a reasonable mild but dependable upgrade

Grumpy · Feb 29, 2016

I've always been a huge Vette fan and finally got the opportunity to purchase one yesterday. She's a fixer upper but I wouldn't have it any other way!

My questions are mostly pertaining to the engine rebuild I have in front of me:

-I want a good mild cam. Any suggestions? I was eyeing the Comp 12-364-4 "XFI" cam. Thoughts?

-How beneficial would it be to upgrade to aluminum heads? I found a pair of 58cc recently machined heads locally that I can get for a pretty good price from a guy. Should I go for it or would the stock cast iron heads be fine after a trip to the machine shop?

-Intake manifold...upgrade or port the stock one?

-Do I need to upgrade the stock fuel injectors? If so, need suggestions I have no clue what lbs/hr and PSI would be needed.

-With the above mentioned mods, do I have to do anything to the CPU? If so, how complicated is that process? I've heard the CPU and intake are kind of restrictive on this model year so I want to make sure I'm checking all of the right boxes to optimize my mods.

My goal is to get it to about 300-325 hp (not at rear wheel) so nothing too extreme. I'll have all of the necessary bolt-ons to help me get there (headers, exhaust system, intake). Just need some guidance on some of the internals. Thanks!

the first logical step in any potential engine build will be to step back and logically consider the realistic goals time required your budget and local engine shop resources, and your personal experience and access to tools and a place to work on your car,for many guys it makes a good deal more sense to buy and install a similar engine family CRATE ENGINE, as that generally in the long term will be both less work and CHEAPER. Now Im not trying to dissuade you from an engine rebuild, I'm simply pointing out facts!
a careful assessment of your goals and budget , and resources will be helpful
making a detailed list of NEW parts, MACHINE WORK cost, and labor costs at the local machine shop, including all the new fasteners, gaskets will be helpful.
you can be certain that the stock exhaust system, heads, intake manifold and cam are all rather restrictive on that 1985 TPI corvette and the concept of the weakest link in the chain still applies, thus it will do little good to stick killer heads on the car if the intake is still restrictive or a fantastic high flow intake manifold on restrictive heads, or to expect a great heads and intake to flow near their full potential with a mild cam, that barely allows the ports to flow, the heads to breath or if matched to a restrictive exhaust!
yeah! DOLLAR SIGNS $$$$ it will cost money to play the game and expect to get an impressive boost in performance and doing the job part way usually results in a disappointing level of power for the money spent.

heres a suggestion, in parts to buy and install based on personal experience,
(and your goal of a high torque 330hp range engine)
(BTW while NOT MANDATORY with this combo below,swapping to a 3.54:1 rear gear and 2700-2800 rpm stall converter, and 28-32 lb injectors will maximize the power curve accessibility)
the mild 114132 crane cam suggested below will get you to exactly the power level you requested when matched to the other suggested parts listed but its now the limiting factor, you could use a bit more cam if you install the rear gear and higher stall converter and pick up significantly more power
something like a crane 119661 hydraulic roller ,or a CROWER 00471 hydraulic roller would match nicely then, and provide a big power increase

http://www.melroseheaders.com/products/smooth_flow_exhaust_systems/c-4.php

http://www.melroseheaders.com/products/ ... ms/c-4.php

CRANE 114132 cam and lifters

http://www.jegs.com/i/Brodix/158/1021004/10002/-1

a reasonable mild but dependable upgrade

Grumpy

The Grumpy Grease Monkey mechanical engineer.