So, from what I've read. Because of the fact that the rocker arm plates under the rockers are stepped and not flat make me laen toward the fact that they are most likely g1 heads, but i'll find out for sure on monday. I do need to get the right rocker arms because that was one thing that people didn't do which wore out the valve guides and gave these heads a bad wrap along with piston slap I believe it was called, and from what ive seen the valve guides most likely need replacing. Also, because of the different angle and depth that the valves now have, I will also I need to check to see what pistons were put in when the motor was rebuilt to make sure that they were the correct replacement pistons. I'll keep this page updated the best i can, if anyone has any questions shoot them my way and I'll get back to you as soon as I get a chance.

 

Interesting. I'm just subscribing to this thread to further my own personal knowledge.

 

you will definitly get that here! I tried for a long time on my own to find the answers that took a few brilliant minds minutes to answer.

 

They need special pistons with an aggressive cam, and special rockers (only run the Comp Pro Mags!!) which are getting harder to come by. They require ALOT of attention to detail in the valvetrain setup, and they STILL wear the guides. They were a nice idea, but poorly executed. You can buy far superior heads which are a direct bolt-on for less than getting those things to work right. My recommendation? Just don't bother. Sell those heads for whatever you can get for them. They're not worth the ridiculous headache. That's why TF stopped making them!

 

you know? i was starting to think about it after you mentioned it and i think i should go another route. i'll see what everything else measures out to and see what i can build with the rest of the parts i have.

 

so i now mave a new question. is it possible to put lt-1 heads on a tpi 350? and if so, although the rockers are used can i bolt them onto the lt-1 heads. just throwing an idea out their.

 

I'm pretty sure chevy makes LT1/4 style heads for a standard SBC. I want to say it's the ZZ4 heads, but I'm not sure.

Edit: they are not ZZ4 heads....I remember reading about them, but don't know the name.

Since the LTX engines are reversed cooled, they won't just "work" on your motor.

 

It's not cost effective to try to use LT1 heads on a gen1 sbc.

You're better off just getting a set of aftermarket heads, and calling it a day.

 

with the fact that the bottom end of this motor has already been built, and im poor boying this motor back to life i think i have my mind made up on what route i would like to go. tell me what you guys think. refresh the bottom end and get it ready for some of the best flowing chevy stock heads, but dont know which ones to look for that would mount up with no mods needed, so any ideas are definitly appreciated. ill definitly be using the tpi setup because i like the look of the manifold way more than the lt-1 manifold, and since this is just going to be a weekend driver and im more interested in fuel economy than speed it will work out fine. I'll let you all know what parts are in the bottom end and go from there. i'm wondering if the tpi came with a vortec style head or if that would be the smart route to take. like i said, any advise is definitly appreciated.

 

Gonna go ahead and move this to our technical forums to make sure you get the help you need. Good luck.

 

didn't know you could move a whole thread. thanks

 

The only factory performance head that is a direct bolt-on is the old fuelie/camel/double hump heads from decades ago. Then there is the Vortec head, but that requires an aftermarket TPI base. Anything else isn't worth installing.

 

well....... ok, so then i'll make sure to get some vortec heads from 97 and up because from what ive read there is a little bit of a difference in the early cast that would need to be corrected. as for the after market base im guessing it would be for the center bolts. who would carry the lower plenum

 

Scoggin Dickey Parts Center SD3816 - TPI Vortec Lower Intake Baseplate | SDParts - 1-800-456-0211

By the time you buy that base and the Vortec heads, you will have spent more than what a direct fit aftermarket pair of heads will cost, and you'll be down on power with the Vortecs.

 

looks like that manifold has no bolt holes for the center, why would they do that? and if that is the difference why wouldn't i just put mine on without center bolts? im not using any kind of forced induction. oh and do you not recommend using the same rocker arms?

oh and thanks for the info marc, i swear i don't mean to sound like a pain in the a**.