I have been doing some research on heads/cam packages and I got a quote from a guy in Texas today. To be perfectly honest I don't know what prices should be at for LS1 head work so I thought I would as you guys. How do the prices look compaired to just buying a set of aftermarket heads and a cam? Thanks for your help.

I only do work on the heads and design cams. The work done to the car
will
have to be done elsewhere.

Part of a cam making more HP is also gonna be a sacrifice of some low
end
power and drivability. It is just part of it. Headers, good exhaust and
good
tuning are a MUST to see the full potential from ANY head and cam set
up but
most understand that.

400-420 RWHP is a # that can be reached with a pretty mild cam
(slightly
more aggressive than Hot cam). If you have an A4 with a mild stall (or
no
stall) and mild 3.08 gears, this is a good choice since low and mid
range TQ
are VERY critical to performance with this set up. More gear and stall
(or 6
speed0 is really needed to go with a larger cam to elimintae low RPM
drivability problems.

If you have some gear and stall (or 6 speed) and do not mind an
aggressive
idle, we can go with a larger duration cam and still be pretty drivable
to
most people although everyone has their opinion on shat "drivable" is.
A cam
like this would be about 20 HP over the above mentioned cam and usually
produces 415-435 RWHP for most people. This is the best compromise for
most
"true" street cars that are really street driven.

We can go even more radical and make more power but we are gonna start
narrowing the power band and have the HP and TQ curve kick in 300-400
RPM
later and pull 100-200 RPM higher to amke another 5-10 HP. You can
ALWAYS go
more radical and make a higher HP # but the trade offs are drivability
and
low end power as well. Even if you could put up with the loss of
drivability
at low RPM, you really need 4.11 gears and 4000 (or higher) stall and a
7000
RPM (or higher) to have the cam work well.

Most shops focus on "peak" HP #'s with no regard for the low and mid
range
TQ but I focus on producing a TQ curve that accelerates the vehicle
best
with the weight, gear and stall that the customer has and just let the
HP
#'s end up wherever they need to. The TQ curve is ALOT more important
than
the HP #'s.

Depends on your budget but there are several options for the heads. I
would
sugguest installing larger valve seats and 2.05/1.60 valves in the
heads
along with the bee hive springs. This set up is $1750 for heads and a
custom
cam.

We can also do some 2.02/1.60 valves in the heads for $100 less ($1650
heads
and cam) since we will not need to change valve seats. These will be
about
5-10 HP lower (depending on cam selection) than the above heads.

I also offer a "budget" package for $1400 plus shipping that reuses the
stock valves. These will be about 10 HP below the above heads

If you have the budget, get the 2.05/1.60 valved heads. You would want
to
run the best heads that you can afford.

 

Are those prices including labor or just parts? For just parts it sounds steep but if its including labor that's very reasonable. I'm in the middle of head/cam pricing and I welcome others input also.

Find out what "extras" are and aren't included like oil pump, timing chain, gaskets, etc.....

 

I bought some mild ls2 heads AND THEN started pricing the 'extras'. This is from several different posts here and on the LS1 forum:

Comp Cam - 350
Comp Pushrods - 120
Comp 918's - 175
New GM Oil Pump - 75.82
New LS2 Timing Chain - 30.16
Crane Spring Tool - 110
Timing Cover gasket - 14.55
Crank Seal - 14.18
Crank Bolt - 2.86
5/pk Oil Oring - 2.68
Water Pump Gasket - 2.63 x2
10 Valve Locks (not needed never lost any of the originals) - .57 x10
EFILive Scan & Tune - 700
Crank Puller - 00 (Autozone Loan a Tool)

Total - 1606.66

Of course if you omit the tune it's about $600 plus heads. Anyone willing to loan me the balance needed

Good luck, hope you get off cheaper!

 

If you spec the heads and cam for what you want you will be looking to replace the heads, cam, push rods, ARP bolts, lots of gaskets, go to a double roller timing chain, new idler pulley, new oil pump, new water pump, a host of other small items. I would not do a heads and cam package with stock springs but use at least Comp 918 or better.

I purchased an MTI kit with Comp cam and with all the parts I'm in for about $3200. The labor is on me and I'm working it into my schedule - my 2001 vert is not a daily driver.

You will need to dyno tune the car after the install - another $500 if you have not already done a dyno tune. Basically, figure on spending about $3,500 to $4,000 to get around 420 RWHP with a solid dependablew heads and cam package.

 

I guess the first question is...where are you located (you should fill out your profile so we can provide good guidance)? There are great shops around the country that specialize in Corvette's. This shop doesn't seem to be a Vette specialist due to the ratios they are talking (3.08's and 4.11's).

Provide more location info and we can go from there.

 

I had 2 different head/cam setups on my 346 followed by a 3rd which is a 402. The details of all of them would take too much time to write but I would say this.

If you are going to have the work done select a shop that can be trusted to get it right the first time (even if they cost more) and then negotiate a price for the whole package. Do not pay by the hour when you are having several modifications done at once.

Also, the only tuner I would allow to build heads for me is Lingenfelter, but, I prefer aftermarket heads. There are just too many good options out there to restrict yourself to the limitation of starting with a stock head. The AFR 205's are great for drivability because they have great port velocity but ETP and even Edelbrock are among some good options depending on your goals.

Also, you do not have to sacrifice drivability but at the same time you must be realistic. For example, in a car with an automatic do not expect to install a 224/228 duration cam with .590 lift unless you also include a higher stall converter. The larger cam requires a higher idle and this will cause the car to creep with a stock converter. It will also cruise at about 25 MPH when you take your foot off the throttle.

My last 346 A4 setup made 442 RWHP and 400 RWTQ. It included AFR 205 heads, a ported FAST intake, an electric water pump and a 3600 Stall converter.

Take your time and completely educate yourself before you do anything. Sound planning and a through understanding of what you want will prevent disappointments and expensive mulligan’s.

 

The price includes all parts and lobor having to do with the heads and cam (custom grind). As far as all the other goodies I will have to pay extra for that. The heads will come with all new valves and springs so from the look of things the price is very reasonable. I asked at ls1tech.com for a good shop and a ton of people gave me this guys name. I got 2 or 3 PMs form people that had their heads/cam done somewhere else telling me they wish they would have went with him.

The only problem now is I need a set of stock LS1 heads to have worked. He gave me a 3 week ETA and that a bit to long to have my car down.

If anybody would like this guys e-mail address just shoot me a PM and I will send it to you.

 

I have a set of never used LS1 heads complete with valves and springs, I have 212.00 dollars invested. Let me know if you need them. I'm currently looking for AFRs for a head and cam swap any info is appreciated. Thanks