JonSnow

Sorry, I meant to say my tuner was surprised that the valvesprings were not replaced during the head swap. Moreso as a just in case to start with a clean slate, the springs have unknown mileage/wear and tear and may have been purchased used by the previous owner.






I never looked into the pushrod length. I know that I am using shorter pushrods. I would need instructions on how to do so.

Thanks for everyones suggestions so far but please keep in mind that the suggestions such as replacing the

valve springs
new clutch
shape of headers

were not recommendations from my tuner.

They are coming from the company that ported the heads. They had me buy the BTR springs as a suggestion, unfortunately I feel like I have to follow what they say or else after I'm done spending all of my money they may not even take the heads back.

JonSnow

The thing that worries me is the amount of PMs I've been getting on BOTH forums that this is posted on asking me if its XXX head porter.

So far almost everyone has been spot on and are having/had or knows someone with the same or similar issue.

Turbo2L

That company will continue to push you in other directions at your expense to shield themselves from blame and/or liability.

Your story is another good example of how Chris Frank and Fakenstein Racing continue to lie, cheat, and steal from the LSx community.

Buyers beware - you will be over promised and under delivered when dealing with Chris Frank the con artist.

I would pull the heads and seek council and/or reach out to your credit card company. Guard yourselves people.

Turbo2L

Jon he will not take the heads back under any condition. He will be quick to point out the "no return policy" and tell you that he can't be held accountable for them once they've been installed.

He will then try to play good cop/bad cop and tell you how much he wants to work with you on the exchange, however that decision is not up to him. He will continue to lie to you and tell you that his partners will not agree to take the heads back no matter how hard he lobbies for you - knowing good and well he is the sole proprietor of FRH.

This guy is bad news.

If you are getting substantial feedback we should evaluate a class action lawsuit.

blackz97

Honestly it makes sense that he would recommend looking at those parts as possible problem areas. Since its his workmanship that is in the spotlight its fair that he is trying to eliminate the other variables in the equation that could be causing the indicated loss in power.

If you want to check your pushrod length yourself here is a good thread with a detailed method for measuring. http://www.ls1.com/forums/f7/how-mea...length-172530/

By chance when you got the heads back from the porter did you inspect the combustion chambers for any sharp edges that might have been over looked? Sharp edges or points in the combustion chamber can cause detonation and given that the first symptom that you experienced was excessive knock this is a distinct possibility. One would hope that any significant edges would have been cleaned up in the final QC of the heads but its possible that they missed something.

JonSnow

awesome, thanks for that link!

I never inspected the chambers, they were shipped directly to my tuner. Would sharp edges cause this much of a drop in power?

I'm just biting my lip on spending 2000$ for a clutch. Its a hard pill to swallow if it doesn't fix my issue

VetteVinnie

That makes zero sense considering Katech uses beehive springs in their racing engines. They are far more efficient than duals. I am using beehive.

JonSnow

the recommendation to swap to duals was from the head porter. They sent me a link to the ones to purchase, so I will have to go with what he says

VetteVinnie

Find another head porter.

Michael_D

Who broke the heads down? It is standard practice to check spring rate of used springs, PRIOR to wasting time and money on new springs, unless you need a different rate or distance to coil bind changes.

I'm beginning to think everyone involved in this goat rope needs to be fired.

blackz97

It may make it a headache to bring the timing into the tune which would cost power.

blackz97

JonSnow Its unlikely that the portwork is to blame here. Check out this other thread if you have not already: https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ing-heads.html

In my last post (post #36) I consolidated several dyno results from other user's builds using the same cam as the OP and ported stock cylinder heads from various other vendors. The OP's build with what i believe are the same heads as yours made power right in line with all the other vendors (or slightly better considering hes on a stock intake manifold).

The power is there man. Sometimes you just gotta work harder (or spend more) than you had hoped to get everything to work together.

Best of luck to you

v8sten

OK so on the beehive spring theory, you seriously might be onto something there. yes they are more stable but do not offer the tension that dual springs do. i have run beehive springs in the past and was truly disappointed in the "performance" they loved to float the valves above 5800 rpm. you made a good choice going with btr springs. yes they are affordable and yes they are a great product. My entire valvetrain is BTR and i love it.

OP as per our pms my final numbers are 593 rwhp and 541 rwt, the restriction being the ls7 intake and stock tb

CNB

To the OP. Your graph shows no indication of valve float. However, there is one common denominator with your setup and the power loss. I hope you figure it out!

VetteVinnie

Not sure where you're getting your information:

"Depending on whom you talk to, on the top end, the beehive's mass reduction is worth anywhere from 200 rpm to (on a hydraulic roller-cammed big-block Chevy) as much as 1,000 rpm."

Michael_D

Spring RATE, is what determines peak rpm. Doesn’t matter if it’s single, dual, triple, conical, beehive….. Each type of spring brings to the table their unique attributes. When picking a spring, you first look at the real estate you have to work with, total valve lift and then you look at the lobe profile, valve side component weights and peak rpm. Choices start narrowing at this point.

Point being, just because a spring happens to be a beehive, and not a dual, does not mean anything with respect to float. A beehive can have a higher rate than a dual, or vise-versa.

Beehives have some qualities that make them a desirable option over a dual or single with damper. But there are situations where a suitable beehive cannot be used, usually due to lift or a very aggressive open load.

Millenium Z06

OP, I PM'd you on LS1 Tech, Yes, we both know where your problem lies, CNB is correct as to the common denominator.

Millenium Z06

Based upon his comments about the amounts of PM's all coming from one vendor, I'd say it is the blame.

Vito.A

You may or may not have a spring problem now. Are these the same springs it dynoed with before?

It appears many folks have had issues with his work.

I had a set of Dart 14 degree BBC heads that I sent out to have the valves/seats freshened. I reinstalled the heads and took the car to a race and could not qualify. We tried everything. Pulled the heads and had someone else cut the seats/valves and the car came right back to the same level of performance. Valves/seats have the single biggest impact on flow and performance.

I'd suggest you have a valve job problem. Pull the heads, have someone reputable inspect and cut the seats/valves on one of the new Neway or Serdi valve machines. They can also measure the springs and then you can replace them if required. A good shop can have the heads off in a few hours.
Best of luck!

Millenium Z06

Wow,!