Mikelly Posted October 31, 2005 Share Posted October 31, 2005 So after my little trip to the dyno and the results and disappointment, I started doing some research and reading, and then spent some time on the phone with a guy I used to do some work with who just happens to be a machinist and a chevy die hard. Seems that the LS1/ LS6 heads really don't like large port jobs. I'd measured the intake and exhaust ports on the new heads in comparison to the old heads I had on the motor that grenaded. The new heads had MASSIVE porting done. In a normal traditional SBC head setup, the port velocity issue isn't as finicky (Or so I'm finding) as on the LS1/2/6 head configuration. Jeff Creech hit the nail on the head when he stated "less is more". I've found a whole host of guys running the same cam that I have, and LS6 casting heads with a clean up on the bowls and minimal port blending to keep uniformity in the cross section of each port without opening them up, and these guys are making in the 420-440 WHP range. Several of these guys have used the SAME dyno and SAME tuner I have, so I know that we probably screwed the pooch with these heads... On the plus side, these heads will work GREAT with a much more radical cam setup and something like a FAST 90mm intake and TBody or 90mm intake and LS2 Tbody. Oh well, it's still a lot of fun to drive, even if it is only 375HP... Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr_hunt Posted October 31, 2005 Share Posted October 31, 2005 Only 375rwhp, yeah, I'll bet it's fun to drive. Well, that makes sense, the whole basis for the LS1 head design was port shape, which is why I was interested in seeing if anyone had run the AFR heads and what kind of power they were putting down. So what do you plan on doing now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted October 31, 2005 Author Share Posted October 31, 2005 I'm going to sit and wait until those new Dart heads get shipped out and bolted on to a few cars and see what the numbers are. If I don't go that route, I'll probably get a set of LS6 heads that have been cleaned up, and then I'll either sell or keep these heads for a later motor for the Zcar. My eventual goal is to have a LS1/LS6 based motor in the Zcar. That won't be for a few years, since the 383 stroker is still new and sitting on the stand. This set of 98LS1 heads would go great in an application where emissions isn't an issue, so I may just sit on them and wait for that eventual upgrade for the Zcar. The whole purpose of upgrading these heads on the Vette will be purely for advertising to sell the car, if I decide to sell it at all. I drove the car to a business meeting yesterday (DoD contractors seem to do a lot of business on Sundays) and it is just so much fun to drive and still knocks down good mileage. I have developed an oil leak around the adapter block for the oil cooler though, and I may ditch it for the winter, since I won't "need" an oil cooler from November to March, but it is a pain to remove and re-install! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1 Posted October 31, 2005 Share Posted October 31, 2005 On the plus side, these heads will work GREAT with a much more radical cam setup and something like a FAST 90mm intake and TBody or 90mm intake and LS2 Tbody. So, what's the problem????? Let's get a 0.800 lift 270@050 cam on the way, and get on with it. :biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin: John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted October 31, 2005 Author Share Posted October 31, 2005 Good one, John! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1 Posted October 31, 2005 Share Posted October 31, 2005 hehehehehe..... But seriously...the efficency of the LS1's heads and cams amaze me. When I had a 224@50, 570 lift cam in my car it was making ~325 at the wheels, and would return 21-22 mpg on the road. You're making about 50 more hp, and getting 50% more mileage with a similar cam, which just shows how much better the engine is working as a whole. Pretty cool. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted November 1, 2005 Author Share Posted November 1, 2005 Well what I plan to do is pull these heads off, send them out to be flowed so I know what I've got, and then either build or buy a shortblock for them. I want to copy Mark's drysump deal, and put an LS1 in the Zcar for track duty. If the car gods and business gods can agree to smile on me, then the track biatch will be painted and wired by spring, and I'll actually be able to drive the thing on the track... Only thing stopping me right now is a contract I was hoping to sign yesterday... it has now been pushed back until the end of the week, or possibly next week. Money money money! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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