I just picked up a set of 243 heads off of a LS2 GTO. They are in good shape and completely stock. They supposedly have 32k and they look it, but that's never something you can be sure about.

I am looking for opinions or suggestions on my plan. Preferably from someone who knows what they are talking about please.

First is to get them cleaned up and checked out by a professional. At that time I plan to have them milled to 60cc. That is my fist question. Is this too much? I want to up my compression and will be doing a 224/228 .583" lift cam in the near future. Nut sure if I am going to low...

Second, I need suggestions on springs. I am interested in the Comp .600 lift Beehives.

Third, I will be porting and polishing on my own. I do throttles and have done my own Gen1 small block heads before. I am not the best, but can do well enough that is worth the money saved.

I don't think the valves need changed and I'm not into going larger. I will see if the heads need a valve job while they are at the shop, but if not, my budget is to have them inspected and milled. The rest I can do.

Also, is smoothing the chambers a good idea? I've seen this done before, but have heard it can have negatives.

 

Personally, I would send them to AI. As for the milling, I have AFR's with the same milling and the AFR 6016 cam, which is 224/228 on a 114. I was under minimum recommended PTV on the intake valve so you will like find at least the same and possibly worse clearance since the AFR's have more valve drop.

As for springs, I would install the PSI 1511 ML springs and measure the installed height to get 1135-140 # on the seat.

 

Maybe I should go 61cc or 62cc to be safe. I see a set of those springs used on ebay for $60. I know used is not the safest way to go, but does that seem like a good deal? New they are $160... They seem like good springs. Like the Comp beehives. I know they are lighter weight and are a upgrade in themselves. I will probably go new, but just wanted to see your thoughts.

 

I picked up a used set of 243 heads when I was doing my most recent build and here is what I did.

-Ordered Manley SS Pro-Flow valves in stock sizes
-Did some bowl blending
-Lightly smoothed the exhaust ports
-3-angle valve job
-Decked surface

I was really impressed with how they turned out, but I have absolutely no idea what kind of power they picked up because so much from my previous setup had changed.

 

Valve springs are one item I will not buy used nor would I recommend it for anyone else. With the investment you will be making, make sure the parts are quality parts and new valve springs are the way to go. There are only a couple of places that sell PSI valve springs.

 

Ok, good to know. There is a brand new set on ebay as well for 160. Is that a good price?

 

Nice heads . But what is the benefit of new valves if they are the same size; other than slightly lighter weight? I dont feel like the benefit justifies the cost. Of course if new ones are determined to be needed I will. Did you deck for fewer cc's or simply to flatten the gasket surface?

 

I wouldn't go cheap on springs,a broken spring could lead to a dropped valve and can cost big bucks. Spend the extra 100.00 and get some Patriot dual gold springs. Also if you think you'll ever want to go forced induction later don't mill the heads. High compression and boost don't mix very well without meth.

 

Depends on who the seller is. There are only a couple of retail sellers of PSI springs so be cautious. I might contact PSI first.

 

I agree with you about the springs but honestly with the duration he chose a .600 beehive spring would do him just fine. With a cam not very radical he can keep the weight outta his valve train since its not needed.

 

I just wanted a stronger valve on my build. Hoping for between 900-1000rw, so I thought it was a good investment. Also, the pro-flow valves will have better airflow around them, so it was a win-win for me.

 

That's what I was going for. I always see people put way overkill springs in. I want just over the bear minimum to minimize the extra force needed to overcome the valve springs. There is more hp potential and less valve train stress.

From what I've seen and read, the PSI and the Comp Beehives are so similar, I will probably just go with the best price I can find on a new set of 16. This isn't an insane build. Just doing my build in a totally California CARB friendly way.

So looking at 400-430 whp as the final numbers in this car, does everyone unanimously recommend new valves? Or am I right to just do springs if that is all that is needed. The real benefits will come from the raised compression and porting/polishing I think.

What about roller rockers? They are pretty spendy.. I would just be keeping 1.7 ratio. Probably can wait till the cam on this one. Just need opinions. I also plan to port match my LS6 intake and BBK headers to the heads. But this is all future stuff for when I have time.

