Looking for some insight on what to do with the heads that i have on my L-82. i want to get more HP out of the engine.

what are some options for heads to put on the engine to give me more HP? i prefer factory not aftermarker

 

Junk you heads get AFR 195 or dart heads

 

What you should really do is take those heads and send them to the scrap heap, and purchase some more modern, aluminum heads. If you like factory, not aftermarket, what you should do is change your mind about that.

Scott

 

the dart 180 Iron Eagles, look like the factory stock heads with all accessory holes, most people wouldnt be able to tell the difference. but you will with the performance.

 

I agree, except for a 350" I'd probably go 180cc

 

After about 1976 all Chevy castings went to lighter weight type castings. Your heads aren't the best for performance or reliability. I would consider at least a swap to Vortec heads, these should give you a 20-30HP gain.

 

heads have come a long way in the last 30 years

 

i agree, get over your aftermarket bias. ANY aftermarket aluminum head will be an improvement. nothing the factory offers is nearly as good as the aftermarket. i have never been impressed with the vortec head . its better suited to tow trucks, i know some guys like them but there are better choices. the 882 heads on the L-82 were not that bad and can be improved dramatically but it would take someone with a good amount of experience

 

GM Performance Parts Fast Burn heads ..

I know every one will shout from roof tops that AFR are better ... And at a high lift well above most 430hp cars AFR wins. But you did say you liked factory parts and the aluminum fast burns fit that bill.. I run a pair of them and love em .

 

The fast burns are 210 size ports. Everybody screams bloody murder when I recommend AFR 195's that the ports are huge and the engine will be a dog except at WOT. This is totally false as any bottom end given up by slightly less port velocity (a 195 is less than 10% bigger than a 180) is made up by the increased flow allowing better cylinder filling which allows a smaller cam which has a lower operating range as GM engineers figured out when exclusively using the fast burns on all Modern, performance oriented, Gen 1 SBC's. I do agree the smallest port that flows the amount needed to make the power you are looking for is the best option but the impact of bigger ports on anything but off idle throttle response is generally exaggerated. That said they cost the same as AFR's.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/NAL-12464298/
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/afr-1034/overview/

 

How much do you want to spend? What other modifications have you done to the car? Hard to make a blind recommendation without knowing how the engine will come together as a system to make power.


There are a few decent factory heads at the mid or low end of the performance spectrum...and a few at the high end...but really nothing in-between where most street-going engines live. Aftermarket heads will offer better power per dollar than just about anything from the factory, with the stock Vortec as about the only exception.


Intake runner size absolutely has a significant impact on low- and mid-range throttle response and power - even on a very efficient head. It comes down to intake velocity, which also effects the strength of the "signal" to the carb to meter fuel. This is made significantly worse by "undercamming" and using a restrictive intake/carb such that the heads never reach peak flow. I've driven and fixed a number of these types of cars.


For a hobby racing car or a manual with deep gears it doesn't really matter much - the car spends little time under 3,500 RPM, so the impact is minimal. For a mild street engine, or one with an auto trans, the impact is more significant.

 

Sounds convincing to me.

 

I would just throw a set of L98 heads on it. they will work well with the stock l82 cam

 

find the right aluminum head and add a performer intake ,you could gain 30 hp.consider some long slot rocker arms ,the stock push rods should work ok. the aluminum heads dissipate heat better ,making the engine less likely to ping .

 

Thats a good point .. And not a bad idea at all !~!~!~! I second going that way.


The 210 runner on the fast burn head is tamed by 2.00 intake and 1.55 exhaust valve sizes and a smaller 62cc combustion chamber.

My bet is they will do well up to about 550hp then you will need AFR or other designs.

 

What makes the L98 heads better performers than the L82 heads?

 

Smaller 58cc combustion chamber means increas in compression ratio and they flow better then your iron head. Using them and a "cam spec" of the ZZ4 crate motor your gonna get a good amount of power

 

Ditto. While you are at it...

 

Ultimately, power is all about flow - there are many other aspects, but if the heads won't flow the other aspects (intake, carb, exhaust, etc.) just make things worse.


The base iron factory heads flow around 200 CFM or so with 160cc intake runners - I think the L-82 heads are the same castings with 2.02/1.6 valves, pushing the intake flow up to about 220. Using the SuperFlow formula gets about 350 FWHP with those heads and a dual-plane intake. 1 HP/CID isn't really all that bad, and a good intake and headers can boost that a fair bit. Doing a little clean-up under the seats and on the short radius can add a fair bit more - but dollars starts coming into the picture pretty quickly where an aftermarket head will flow more...for about the same money.


The L98 heads get brought up a bunch because of the small chamber size and the CR boost...but boosting CR at these build levels is only worth a couple of percent power improvement, and the flow is only about on par with the base iron heads although the E/I ratio is better. The ZZ4 only delivers a little better than 1 HP/CID with the L98 heads...so they're not really a great deal. The Iron Eagles are about the same as the performance iron heads, but they're kinda sleepers - they're designed to be ported and there's a lot of "meat" in the right areas to do it. The Vortecs push up to 235 or so...which makes them an excellent value for 350's targeting under 400 HP.

Lots of good choices, but without more information it's just shots in the dark...

 

The L98s make 355hp on the ZZ4, BUT the torque is over 400 ft lbs. Even swapping to fast burn heads bump you up 30hp but you lose 30 ft lbs with them. for a mostly stock engine, the increase in torque is going to help much more if you're not racing.