Ported heads with mild cam worth the effort?

[rkite]

Is there any benefit to running a ported Edelbrock or ported stock heads with 2.02/1.6 valves on a mild cam? Assume a cam with decent lift say .525/.525 262/270 112 or 114 lsa, Edelbrock dual plane rpm intake 650 - 750 cfm carb, 318 or 360.

Wondering if more flow will help on a smooth idling street cam with decent vacuum? Would the idle and vacuum suffer? Would low end torque still be sufficient?

 

[moper]

It sort of depends, but in general - any better flowing head will make more power with the same cam. The more involved the porting and the smaller the cam, the less "gain" because they do need to be matched and usually porting for higher lifts sacrifices flow at low lifts. But yes - there's almost always only a benefit from putting a better flowing port on an engine.

 

[RustyRatRod]

Ported heads with a totally stock engine will make more power, so I say yeah.

 

[krazykuda]

Yes, the opened up ports will flow better.

I would also recommend Rhoades lifters. They bleed down at idle and take out about 15° duration and .025" lift at idle, then pump up by 3500 giving you the full lift and duration from your cam. It will increase idle vacuum, idle smoother, and increase low and mid range torque and power.

Read the second article on this page for more explaination:

http://www.rhoadslifters.com/Pages/Articles.html


They do work. I've used them over 25 years now. Never had a problem and put over 250,000 miles on a set.