l98tpi

If on a budget build; I would get the stock heads ported, 3 angle valve job, new valve springs and seals and etc. Get a good set of 1.6 roller rockers such as Comp Cam Magnum Pro roller rockers. If you stay with the stock TPI, you will have most of your torque below 3500rpm and taper off from there and run out of air around 4700rpm. For the street not a bad set up at all. With the stock port TPI you want to learn to keep the rpms below 4000rpm for performance. It is easier to manage with a manual trans.

If looking to spend money go with the AFR 195 Comp Port Heads, go with a high flow TPI or Mini Ram.

odxr

A good vid on why you should assume nothing while building an engine.

aklim

It's what I should have gotten if I was smarter instead of saving a few bucks on a set of heads with poor QC. Oh well, you got to burn to learn.

eutu1984

The RPM you mention is why I am leaning toward the stock or small port heads because I almost never see 4000 rpm and I dont plan on changing it in the future.

WW7

I'm using the 64cc Dart 180 Pro 1 Heads , the piston is a .030 over Speed Pro hyper piston with valve reliefs...This gives me a 10.25 to 1 compression ratio..A set of Dart 180 heads will run you about $1,050 a set , It will cost you around $600.00 to $700.00 to have the stock heads reworked, and when your done you will still have a set of "stock" heads..Just view all that has been written in this thread and make a choice, If your only going to turn below 4000 rpms most of the time, that's really not much of a demand on the engine so most of the suggestions in this thread will work....Good Luck....WW

PS...I see your going to use the stock convertor in your car with a 2:59 rear...This is the setup I had when I first installed my 383 and I ran into a problem...When the torque convertor locked up in high gear with the 2:59 rear I could feel the cam throbbing through the drivetrain because of the low rpm of the engine and having the torque convertor locked up....If you have this same problem, the solution is to change the torque convertor lock up to a higher speed in the ecm...I changed my convertor lockup from the stock setting which I believe is anywhere over 40 mph , to a higher lock up speed of 53 mph ...My torque convertor now locks up at 53 mph and unlocks at 49 mph, this gave me enough rpms to stop me from feeling the cam throb at low rpms....

cv67

If 600 doesnt include any porting (which I doubt it does) spring for the tfs 195. Sure the motor may not see rpm but that longer stroke will want more air at all parts of that intake valve opening. May have a similar powerband just have more everywhere

eutu1984

All the Dart Pro 1 heads I have looked at go for $700 to $800 each, so that would be about $1400 to $1600 a pair. They were most likely a lot cheaper when you bought them.

http://www.jegs.com/p/Dart/Dart-Smal...44642/10002/-1

http://www.summitracing.com/search/p...tOrder=Default

The Dart SHP's go for about $588 each so that would be about $1176 for a pair.

bjankuski

That is why I suggested the tfs 195 heads earlier, you will dollars ahead and power ahead vs. Stock reworked heads, and way cheaper the afr heads which are not needed with a TPI 383.

aklim

How much cheaper will it be if you get used heads and freshen them up? I don't see them on Ebay but surely it has to go somewhere?

BTW, your expertise on the 85 ECM and it's doings are needed HERE.

eutu1984

I don't need used heads I would have the heads that came off my L98 rebuilt if I go that rout.

Vic'89

Yes, LPE used the 113 heads on their Superram packages.

I have personally seen multiple LPE Superram Vettes go low to mid 11's with the 113 ported head. They were 383 or 420 Cubes.

Vic

eutu1984

LPE still offers the L98 heads. http://www.lingenfelter.com/mm5/merc...E#.VmDAAXarT4Y

cv67

minimum on porting will run at LEAST $500 a guy in the know will charge substantially more. Is he doing it himself or giving a $10/hr hired gun your stuff? Or outsourcing, very common in the industry
Valve job
guides
springs and seals
surfacing
pressure testing
if youre valves and seats are still good..see where were going-
I dont want to sound skeptical but worked in that field and have seen a lot of ripoffs

may find it adds up to the price of a way better aftermarket head had to break the news to many a person before hoping to budget build..its a crap shoot til you get them inspected
Id sell the heads for a few hun and start over with new.
You dont need anyone to port a decent aftermarket 180-195cc head if youre going mild on your build spend once.

