I'm stationed here at Camp Pendleton in CA. My weekends consist of tinkering with the vette. Here it comes again...I need advice on heads, cam, etc.

I know nothing about which heads to buy, what size cam to get, etc. I've got a 78 L48 mated to a 4 speed manual. I'm not looking for crazy performance. I just want a bit more go power, ya know? I'm looking at vortec heads, but all the numbers make the little gears in my head start to grind and seize. Same goes for a cam. I'd love some advice here, on what kind of heads and cam I should go with, that would leave the car an easy driver (in terms of not over-camming the car, etc)

I plan to do it all myself, as far as maintenance goes. I work on multi million dollar helicopters, and have many coworkers who have a knack for this sort of thing. I feel like with enough of us monkeys trying to make love to a...you know the saying...I could figure it out.

I appreciate the patience, and the wealth of knowledge that you all present and are willing to share.

Lastly; probably the wrong section, as it should go in the General, but while I'm at it; is there a Southern California (San Diego area) vette club? I'd love to go on some cruises, but most of what I've seen is waaaay up north in terms of meets. Thanks in advance yall.

 

If you can make a chunk of metal fly you can upgrade a SBC! I rebuilt an engine for my car last year having very little mechanic experience (tuning, oil changes, etc). I put together a 383 with vortec top.

A few considerations:
Get a book on how to rebuild a SBC or a Chilton's (not as much on engines but good for the weekend mechanic).

Have a good idea what type of performance gains you want to achieve. '...a bit more power... an easy driver...' will get you advice that is all over the board. You also want to be very honest about your budget.

Do a little research on the forum. There are a ton of threads on similar builds. For example, you should already know that with vortec heads you will need self-aligning rockers, a new intake manifold, new valve covers as the ones from your L48 won't work.

Listen to the guys that post here all the time. You will undoubtedly get some conflicting advice but a little research will educate you. Especially when it comes to cam selection. Read, read, read, call a cam company and get suggestions before you buy anything.

Plan the whole build at one time. A week or two of making the right choices will avoid months of driving a car that you don't like. Nothing is more frustrating than driving the car right after you get it running again and thinking "I wish I would have listened to..." or "I need to go back in there and change the..."

Good Luck!

 

Best bang for the buck is a 383 kit if you're gonna rebuild. An edelbrock top end kit if your not. IMHO

 

Afr 180's 64 cc, comp retrofit roller some were in the 274 advertised duration, airgap rpm, long tube headers, free flowing exhaust. Should net some were around 425 horse street manners 6 out of ten. Funfactor 7 out of ten. l48 fun factor 5 out of ten, l48 manners 10 out of ten. Jmo Blue.

 

 

Make sure you take the CA smog laws into account before you spend any $$$ on parts. Your Vette is not old enough to be exempt from smog testing. It sucks, but you're better off being aware of it now instead of being caught off guard later. Good luck.

 

ooooh I missed the part about the eco-***** in ca.

 

You have the advantage of having the base auto craft shop available to you. They can help you mod your engine and keep it in smog specs. A single turbo using low boost might be an option to consider.

 

It's registered in Washington state, so thankfully I don't have to worry about California's smog issues. I think I've found what I'm going to do; I'm looking at the Edelbrock 2099 Power Package Kit, rated at 435 hp and 435 ft lbs. I'm guessing that'd be around 300 at the wheels? I'd have to get a drop base air filter to make the intake fit but that's no big deal.

 

they make pretty good power, but they use a larger camshaft to make it taking some of the streetability away. afr's web site has dynoed combos check the size of the camshafts that they use to make simmilar power, usually smaller, because the heads flow so much better. You have a four speed so if you go with the edelbrock it would work.