so i finally started the swap...
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 8,319
Likes: 7
From: Wilmington DE, Drive it like you stole it, 68 327 4 speed coupe
I did this last spring Looking good, nothing like a new set of heads.
Take the time to clean that lifter valley out. maybe even put on some glyptus (I did)
keep up the pics and progress
tim
Take the time to clean that lifter valley out. maybe even put on some glyptus (I did)
keep up the pics and progress
tim
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 832
Likes: 0
From: Sarasota Florida
okay well now all i have to assemble are the headers, valve covers, and a few little misc. stuff. sorry i don't have anymore pics. i was using my parents' digital camera, and the freakin' battery is now dead, so i can't take any right now
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 7,739
Likes: 630
From: Unreconstructed, South Carolina
Wasn't it suggested you get the other heads? ... you wouldn't have had to even think about spring heights, R-S clearance etc ... would've performed as well or better ... would've cost you both less $ and less time.
Well ... let's hope you listen to some others now...
as they quite correctly urge you to check for adequate retainer-to-seal clearance & coil bind w/ your 1105 cam & vortecs.
BTW folks who haven't worked on vortecs ... don't sweat vortec retainer to guide clearance in quite same way you would on typical C3 heads ... vortecs have an OE posiseal that's pressed atop guide (unlike OE C3 heads) ... too much lift & first thing that happens is retainer will thrash hell outta seal ... even if just barely clears it'll end up kissing the seal & tearing its lip & it'll start burning oil. IMHO, fresh OE vortec springs OK with 1105 hyd flattappet cam in street car ... heck, they're intended to control a HEAVY hyd Roller lifter & they do it well.
Well ... let's hope you listen to some others now...
as they quite correctly urge you to check for adequate retainer-to-seal clearance & coil bind w/ your 1105 cam & vortecs.
BTW folks who haven't worked on vortecs ... don't sweat vortec retainer to guide clearance in quite same way you would on typical C3 heads ... vortecs have an OE posiseal that's pressed atop guide (unlike OE C3 heads) ... too much lift & first thing that happens is retainer will thrash hell outta seal ... even if just barely clears it'll end up kissing the seal & tearing its lip & it'll start burning oil. IMHO, fresh OE vortec springs OK with 1105 hyd flattappet cam in street car ... heck, they're intended to control a HEAVY hyd Roller lifter & they do it well.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 832
Likes: 0
From: Sarasota Florida
Wasn't it suggested you get the other heads? ... you wouldn't have had to even think about spring heights, R-S clearance etc ... would've performed as well or better ... would've cost you both less $ and less time.
Well ... let's hope you listen to some others now...
as they quite correctly urge you to check for adequate retainer-to-seal clearance & coil bind w/ your 1105 cam & vortecs.
BTW folks who haven't worked on vortecs ... don't sweat vortec retainer to guide clearance in quite same way you would on typical C3 heads ... vortecs have an OE posiseal that's pressed atop guide (unlike OE C3 heads) ... too much lift & first thing that happens is retainer will thrash hell outta seal ... even if just barely clears it'll end up kissing the seal & tearing its lip & it'll start burning oil. IMHO, fresh OE vortec springs OK with 1105 hyd flattappet cam in street car ... heck, they're intended to control a HEAVY hyd Roller lifter & they do it well.
Well ... let's hope you listen to some others now...
as they quite correctly urge you to check for adequate retainer-to-seal clearance & coil bind w/ your 1105 cam & vortecs.
BTW folks who haven't worked on vortecs ... don't sweat vortec retainer to guide clearance in quite same way you would on typical C3 heads ... vortecs have an OE posiseal that's pressed atop guide (unlike OE C3 heads) ... too much lift & first thing that happens is retainer will thrash hell outta seal ... even if just barely clears it'll end up kissing the seal & tearing its lip & it'll start burning oil. IMHO, fresh OE vortec springs OK with 1105 hyd flattappet cam in street car ... heck, they're intended to control a HEAVY hyd Roller lifter & they do it well.
i have doen my fair share of research on aluminum heads, and i do not want to deal with that at all. vortecs are the best cast bolt-ons that i have found that is reasonably priced. i have also learned a lot from engine building and how it works by doing this. i have had guidance from 3 different people who have explained everything to me, and i have gotten a lot out of it. and i also sold my used vortecs on fleabay and made $100, so that brought the cost of the project down even more. i'm almost done with the exhaust, so once i get everything together, i will post some pis and let you all know if there is any improvement. by the time i'm done, i'll have about $350 into this complete swap, considerably less than a nice pair of aluminum heads, and about the same power
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 832
Likes: 0
From: Sarasota Florida
this evening i finished assembly and tok it on a spin around the block (very low rpms though lol). i think my mom was happy that she got her place back in the garage since i moved mine back over again. tomorrow i'll fiddle with the engine a little and let you all know how it works!
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 3,028
Likes: 2
From: North NJ
Heads (jegs) - $571 to your door
Intake (ebay) - $135
Valve Covers (ebay) - $30
Head bolts (ebay) - $35
New block hugger headers - ????
Roller Rockers - ????
Gaskets - ?? cheap
Sold Old heads (ebay) - less $100
I put your build at $671 not including headers & roller rockers. And you said you had to install new springs ect. on the vortecs.
Just curious so I'm not giving my pops false comparitive numbers.
