text by Greg Pernula
photography by the manufacturers
Overall, the stock Corvette heads are good, but you're looking for more grunt out. Getting airflow through the heads is one of the keys to small-block performance. You could pull off the heads, strip them and send them to a machine shop, but what are the alternatives? Fortunately, there are plenty, ranging from replacing the entire head with a complete unit or installing a bare performance head with a trick valvetrain. A host of companies offer cylinder heads with bigger valve diameters, improved flow and machined combustion chambers.
Edelbrock's new Performer LT1 intake manifold is now available for 1992-1996 LT1 engines and is aimed squarely at the street performance crowd. Fifty-states emissions legal, the Performer has a unique runner design that delivers more air and fuel for more torque and better throttle response. Dyno testing has proven gains of 35 lb-ft of additional torque and 25 percent more horsepower than stock intakes.
For your L98 or LT1 Corvette, CNC Cylinder Heads offers heads with exclusive port designs machined using Winston Cup CNC technology to produce high efficiency and precise port contours. They deliver maximum airflow capacity and high velocity, resulting in great advances in mid-range torque and top end horsepower.
ACCEL's Street Ram Fuel Injection System for Chevy small-blocks was developed in conjunction with John Lingenfelter to provide dramatic horsepower and torque increases and still be compatible with the OEM computer. The system comes complete with wiring harness, fuel pump and everything else needed for a trouble-free bolt-on installation.
Performance fans can benefit from the advanced technology of electronic multi-point fuel injection with Edelbrock's Pro-Flow system. The Edelbrock/Weber system utilizes an intricate sequential firing speed/density system for instantaneous throttle response, increased horsepower, smoother engine operation and better fuel economy.
For owners of earlier Corvettes, Holley has a first-string lineup of digital fuel injection systems in its Pro-Jection retrofit kits for carbureted, non-computerized engines. A total of six systems are available in 650, 700 and 900 cfm four-barrel versions to accommodate horsepower ranges from 150 to 500.
Howell has an aftermarket fuel injection system specifically designed for refitting Corvettes originally equipped with carburetors to a TPI system. The Howell system utilizes a custom wiring harness to link the original factory computer and emissions equipment together with the replacement TPI system.
Sources | ||
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ACCEL Mr. Gasket Performance Group 8700 Brookpark Rd. Cleveland, OH 44129 216-398-833 |
A/O Engineering, Inc. 19523 Delaware Circle Boca Raton, FL 33434 305-975-9551 |
Arizona Speed & Marine 4834 S. 49th St. Phoenix, AZ 85040 602-437-2510 |
Baer Racing Inc. 3108 West Thomas Road Suite 1201 Phoenix, AZ 85017-5306 602-233-1411 Fax: 602-352-8445 |
CNC Cylinder Heads, Inc. 6400 53rd Street Pinellas Park, FL 34665 813-527-886 |
Corvette Performance 27660 Marguerite Pkwy. Ste. C-210 Mission Viejo, CA 92692-3634 714-247-1038 |
Edelbrock Corporation 2700 California Street Torrance, CA 90503 310-781-2222 |
Eibach Springs 15311 Barranca Parkway Irvine, CA 92718 714-727-3700 |
Energy Suspension 1131 Via Callejon San Clemente, CA 92673 714-361-3935 |
Flowmaster Inc. 2975 Dutton Ave. No. 3 Santa Rosa, CA 95407 800-544-4761 |
Holley 1801 Russellville Road P.O. Box 10360 Bowling Green, KY 42102-7360 502-782-2900 |
Hooker Headers 1024 W. Brooks St. P.O. Box 4030 Ontario, CA 91761 909-983-5871 |
Howell Engine Developments Inc. 24356 Sorrentino Court Clinton Township, MI 48035 810-791-6400 |
Hypertech, Inc. 1910 Thomas Road Memphis, TN 38134 901-382-8888 |
Kanter Auto Products 76 Monroe St. Boonton, NJ 07005 800-526-1096 |
LG Motorsports 4314 Action St. Garland, TX 75042 214-272-7753 |
March Performance 5820 Hix Rd. Westland, MI 48185 313-429-3633 |
Mid America Designs One Mid America Place P.O. Box 1368 Effingham, IL 62401 800-500-VETT |
Performance Resource 12 Barbara Drive Fairfield, NJ 07004 201-343-0680 |
Performance Suspension Technology P.O. Box 396 Montville, NJ 07045-0396 800-247-2288 |
SLP Engineering, Inc. 1501 Industrial Way North Toms River, NJ 08755 201-240-3696 |
TPI Specialties 4255 County Road 10 East Chaska, MN 55318 612-448-6021 |
TransGo Performance 2621 Merced Ave. El Monte, CA 91773 818-443-4953 |
Vibratech, Inc. Fluidampr 537 East Delavan Avenue Buffalo, NY 14211 716-895-5404 |
Vortech Engineering 5351 Bonsai Ave. Moorpark, CA 93021 805-529-9330 |
Weiand Automotive Industries 2316 San Fernando Road P.O. Box 65301 Los Angeles, CA 90065 |
Copyright(c) 1996: Dobbs Publishing Group.