what do you think of my combo?

[stuck-in-asia]

This is going into my 92 camaro RS. It will be backed by a built 700R and a GM 10 bolt with posi and 3.73's. It will be a weekend warrior with very limited track use.

97 hyd roller block
comp cams Xr276 http://www.compcams.com/Technical/Search/CamDetails.asp?PartNumber=08-423-8
GM 292 heads (probably)
speed pro forged flattop pistons at around 10:1 static cr
holley 4 barrel carb with mechanical secondaries
weiand stealth aluminum manifold http://store.summitracing.com/egnsearch.asp?N=700+302029+4294908216+4294903508+1 15+4294924744
1.5 aluminum roller rockers
100 shot of the juice

I think I got everything. Constructive criticism is always accepted no matter how harsh.

How many horsies? And what do you think she'll run in the quarter?

[Firebirdjones]

Kind of an open question, so many things depend on your ability to tune.
Nice camshaft for the street,,,not that large, good street manors for anything 350 or larger. You didn't mention what size motor you are building, I will assume a 350.

Couple things I would change. 1st the cylinder heads. If money is an issue I would go with vortec heads, they will be better right out of the box than the old 292's. You can buy them from Scoggin/D with all the required machine work and proper springs for the cam you want to run. They are brand new and cheap, best bang for the buck on cylinder heads for a small block chevy. If money is not an issue I'd go with a set of aluminum. I use AFR and like them.
With vortec heads you will need the intake to match, and Edelbrock makes an RPM air gap to go with the vortecs. Thats my favorite dual plane intake to use on a street car.

On the rockers I would stay away from the aluminum. Just me but alot of the aluminums I have seen are questionable. I have seen the front pins that hold the roller tip in place work themselves loose.
I prefer the steel rollers from Crower or Comp, they cost more but it's money well spent in the long run.
Larry.

[stuck-in-asia]

Thanks for the reply. Yeah, its a 350 bored .040 over. The thing about the heads and intake is that I already have them. I got them for a song, and the 292's are virgin and ported. The reason I said "probably" is because a buddy of mine said that he'll give me $400 for them because he can use them on his '69 in the stock class. If he gets them from me, I'll probably get a set of aluminums.

Your comment on the rocker arms is noted, but I already have them also. The thing is, I was given most of the parts for this build. If I had to pony up the cash for all of this, I would have went a different route. The AFR's are on my wish list, though I have heard horror stories about delivery dates.

I'm not looking for every last pony out of this combo, I just want a quick and fun to drive street car.

[Firebirdjones]

I would sell the 292's to your buddy. They would probably work fine for what you are doing but would be better suited for someone in class racing.
I was under the impression they would need to be fully machined and rebuilt before use. In which case, don't go through with it. You would spend as much or more rebuilding 30 year old cast iron heads as you would spend on brand new vortec castings, and probably get close to a set of new aluminum heads.

As far as AFR? Ya they have a long lead time, depending on what you are after. I had to wait about 2 months to get my big block chevy heads, but they were just starting to tool up for a new head on the LS-1 engine, and they have to go where the money is. It's understandable, part of running a business. What ticks me off about AFR is the fact that they sent me the heads with wrong valve springs installed. Even after the AFR tech had a long conversation with Comp Cams about a custom grind. Now here I am with a hydraulic roller cam and a wiped out lobe thanks to some monkey at AFR that didn't double check their paperwork. I am still dealing with this problem and AFR has been no help. Going to cost me about $1,000 in repairs, but thats the way it goes when you play with this stuff.
You would expect that when you pay $3,000 for heads that they show up at your door right and ready to go. I don't have a problem with their product and would use them again. This was more of a personel problem. Awsome heads if you want top of the line. No one out there makes a big block chevy head that can flow as well with the same intake runner size, simply hard to beat. I beleive the small block chevy heads are on the same playing field as well, and if so, are very much worth the wait. Larry.

[stuck-in-asia]

The heads were completely worked over with a valve job and porting when I got them. My builder says that it was one of the better jobs he had seen. The springs and valves are also brand new. Thats the only reason I got them. They've never been used.

I'm ready to get this thing together though, so I'll give my buddy with the '69 one chance monday morning. If he says no they will be bolted up an ready to go by that afternoon.

I know that they're not the best, but my builder said that he had built a 500hp street motor on a set of these exact heads. Weather he's lying or not I guess we'll see on my first dyno run, but he is working for free. :D

[Firebirdjones]

Thats cool, since they are ready to go and you got them cheap enough, stick them on and have some fun :thumbsup: Larry.

[stuck-in-asia]

Yeah, thats the plan. I have heard good things performance wise about the AFR's and think that eventually slap down the cash for a set (especially if the 292's are sub-par in the performance area.

Alot of people say that I should ditch the 292's but the guy building my engine has a hard on for them because he's had a few sets. So I'll give them a try and see. I'll let you guys know how they work.

The rest of the combo looks pretty good though huh? Oh yeah the weiand stealth was his idea too, but I got it so cheap, it wasn't funny.