Originally Posted by marc1973

thanks for the info guys i think what im going to do is check out my pistons this week to make sure i have flat tops or dished whatever it may be instead of assuming, i know going too big is bad but would the voodoo 268 cam be too big and i read something about degreeing the cam to lower the power band is that a possibility for that cam or should i just stay around the 262, i know youre not suppose to choose cams by sound but the 268 sounds pretty good maybe im just looking at it wrong but it looks like itd work in my car but idk if itd kill my low end power also i cant find any sound clips of the 262 cam

Originally Posted by bluedawg

I believe reelavitator cc'd his pistons it the block, search his post's or contact him, that way you know exactly what you got going, I believe his was a l-48 so his information would put you spot on if your's is an unmolested l48. With you having a manual, I don't believe that the 268 is too big, you'll need to figure your dynamic compression ratio with all the pertainent information that you either have or can messure and want to end up at either 8 to 1 or 8.1 to 1 on your dynamic with the cam shaft, you having a manual gives you some wiggle room as far as the camshaft size is concerned, but go much larger than that and you'll have an engine that doesn't come alive untill 3000 rpm. Further more choosing a camshaft by how it sounds will have your engine sounding good but will most likly run like a pieceofdogshit.

Originally Posted by F22

The 262 cam has a nice little rump to it and sounds plenty healthy in my '74. I was on the fence as well for the 268, but I talked to Lunati and they recommended the 262 for the L48 combo. The 262's torque comes on lower and to me, that is what counts. I have a manual trans too and believe me, you will have fun with it. It's responsive and pulls hard through all the gears.

Originally Posted by F22

They may not flow as well as the Trick Flow or something that costs $2K and up, but they flow a helluva lot better than the 882 heads that came on the l48.

Originally Posted by marc1973

That makes me feel alot more comfortable getting the 262, do you use 1.5 rockers? I'm up in the air about the size I like the idea about getting the lift near .500 but idk if it really matters

Originally Posted by bluedawg

I agree 100%. Are they afrs no. Do they now better than 882's hell yes. They probably flow as well as the edelbrock heads that I made 260 hp at the wheels Keith the xe 262h and 1.6 rockers. Will be a noticeable gain over 190at the crank.

Originally Posted by F22

I'll check, but basically, it was just the stock rockers, nothing fancy. Make sure you know how the heads are set up. The stock aluminum L98 heads used self-aligning rockers AND guide plates! This is from GM. I should know, I bent two sets of push rods going with the regular rocker arms, because even the highly experienced Cylinder Head guys thought that they shouldn't have to use self aligning rocker arms, but they do!

Originally Posted by marc1973

Ya definitely going to do that math twmr for the dynamic compression, and thanks I was just wondering if I could swing that cam I'm more concerned with having a fast car than sounding like a fast car but if I could get both that'd be great lol,

Also I'm good on the intake, I search craigslist everyday but everyone in my area (tampa) seems like they think they have gold or its the wrong size/part I'm looking for although I did get my performer air-gap the polished one for 200 off there which it isnt dirt cheap but it's 400 new so I figured I did well lol, my main concern is basically is making sure all these parts match together because everyone always says how ppl jump in to quick and buy mismatched parts, the only parts I'm looking for still are roller rockers and headers which seem to sell extremely fast lol

Originally Posted by F22

The Edelbrock will be just fine, no problem. You're going to have roughly a little over 300 hp at the crank. It will be fast, but don't be surprised at how much faster the newer cars are. You're not going to be beating any new 5.0 Mustangs, that's for sure. But you're still going to have a hoot. The L48-L98 combo in my '74 will lay down rubber, get sideways and run hard for what it is. I'm happy with the budget build and I researched it for weeks, before deciding on it. It's a plenty exciting car, that's for sure! Make sure you take your time assembling it and I recommend the Remflex gaskets. The tight-tuck headers from Corvette Central are D-port compatible.

Originally Posted by marc1973

Thanks I'm hoping to have flat tops so I can use the profiler heads but if I end up going the L98 route that's alright too,

Btw are 993 heads better than 882? cuz I have 993 or are they still boat ancors?

Originally Posted by F22

A couple of extra thoughts here. You might as well pull the motor and trans to do this for a few good reasons. First, with the engine on a stand, you'll be able to flip it over and check the connecting rod bearings. Check the cylinder walls too and look at the old heads carefully, comparing the bottom of the valves in the combustion chamber to each other. All of mine were a light tan, both intake and exhaust. Also, this allows you to put fresh gaskets on everything, including the oil pan, so you won't have any leaks. And while you're at it, it's much easier to clean and freshen up the engine compartment as well. Front suspension parts are cheap and with the engine out, it's a great time to do it, if it needs it. Check the wiring and fix whatever else you find. And feel free to ask questions in addition to using the Search feature. Good Luck!

