hard moral question

[Moonunit 451]

You're movin' in the right direction Gears will definately get you there quiker and ? maybe cheaper. But there is no getting away from the heads and cam. I think the 3:07's rock! I think that's what you said you got. The optimal gears for an A4 street machine thats not powered up big You'll go away in the long run, and they ain't bad short. I ended up with 3:33's and frankly they are PERFECT for my setup, but I'd've been good with 3:07's. I light up way to hard, or easy depending on how you look at it

 

[Deusxmachine]

Can you get the cam and heads out with out pulling the engine. I could probally do the heads im not sure about the cam. Also what is the most restrictive part on the intake side Throttle body, phelum, runners, maniflold, or the heads. There are a lot of options for runners what are the best choices.

 

[78SilvAnniv]

I'm certain the heads can come off, but I don't think there is enough room up front to remove the cam while the engine is in the car. You'd have to remove the radiator and associated parts and equipment on the front of the engine...and if you've gone that far you may as well pull the engine out and mount it on a stand. It will make re-assembly much easier on your back.

When Kenny and I did our engine this past fall-summer (we had to pull the engine twice) we purchased a hoist and stand. It definitely earned its cost.
Heidi

 

[Edmond]

Can you get the cam and heads out with out pulling the engine. I could probally do the heads im not sure about the cam. Also what is the most restrictive part on the intake side Throttle body, phelum, runners, maniflold, or the heads. There are a lot of options for runners what are the best choices.

If you were to narrow it down to a single item, it would be the intake manifold. GM was going to scrap the 350 in favor of the 305 and the L98 intake was designed for the 305. They decided to keep the 350 at the last minute and used the current L98 intake instead of redesigning it. The intake pretty much starts choking at 4800 RPM's. The long runner length allows for excellent air velocity, which in turn, gives the L98 tremendous torque at lower RPM. I think stock is roughly 340ft. lbs. @ 3200 RPM?

The 48mm throttle body is fine. In fact, a lot of people who have 383's still use the 48mm throttle body.

As for runners, I think the TPIS ones are good. They're pricey but TPIS definitely has the reputation of being amongst the leaders in Corvette engineering. Afterall, TPIS does stand for Tuned Port Injection Specialties.

Like Heidi said, you'll have to pull the motor to get to the cam. If you're pulling the motor, may as well wait to pull the motor and do the heads and cam at the same time. Keep in mind that everything has to work together; it's not just a sum of the parts equals more power.

 

[WayneLBurnham]

Too bad about the cam in C4's....easy enough to do in C3's

...and since the later chevy performance engines all had fairly decent aluminum heads anyhow IIRC (that maybe could use a little benchwork and newer bigger valves at best - about $500) changing the bumpstick is perhaps the single biggest performance gain you could do. On earlier vettes all you have to do is pop the radiator and it's easier than on many other bodies. I hadn't realized you didn't have enough clearance on the C4's even with the radiator gone...wow....

One thing....living in Kentucky I don't believe you have any great need to keep "fake duals." Not a lot would stop you from having a REAL free flowing "true" dual setup (the only kind I have ever known, never having owned anything newer than '85 or so....) While the better cat-back systems are pretty good, twin big cats or no cats at all with 2.5" pipes AND a crossover (forget the meanest possible sound - you get better scavenging with one) are simply much freer flowing. I know my '75 had one originally but some previous owner did us all a favor in ditching those long ago (saving me another job...)

I keep coming back to the cam though....wow....how tough is it to pull the front clip? The cam is really key in power building. As your motor probably has forged or at least a decent rotating assy, matched head and cam upgrade will yeild you all the power or more of a crate motor. Pulling a motor is NOT something you want to do if you really DON'T want to, but this is the first V8 I've known of you couldn't pull a cam change without plucking the mill....wow. I thought the latter "SBC"'s were better in that regard because (I thought) you didn't even have to pull the oil pan to free the timing chain, which you have to on earlier SBC's (until you do it once and put on a two piece TC cover like should have come from the factory...) I was thrilled to realize just how easy it was to pull the oil pan on C3's.

