81 upgrade
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 431
Likes: 22
From: Chester Illinois
81 upgrade
finally planning to do a little upgrading on my 81. runs fine but want a little more. a friend that got it running better than stock and is a wiz on the quadrejet is suggesting alum heads, cam, and headers. already has true exhaust. any suggestions on heads, cam and headers. thanks. namvet
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 2,465
Likes: 0
From: Orange Park Fl
Aluminum heads are usually used for performance because of lighter weight and ease of porting, but for street use I lean toward iron. Dart makes a great Iron head (Iron Eagle) that I put on my '81 and am very happy with. If you really want to go aluminum, I would suggest AFR.
For a cam, I would suggest the Comp XE262H or XE268H if you want to stick with flat tappet. For an extra $500, you can go with a roller cam retro fit like the XR264HR.
Most any decent headers will be a great upgrade, but be sure to get ceramic coated. Many here will suggest Hookers, which are a great design, but I have seen a lot of quality control issues with the company. Headman or Dynomax are good. I actually got a cheap set of chinese made headers ceramic coated about 8 years ago and they perform great and still look new!
God bless, Sensei
For a cam, I would suggest the Comp XE262H or XE268H if you want to stick with flat tappet. For an extra $500, you can go with a roller cam retro fit like the XR264HR.
Most any decent headers will be a great upgrade, but be sure to get ceramic coated. Many here will suggest Hookers, which are a great design, but I have seen a lot of quality control issues with the company. Headman or Dynomax are good. I actually got a cheap set of chinese made headers ceramic coated about 8 years ago and they perform great and still look new!
God bless, Sensei
