H/C/I suggestions

[BaylorBear]

I am going to swap in a 351w into my '94 gt. I was going to do it last summer, but ran out of money/time. I now have a steadier job and some time on my hands. Ifigure since the engine is already out, why not upgrade it. I was wondering what y'all think would be my best best for an H/C/I swap.
1. Not a limitless budget but willing to save up
2. Hoping for street/strip, but i also want to be able to drive it to work now and then.
3. Any other suggestions regarding cpu or anything else I'm all ears

 

[1slow95]

Just a 351 or a stroker? Either way, go with the biggest heads you can afford. Something like a AFR 185 would be ok for a 351w, 205 would be better and a minimum for a 393+ stroker. I would probably go with Trick Flow, but either one will make good power. The cam will be the biggest factor on the driveability, I would go with a custom cam from Ed Curtis or somebody.

 

[revhead347]

351 setups cost a lot of money and in most cases slow you down. If you can't chump up the cash for a really outstanding set of heads the 302 is a better option. The money is better spent on an excellent h/c/i for a 302 then on a bunch of 351 swap parts. Anything less than a 205cc heads and the extra rotating mass of the 351 is going to slow you down.

Kurt

 

[VibrantRedGT]

If you have your heart set on 351 then get 205cc heads minimum (prefer larger), TFS 351 Intake and custom cam. You'll need supporting cast of parts to go with a 351. Probably won't fit under the stock hood, you'll need headers, h or x pipe, distributor, etc. Since the 351 will add weight while the motor is out upgrade the stock k-member to a tubular. While you're doing that do a wire tuck, repaint the engine bay, etc. Keep us posted.

 

[BaylorBear]

Well the reason i'm set on a 351 swap is because i blew my 302, and my friend gave me the 351 cheaply. I already have the dist, headers, and such. TECHNICALLY all i would need to finish the swap is the intake. However, like i said , i want to upgrade it before i put it in

 

[revhead347]

Ok, well with all those pieces it makes sense. I would say a good set of 205cc head trick flows.

Kurt

 

[Rick 91GT]

What pistons are in it? What year is the 351? EFI or Carb? Hyd roller, Flt Tappet, or soild? Does it have to pass emissions?

I also like a 200cc+ head

 

[revhead347]

I honestly think Rick is asking a ton of relavant questions. There are a ton of factors involved in head selection.

Kurt

 

[Venom351R]

Deff do the correct parts so that it will make some power, not much worse then seeing a 351 putting out the power of a 302

 

[BaylorBear]

Everything on the engine is completely bone stock. Lifted from a 96 F250 EFI Roller. I was thinking of giving trickflow a call and see if they have any sort of package deal for the H/C/I. I don't know what it is, but i really like that brand.

 

[revhead347]

Someone just got a package deal from Ed Curtis on a Trick Flow setup for a 351. I think it was Venom351. He said it ended up costing less through Ed then through Trick Flow, or something like that. I remember the flow numbers were absolutely recockulous. That's a guaranteed going to be badass setup if Ed did it. Maybe someone else will chime in here with more details. I'm pretty sure it was a set of Trick Flow 205cc heads with custom port work, and a matching custom cam.

I bring it up, because I know he had a stock 351 bottom end with stock pistons, and Ed set the heads up to work with that engine without having to flycut or anything like that.

Kurt

 

[Venom351R]

Yeah that was me and it was the heads in my sig ( 234HR Custom CNC High ports) and one of his cams that I had in the car before. Custom is the best way to get the most power part for part but it is always the most pricy. I paid more for those heads and the cam then a Vortech S Trim set up just as a comparison for price. Heads similar to these can be found on Summit racing but they are not the same ones these are all custom heads and these came with a really nice spring package and even more extensive port work then the similar heads on summit and still came out $500 cheaper. But I wanted to stay NA and have a killer set up. I'm hoping to have it started up in march and re tuned soon after that. You would not have to go as out of the box as I did, with Ed there are other options with him that are not as pricy, all depends on what you want.There is no H/C/I top end package for the 351 from trickflow. Its based for the 302 engine. Also remember that PVC is an issue when picking a set of heads so always keep that in mind (thats why I ended up with the high ports). The Trickflow R intake is made for the 351 its a nice intake I had it on my car before I got the victor 5.8, trickflow makes a lot of nice heads that would be great for a 351 (but always consider PVC, depends on your pistons) The 190cc fast as cast heads are quite nice, so are the 205cc heads. Also take into account the combustion chamber size depending if your staying NA or if you want boost later on. Mine ended up being 64cc. Here are a few pics.


Lift Intake/ Exhaust
.100" .80 .58
.200" 142 115
.300" 196 150
.400" 258 190
.500" 304 215
.550" 320 220
.600" 333 222
.650" 340 230
.700" 334 236
.750" 340 238

 

[revhead347]

They might be pricey, but it's a set of heads you can keep for the rest of your life. That's how you make a 351 swap worthwhile.

Kurt

 

[Venom351R]

I'm just really excited to see what kind of power I get out of these as compared with an out of the box AFR/TFS 185, 190, 205 and 225 that are on similar set ups. That is where the extra money for the port work and general work done to these heads will really be seen

 

[revhead347]

I didn't realize Ed had a CNC machine, but those heads have clearly been through a CNC job. I'm actually a little surprised on the flow numbers. Those heads don't flow much more than mine do, and the Trick Flow casting he started with is much bigger than the Canfield casting I have.

Kurt

 

[Venom351R]

Dont quote me on this b/c I dont like to spread false information especially on the net b/c it can spread quick but I dont think he has an actual in house machine shop. It took me quite awhile to get the heads which was ok with me overall b/c Ed has always been great to deal with but he said the reason was b/c the machine shop was backed up and he said things like more work would be done on them once they got back from the machine shop. I'm just paraphrasing what he said in various emails we exchanged but what I got out of is was that the heads were sent off to be CNC ported and then returned to him for the valve springs, and valves and some finishing port work. I know Ed does not come on this site but If Im off on that info then I dont mean to be. Ed is forth coming with anything specific you ask him but if you dont ask then you dont really know lol

Ive been seeing a lot of build threads in 5.0 Mag and MM&FF and they have been putting some really nice heads on a few builds and I have not seen any yet that outflow the ones I have. I'm not trying to say I have the baddest set of heads on the planet but what I am saying is that your not going to get something like these from Summit racing or any other place you can buy out of the box heads from.

 

[revhead347]

Pretty much any out of the box head is not going to outflow a head that has been gone through. I didn't think he had a CNC machine, but those heads have clearly had CNC work. He might send heads out to another machine shop for CNC work. Nothing irregular about that. It's a ton of money to buy a CNC machine, and he probably doesn't flow enough business to buy his own. It's like having a dyno. You pretty much have to be just a dyno tuning shop to own one, because you have to keep it running all the time to make money on it.

Kurt

 

[Venom351R]

Yeah I agree, he is a cam designer not a head porter. Not that he does not know his stuff regarding heads and valve trains and flow numbers and everything that goes with heads but his primary business seems to be cam design. Unless your a company like TEA or Fox Lake there is probably not an in house CNC Machine.

 

[VibrantRedGT]

Didn't TEA get bought out by Summit?

Venom, when will you have that running? I love those heads. Anytime you can put your entire head inside the port to do a visual inspection of the valves is good by me.

 

[Rick 91GT]

Didn't TEA get bought out by Summit?

Venom, when will you have that running? I love those heads. Anytime you can put your entire head inside the port to do a visual inspection of the valves is good by me.

lol

Yeah, Summit Racing owns TFS and TEA from what I know.