Thread: Need help selecting heads for 454

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I been reading & reading and cant seem get the Idea. I have a genv 454 with 27cc dome pistons, roller comp camp 273 grind with intake at 224 & exhaust 236 @ .50 with a 113 slope, vale lift .537 & 547. I want aluminum heads to clear the pistons. But all the reading about runners , ports etc is kicking my ass. Basically I want a daily driver with torque. Im looking to spend around 900per head if that helps. Weww I had to get all this is out man , I need help.

Welcome to CHR, and hope you enjoy your stay. Given that you've decided on aluminum heads (which I believe is a good idea) my approach would be to decide on one of the name brands who've established a track record, like AFR or ???, and contact their tech line and chat a bit. That said, it looks like your $900/head is going to be a bit light for any of the name brands.

Big car, small car, truck . . . etc? What's the motor in?

I am NOT the BBC guru on this site, but if I were planning a pump gas daily driver and wanted good torque, here's what I would do. I'd bore the block 0.030" and cut the block decks to 9.780" for a zero deck with a piston such as SRP 306724, a 9cc model. I'd seek out a good set of 049 or 781 cast iron Chevy oval port heads (253cc intake runners, 119cc exhaust runners), magnaflux 'em and cc 'em and cut 'em to 115cc chambers. With a 0.040" gasket such as the Fel-Pro 1071, the resultant static compression ratio would be 9.5:1 with an 0.040" squish. I'd bolt on an Edelbrock Performer RPM #7161, 700-800 vacuum secondaries carb and top it with a good 14" x 4" air filter assembly so the motor could breathe. A good set of equal-length, long-tube headers with an X or H pipe immediately after the collectors is the way I'd do the exhaust. After the H or X, I'd run 2 1/2"/2 3/4" pipe to the rear bumper through mufflers of my choice. (my choice would be 36" long glasspaks with a 3" core, 5" O.D.).
I'd use a fairly short cam, maybe something like this, and a 10", 2500 stall converter and 3.73:1 rear gear with 28" tires.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/hrs-cl120245-12
This cam will produce a 8.14:1 dynamic compression ratio on the KB calculator. Solid street performance on modest pump gas.
BBC 454 049 Heads Sold Over 100 Sets Hi Perf 396 427 353049 | eBay

Like I said, I don't usually fool with big blocks, but there's my street runner build.

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