4reboy

Hello,

To give a followup to my last thread, the valve keepers on an intake valve failed. The top of the valve is marred up so at a minimum that one valve needs to be replaced. Since I would have to remove the head to fix this, and really should rebuild both heads to be safe, I was thinking of upgrading to aluminum heads.

This is my setup right now: .04 over 351w, RV Cam, Edelbrock Performer intake, Edelbrock 650cfm carb, hedmen ceramic long tube headers, 2.5" exhaust, H-Pipe, magnaflow glasspack mufflers. Exhaust and carb are new.

I'd like to reuse my performer intake if it makes sense to do so. Do I need a different cam to take advantage of aluminum heads? Unfortunately I don't have the specs of the cam from when the engine was rebuilt back in 2007 or so.

My goal is to open up the engine a little more (maybe +50 or more HP) but still maintain drivability. I need some good heads that will mesh well with the stock rebuild bottom end and long tubes. Any other suggestions in regards to lifters, pushrods, rockers (roller?) would be great as well.

67mustang302

Custom cam from Ed Curtis over at FTI, Vic. Jr. intake and some AFR 195 heads.....

You'll find the weak spot in the rest of the car pretty quick with that setup, make an easy 450-500hp in a mild street driver.

Starfury

I agree, although it may be slightly more than you're looking to spend.

You don't need a cam with aftermarket heads, but it certainly wouldn't hurt.

4reboy

Those AFR heads practically much max out my budget alone, but they do seem fantastic. I think that's beyond what I'm going for power-wise as well. I'm not anxious to find the weak spots with the rest of my car... Keep in mind the bottom end of my engine is stock, no special pistons or anything like that.

Is the Edelbrock performer I already have too little to keep with aftermarket heads?

I was reading that the RV cam grind takes away top end power, which is why I'm open to the idea of a new cam if it's needed. I'm just looking to open up my existing setup but not get too crazy. Being in the 400hp range would be great but getting close to 500 is probably beyond what I want for this car.

4reboy

If I'm looking for just bolt on performance to work with my performer intake, long tube headers, and stock pistons, how would these do compared to my stock heads? I'm open to changing my intake if needed.

Edelbrock Performer RPM 170cc

Trick Flow 170cc (Bigger intake valves than edelbrock, would they hit my stock pistons?)

Would I need more than 170cc?

67mustang302

What rpm range do you want to make power in?

You could get a set of like, used AFR 185's or some Edelbrock Victor Jr heads or something (351 needs bigger heads than a 302). Corral has a pretty big used parts section from what I hear. Buy some used ones, get them cleaned up and grab a decent OTS cam if you don't want to spend money on a custom (make sure the valvetrain in the heads can handle the cam though).

ajzride

TW170 or AFR185 should be fine for a mild 351w. Corral is a great place to shop for windsor parts:

http://forums.corral.net/forums/windsor-engine-parts/

69mach1377

Check your valve clearance when you get a chance...

4reboy

I'd like to make power in the low to mid range since it will be performance street driver.

The Trick Flow TW170 heads seem to be recommended a lot elsewhere. At $600/pair these are good for my budget and I would easily be able to afford a new cam.

The Edelbrock Victor Jr. heads are much larger than the TW170's. If the 351w needs this volume I could afford to go this route, roughly $200 more. I definitely want the engine to be more powerful than it was before but don't want it to be overkill for the stock bottom end.

As for an OTS cam, I definitely don't know much about how the lift/duration specs affect everything. I want the engine to be closer to the smoother side, not overly aggressive. I take it for a basic build like this a hydraulic flat tappet cam would be better than the roller or solid cam route? This Comp Cams XE262H is described as "excellent response, good mid-range" for instance.

Am I able to check how much valve clearance I have before I purchase and install the cam/heads?

Edit: Thanks in advance for you help and patience, I know I'm fairly ignorant with head/cam specs! But I know I can put it together.

67mustang302

A 170 port is small for a 351W. If you want a street car that makes good street power and you have some gear, then a 6-6.5k limit is around where you want to be. Otherwise you'll have an engine that's dead and 5.5k and makes a **** ton of low end torque....more like a truck engine.

A 351W OTS grind from Comp, the newer xtreme energy series, with an appropriate rpm range. Ignore the specs and look at the data (requires good heads, 3.50 gear or better, intake and exhaust etc).

What gear/transmission do you have?