Better heads worth it?

[Redchevy87]

I have a reman 350 in my truck. It has 71 350 76cc heads on it. I have no idea what the cam is but I assume it’s a stock cam. Is it worth swapping to a set of aluminum 64cc heads? I know a cam swap would be ideal but I am afraid to do a flat tappet these days and I think if I’m going to put the money into a retrofit roller I might as well just get a crate engine. I also have an edelbrock eps intake and summit headers. Any thoughts or opinions?

[truckster]

"Worth it" is a very individual value judgement. You will definitely notice a difference in the seat of your pants.

[Getter-Done]

I would go for it.

[b454rat]

Cam, heads and compression makes power. So putting on good heads will get you more power. But the motor is almost torn down enough to replace the cam, why not do both? Use break in oil for the cam.

[b454rat]

double tap

[Dead Parrot]

Do the 64cc heads have accessory mounting holes in all the right places? Assuming yes, other then the labor, the need to buy parts count for a head swap is pretty low. A top end gasket set and maybe a head bolt set(depends on your thoughts on reusing head bolts).

What is the planned use for the truck? Possible the higher compression might need more expensive gas.

[Willshook]

What does "worth it" mean to you?

A heads and cam swap will add power for sure *if done right*. How much power is all about how much you want to spend. Aluminum is pretty, but adds cost to no real benefit unless you're trying to make big power.

So a better question might be "for this amount of money, what's the best way to make more power?"

Retrofit rollers are great, but they are a fair bit of work given that you have to positively retain the cam. Flat-tappet cams are fine with good break-in technique and the right oil, which is easy to get these days (Lucas Hot Rod Oil, Royal Purple HPS or XPR, Valvoline VR1, and others...). A roller will make better power, but profiles like the CompCams Xtreme Energy are "near roller" profiles that get you most of the benefit for much less cost and work. You can do a flat tappet cam swap with the engine in the chassis, but you'll have to pull it for a retrofit roller.

Lots of things to think about.

[bnorth]

I don't think it is worth doing the heads without also making a cam upgrade. I hear you on the issues with flat tappet lifters these days though. Seems the metallurgy has been forgotten as there is an epidemic of failures in break-in or with low miles even with guys using proper oil and break in technique.