Originally Posted by bluedawg

When I did the l48 top I did it with the engine in the vehicle, ran a compression test and did the rest. My thoughts were that if I had to pull the engine, I might as well rebuild it, if I were doing that, I might as well stroke it.

Originally Posted by F22

True, that's an option as well. Certainly would save time and trouble and yes, a rebuild of the bottom end might be in order if you went that route. Circumstances, would dictate this and I agree as well on the compression test (good catch!).

Our circumstances were the engine in my '74 and the compartment was a giant ball of hardened grease and dirt! It wasn't that hard to pull the engine and clean it up. Also, we didn't have to rebuild the bottom end, because it was in excellent condition! The valves were all tan, there was hardly any carbon buildup on the top of the pistons, the bores were clean and had no abnormal wear and as mentioned, the connecting rod bearings were nice too. We got to put a new seal on both the front and rear of the crank, because it was leaking bad and ditto for the oil pan gasket. After we were done, it looked right nice, with the engine compartment freshly painted.

If the OP's and yours were relatively clean (like, Gunk will clean it up), versus using a putty knife then your option, would definitely be the way to go.


Mine doesn't leak a drop! Oh and speaking of oil pan gaskets, those new blue Fel-Pro one piece rubber gaskets are the bomb! Just make sure you get the right size! Early SBC's have a thinner section in the rear, versus '77 and later, which are thicker.

Originally Posted by F22

Those are the runner lengths, not the CC. Typical CC is 58 and 64. Auggie has flat top pistons and can run a 64 cc head, but a typical L48 comes with dished pistons. You would benefit from a very small CC head, like the 1987-1991 L-98 Aluminum Heads off've the C4 Corvettes, with the tiny 58cc chambers and the thinnest gasket you can run. The small CC would match up nicely with the dished pistons and you don't have to touch the block, if everything looks ok in there. They are also the D-Port heads, with bigger exhaust openings. These are almost the exact same head as the ZZ4 350 HO heads that GM sells.

http://paceperformance.com/i-6255339...-complete.html

http://www.trickflow.com/articles/dy..._l98_heads.asp


http://www.chevyhiperformance.com/te...ine_build_iii/

Even Lingenfelter sells em!

http://www.lingenfelter.com/mm5/merc...egory_Code=C41


Be advised that you HAVE to run self-aligning rocker arms. They are the ONLY GM heads, that have BOTH guide plates and rocker arms. Apparently, the guide plates were there, for the factory line guys to be able to just drop the push rods in.

Auggie right on about the cam, though. I'm running a Lunati Voodoo cam too. It's an RV-Marine-4x4 cam, made for a lot of torque, down low and it will pull hard, all the way to 5,500 RPM's no problem.


Lunati 262

Voodoo Hydraulic Flat Tappet Cam & Lifter Kit - Chevrolet Small Block 256/262

http://www.lunatipower.com/Product.aspx?id=2323&gid=287
Hydraulic Flat Tappet. Best mild performance cam. Works excellent in TPI fuel injection applications. Makes approximately 19 vacuum at idle. Great for performance oriented marine applications and heavy towing applications. Perfect Street Rod cam. Has slightly noticeable idle, works with stock converter, A/C.

Originally Posted by augiedoggy

I agree on the manifold comment above... that's why I went with a polished rpm clone and not the air gap... the cutout costs torque in the lower rpm range.... you can get a polished pro comp or professional products manifold new for about $150 if I remember right.... they perform the same as the edelbrock but are not made in the USA so the cost is less than half... I already have Chinese made OBX side pipes since both hooker and OBX make them outside the country and my edelbrock branded Carb (which is a carter clone) and scat crank was made overseas so It wasn't worth paying double for the intake... my car needs a lot of work and I just don't have the budget to pay 2 to 3 times more to buy NOS American made parts for everything.

Plus I don't but if you have the original hood I've been told the air gap doesn't fit under it.

Originally Posted by marc1973

I have the original hood but for reason I have a fairly good amount of room even with a 3 in x 14 in filter it has a drop base of about 1 inch

Also if those Lingenfelter heads are sold in pairs what would be a better option the profiler heads or the Lingenfelter heads?