The cam is REALLY that important for a power upgrade - hate to do anything and miss that. Then again, a decent shop may not charge THAT much - and a decent fairly radical cam matched to your heads is worth as much as 1/3 to even HALF hp/cube - especially if you go with a roller number.

 

[Edmond]

Even if there was enough room with the radiator out to switch out the bumpstick, there's still the hood blocking you. :eyerole

On Horsepower TV, they swapped a cam on some old Chevy with just taking the radiator out and using a jack to jack the engine up a little bit. But that didn't have the reverse opening hood like the Vette'.

Horsepower takes either a lot of money and work or even more money (to have someone else do it for you).

 

[Moonunit 451]

If you're down to ulling the heads, movin' that motor around a little isn't that much more of a job. But, I could swear that I've read posts claiming the cam can be changed in the car :confused

 

[WayneLBurnham]

Even if there was enough room with the radiator out to switch out the bumpstick, there's still the hood blocking you. :eyerole

Yeah, you take off the hood on C3's...but it was the easiest hood I ever pulled - I had someone hold it, but the next time I won't bother. That's of course all different on a C4 (or a C3 with the clamshell conversion.) Then again I don't think the front end dips below centerline of the cam like the hood on a C3 does.

On Horsepower TV, they swapped a cam on some old Chevy with just taking the radiator out and using a jack to jack the engine up a little bit. But that didn't have the reverse opening hood like the Vette'.

I've never even jacked up the engine to do a simple cam change, but I have to admit I lost the air conditioner system due to a leak in that radiator when I had to move it around in an old Mopar :duh Yeah, this is one of the few drawbacks to having a hood open the right way, isn't it?

 

[Deusxmachine]

All of my cats are empty and i do plan on getting a shop to make me a h-pipe when i get the headers. Im gonna just do the intake and exaust for now. Ill probally look for a decent shop to do the heads and a cam when it gets winter and i wont miss the car so bad. Im glad i stuck with the vette over the camaro. I see about 20 mustangs and 15 F-bodys a day with a few vettes that are all bone stock and being driven by older folks so my car really stands out. I dont how may fake tuners i have beat, every eclipse and civic with a pipe and a wing try to race. I beat them even when my egr was given me trouble. I hope the bigger intake and exhaust give me enough to stay happy till i do more research on cams and heads. Nothing would make me happier than to beat a rich kid with a brand new 05 gt when they come out.

 

[78SilvAnniv]

In response to the posts about pulling/installing a cam while it is in the car...

Why would anyone want to!? It appears to be a back-breaking job leaning over the fenders or nose and trying to be careful you don't bump the cam.

Perhaps a younger, fitter person would have little problems...but my husband attempted to remove/install heads on my 78 without pulling the engine. He took a fall and broke a rib so we had to pull the engine and place it on a stand so he could be comfortable with the process of putting the engine back together.

However, if you aren't doing anything with the bearings, perhaps it isn't feasable or it wastes time to pull the engine to R&R the cam.
Heidi

 

[Rogue]

If I was in your situation and had $5k to spend, I'd spend it on fine tuning the car, improving its handling, fixing up the interior, and the exterior.

Fine tuning: give the car a thorough tune up. New plugs, new ignition wires and distributor, go to Sythetic oil, flush coolant, make sure the tranny gets fresh auto fluid, etc. Basically, make sure it's the best it can be at stock settings.

Improve Handling: Replace worn shocks, bushings, steering joints, etc. Fit it with front suspension subframe tie-bar, as well as the matching rear. Make sure brakes are to specs. Replace brake lines with steel braided hoses. Got good tires? Now's the time to get good ones if they're questionable.

Since you already have the K&N filter and exhaust, I'd add the K&N open top lid and throttle body airfoil.

Fix Interior: New carpet, new seat covers, etc.

Paint Job: It's a stretch but at least have it look good outside.

After all that, at the very least you'll have a very nice looking Corvette that runs very well. It will be smooth, reliable and fast. In my opinion, it's not all about power and speed. But also style, comfort, and getting the most from your $5k.

Just my 0.02 worth.

 

[sothpaw]

heads,cam,headers

I think you are on the right track with doing the headers first. Long tube headers plus no cats plus no mufflers plus cut-back plugs is Mad-mic's (he's a fellow on this forum with an '87 that can run mid-low 13's--) formula. It's proven, and cheap, and he did the work himself( although he borrowed a lift for the header install).

