I have an LQ4 that I will be putting in a EPS 226/230 cam in the near future. Would it be worth to have the 317 heads reworked with a comp valve job, some milling, smaller head gasket, etc? What kind of gains should I expect? Would it be better to find a set of 243s with no machine work? This is not a long term engine set up so penny pinching is a must. What kind of costs for the machine work?

 

Most shops I talked to wouldnt touch heads for less than $1000 just for labor. Wasnt worth it in my opinion, especially since I am FI.

 

Hit up a sponsor over on ls1Tech called fasterproms I think. They have 243 heads with under 30k miles that they port, mill, and bowl blend depending on what all you want. A lot of people on tech are using them. Thats where I got my 243s aswell. I got the option 2 package which consists of mild port polish, Bowl blending, And a .010 mill. for $750 shipped, But then I had them add PRC dual valve springs. I ended up paying right at $1k shipped for springs and everything. And they supply the heads.

 

WCCH (sponsor, link to the right>>>) has a nice CNC'd stageII 317 head that they offer, I have them, but have yet to bolt them on to my LQ9. They are a bit pricey though. It would be worth it to talk to Richard over there, he is extremely knowledgeable and won't steer you wrong

 

My local machine shop will do head milling up to .100" for $80 for the pair.

 

If you have the cash, Richard is definately someone to talk too.

Thats the typical price around here too.

 

Either way you definitely will need LQ9 or higher compression for that cam...