We all dread that "big chunk" and project creep but Im a living example of cheaping out many yrs ago and doing things over....a few times. Bet a few of us here are LOL

aklim

3 years ago, I asked about fluffing out my AFR 190cc heads. About $1000. Probably more once you add it other work on top of the fluffing job. LPE charges about $1400: http://www.lingenfelter.com/mm5/merc...1#.VmDj7PkrKUk

Budget build sometimes means "Disaster Build" too when you cut enough corners.

I only wrecked a good LPE short block by saving a few hundred bucks on TFS heads and their dubious quality. With interest, the money I saved should pay for the short block I wrecked plus paying someone to R&R it in a few decades but who's counting?

GREGGPENN

Pros/cons....food for thought....

Here's a great example (maybe the best) of what you can do with ported 113 (alum) heads -- under a TPI intake.
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...o-results.html

I have AFR 195's with similar results. OTOH, I also have a restrictive exhaust -- which may be "comparable" to the lower exhaust port flow capabilities of the 113 vs Eliminator heads. There are a couple of other disadvantages I chose in lieu of asthestics vs overall performance.

But, I'm not convinced the difference would be night/day if I removed all my power-robbers. I'm saying ported heads can be a good option for the "restrictive" TPI build. After all, the point in a longtube setup is to "compress" air -- enhancing the sub-5k rpm performance.

That's what GM was aiming for in an era where emissions/streetability were the compromise.

I knew this when selecting Eliminators for my build. I'm saying I knew ported 113s would likely result in similar results. That means spending the extra money may not have been necessary. (Back in 2010, the difference in cost was about $400 between Eliminators and ported/rebuilt 113's. I don't know what the difference is now.)

I chose to spend the extra money for a couple of reasons.... One day I might swap to an HSR intake and dual exhaust. (In that case, the power increases would be greater using Eliminators.) Also, when porting, it's hard to insure water jackets/walls of the ported heads will has the longevity you'd want to compliment all the money spent on a given build. Eliminators are built -- from the ground up -- to surround/support the castings/flow/cooling needs of a head. In short, they are built for the larger ports/passages you're looking for with a better head.

Porting can "cheat" and get an older design head up to higher flow performance. Choosing a head actually MADE to provide that performance seemed like the better route to go. When spending several thousand for a good engine build, what's an extra few hundred?



P.S. Looking through the "FOR SALE" forum, it looks like TA used one of the better ported 113 options out there.

aklim

What you say has some truth but that is not how many think. They want $100 worth of performance for $20, IOW "I want it fast, reliable and cheap and fries with that.". Being a graduate from the school of hard knocks, I learned that an item is cheap for a reason and it has nothing to do with you reaching your goal. The usual statement for buying something cheap is "I'm not building a race car".

vader86

I would lean towards Dart Pro 1 if AFR was not in the budget.

But if this is just a tight budget build, get the 113s worked.

aklim

From observation, budget anything usually means pay less today and more tomorrow. If the average cost for an item is $20 and someone offers it for $10, I have found passing it up usually makes sense in the long run. My budget heads cost me an expensive short block. Great deal. If only I had known that the cheap price today cost more tomorrow.

Vic'89

TA's setup is a great example of the 113 ported heads on a 383.
His car runs High 11's with a TPI.

My setup runs mid 11's with the Ported 113 heads.

When properly ported and worked, these heads do perform very well.

Vic

aklim

LPE has proven that with his Superram and header and cam combination on the 383. My question is whether it is money well spent. After what I spend massaging the heads, would I be further off buying better heads, albeit a little more money? What about later on if I want more? Would I regret spending the money to massage the heads today when I should be buying heads with more room to grow?