real close to that Acura CLS. .. :p:

scorp508

Rear Wheel or Crank?

If you CAN'T get 300hp for three grand I would cry.

Kale

300 @ the "crank"
300rwhp would be nice though, but would it chew my dana 36?
:smash: :smash:
DANA 36

scorp508

Nah... you won't be running slicks and pulling 1.6 60's to do it.

Springer's LT4

You could buy a 500 dollar beater and put 5500 into the Vette! :D

zbo2

hi kale....
don't go cheep on the heads.......their the harder part of the operation to change and they'll be good for another motor if you want to go bigger in the future, AFR 190's would be a good choice, they will chew up about 1/2 of the cash that you will have. i'm sure somebody here will recommend a good cam for what you want to accomplish. then it's your choice....exhaust system or intake system. i think the exhaust will be less expensive to do, so it depends on how much you have left over from the heads and cam. if you can do the work yourself you'll save a good chunk of change also. the intake and exhaust are the easier of the projects to do, so you can do either one at a later date.
if i'm not mistaken the iron head 86 motor had 230 hp from the factory, so getting to 300 hp at the crank won't be hard to accomplish.
seems to me someone had a hooker cat back exhaust setup almost new on here for like $ 300.00....2 1/2 " which would be fine.....just get a set of headers and free-flow cats..

Kale

No headers.. btw..
im sticking with how I modify it now. If i want faster, I'll buy a ZR-1 in the future

I won't be doing any of it myself. I want someone compotent working on it ;) ;)



[Modified by Smash, 12:44 PM 8/9/2001]

scorp508

There are no smog legal CA ones if I remember right.

Kale

Does anyone know the flow number of stock TPI intake + Bigmouth manifold so i can enter it into desktop dyno? as well as flow #'s for some "decent" heads, and cam specs? thanks

Vic'89

Smash

You want 300 at the Crank ?? You currently have about 240 at the crank, right ?

I think getting another 60 HP out of a L98 Vette is very doable without even touching the short block.

You need an aftermarket TPI setup(LTR/base/ported plenum), about $800. Next get the Lingy 211 cam and port some Aluminum heads + Gaskets ($1200).

Labor will be about $1000, this setup should give you the 60HP you are after.
Now, if you do the work yourself, you have another $1000 to play with.;)

Vic

Togo

hey smash.....GM has a crate 350 that says 330HP (don't know if its RW or B) and i have seen that for $2000 and you can swap your manifold and TPI! still doing research on this though....this is the road i am probably going to take!

Kale

I want to stick with a STOCK looking engine, but thanks. I may add the super-ram later on

Nathan Plemons

For stock look then nothing beats a cam. Sure it won't SOUND stock, but you didn't say anything about that. I put a cam and roller rockers in my car with electric water pump, etc for $1200. You could go cam and rockers for about $500 and then spend the rest of the money on a GOOD set of heads. That way it would all look stock and you could fix the poor breathing of the L98 in the process. You'd be amazed at how much fun you can have if you can go over 4500 RPM's.

The only problem I see is the exhaust. If you want stock look, then stock is it. The intake can be cut so it will breath a lot better, the exhaust would probably be a bottleneck. I have the hot cam in my car with stock heads and exhaust, I love it. It'll pull hard all the way to 6500 rpm where I have to shift. Of course mine is an LT1 and the heads are supposed to be better (I think). If you got the cam you would really need some better heads, if you get awesome heads than you probably need headers. It's just one of those things, everything helps a little, but combined they all help a lot.

I would recommend the Hot Cam, it's very streetable, the idle isn't too aggressive. Anybody who knows anything would notice, but the hard core turbo ricers would never be able to hear it over their stereo.

Kale

I'd like it to be as reliable and streetable as it is now, if not more.

My exhaust consists of hi-flow cats and muffler eliminators. stock sound is not an issue, i just want it to "look" stock.

I can't run headers ,scorp is right, there are no legal CA headers.

So I figure decent heads, a decent cam, and the bigmouth intake, i can get a lit tle over 300hp with no sacrifice in economy or reliability

smallblock

AFR 190 heads, Lingenfelter 211/219 cam, Superram Base,AS&M Large Tube Runners,Lingenfelter 1-5/8" Headers.Your car will look stock and screw with this set-up :eek: Find the cc of your heads now and have AFR mill the new heads to pick up some extra compression Your looking at $3000 in parts but they are well worth it. :cheers:

Nathan Plemons

Sounds like you've got a plan. What do you need us for :jester

Really, whatever cam you get, it'll be one of the best things you can do. Helping that L98 breath will only help the cam.

My old car was a 1991 Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais. I never tried to do anything to that car because I wanted it to stay stock. It worked for me because I got a good trade out of it when I bought the vette.

Now I have the vette. I've always wanted one and now it's a dream come true. I thought I would leave it stock, for about a month. I disabled the C.A.G.S. in two days, and then ordered a shifter. Since then I've done a cam, and various other things. I've about come to the conclusion that making mine different from everybody else's is part of the fun of ownership.

Anyway, just have fun with it. I think you can get it over 300 rwhp with $3000

traxx1

The 330 horsepower crate motor togo is talking about has the vortec heads (pretty good ) but you will have to buy an adapter made by scruggins chevrolet to fit the tpi and everything else fits, now you have a 330hp motor with a full warrenty that idels like a baby but will run with the LT1.

TRAXX1 :D

wylie

If you really want to do it right, for around 3K, go to http://www.paceparts.com and buy the ZZ4 motor...Aluminum heads, and all the good stuff and 345 HP at the flywheel.... or try http://www.jonbarrett.com, he sells a 430 HP for $3695 and builds a great engine... More funnnnn

Wylie
96 CE LT4 Conv

dgoodhue

It won't make 345 or 430 hp with the Stock Intake or Exhuast. The ZZ4 is a beefier lower end with Stock 88-91 Corvette heads and a mild cam. A mild cam doesn't give 100hp.

Kale,

This is my take on real 300hp. [This means a car with 104mph+ 1/4 mile traps, not some manufacturers/owners claim]

I have seen well tuned L98 with bolt ons (stock heads and cam) reach 300hp (ofcourse with headers). If you were omit the headers add a set of aluminum heads (even stock 88-91 D ports) & LPE 211 cam you should reach your goal. The cost is going to be close with labor.

Another option is that, I have seen a few used Carroll Superchargers FS on ebay. A 6 psi blower will get you there and then some. They have sold for 1900-2100, (the three that I can remember in the last year). The labor cost should be under $1K.

65Z01

Check out my mods & time slip data. I'd estimate over 300hp at the crank, and haden't had the valve covers off (until recently).