im debating buying a set of new (higher compression)heads for my 350 2bolt main
i dont know the make of them they were bought brand new for $1000
the guy just wants to get rid of them hes willing to sell for $600 obo
anyways i was wondering how high compression i can run before my engine starts to fall apart on me and if i raise compression a significant amount how much more hp/torque is this goin to give me
am i goin to have to swap out my camshaft and intake manifold as well to see some power or will the heads be sufficient
i dont need 450horse i just want a little more power to mess around with
(78 z28 350 2 bolt main 4 speed manual trans)

 

Are these heads cast iron or are they aluminum? For pump gas, I prefer to stay in the 9.5:1 range with cast iron and you can go up to a full point more with aluminum.

On AVERAGE, one full point of compression is worth about 30-40 HP in a V8 engine. There are other factors to consider but that is a rough estimate.

A larger cam will cut some of the cylinder pressure and make an engine with high compression a little more tolerable to low octane fuel.