[adantessr]

I am sure that the topic has been beat to death, but : My buddy has a fresh 355 with flat top pistons and a "Thumpr" cam. The heads are factory smog heads. I am thinking they are 662 heads but it has been several months since I installed the cam and am not sure. So I was wondering what would be the best heads to upgrade this engine for street use. It is going to go in a "67 Camaro which had the factory 250 cu. in. 6 cyl. We will be using the original powerglide trans and rearend with a 2200 rpm stall converter. He is talking "Dart" heads, but aren't there different heads for different applications ? He will be running a 1406 Eddy on a performer intake.

[1Gary]

It is dependent on what the rest of the build is.

[Choctaw Bob]

Most would agree the "Best" street heads right now are AFRs if they are selected properly and the rest of the build is a combination of gears, converter, cam, heads, intake and carb that suits the purpose of the car.
That said, many heads available will do the job and unless you are a sharp tuner, you will never notice the difference in most.

[hcompton]

Originally Posted by adantessr

I am sure that the topic has been beat to death, but : My buddy has a fresh 355 with flat top pistons and a "Thumpr" cam. The heads are factory smog heads. I am thinking they are 662 heads but it has been several months since I installed the cam and am not sure. So I was wondering what would be the best heads to upgrade this engine for street use. It is going to go in a "67 Camaro which had the factory 250 cu. in. 6 cyl. We will be using the original powerglide trans and rearend with a 2200 rpm stall converter. He is talking "Dart" heads, but aren't there different heads for different applications ? He will be running a 1406 Eddy on a performer intake.

All of the big guys make a head for the low power builds. Usally there cheapest head as well. so he could get dart heads and still be right on for the combo.

I got a set of procomps i am very happy with for 600 bucks new and complete. you can see them in my profile album if interested.

180cc to 195cc intake runners are the normal street range bigger for bigger cubes and cams is fine but the smaller runners will flow real nice for street engine.

[1Gary]

Yes "most" aftermarket heads fit light to light applications. But good enough has never been in my vocabulary in terms of hot rodding.And these days you can tailor a torque curve with correct matched parts for a desired result for the street.It is the sum total of all the little things added up that makes a big difference.

[vinniekq2]

what 1gary said.
shp 180s are decent or something that size.
AFR have great exhaust flow,the thumpr cam is designed for crappy heads that have poor exhaust flow.

[gearheadslife]

brodix they have nice thick decks.. but like said above, the type/size depends on engine and vehicle use..
deck thickness is important if you are going to add boost or happy gas.. and no matter what type of p.i.t.a. it is to remove them in the car. on engine use arp studs leave the head bolts in the coffee can

[adantessr]

Originally Posted by vinniekq2

what 1gary said.
shp 180s are decent or something that size.
AFR have great exhaust flow,the thumpr cam is designed for crappy heads that have poor exhaust flow.

You have no idea how hard I tried to talk him out of the thumpr. He had what I thought was a good cam in it. The engine was a fresh professional rebuild with so few miles on it that the carbon on top of the pistons wiped off with a rag. Don't remember the numbers or make of the cam right now, but when I researched it, it turned out to be a performance cam for a 327. I think it would have worked great. My thoughts, which may well be wrong, would be any performance head with runners no bigger than 180 cc and 72 cc chambers would be a big improvement to go with the flattops and pump gas. Summit Racing has so many different Dart heads listed. I was hoping someone would point me in the right direction for a good street head for pump gas with the flattops and thumpr cam. Still open for suggestions. I will tell him about the AFR heads and the shp 180s Thanks

[vinniekq2]

I think the guy that came up with the name thumpr cam is a genius.You need a cam that fits your needs more than a cool name.There are many many grinds because everyone is different. cam choice shouldnt be voodoo black magic thumping anything,,,

[gearheadslife]

Originally Posted by vinniekq2

I think the guy that came up with the name thumpr cam is a genius.You need a cam that fits your needs more than a cool name.There are many many grinds because everyone is different. cam choice shouldnt be voodoo black magic thumping anything,,,

haha, so true, but because there are more cruiser type cars out there than all out power, you have guys that want the wild cam sound without the b/s that goes with them..
can't blame them, if I had a 40's merc that I'd never race or a 34 ford that was just a cruiser,,
they fit the mold great,
they also allow those on a shoestring budget to use heads no one else would and that= cheap..
most of the grinds are just overdone early 80's grinds.. remember when good heads where for the big money crowd..

[cdminter59]

These Dart SHP 180cc heads are good heads for the price. Dart SHP Special High Performance Cylinder Heads 127221 - SummitRacing.com Dart SHP Special High Performance Cylinder Heads 127222 - SummitRacing.com. The only thing different is the valve spring size on these heads.

[ap72]

the Summit and Jegs house brand heads are both very good heads, about the best you'll find for the money. some of the chinese heads aren't bad either, but they're chinese so take that for what you want. AFR's are nice, but you're paying a lot more for a cnc ported head- at that price level you're in a whole different market and there are also other very good heads in that market.

[Coram Stiner]

consider vortec heads they come stock on chevy and gmc trucks. you have to use vortec intake to match heads the runners out flow most aftermarket heads and are a lot cheaper my son put a set on his project truck. it has 350 bored 30 over flat top pistons and bigger cam gained 50+ hp

[Ohio Hab]

I personally would run the Brodix IK 180cc heads, or the Dart SHP, for the money. I would not use ProComp anything, you usually get what you pay for.

[ap72]

SOME of the Dart heads are really good, the SHP 180 heads are NOT those heads. I wouldn't even consider using them unless they were given to you.

Brodix, Jegs, Summit, all are at the same price range and much better (Jegs being the best IMO). You can also get cheaper Assault Racing heads which are better than the shp's but are chinese (I have nothing against that but many people do).

AFR's are also pretty good but cost a lot more- you can also go with some RHS heads or go to a custom head guy like Speir or Dr. J for something that is really top notch (but you'll have to pay for it).