5.3 or ls 1 heads

[67txcamaro]

I have 5.3 862 heads and I am thinking of going with ls 1 heads from a 2000 camaro (as of tonight i dont know the casting number)
my understanding that they both have

Intake Port Volume: 200cc
Exhaust Port Volume: 70cc

and the difference is Combustion Chamber Volume:

66.67cc ls 1
61.15cc 5.3

going with a texas-speed torquer v2 cam with a 3200 stall 4l60e
232/234 .595"/.598" Camshaft

what are your thoughts? should i stay with the 5.3 or ls 1?

I know i have to mill the ls 1 heads. The machine shop is saying .35 but i have read .45. what should it be?

this 1967 camaro will be a drive on the weekends kind of car and maybe a couple of passes down the track and maybe a lil bet of nos down the road, but mainly a drive around car and look cool and sound cool.

this is first project in my life (damn you tube made it look easy hehehe)
now to deep into project to stop now.
thank you for your help.

[WSSix]

What engine are the heads going?

If an LS1, I would simply stay with the LS1 heads. Personally, I don't consider the bump in compression from the 5.3 heads to be worth anything compared to going with a good overall combination. If you have the LS1 heads already, just keep them and save whatever money you were going to spend on them and put it towards other stuff. LS engines make really great power and are so easy to make power with that you don't have to go with every little trick necessary to really have an excellent combination. So I say keep it simple. You might be surprised at how good of a result you end up with.

[jwcarguy]

If you are going through the trouble of changing heads, do so with ones with better port design and flow numbers
Try finding a set of #243 or #799 heads (approx $450-550) if you re patient, you may find a set with a dual valve spring kit installed already , to match the cam selection

[forcepower]

Are you running a 5.3 or ls1 5.7? If you are running the 5.3 engine I would stay with the 862's or aftermarket heads geared towards your build. The ls1 241 heads or ls1/ls2 243 heads will lower your compression. lowering the compression would be good for a forced induction application.

[67txcamaro]

sorry I have a 2003 5.3 truck motor. thanks for the advice so far.

[WSSix]

Ah, well that changes things. I wouldn't mess with the 5.3 heads at all except to make sure they will work and survive until you can afford better heads. Don't even consider the LS1 heads. Skip straight to LS6/243/799 heads at a minimum. That or go aftermarket.

I would also consider a smaller cam. LS engines can take big cams thanks to the PCM but they aren't needed to make good power. I also prefer and recommend to have a broader power band for a street driven car. That cam will work and perform well but I feel you'd be giving up too much low end. Stick to a cam in the mid 220s on a 114 lsa and I think the car will be a lot more fun to drive around. It'll still have a lope to it but it'll be less radical.

[67txcamaro]

Originally Posted by WSSix

Ah, well that changes things. I wouldn't mess with the 5.3 heads at all except to make sure they will work and survive until you can afford better heads. Don't even consider the LS1 heads. Skip straight to LS6/243/799 heads at a minimum. That or go aftermarket.

I would also consider a smaller cam. LS engines can take big cams thanks to the PCM but they aren't needed to make good power. I also prefer and recommend to have a broader power band for a street driven car. That cam will work and perform well but I feel you'd be giving up too much low end. Stick to a cam in the mid 220s on a 114 lsa and I think the car will be a lot more fun to drive around. It'll still have a lope to it but it'll be less radical.

So I keep the same 5.3 heads do i need a new torque converter if i go to a smaller cam? i would like to produce around 430 rwhp or am i dreaming with long tubes and cam and stock heads.

[WSSix]

You're dreaming especially with an auto and stock heads. Stall converters make it difficult to measure how much an engine is producing on a chassis dyno. How the car drives and performs at the track is what you'll want to concentrate on. Use the dyno as the tuning aid that it is. Always remember, if you can't put the power to the wheels you're wasting time. So be sure to also pay attention to tire selection, suspension set up, and simply being able to drive it properly so that you can launch hard. You might be surprised how quick a properly setup car with only 300-350 rwhp is at the track or on the street.

I reread your first post. I didn't realize you were going to build it more towards drag racing. I had autox in my mind. With that said, if drag racing is what you're more inclined to do the Torquer 2 cam will be fine. The stock heads will be choking the cam a little but a future head upgrade will work very well for you.

Are you keeping the truck intake or going with a car intake? Truck will work rather well actually. Go straight to an LS6 intake if you have to switch to a car intake for clearance.

3200 stall will work fine with either the torquer cam or a smaller cam. Just make sure you have proper gearing in the rear end too. 3.73 will be loads of fun