another head question

[ZR1BLAZER]

ok heres another question i have. do factory aluminum heads have steel shims under the springs?

[rayL]

should. Im not a machinist but i would think almost all springs should have some sort of shim. You have to set the installed height to get the seat pressure. All the ones ive ever done had to have some sort of shim even it was a .020 to get the installed height right

[ZR1BLAZER]

my sportsman II heads didnt have shims? but with an aluminum head i was told that to swap springs i need to have a steel shim under the spring. i guess so it doesnt beat the aluminum to death? i am looking at a set of .525 lift springs. they come with retainers and locks but dont mention shims.

[Scotty_S-15]

If they don\'t have shims, I think they should. If Granny drives the car, no problem. But if an engine is pushed to max RPMs on a regular basis, those springs are going to get \"antsy\" and be moving around. Doesn\'t take much to wear aluminum.

....... Case in point, my Edelbrock heads DID come with shims. AND, after I majorly buzzed the engine once, (I don\'t want to talk about it) http://www.s10v8.com/images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif I found that the spring dampers PUNCHED THROUGH a couple of the STEEL shims. That was scary, if for no other reason, where the hell did all that steel go? In the filter, I had hoped. That was a couple years ago, engine still OK. Imagine if the shims weren\'t there?

[Truckman91]

Aluminum = soft



Valve springs will chew them up in a hurry without any kind of valve spring shim/locator.

[Ryoung68]

I have a set of factory Corvette aluminum heads and they have a steel spring cup between the springs and the head aluminum. I agree with Truckman91 steel pounding on soft aluminum wouldn\'t last very long.

[ZR1BLAZER]

On 2006-01-28 23:35, Ryoung68 wrote:

I have a set of factory Corvette aluminum heads and they have a steel spring cup between the springs and the head aluminum. I agree with Truckman91 steel pounding on soft aluminum wouldn\'t last very long.



thats what i needed to know. i might be buying a set of L98 heads. just needed to know if they were there already or if i needed to buy some. thanks guys.

[ZR1BLAZER]

o.k. this is the deal. the L98 heads fell through. but i did find a set of 97 vortec \"906\" heads on ebay. factory take offs. i know i have to get a vortec intake but i found one cheap as well. good idea? let me know i only have 3 hours to make up my mind. and i am still using the same cam i mentioned. 214/224 .442/.465 112 LSA

[mtincher]

for a daily driver i would say sure if they werent to expensive but thats your call.



EDIT: But i also dont know that much yet still kinda learnin, so....

[ZR1BLAZER]

well this is my new combo. need some input on if it all sounds like a good idea? of course all forged 327 flat top pistons. \"906\" vortec heads, RPM air gap vortec intake, .525 lift springs, 1.6 steel rockers with roller tips (comp cams magnum) 214/224 duration @ .050 and .442/.465 lift (with 1.5 rockers) and 112 LSA cam. and a 650 vac sec holley. i havent bought the cam yet. so if something sound off or you have a better suggestion with a legit reason please tell me. i want this thing to run. OH and i am looking to drive this thing everyday not worried about 1/4 times and not to concerned with fuel economy. just want a stout little street motor. thanks guys.

[rayL]

it all sounds good but man personally id step up the camshaft. those cams make decent power dont get me wrong, but if you want something that will good then they are cool, but if you want something that runs great id step it up some.

60103 60103LK 268/276 227/233 .489\"/.504\" 110/106 Hyd/Hyd 1800-6200

60103 Description- Hydraulic: The most awesome \"268\" cam ever produced Out-powers all others This High Performance street cam likes 2400 RPM stall, 700 cfm carb, dual plane intake and headers. Makes un-equaled power to 6200 RPM with proper valve springs. If you\'re looking for a Very Strong cam with great street manners for your \"Crate Motor\" this is it Factory EFI motors need custom chips/tuning.



this is a voodoo cam that my brother runs in his monte carlo that he drives to high school everyday. Its a nasty lil cam thats easy to drive. Sounds great, makes great power, and hes only running a 600 holley and 2200 stall. With the vortec heads i think this would be a screamer

[ZR1BLAZER]

that cam only makes about 7 more hp then my original choice. and really no change on torque but the profile makes it really aggresive. my last cam was 230/230 duration. to many tuning problems.

[grimpuppy]

These are the numbers I got with your latest combo ZZ. 361 HP at 5500 rpm and 378 torque at 3750 rpm. How close is it to what you came up with? I also show 9.4 compression ratio with flat tops, vortecs and .037 head gasket, assuming you are zero deck. 10.01 compression if you use the thin .015 frelpro gasket.



The voodoo cam only made about 4 lbs of torque and 3 more HP on mine. It might be boarderline everyday driver cam for a 327. Would be tamer in a 350 for everyday driving..

[ZR1BLAZER]

so grim you would say that this would be nice street combo for the 327? i show 359hp @ 5500rpm and 373lbs torque at 4500rpm with 9.5 comp and 367 @5500rpm and 380lbs torque @4500rpm with 10.1 comp.

[grimpuppy]

I think it would be a nice street motor. You got about the same numbers I did. One intersting note: The voodoo cam makes 10 more HP and 13 ft/lbs more torque if you change back to 1.5 rockers.

[ZR1BLAZER]

10 more hp aint worth $168 for a cam and lifter kit though. not to me any way. i have had enough headachs with this thing. so if this combo gives me the same problems the last head and cam combo did thats it. i will be stripping this thing out and selling it off peice by peice and never ever do another v8 s10.

[Indiana]

I just read the new Hot Rod mag and it has a neat article about the 4/7 swap cam. This is what we are doing to my 406. It adds a few ponies to the engine.