 

Comp makes a great beehive spring. Their 918's can handle your setup just fine. Roller rockers arent a necessity, more of choice for your application. If your worried about realibityof your rockers, get in touch with a few vendors here about the trunion upgrade for your stock rockers. RPT comes to mind as they have a few viable options. Some other reminders for you: Oil pump, timing chain, pushrods, valve seals and while your there you might as well swap the balancer.

 

TEA for the win......can give you lots of examples......dyno numbers and track numbers.

Briantooleyracing.com ....he is the mastermind behing the cnc programs and springs !!!!!!!


Thanks.......I'm on my phone but will post facts, pics and info later.

 

Thanks, I do plan on these things with the cam upgrade. For now I am just gonna start prepping the heads and install them. Soon down the line I will pull the trigger on the cam swap.

Great, thanks!

 

I would post some pics of the heads but I haven't been able to figure out posing pics since I joined this forum. I wanted to ask about the yellow stripe on the springs. Is there anything special about them, or is that just a base stock thing?

 

Wow...I just read the whole thread......ok....where to start. I just realized you want to do your own heads. I would advise against that, unless you have a way to check your progress and/or losses.

The 243 as cast is a great unit.....I would not touch the throat/runners at all.....besides only to port match the manifold. I would spend the time & money on milling and a high quality valve job. And about milling........Iirc..about 5.5 thousandths per cc when flat cut.

When deciding on how much to mill, you really need your cam picked out so to calc your dcr that the milling will produce. Because 60cc chamber could produce a 9.5 dcr or a 7.9 dcr and anything in between....it all depends on the events.

And about the valves.....the stock valves are fine with the build your doing. Spring pressure over the nose and ramp rate with be your worst enemies, so keep those in check and the stock valves will be fine.

Like everyone else said......do not buy second hand springs. I recommend Brian Tooley for your springs. http://www.briantooleyracing.com/
He carries the best spring on the market (Kobe steel) and coated. And his kits also come with the lightest retainer and locks available. And most of the time his spring kits are cheaper than the competitors.

BTW, who is spec'ing the cam for you ?? Or are you just picking out of a catalog ??





Thanks.......and good luck with your project.......

 

No thank you! Very good info to consider. I am limited by California emissions, so I am going with the best known legal set up. Comp makes a cam that has 224/228 .583/.588 (Very close guess on the lift) and 114lsa. It has passed here and is right on the boarder or not being able to. That is why I am going with that one.
My plan is to do the heads and install them myself because I am confident in doing that job. I will later have the cam installed and tuned by the shop I go to. It will be much cheaper to get the heads on and the springs etc. done.

 

How i learned to post pics is thru photobucket. It doesnt take long to setup an account there. Im sure there is another way but this was just easiest for me. Once you have said pictures loaded on photobucketchose the picture you want by scrolling over it. DONT CLICK IT. There are 4 options of choice of links to copy. All you do is select the link you want (in this case choose "IMG code"). Once you click it, it will say copied. Come back to the forum and click insert image. I always back space n clear the "http:" that is there so i know the link is posted correctly.Right click and paste the copied url. WALLA!!! pic is posted!

 

Here is some 243 ****..........from guys who know whats up. These are the heads on my car (TEA)......like I said Brian Tooley is the man. 2.05"/1.57" and they flowed great and they made......well...... The coefficient of discharge is killer !!

I've never posted these pics before but here they are.......average flow is great and the stall is above my usable range. I spray a "little" so I went with the 50* exhaust seat and n20 port, also I had the chamber "softened" 2cc by Brian. And it was well worth it....as the dyno has shown.

If you look close, you will see some "as cast" areas in the intake runner. This is called core shift, even thou the factory casting are held to a close tolerance, there is a small difference from core to core. The digitized cnc program does not "work" areas that do not respond in an advantageous manor. So "cleaning" these areas would decrease the heads performance.



And this is what it takes when you run a 57cc chamber, .040" gasket and a large-ish cam......LOL


And FYI, I have le$$ in these 243's complete, than a set of bare TFS 215's.

Here is some good reading for ya.........
http://www.hotrod.com/techarticles/e...sport_ls1.html

And FYI, TEA stage 2 heads with stock valve sizes and a COMP 228/232 112 cam made 475rwhp and 432rwtq in an F-body

TEA stage 2 heads with 2.04"/1.57" with an EPS 234/242 .604/.605 112+3 cam made 495rwhp and 433rwtq.


Thanks..............and good luck with your project....