Straight plug heads or angle with hooker headers and retro roller cam want

[79malibu]

Hi guys, looking to bleed out for a retro roller cam and aluminum heads. Haven't pics heads yet but want to not go over 1k $ for a set. Is straight plug preferred over angle plug or our cars and headers on a Sbc350.

I had a comp 268xe tappet cam wipe out exhaust on 3 and 5. So I'm going roller. I did everything I'm suppose 2 make it live but nope. Who has done retro rollers, any tips or tricks 2 do n stay away from,

 

[lilbowtie]

Pretty much straight forward - you will need to run a cam button and set the proper end play. You have a choice of offset lifters to clear large runner heads if need be. I'm surprised to hear how many people have trouble wiping cams - did you have new springs(981-16) that the cam required? Did you set the proper spring height? I haven't lost one yet.

 

[Bar50]

I have done big and small block retro fit roller cams. To me, the extra horsepower and the insurance in the face of changing oil is worth the expense of the retro fot roller cam.

Mine have been Howards cams.

As for heads, I would avoid angle plugs, not very many G-body car headers clear angle plug heads, only set I know of that work with angle plug heads is the Schoenfeld headers.

 

[455'ed80Regal]

Roller cam and straight plug heads. Do NOT skimp on cylinder heads. Yes, I know there are cheaper priced heads out there and most, if not all, are cheap made heads. Even some of the better named heads have their little flaws, but they don't compare to the flaws of the lesser known heads. Do your research and ask around for opinions so you only spend you money once and you get the best bang for your buck.

 

[vanrah]

Greetings 79 Malibu & all; Angle plug heads will make your life miserable, as mentioned the headers will be expensive. And the gain would only be 1-3 HP per cylinder. Also as mentioned be picky about the heads you buy. My buddy bought Brodx cheepo's $900+ a few years (7) ago, we bolted them on, sure it ran better but not as well as it should have. Well 4000 miles & 6 years later we pull them off to fine that the guides are junk. We have new guides installed & WOW we got POwer! So no mater what brand you buy consider disassembly & full inspection seats guides & faces. I have early (1996) AFR heads, they make great power & have held up well. Great customer service & early issues (small oil drain back holes) resolved. They are also canted valve heads (or at least my old ones are) and that helps make power but also creates other unusual issues.Good luck Ol'e Bob

 

[565bbchevy]

I would stick with straight plug heads also, I bought a Howards retro roller for my project car I believe it was about $600 for the kit.
I got lucky on the heads I bought a car that had a SBC with Edelbrock RPM heads and RPM air gap and I sold the body and a bunch of other parts from it and made some money basically costing me nothing for the heads, intake and a few other parts left over so also consider good condition used brand name heads and get them freshened up.

 

[79malibu]

Thanks guys for the replies. I did break in the cam properly but didn't use comp springs. My head machinist set me up with Elgin 1943x springs good for .550 lift bout 100 to 110ish spring lbs at 1.78. I will say that my old stock ported big valve heads leaked oil through all guides from half of my spring dampers broke and cut up positive stem seals. He also soaked me bout 800$ total into these old 441 heads saying them good as vortec but only flow 221cfm at .500 and 161 on exhaust. Got raped there.

I like to be cheap but it can and has cost me big $$$$ later on. On the roller can does a guy need a new front timing cover that's stiffer than stock and exactly how to set endplay gap at thrust button. I think jegs lunatic Howards etc are morel lifters but are basic cheap 375$ is retro rollers durable for street use to 6500 rpm. I shift at 6k with past cams but looking to build up safely. Summit tech guy recommends comp magnum roller 280cam and other says to use xrfi comp 12-467-8. Do brands need to be matched lifter n cam?

On heads I'd like to do afr's but dam the price but are lowest cnc heads I know of. Leaning towards profilers/ jegs heads (same?) Researching flow numbers online I like edelbrock etc vortec type heads but are the intake that can use spreadbore (qjet) in hirise dual plane. I'm thinking of modifying an rpm airgap to use a qjet. Edelbrock tells me if no plans for a dual pad mount version outside of performer airgap (stocktype). Or should I use a Lil performer airgap with a carb spacer?