If I was you, I would do just what Mic did first.

Then, I would do heads and Cam on your stock block. I did heads/cam on my LT1, and it is still a very involve project, you WILL run into minor problems (stock pushrods too short so need replaced, studs, valvetrain, etc). So, do a detailed budget, and allow a sizeable margin for cost over-runs.

Heads cam: I had mine done at a shop. Look at it this way: most shops should be able to do this, they have to be able to pull heads if a customer comes in with a blown head gasket (it happens). My mechanic did not remove the LT1, by the way, to do heads/cam. I imagine the L98 would be easier to work on.

All that said--If I was you, I'd probably stop at the headers and spend on making the exterior/interior look(and feel) nice. A car is a status symbol; with heads/cam/headers, it might run fast but if it still looks worn, others will assume it is just another old 'vette.

Of course, this all assumes you really want to stay in this car. I, personally, would probably try to find an LT1/4 instead--that gets you better condition and power, both. Even the Camaro is not too bad(I have a Firebird for daily driving, so I have both F-body and Y-body cars, '95 and '93). You are giving up handling, but ask yourself if that is handling you will actually use!

 

[Edmond]

I, personally, would probably try to find an LT1/4 instead--that gets you better condition and power, both. Even the Camaro is not too bad(I have a Firebird for daily driving, so I have both F-body and Y-body cars, '95 and '93). You are giving up handling, but ask yourself if that is handling you will actually use!

LT4 is a good choice and I think the LT4 Vette' price is pretty close to the LS1 F-body.

Never even thought of that.

Oh yeah, if you're a good driver, you can run an LT4 with the auto LS1 F-bodies all day. That's assuming they're both stock. If anything is modded, toss everything out of the window!:L:L:L

 

[Deusxmachine]

I have already put new shocks and brakes on the car. Im saving the interior work for winter. I plan on trying to customize it some what. I have tinted the windows and have polished Intro wheels. The paint job is not really bad yet. There are a few scratchs and chip or to but nothing major and when i wax it, the shine makes it hard to see them. I plan on doing the plugs and wires when the headers come in. I also have a shift kit coming and will change the fluid when that goes in. The car runs pretty good, I just dont want another poonstang to get me and i really want to spank the tuner guys. You guys have talked me into the head and cam but ill wait a while till i do more research on that and find a good shop to do it. Right now im going to make it breath easier and i hope that will get me enough ponies to keep me happy till its to nasty to drive it for the rest of the year.

 

[78SilvAnniv]

I think you've got a solid plan with allowing the engine to breathe and then doing research for the best cam/head combo. The extra effort will pay off and you will enjoy the changes when you've finished the project.
Heidi

 

[taegdh]

Procharging?

Well, IF you are serious about putting on any type of forced induction unit, you can't just bolt it on. Yeah, you see them do it on TV, but they're either using NEW or Rebuilt engines.
YOU have to make certain that you have a good lower end, acceptible compression, (not too high), and good flow through the heads.
If you're looking at five grand for a huffer, allow another 3 to 5 more to rebuild the lower-end, and install it. (Two bolt mains may work, (fours are better), but how's the wrist pins, and connecting rods. Do you have a roller cam and rocker set? Will your present cam support a huffer properly.
See, you can't over pressurise these systems, and expect reliability on the street, unless you prepare the entire engine.
You then have to consider the Torque converter and Transmission. I know a lot of others will give you the business about having an automatic, but they absorb the torque pulses of the engine better, and hence the rest of the drive system is subjected less abuse. (Often you can get better performance with the automatic because you can go to a smaller diameter converter with a higher stall speed.)
The back side is that a huffer can cause extreme temperatures and pressures under the hood, so you really got to ask yourself, what is my main goal with a huffer on the top. More power, across the entire power band, at top end, more grunt to get of the line? Work with a professional to get it done right the first time..... pully ratios will mean the difference in where the power comes on line, how much is pushed in and what the engine will bear.

Lots of luck, study all aspects of it, then plan your work then work your plan!!!!!