2 different setups need advice please
 

hi so im down to 2 different setups only got 1600 to really play with right now
i already have a borla catback and slp lid and ive recently bought a new port/polish throttle body 85mm and a bbk ssi intake manifold also 85mm.
my choice now is between two setups looking for advice on which one would yeild better and more reilable results
1st
SLP lid
85 mm ported/polished throttle body
BBK SSi intake with 85mm inlet
thunder racing camshaft 224/224 .563/.563 112 LSA 1700-6500 RPM band
(comp cams beehive valve springs and pushrods)
hedman long tube headers
bbk underdrive pulleys
comp cams roller rockers 1.7 ratio
borla 3'' catback exhaust

2nd setup
SLP lid
85 mm ported/polished throttle body
BBK SSi intake with 85mm inlet
thunder racing camshaft 224/224 .563/.563 112 LSA 1700-6500 RPM band
trick flow heads (Intake Runner Volume (cc) 220, Exhaust-
Runner Volume (cc) 80cc , Combustion Chamber Volume (cc) 64
new alluminum ls1 roller rockers
re-use stock pushrods
hedman long tube headers
borla 3'' catback exhaust

so basically only difference is one has nice roller rockers and new pushrods and underdrive pulleys but stock heads where the other has new heads but stock rockers and re using the stock pushrods and no underdrive pulleys.
im not to good in the valvetrain area which is why im asking for advice thanks for all input, btw car is DD so thats why cam isnt too crazy and no im not putting a wet shot on it just yet.

I think you are overshooting your budget.

you HAVE to at least get the springs either way and honestly I wouldnt do a cam swap without chromoly pushrods as well. It may not be way bigger than stock, but you will still float a valve especially if you raise your rev limiter. You will probably spend close to 1k on the cam swap alone.

when I did mine I got the ls6 oil pump and chain as well... you may already have that in 01 though... but if not it is also highly recommended for cam swaps.

PnP heads can run you 1500 easy with oversized valves, but maybe you can find a deal. I had a buddy get some TSP heads on ebay or a forum for sale site for 500.


also, dont go cheap on your header gaskets. that will just cause you a headache later.... not a huge one because LT's really open up the ls1 engine bay, but a headache none the less

well thunder racing offers a package its like 600 with your choice of any one of there cams, and they throw in a set of comp cams beehive valve springs and a set of chromaly pushrods. not a bad deal. ive already purchased the ls2 timing chain i know bout the ls1 chain being weak and how it is highly recomended for a stronger one for cam swaps. not looking into heads anymore not enough money to build em right. forgot header gaskets tho thanks for the reminder

someone else will have to weigh in on the 1.7 rockers, but I feel like it isnt that common since you can just get what you want in a cam without messing with the rocker ratio. but it is up to you. just calculate out your actual lift of you may end up overcamming

The car is a DD, but what have you done for your suspension? What Edelbrock suspension parts do you have? I would be looking at 35/22 hollow sways and Koni/Bilstein shocks -- unless you just like to go in straight lines, which DDs don't do... How many mi. on the car?

Shut up about your damn shocks, that was probably the last thing on the OP's mind. Spector is right, you have overshot your budget. The cam and heads would be nice if you could do that for the $1600. I would do the camshaft and the whole exhaust for now and see if thats enough power for you. If your car is an M6. I would step up to the the TR228 cam. Won't the 1.7 rockers help him more lift out of the new cam?

DarkFox is correct. Setting some of that money aside for a good dyno tune is a very good idea.

Kind of agreed.... the OP seems to be satisfied with his suspension and was not asking about that. mindlessly plugging shocks in every tech thread is akin to sarah palin mindlessly hurling whatever new buzzword has been all over fox news. I enjoy the tech articles that get posted but if this shockophilia continues you are getting a momma grizzly nick name.

as for the rockers, yes, they will increase lift, but if the heads cannot support the overall flow then you have a problem. I cant remember exactly what effect rockers have.... They might actually help down low some... I am trying to figure out how the flow would be affected....


the reason you don't want to over-cam is because you end up with a cam that only makes power at high RPM, but heads (or whatever) that cant flow fast enough at high RPM to support the power so you end up with a low torque low hp car with lots of "go fast" goodies.

increasing the overall lift will give more flow at lower RPM which could increase torque but will still suffer the same issues sooner at high RPM.

anyone want to chime in? do 1.7 rockers have the effect of lowering peak hp RPM? if that is the case then it isnt necessarily a bad idea

Are you always rude? Who asked you?!

The OP may not have thought about this aspect being a DD, and suspension is pretty overlooked in f-bodies.