Heads question!

[RedCatfish]

I just bought my first f-body at the ripe age of 19 last week. Current mods are:
Cam (lift is 604, i believe)
Pac beehive springs
Proffesional Products throttle body
Long tubes to a y-pipe and borla exhaust
4.10 gears
stage 3 spec clutch
ls6 oil pump
and tach
I'm looking for some more power and don't really care to spend whats needed. I was wondering what kind of heads you guys would recommend to use for my mods?
thanks!

[Firebirdjones]

Got a stout rearend in that thing yet? If not that's what I'd be doing

[Decadence75]

I'm looking for some more power and don't really care to spend whats needed.

That right there is going to be your problem. Power will cost money. What heads are currently on the motor? And I'll second the notion that you are going to need a beefier rear end because even with the power you have now, it is likely that it's going to grenade before too long.

[Firebirdjones]

That may not have come out the way he wanted when he typed it, but I took it to mean "money is no object" ?????

[Decadence75]

That may not have come out the way he wanted when he typed it, but I took it to mean "money is no object" ?????

Ahhh, that's entirely possible as well. If so then I am sure we can get him pointed in the right direction to spend all that hard earned green

[RedCatfish]

haha what i meant is i dont care to spend it to do things right, but I'd still like to spend as less as possible. Usual case I know! Stock heads are on right now by the way!!

[Decadence75]

haha what i meant is i dont care to spend it to do things right, but I'd still like to spend as less as possible. Usual case I know! Stock heads are on right now by the way!!

Stock heads could be 853, 241 or 243 castings. Which of those do you have? You can tell by looking at the lower left corner of the driver side head.

[RedCatfish]

Thanks, mine are 241.

[Decadence75]

Thanks, mine are 241.

Those are the lower flowing of the stock heads. Your best bang for the buck will be to pick up a decent set of 243 castings and swap them on. If you do not already have an LS6 intake manifold you would really need to upgrade that as well to take advantage of the better flow on the heads. Of course there are other things I would strongly suggest that you invest in during this to really make it complete.
1. Depending on the miles of the current springs, you might need a new set for your new heads.
2. The trunion upgrade for the rockers.
3. Upgrade to some hardened pushrods
4. Dyno tune.

If you do all the work yourself and watch forums for deals on the heads/intake, you could probably get away with all this for around $1800-$2000. If you don't have the tools, the major parts stores will rent you anything you need for basically free. Assuming everything else on the car is running well, I would estimate somewhere in the 400rwhp range on a dyno.

[RedCatfish]

Those are the lower flowing of the stock heads. Your best bang for the buck will be to pick up a decent set of 243 castings and swap them on. If you do not already have an LS6 intake manifold you would really need to upgrade that as well to take advantage of the better flow on the heads. Of course there are other things I would strongly suggest that you invest in during this to really make it complete.
1. Depending on the miles of the current springs, you might need a new set for your new heads.
2. The trunion upgrade for the rockers.
3. Upgrade to some hardened pushrods
4. Dyno tune.

If you do all the work yourself and watch forums for deals on the heads/intake, you could probably get away with all this for around $1800-$2000. If you don't have the tools, the major parts stores will rent you anything you need for basically free. Assuming everything else on the car is running well, I would estimate somewhere in the 400rwhp range on a dyno.

I have the ls6 intake right now. the car has 73K on it at the moment so the internals shouldnt be in too bad of shape.

[RedCatfish]

I have the ls6 intake already. The car has around 74K on it so it shouldnt be too worn. I'm also going to be looking at a 100 wet shot. After the rear end swap, heads, NX and tune I'll be pumped to see her numbers.

[freaky57fast]

What are your springs rated at also you might wanna get some dual springs check craigslist also I found 799 cast heads for 350 whole set if you save there porting would be cheaper than buying new. Its also where I found my 12 bolt for 700 bucks lol I love craigslist in metro Detroit area

[RedCatfish]

Honestly I don't know what they're rated at. I have limited info. on the actual specs of the car. I have actually found a Ford 9" on craigslist myself that I'm looking into haha I'll learn more about the car when I let our local performance guy took a look at it, the shop is KY Speed and they do great from what I hear.

[freaky57fast]

Honestly I don't know what they're rated at. I have limited info. on the actual specs of the car. I have actually found a Ford 9" on craigslist myself that I'm looking into haha I'll learn more about the car when I let our local performance guy took a look at it, the shop is KY Speed and they do great from what I hear.

Look up on the site or call the manufacturer I'm sure whoever put it together did right but better safe than sorry. The cam I'm going with is a 595 lift and I still sprung for the dual springs and titanium retainers it seems like since you're swapping heads to just go ahead and get better springs and all but that's just my opinion. But a 9" will be perfect for you easy to change gears vs the 12bolt. Good luck at any rate keep us up to date on what you end up doing.

[freaky57fast]

Those are the lower flowing of the stock heads. Your best bang for the buck will be to pick up a decent set of 243 castings and swap them on. If you do not already have an LS6 intake manifold you would really need to upgrade that as well to take advantage of the better flow on the heads. Of course there are other things I would strongly suggest that you invest in during this to really make it complete.
1. Depending on the miles of the current springs, you might need a new set for your new heads.
2. The trunion upgrade for the rockers.
3. Upgrade to some hardened pushrods
4. Dyno tune.

If you do all the work yourself and watch forums for deals on the heads/intake, you could probably get away with all this for around $1800-$2000. If you don't have the tools, the major parts stores will rent you anything you need for basically free. Assuming everything else on the car is running well, I would estimate somewhere in the 400rwhp range on a dyno.

I've heard of the trunion upgrade what does it mean?

[SMWS6TA]

I've heard of the trunion upgrade what does it mean?

Valve train technology leader introduces new premium trunion upgrade for GM LS1 rocker arms to optimize both performance & durability There’s no denying that the GM LS1 engine platform has proven itself as a performer. The valve train is no different, with an improved design that makes for a perfect combination of power and durability to complement the impressive cathedral port cylinder head design. The rocker arm design features a lightweight, yet stiff rocker body that is strong enough for most applications. However, when it comes to high performance racing applications, high rpm and high valve spring pressures can put the factory rocker arm’s trunion under intolerable stress. Enter COMP Cams® with a new LS1 rocker arm retro-fit trunion kit that replaces the cageless, loose OEM needle bearings and powdered metal trunion with a premium 8620 steel alloy trunion and caged roller bearings for added durability. The new design from COMP Cams® utilizes caged roller bearings that greatly reduce the possibility of the bearing failure experienced with stock LS1 needle bearings, which can send loose needles throughout the engine upon failure. Perfect for drag and circle track racing applications that mandate the use of stock engine components, this performance rocker arm modification is a “must have” upgrade for your LS1 factory rocker arms. As proof of success, for the last two years this rocker arm trunion upgrade has been tested and performance-proven in the NASCAR GM LS spec engine series.