I've read in the past good things about Dart's heads and was wondering if any of you guys had any experience with them.

I am going to be in the process of either rebuilding my 355 L82 or rebuilding another 350. I was thinking about going with these heads with 200cc int. runners and 64cc chambers. The engine will be approx 350-357 cu. in. with Edelbrock's Performer RPM cam. The specs on the cam are:
Dur. at .050: 234 int./244 exh.
Duration: 308 int./318 exh.
Lift: 0.488 int./0.510 exh. lift
LSA: 112

The reason why I am not going with Edelbrocks RPM heads is because I feel the intake runners are too small. I believe they may have gone this route to help compensate for its lack of low-end toque. If you look at their Performer RPM flat tappet crate engine, it only produces around 410HP and 408 FT/LB at 9.5:1 compression. Edelbrock use to advertise this cam at 420hp and roughly 415FT/LB with stock heads, 9.5:1 comp, 1 3/4"? headers, Performer RPM intake, and the Performer series 750 carb. Im thinking that the 170cc runners of the RPM heads are just too small for the size of this cam. Now I know this isn't the biggest cam in the world, but I would say its probably the biggest you would want to drive on the street.

So with that being said, what are your thoughts?

 

Dump the cam, never heard anyone that was real happy with it

Want to know what a good cam would be for a mild buildup like yours, try the Comp Magnum 270H nice cam with 1.6 rockers

Ps and don't let anyone tell you the heads are too big

 

I plan on buying a set when the missus lets me buy more parts.

 

In general ... repeat, in general that's alotta cam for most street 355 ... hope you have lotsa compression, low rear gear and either clutch or loose converter. FYI ... most any cam ad containing predicted HP/TQ numbers is pie in the sky w/ a grain of salt. AFAIK, few folks have been satisfied w/ their rpm cam on street ... afaik, far, far more dissatisfied.

Iron eagle are iron ... edelbrock are aluminum.

 

I do appreciate your guys' response, but with all do respect, I want to go with this cam. I'm trying to build an engine that is very similar to the may dads. It is a blueprinted 355 L82 with 10.26:1 compression. He is running stock L82 ported and polished heads with Manley's pro-flow valves and a 5 angle valve job. I'm sure there is more he has done, but you'd have to ask him. Anyways, he is running this cam along with edelbrocks performer RPM intake and 750 carb with 1 5/8 headers. We do not know the actual HP of this engine, but I think it laughs at the 420HP rating. His setup also includes a TH400 with an L88 stall converter (I don't know the exact stall rating) and a 3.70 in the rear. IMO, the cam is streetable. I feel the cam has plenty of bottom end (alot more than your usual 350) and I know the cam still pulls hard at 7000 RPM.

Edit: I forgot to mention. My car has a 3.55 and this engine will be backed by CenterForce Dual Friction Clutch and a T56. I know 6th gear will be useless, but I do plan on going with a 4.11 when I get more important stuff out of the way..

Also, I look for my compression to be in 10 -10.5 range.

 

I have Dart Iron Eagle heads and they are great. Flawless fit, and great performance.

Be sure to port match/ Blend bowls/ polish chambers and exhaust.

With all due respect to Motorhead (who certainly knows his stuff), either go with the 180 cc runners or stroke it out to a 383.

If you will not be able to sleep at night unless you buy this cam, go ahead, but I would recommend a roller cam conversion. It will give you better performance and otherwise you will be dealing with possible break-in failure and endless oil additives forever.

Just my $.02 worth.

God bless, Sensei

 

just a hunch ... dad's pistons either H102CP30 or H617CP30 ... or equivalent.

 

Thank you for your input on the heads and I'm glad you are happy with them! I was already planning on port matching, blending the bowls and polishing the chambers and the exhuast. I was also thinking about stroking it out to a 383, but I've got a pretty small budget on this rebuild because there are a million other things I want to do first. The 383 would just soak up so much money for a new crank and pistons and then having it internally balanced. While I was at it I would probably resize the rods and the list would be never ending. I think right there I'd be hitting roughly $1300-1500. The same thing goes with the roller cam. I'd be looking at roughly $700 plus new springs, retainers, locks, and etc.

My current L82 was bored .030 over approx. 45,000 miles ago. I need to have the crank turned because the previous owner spun a rod bearing before he had the engine rebuilt and only had the crank polished. The engine was a little noisey when I got it and now it is too noisey for my liking. So, Im thinking of have my assembly checked to see if it is balanced and if not, have it rebalanced. Hone the block and install new rings and bearings all around. Im thinking im looking atleast $700 dollars right there.



Yeah, I am not sure of the exact part number. I just know they are forged TRW's with a slight dome on them. I'm hopefully just going to reuse my flat tops and use the 64cc chambers to bump my compression. His heads came out to be like 74-75 cc when he had them measured.

 

I have those 200cc x 64cc Iron Eagles and I like them. I did have to clean up the bowls especialy on the exhaust side. They ship them with beautiful smooth venturi exhaust valve openings BUT where the cutter stopped down in the port I found a substantial ridge that had to be blended out. Not hard to do, but be sure to check it.

Well worth the money if you want good heads and want to save a buck or two.

-Mark.

 

Not much help on the cam you're discussing since I'm no cam guru. I've been running IE 180's with 64cc chambers for about 3 years. No issues here. My cam is a CompCam XE262. Some say the XE is good while others say too many failures.

 

What about dart pro 1 aluminum heads,they have the size head you are looking for,plus they should perform alot better then the iron ones.and the cost is pretty good.

 

Same cam I'm using, the only problem with XE cams is that like all flat tappet cams today, the oil they are making now will not protect them. That is why I recommend a roller conversion. You will spend the money either way, on the parts or on the oil additive. Why not get the roller cam performance advantage.

God bless, Sensei

 

I am not aware of any performance advantage these have other than weight savings and the cost is a good bit more. For a street car, I vote iron.

God bless, Sensei

 

DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME! Take out a loan, wait a couple of months, sell your wife's jewelry (just kidding). Don't do a half way job of it to save a few hundred now and spend years regretting it. In hindsight, that few hundred dollars will either be something you kick yourself for not spending, or something you never missed. DO THE RIGHT THING!

God bless, Sensei

 

270H is a nice cam and much better than the Edelbrock.

 

My old 355ci combo

L48 bored .030"
Sportsman II heads 200cc intake runner
SpeedPro Flat Top pistons 10:1cr
Stock crank, stock rods
Comp Magnum 270H cam 1.6 stamped steel rockers ( ~.500" lift )
RPM Air Gap intake
Holley 4779 DP with mechanical secondaries
MSD Ignition
1 5/8" headman headers
2 1/2" dual exhaust
Magnaflow mufflers

Motor made 296 RWHP and 330 RWT not bad for a 355ci street cruiser.

Anyone can build the exact same proven motor and not break the bank

 

John isn't trying to hear this!!!His dad has a Edelbock cam in his 73,so John is hooked on it.To him....it is the only cam in the world,and has been trying to get me to run one for over a year.Every chance he gets....he is trying to get me to run one.Nonthing wrong w/them,and he is loyal to his pops,which is a GOOD thing.I went w/the Erson 286 solid w/64 cc heads.