aluminumun heads, cam

boomer 33 · June 15, 2004

I want to get some real Horse power and torque but though bolt ons. No Nitrous or superchargers.

Thinking Aluminum heads, cam, Lifters.

What does the 8100 really need to get it awake and rollin hard off the line all the way through 85-90 mph.

I have done the Westers and cold air intake. Any suggestions on the best parts to get this done? Is t Byrnes aluminum heads the way to go or are there others that are better?

Wingnut · June 15, 2004

Vortec headers (supposedly) flow pretty darn good as is....I'm not sure that you would get a huge gain out of better heads...

Besides, if you buy a nice set of heads, they aren't complete without being worked (in my opinion, of course).

...And by the time you spend the moola on the heads, and even more to have them worked on. Then you have to buy a complete exhaust system, including headers (More in, more out). Oh, and don't forget pretty much an entirely new valvetrain......You will have spent just as much, if not more than a brand new Whipple supercharger. Or Vortec h supercharger (Tbyrne has a group buy ending today, if memory serves, on these).

**Edit** Oh, and a supercharger is a "bolt-on".

.02

02denali · June 15, 2004

hey go to tbyrnes sight and check out his rides. i think one of them has an 8.1 in it.

99Silver6.0 · June 15, 2004

I wonder if Thunders T-Rex will work in the 8.1!?!? That and a set of Patriot or AFR heads would probably do the trick. Oh yea, that T-Rex cam might need some tuning at 242/248 .608/612 110.

TarheelZ · June 16, 2004

Yeah, I was gonna say that AFR (Air Flow Research) has some heads that flow better than stock. Dynatech has a killer stainless header set with high-flow cats to help with the exhale. Along with a cam and a new Wester's tune and you'll be smoking!

boomer 33 · June 16, 2004

Thanks for the info. Any idea what cam to go with to provide the best power to 5000 rpm? From what I read in Car Carft and LS1, it is easy to get the wrong one and end up with mucho power, but at the wrong time. Great low end then flat etc.

Althoug Aluminum heads are expensive, I like the weight reduction.

99Silver6.0 · June 16, 2004

Its easy to get too much cam. But on the other hand its easy to get too little cam. Your best bet would be to hit up Tom Byrne. He is a vendor on this site. www.tbyrne.com is his site. He has a pretty beefy 8.1 in a Burban. Im pretty sure he can point you in the right direction.

Durkin · June 16, 2004

Folks:

A supercharger (Radix) is the way to go; my 5.3L Tahoe Z71 matches Ted Byrne's 8.1 in the quarter and I will soon squash his time. And he is Whippled!

Trust me on this!

Regards,

Durkin

99Silver6.0 · June 16, 2004

Folks:

A supercharger (Radix) is the way to go; my 5.3L Tahoe Z71 matches Ted Byrne's 8.1 in the quarter and I will soon squash his time. And he is Whippled!

Trust me on this!

Regards,

Durkin

Uh, his name is Tom not Ted. Some people might not want to drop that sort of cash on a charger man. Boomer also noted: "No Nitrous or superchargers." Id say a good heads/cam combo and a good tune will make you more than happy.

Chev8.1 · June 16, 2004

AHHHH forget getting one thing( wrong maybe) Is a radix for small blocks only (LS1 based) Also AFR heads, Patriot, dynatech, their all for the LS1 base small blocks!!!

This is an 8.1 big block, no LS1 stuff, except for engine controls. Look to raylarengine.com for 8100 vortec. They said new intake and cams would be out with week. They have alum. heads, complete, and ported. Or go to ASM for the monster boat intake. One other thing is that you can not use old block heads due to different port configuration.

99Silver6.0 · June 16, 2004

AHHHH forget getting one thing( wrong maybe) Is a radix for small blocks only (LS1 based) Also AFR heads, Patriot, dynatech, their all for the LS1 base small blocks!!!

This is an 8.1 big block, no LS1 stuff, except for engine controls. Look to raylarengine.com for 8100 vortec. They said new intake and cams would be out with week. They have alum. heads, complete, and ported. Or go to ASM for the monster boat intake. One other thing is that you can not use old block heads due to different port configuration.

HAHAHA. Im a dumba$$! Im too stuck on LS1 shyte.

tbyrne · June 22, 2004

A supercharger (Radix) is the way to go; my 5.3L Tahoe Z71 matches Ted Byrne's 8.1 in the quarter and I will soon squash his time. And he is Whippled!

To bad the Radix isn't avaialble for the 8.1. We'll have to add a few thousand pounds to your Tahoe to make it an equal run and then see what happens I've moving 7000lbs down the 1/4 in just under 14 seconds

I haven't talked to the guys at More Power in awhile. I'll have to give them a call to see if everything is all set for the 8.1 heads, cam and intake. They were seeing some very impressive gains from them on marine motors and the test motors they were building plus the heads will take about 100lbs off of the nose. These upgrades along with a custom program (update your Westers) and a set of TOG headers would really wake that truck up. I'll let you know what I find out. I might even pick up a package for my HD!

Tom

2002 8.1 Silverado HD - Full Throttle lift, 37" tires, Comp Cam, TOG headers, Volant induction plus more!

2002 8.1 Suburban -Intercooled Whipple supercharger, 22" wheels/tires + more - 407hp/558 ft-lb torque at the rear wheels - 13.93 @ 95.79 MPH

www.tbyrnemotorsports.com

boomer 33 · June 23, 2004

Great, hope they have something. How many hours would you guess would be the "book" for having heads,cam and intake changed out?

Durkin · June 23, 2004

Folks:

Sorry I got your name wrong Tom, but according to the 2004 chevy specs these should be the numbers for our trucks (even though the years are different); not sure if your Suburban is 2WD or 4WD:

Litres to Weight Ratio

...............................................Litres..........Pounds.....L/Lb

Suburban 3/4 Ton........................8.1.............5,863.......0.001382

Suburban 3/4 Ton 4x4................8.1.............6,169.......0.001313

Tahoe Z71 4X4.............................5.3.............5,262.......0.001007

So in any event, if my math is correct, you have between 30% and 37% more litres per pound than I do; even at 7,000 pounds you would have 15% more litres per pound.

Why would I need a 2,000 pound handicap?? And, what kind of gas mileage do you get?

Regards,

Durkin