Running after-market heads on a stock cam.

[Cerwin Vega Fan]

I'm the kind of person that likes to do a lot of things at once. I'm not to fond of the idea of having to put headers on my car and then have to take them right back off just to bolt on some heads. So I'm considering until I have enough money to do both at once. But I was wondering how will after-market heads affect an engine with a stock cam? Will I experience any negative results by doing this?

Thanks

[fastTa]

I'm the kind of person that likes to do a lot of things at once. I'm not to fond of the idea of having to put headers on my car and then have to take them right back off just to bolt on some heads. So I'm considering until I have enough money to do both at once. But I was wondering how will after-market heads affect an engine with a stock cam? Will I experience any negative results by doing this?

Thanks

If you are planning on spending 2K-3K on heads, why wouldn't you spend the extra $275-$300 on a cam??

Also, put some basic info about your car in your sig. I will help immensely in the future.

[Kevin - Blown 95 TA]

Heads & cam go together. They should be done at the same time and matched for performance. You can do one without the other, but ,man, it's a lot of work and expense in gaskets, etc. to go back and get it completed. I think if I was only going to do one and not the other, I would do a cam and 1.6 roller rockers, and valve springs. Anyway, you really need to think of your car in terms of 'balanced' systems. It needs to be planned out how you want it to end up. If you just start throwing money at it and bolting on performance stuff, the results will be less than the potential of some well thought out upgrades. The only drawback to doing a bunch of stuff at once is that the obstacles of trying to make a bunch of aftermarket stuff go together add up and it can take a while to get it done. There are always a few surprises in any pile of go-fast parts cause they are often designed to work with stock components. They don't always anticipate all the combos of aftermarket stuff that the buyer will be adding.

As far as putting a cam in with the new heads - you should do it. It might cost more than you think when you consider a new timing set, pushrods, roller rockers, gaskets, seals, possible air conditioning recharge, reprogram, etc.

[Cerwin Vega Fan]

Well when you go to change heads tell me this, when you unbolt the headers do you just let them lay to the side? I was told you have to remove the headers when doing a head swap. Is this true or have I been misinformed?

[Kevin - Blown 95 TA]

Well when you go to change heads tell me this, when you unbolt the headers do you just let them lay to the side? I was told you have to remove the headers when doing a head swap. Is this true or have I been misinformed?

The problem is that there isn't much room in there to lay them to the side and if they are still attached to the Y pipe, they aren't going to move much, so that needs to be undone anyway. Once you unbolt the headers from the heads and Y pipe, you should be able to let them fall down a bit to get at the last row of head bolts. Don't forget you need to get at the wires & plugs, too.

[rufrider76]

seems to me like you answered your own question. if you are taking the car far enough aprt to get the heads out why woul you want to have to do it all agian to get the cam later. not to mention you reallty need to do both at the same time. or at least do the cam first. i am sure you have the headers and that is why you are thinking this why but it most head and can packages come with a discount and the cam is not that much in the first place.