My heads are milled .050 and I picked up quite a bit of power. It only costs @ $50 per head plus the new gaskets, and you wouldnt believe the gains.
My question is why hasnt anyone else done this yet? With higher compression you can run the good fuel from the airport and get still more power.

 

A lot of people don't want to tear their motor apart, they don't want extra compression cause they use nitrous or a supercharger, and a whole lot of people refuse to use anything above 87 octane.

On the positive side, if you get the right work done to the head, install a lumpier cam, and shave off some of the head and increase your compression level, you can get an easy 100 horsepower. Once you start going over 400hp with the N/A small block motor though, you start running into real loppy idle, lack of vacuum pressure for your brakes to work well, and special fuel required.

Remember that a lot of people, this is their only truck, and they are everyday drivers.

 

What's your compression ratio now?

 

I think it would be around 10.2:1 CR.

I think 100 HP is a little unrealistic. Well, I guess full bolts ons, open exhaust, headers, very aggresive cam and Stage XXX heads might gain close to 100 compared to a bone stock truck.

 

When you do this do you have to change your push rods to a different length?

 

I was told that my comp ratio is between 10.3-10.5, depending on the gasket thickness. About the 100 hp gain, I need to have it dynoed agian. I had it dynoed when I first got it and the only mod was a drop in filter and it pulled 257.9rwhp and 310.4rwtq. Since then I've done all the mods listed in my SIG. One thing I never have understood is that if these trucks only come with 285hp and 325tq stock, did the drop filter make that much power or do these engines come with more than the advertised power? Just a few more mods to do then Ill dyno it agian.

 

I calculate it out to roughly 10.24:1 using stock gaskets. If you went to thinner gaskets, you would have higher compression.

I think with .05 milled, you would want to think about a 7.35" pushrod.

 

I was talking a pretty aggressive cam, stage 2 heads, and the usual bolt ons. My buddy has a 2000 Camaro SS that was rated at 320 horsepower at the motor. He had it dynoed after, a real aggresive cam, and stage two ls1 heads, slp longtube headers and cutouts, and got a 408rwhp dyno run. That would put him at about 125hp gain for his mods, with the cutouts closed I imagine that he got about 100hp, but that is speculation only.

 

That's what I've been thinking about doing instead of spending all the money (which I ain't got) for stage 2's. Since I live just up the road from TEA and they get $100 for a competition valve job and $75 to mill up to .50 I would think those combined should be good for 40 or so extra horses anyway.

 

Question for Big Tex or anyone who may know,
With 257.9rwhp and a 20% drive loss the hp at the motor would have been @309.48. Can that be right? Remember now that the truck was 100% stock exept for the drop in filter. That would also make the TQ @372.48. Doesnt sound right to me. And if by some chance it is right, then Right now I should be getting near the 300 mark.Right?