Still, if you did the build under $1k and got the results you wanted with new heads its not a bad deal...IMO.
How did it feel? Still have clean underwear? How was the idle?
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Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 832
Likes: 0
From: Sarasota Florida
no, but i did have an intake valve that was too tight and stayed open all the time! so yeah i am that stupid anyway i decided to take it to my mechanic's to have him adjust the rockers correctly, then on monday morning i made an appointment with a performance shop to dyno-tune my car, so i will have a print off too!!
anyway i decided to take it to my mechanic's to have him adjust the rockers correctly, then on monday morning i made an appointment with a performance shop to dyno-tune my car, so i will have a print off too!!
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 832
Likes: 0
From: Sarasota Florida
Not to nit-pick but my father just picked up Vortec heads last summer at Carsile (new in box from a vendor) and is putting his parts list together as we speak. I don't see how your prices add up unless someone paid you to take the new exhuast & roller rocker set.
Heads (jegs) - $571 to your door
Intake (ebay) - $135
Valve Covers (ebay) - $30
Head bolts (ebay) - $35
New block hugger headers - ????
Roller Rockers - ????
Gaskets - ?? cheap
Sold Old heads (ebay) - less $100
I put your build at $671 not including headers & roller rockers. And you said you had to install new springs ect. on the vortecs.
Just curious so I'm not giving my pops false comparitive numbers.
Still, if you did the build under $1k and got the results you wanted with new heads its not a bad deal...IMO.
How did it feel? Still have clean underwear? How was the idle?
the $350 bucks was after i sold my old parts on the car. that and also the used pair of vortecs that i resold on ebay for $100 profit
my pants are still clean...but they won't be next monday afternoon after the dyno tuning!!
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 832
Likes: 0
From: Sarasota Florida
i did take it out for a spin right after i got it working, and i was doing 50 and kicked it down into 2nd and it snapped my head back! i can't even imagine what it would be like when it's finally tuned.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 832
Likes: 0
From: Sarasota Florida
so now i got the car back with the rockers properly adjusted, and it runs SOOO much better! i can still tell it's not at its fullest, so now i'm looking forward to getting it dyno-tuned on monday.
i'll try and get a print-out and post it on here too!
i'll try and get a print-out and post it on here too!
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 832
Likes: 0
From: Sarasota Florida
so i got the results from the dyno...
299 rwhp / 305 ft. lbs of torque at 5136 rpms
peak torque = 340 ft. lbs
it's been raining hard all day, so i haven't been able to try it out yet. these specs are with a leaking exhaust on the drivers side and 89 octane. once i burn this tank i'll go to 91 or 93, and when i fix my exhaust i'll be over the hump!!
299 rwhp / 305 ft. lbs of torque at 5136 rpms
peak torque = 340 ft. lbs
it's been raining hard all day, so i haven't been able to try it out yet. these specs are with a leaking exhaust on the drivers side and 89 octane. once i burn this tank i'll go to 91 or 93, and when i fix my exhaust i'll be over the hump!!
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 24,125
Likes: 15
From: Columbia Missouri
so i got the results from the dyno...
299 rwhp / 305 ft. lbs of torque at 5136 rpms
peak torque = 340 ft. lbs
it's been raining hard all day, so i haven't been able to try it out yet. these specs are with a leaking exhaust on the drivers side and 89 octane. once i burn this tank i'll go to 91 or 93, and when i fix my exhaust i'll be over the hump!!
299 rwhp / 305 ft. lbs of torque at 5136 rpms
peak torque = 340 ft. lbs
it's been raining hard all day, so i haven't been able to try it out yet. these specs are with a leaking exhaust on the drivers side and 89 octane. once i burn this tank i'll go to 91 or 93, and when i fix my exhaust i'll be over the hump!!
Hey man 300 HP at the wheels is awesome. You did a good job, and you'll really enjoy driving that around.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 832
Likes: 0
From: Sarasota Florida
to anyone who has been thinking of doing this and who understands mechanics, i would say give it a shot! you definitely won't regret it
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 15,055
Likes: 79
From: central FL, near the beach.
that's more than i'd expected from a $69 cam w/lifters 
how is the
off idle from stop "jump on it"?
idle vacuum?
idle speed?
cold start, stalls?
power brakes ok?
mpg?
.
u could surprise some C5's with that
how is the
off idle from stop "jump on it"?
idle vacuum?
idle speed?
cold start, stalls?
power brakes ok?
mpg?
.
u could surprise some C5's with that
Last edited by Matt Gruber; Feb 15, 2008 at 08:01 AM.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 832
Likes: 0
From: Sarasota Florida
it idles at around 820 rpms when warmed up, and it sounds GREAT! not sure on numbers with vacuum, but everything works the way it should.
it starts immediately when you tur nthe key and fires right up all the time. the past few mornings it's been cold here, the only difference it that the car is faster with colder air
power brakes are the same as they always were...they do need some adjustments though apart from this.
i'd say 14-15 mpg in town. a heck of a lot better than my old 9ish mpg with 76cc...
i want to make a video of it and i will post it on here soon
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 15,055
Likes: 79
From: central FL, near the beach.
well, i kind of like tire squeal off the line, so if my xe262 (218/224) ever wipes, i may try the summit 214/224. the 224/234 u have is a bit low on stoplight tq as u report. But that means less tickets for u, important for a guy 18.