Small Block & Big Block Chevy Specific - LT1 heads on old small block

what needs to be done to make these work with a carb and old fashion small block?

More than it would be to get a set of heads that are meant for the small block.

Too much work. LTx heads are reverse flow which would have to be fixed ($200+) and the only carb intake that bolts up to LTx heads is the GMPP dual plane intake unless you want to pay for a single plane to be coverted ($250). You would be better off getting a set of cheap aftermarket heads or something used.

you do understand lt1 guys convert to sbc topends.

Yep, for a reason.

The vortec iron heads are very similar. Professional products also makes a great set of heads for under $400 and the hurricane intake.

Are you talking about the pro comp heads? Junk.

you do understand lt1 guys convert to sbc topends.

I think that is because some guys don't want to shell out the money for the larger heads out there for the LTx.

For some, but the tons of aftermarket for the SBC shadows the LTx market my 50 fold.

Definitely, I don't disagree. I just think people move to SBC because they see a cheap price tag but don't include conversion costs or time/effort to make it work.

most of the real sbc stuff is killer compared to any ltx crap.
it makes more sense to stick to conventional sbc topend, the jr. intake for starters will anihilate any chopped up ltx manifold.
and the dist. will never have any issues like the opti. etc. etc.

I don't agree with most of what you said. Both heads are 23* and the only difference is the reverse cooling. Unless you are talking about 15* or 18* stuff the LTx heads hold their own just fine. AFR's, Dart's, TFS, etc all make nice LTx castings that perform just as well. It's been proven that single plane conversions don't net any real gains over the LTx manifold in any useable RPM range. I think that there were gains above 6500, but most people don't spend a lot of their time up there anyway. The dist. setup is better than the opti, it's more reliable at high RPM and with voltage going through it, but the opti is WAY more accurate than a std dist. and can be made to work really well esp if you pull the high side out of it.

I don't agree with most of what you said. Both heads are 23* and the only difference is the reverse cooling. Unless you are talking about 15* or 18* stuff the LTx heads hold their own just fine. AFR's, Dart's, TFS, etc all make nice LTx castings that perform just as well. It's been proven that single plane conversions don't net any real gains over the LTx manifold in any useable RPM range. I think that there were gains above 6500, but most people don't spend a lot of their time up there anyway. The dist. setup is better than the opti, it's more reliable at high RPM and with voltage going through it, but the opti is WAY more accurate than a std dist. and can be made to work really well esp if you pull the high side out of it.


be that as it may, op is concerned with using lt1 heads on a sbc, i doubt he means any hi price tag parts. assuming stock castings.
unless he got em for free and has access to a machine shop and has the skill to weld and fabricate. dont see the reason to fit them to his sbc.

i for one had no problem driving around with 260cfm sbc heads and vic jr. with a 750 demon on the street or the hiway.
all that single plane bottom end, top end bs is a myth and magazine propaganda.
scr and dcr and camshaft valve events are what make up throttle response. and acceleration.along wih correctly matched drivetrain components
i turn 6500-7k race day and with pump. ignition calbration with timing light. no misfires or breaking up.

We are on two different pages obviously. I already said it was too much work and not worth it in post #3. Everything after was based on someone saying that LTx people are switching from LTx heads to SBC heads because SBC is so much better, which is what I don't agree with.

Well, there are SBC heads that are way better than any LTx head out there, but the aftermarket made it that way. 50+ years of the SBC and counting VS 6 years of the flunky LTx.

the only real advantage of the lt1 is the intake system over a gen1 sbc. the heads are not any better on the lt1 is why people swap to sbc heads and convert them to work on the lt1s. you can buy and convert a better flowing set of heads than you can buy lesser flowing heads made for a ltx style engine.

Just swap to Vortecs. Basically the same port (maybe even better) and on your typical originally 8.5:1 compression small block they will make about 10:1 with a thin head gasket. Perfect with premium fuel and a mild cam even though they are iron. The combustion chamber design helps with detonation.

To answer the original question:
http://www.thirdgen.org/techboard/tpi/178262-completed-lt1-heads-gen1.html
http://www.fawkit.org/kc104/stroker/ (Pictures)