Looking at my first LS Head/Cam swap. Lots of questions.

[OldSchoolFormula]

Well, looking at tackling my first H/C swap on an LS1, unfortunately it's not for my car. I've done many H/C swaps and built older motors, mainly old Pontiacs but this is a first and I'm going to need to get it right the first time as it's being done for my brother's 99 FRC and he's currently deployed. Would like it to run reliably and strong when he gets back without giving him any problems further down the road as he doesn't have the access to tools or working space I would.

Anyway, looking at a few different options. We're mainly looking for daily, easily drivable performance so we'd like to keep the cam smaller, likely go with one of the 224 variants. Also looking at ported LS6 heads, but I'm not quite sure what to advise him on purchasing - Patriots, or TSP. Also not sure if he should go with the Stage 2.5/Stage 3 heads, are they even beneficial with a cam in the 224 range and a rev limiter set in the low 6000 range? Next on the list of questions is the array of head gaskets; cometics, MLS, or graphites? What about the rest of the engines gaskets, besides the head gaskets any others that will need to be changed? Same story with head bolts/studs, should stock GM bolts suffice, or should I just go with the ARPs? Are the ARP's stretch to yield? Thats a new concept to me. Oh, and valve springs! Spend the money and go with dual springs pr PAC 1218's? Obviously looking to keep the valves from smacking the pistons, but also looking for longevity. The engine HOPEFULLY will only be taken apart and built once so not looking for the ability to constantly swap parts, and ultimately also looking for the best bang for the buck as those poor enlisted guys don't exactly make a bucketload of cash.

Any and all help would be appreciated!

Rest of the combination will be a simple LS6 intake and LG streets with a monster clutch transferring power.

[DSkyles]

As far as the gaskets, I've heard people swear by cometic. It is a nice concept and design. The MLS gaskets are the way to go, whether it be cometic or GM MLS. My tuner said cometic is the only way to go, so I got the .040 thickness for a hair better compression. GM gaskets are fine for the rest of the gaskets.

http://texas-speed.com/shop/item.asp?itemid=87&catid=36

That is a gasket kit for the heads/cam swap. It also comes with the harmonic balancer bolt. As far as head bolts, GM bolts should be fine. There is a difference between pre-2004 head bolts and 2004+ head bolts, so make sure you select the right ones.

As far as springs, my heads came with comp 921's, which are very reliable, but also come with a huge price tag. The PAC's will be fine. I have two friends that will be running the 1518's in their cars very shortly. Personally, I like the idea of duals just to be safe. PAC makes a 1221 dual spring if you wanted to go that route. Both the 1518's and the 1221's will handle up to .650 lift

For the heads and cam, I would talk to Patrick G or someone else who is very knowledgeable about picking the right combo for what you want.

Hope this helps

[Matt@Texas-Speed]

I'd say the PRC Stage 2.5 LS6's would do very well with the combo you have and the Texas speed 224R! It will yield nice peak gains without sacrificing the bottom end and mid-range that makes it fun to drive! At .581" lift, it also will be pretty easy on the valve springs. We can set them up with the PAC .600" lift 1218 beehives, the PAC 1518 .650" lift beehives, or the PRC .650" duals for a little added piece of mind over the beehives. We've got competitive pricing on these heads/cam packages, and the experience in building these combos so we can answer whatever questions you might have during the process as well!

Let me know if I can help