 

[64nailhead]

First and most importantly, is the motor being pulled, stripped and cleaned? With two lobes wiped, multiple spring dampeners broken and ground up, you have alot of debris in the motor. At a minimum get the bearings and oil pump checked. Second, excessive valve guide wear is most usually caused by poor rocker geometry. It can be created by incorrect guide to stem clearance or lack of lube also, but those failures occur in a hurry.

Aside from that, the only tricky item with a roller cam install is getting the end play set correctly. An aluminum timing cover that is rigidmakes setting the end play somewhwat simpler, IMO, but it can be done with a stamped steel one as well.

Regarding heads, buy the best you can afford. If the budget is $1100 (not $1000), then you have a bunch of options that are great bolt on, hot street heads - Dart SHP, Profiler, Brodix, RHS, Jegs,etc. FWIW, I've made the same mistake with a setof stock heads with the exceptin of my enine builder tried to talk me out of it, and I still pissed away the money in a set of stock heads. They worked well, but the Profilers I'm running now are night and day.

Can you give us some particulars on your motor so as to make a better cam and head recommendation?

 

[79malibu]

Ok, short story is this. Rebuilt 350 (80k) 1970 010 020 4 bolt rebuilt spdpro flattop stock o rods arp bolts. 9 years ago it was done. But they didn't align hone the crank or catch (not care because bought through jegs cheaper than them) 2 counterclockwise turned speedpro pistons by bout half inch. Bored it to .030 for pistons but didnt torq plate it and we agreed to do it and wrote it down.
This year Had a bowtieoverdrives pdqmade lightweight 700r4 2600rpm with lockup lose tcc. (Internal leakage etc so no tcc but fixed it free even shipping)With trans out of way so I decided to fix leaking oil main seal since started leaking 3 yr ago but only 10k miles. Upon teardown I see back thrust bearing is gouged n splitting up under main cap. Copper flakes and burnt black but no wear on main journal. Thrust on crank gouged like bad cheap brake rotors. So wtf, 1 bad thing leads to a discovery of another. What a basket case so I tore it all apart since needs a crank anyhow and found issues on heads n cam lobe.
Had looked over by new machine shop n say the 2 pistons are ok should replace cause not straight n since need crank do a eagle 385 kit n do new 040 pistons.

Debating whether to just get new 350 crank for total of bout 850$ out the door or a eagle cast kit ext balance for 1550 or same eagle kit but it bal forged crank for 1950 parts n labor no tax. Then bleed out more for roller cam and heads. Or buy a new zz4 shortblock for 2500 or new l31 vortec block with heads for 2080 off jegs but sadd dish pistons but new block roller ready. I dont really wamt to use someones rebuilt stuff and have to trust them. Thought blueprint engines being advertised buy internet has some stories on them. I know about doing ls6 springs n gmpp/ comp retainers to get valve clearance without machining guides.

 

[79malibu]

Ha so much 4 short story that's bout it. Car is 79 bu wagon in slower process of restoration that want but it's 1 st car passed within family so it stays. Weighs bout 3500lbs has beefed up 700r from an 86 caprice and new axles n guts 26 spline detriot true Trax locker 3.42
Has factory v belts and working a/c up front and electric fans and ceramic coated hooker 1 5/8. Qjet by Shaun Murphy induction set to old cam. Qjet stays for 700r4 throttle valve linkage and ignited by an msd Chinese street fire dizzy that advances timing mechanical to 36 degrees on top of mi initial, fail. Néed to modify it with some sort of stops. Initial 12* plus it's dam 36 advance gives me total timing of 48*!!!!!! I checked it over with over and returned 1 to msd but sent me another and I know how to set timing. My old 1979 gm stock was fine.