Hey guys,
I found what I was expecting on the head gasket.BLOWN
Anyways,I have the early 86 with cast heads.I'm going to tackle this by myself.Anyone on the forum in Missouri?I have a few questions for all the experts here.What all should I do while it is apart?There is 102,000 miles on the car.No mods really except for no cats and X pipe to flowmaster 80's.I would like to change heads.Possibly headers,What else would be good to upgrade or change?Open for any suggestions

 

Well there are several very good options, I bet. For my '86 iron head L98, I went with Dart Pro-1 heads and hooker super comp headers. Since you're going to have the heads off anyway, you should consider changing your camshaft.

Interestingly enough, I have true dual exhaust, no cats that end in Flowmasters.

 

The early 86 is in (what should I call it?) a pretty low state of tune as it comes from the factory. Especially when you consider the iron heads and the rather short duration camshaft.

If the engine is out of the car and is to be completely torn down, you can go as far as your budget allows. I mean, you could have the block bored .030, buy new pistons, rings, etc.

I had an early 86 engine in my Vette when I bought the car and went that complete rebuild route; +.030 overbore, new pistons, rings, turned crank, hydraulic roller cam, headers, etc. Nice power increase too.

Almost all mods you make to the engine will improve the performance.

Edelbrock Performer RPM heads can be bought complete for less that a grand and are a direct bolt on replacement for the iron jobs.

A different camshaft with .050 duration in the area of 212/218 or 218/224 (max) on 112 + Lobe Separation Angle would be a nice move to increase upper RPM power. Best move would be going with a hydraulic roller like TPIS' ZZ9 or one of CompCams new series FI hydraulic roller cams.

So, a lot depends on your budget and what plans you have for the use of the car once all the mods are completed.

Hope this helps.

Jake

 

I have some money to play with and not sure what to do.I would def. like to go to alum. rollers heads.What about roller lifters.I would need a later block.I'm looking for about 350hp and a little more torque.But don't want to spend too much.I'm planning on a 383 build but not yet. Also what style heads am I looking for?Maybe something I could use later with my 383!

 

Switching to a roller cam setup, in place of the flat tappet hydraulic cam that came stock in the early 86, is a rather pricey move. The total cost of the swap is what keeps many from making the move to a roller cam.

Actually, the roller lifters, that are called for, cost more than the camshaft. If you opt for a pair of aftermarket heads, like the Edelbrock Performer RPM heads that I mentioned, they can be ordered with the correct springs that a roller cam calls for.

You'll need different length pushrods (since the roller lifters are taller than flat tappet lifters) and you'll need a thrust button and a three piece Torrington bearing to prevent fore and aft movement of the roller cam. All of those parts are required for a "retro-fit" setup. A company like CompCams, can provide you with everything you'll need.

You DON'T need to change blocks. The stock block will work fine. All you need to do is use a retro-fit hydraulic roller cam package.

CompCams has a toll-free number for tech support. You can call and get the part numbers for everything you need. You can then order directly from them OR you can go shopping in some of the catalogs, like Summit Racing, Performance Automotive Warehouse, etc., to get the best prices.

You'll be able to easily get 350 HP with a set of aluminum heads and the right cam. Also, the engine will remain perfectly streetable.

Best "bang for the buck" results from addressing the four 'C's: Cubic Inch Displacement; Cylinder heads, Camshaft and Compression.

Jake

 

Not to hijack a post but I think Jake's response was what I was looking for on questions for my 85 project. Nice info!

 

Great info,Thanks!Would it not be easier-cheaper to buy a roller corvette block?What all is involved with a "retrofit"?

 

Yeah, I wanted a roller cam setup for my '86 early also.

It ended up being cheaper to switch over to a factory roller cam block since the block was going out to be machined, might as well spend a little bit on a factory block and roller lifters than the expensive conversion

then the project went out of control after that

 

For my 86 I pick up a 96 vortec truck motor, paid $300 for the complete motor. It had a roller cam (now it has a hotcam) and 4 bolt mains. I even used the vortec heads with a modified lt4 intake.

 

Hi.
I have an 85 with cast iron heads and I have the TPIS coated headers. I want to have much better heads on and Dart Pro 1 do they have the holes for direct bolt ons for the stock accsessories.? If not which heads will have the possibilities. Do the angled Darts have the angled spark plug configuration that the L-98 heads have?. Do they go clear of the pimaries of the TPIS headers?
Jan-Erik

 

I was curious about the acc. holes also.I was looking at all the possibilities last night and was interested in what you guys were making power wise with your setup and what you have.Ported plenum,heads,runners,intake,etc

 

My Mods are all bolt-ons, ported superram upper and lower, race ported Dart Iron Eagles (200cc/62cc), 1.5rr, air eliminator, LPE 1 5/8" Longtubes, 3" Exhaust into high-flow cat, to Targa 'mufflers', SLP Ram-Air Intake, open MAF, Dana44 Rear end with 3.45 Gears, Beefed up tranny with a 2400rpm stall converter, custom chip, etc...

Car runs like a raped ape as she is, ran low 12's last year, haven't been this year yet (no time), has 119k miles almost on her, stock cam/bottom end..

Dunno if she'll pass emissions, but who knows.. lol

 

There are three ways to fit a roller cam in a '87 or earlier. One, as discussed, is to change to a later block. You will need to purchase the cam, the lifters, dog bones, spider, push rods, late model timing set, and most likely, appropriate valve springs.

A retro roller installation could use either a non-roller style cam or an OE roller cam with the matching timing set. The required retro roller lifters are expensive, but you won't need dog bones or a spider to make them work.

A third method involves converting the non-roller block to accommodate the less expensive OE roller lifters. Once again, either style camshaft can be used. The valley of the block can be drilled and tapped for the spider and the valley walls and dog bones can be ground to fit one another. The block should be out of the car and disassembled for the grinding, drilling, and tapping.

RACE ON!!!

 

As with most things, there is more than one way to end up at the same place.

A retro-fit (as it has come to be called) is a pure bolt on operation. Actually, the factory roller setup SHOULD be called "retro-fit" since that arrangement was sort of an after-thought at GM. Builders have been running roller cams in both big and small block Chevy engines long before GM redesigned the block to accept a roller cam.

Installing a roller cam in a NON roller cam SB is pretty straight forward and is a bolt in deal. Meaning no machine work is needed and the engine doesn't have to be removed from the car.

It can, for some, be a pricey move though; depending on what parts you already have and how much of the work you can do yourself. Swapping engines - from a non-roller to a roller - is pretty labor intensive. It's not particularly difficult to do, just lots and lots of bolts to be removed and replaced.

If you have to pay someone to do the work, that labor cost has to be factored into the cost of the project. Pretty soon you'll come to realize that the couple of hundred dollars more you'd pay for retro-fit lifters - as opposed to OEM roller lifters - isn't all that bad.

Anyone have a recent quote on labor for swapping an engine? If you do it yourself, what is your time worth?

Choose your poison.

Jake