This is not nessasarily true. The intake yes but I have always liked the quadrajets they can be adjusted to run well with all most any combo of mods. They allow you to retune as you evolve thru your mods. if you are going dump all $2500 right off the bat then a holley is a good choice but if you wanted to just replace the intake and the exhaust and swich to HEI you could wake the motor up for about $1000. You do need to find a good quadrajet guy if tou can't tune them yourself. :wink:

I will slightly disagree with the good advice that has been given. The reason is becuase you are starting out with an engine with low compression ratio as it is. Going to the mentioned Oval Port Open Chamber head which I do love will hurt you more than help.l It is only becuase of your low compressuon I suggest to buy and to use for now the cheapest BB Chevy you will find for sale. It is cheap becuase no one wants it and for most engines is no good. Get a set of the medium performance semi-open chamber oval port heads from a 402 cu in engine. The chamber looks a little strange but it is an open chamber design but is more shallow and a smaller chamber than any other open chamber head. It has the same volume in cc as the early closed chamber of 105-106 cc. and has the oval port intake and the same exhaust port as the bigger 049 and 781 heads. Another alternative which are a dime a dozen almost is the early medium performance 396 cu in closed chamber head with oval port intake.

Get those headers off of that car. Period. Stock exhaust would be better than what you have. I suggest from a 1 7.8 primary tube to a maximum of a 2.00 inch primary tube. 3 inch collectors. Buy the cheapest ones you can get and those will be from either Hedman or from Schoenfeld. At your power range and your application tuned heaaders are a waste of money and are a bear to change plugs with. My suggestion is the Hedmon Street Headers and get the cheapest ones.

Good advice you have been given for carbs. If a Rochector is in good condituon there is nothing wrong with using it. A 600 to 750 Vacuum or AFB/EDlebrock or Rochector would all work good.

Digital 6 is great. Buy the MSD 8.5 mm wires. NOthing wrong with using the factory HEI distributor with a good coil compatable with your Digital 6.

OIl sending unit will be above the filter, only.

A Performer RPM Air Gap Oval will work. Also any of the good lower rpm rated single plane oval port intakes will work.

I prefer the hydraulic roller cams too, but even with a regular cam be sure you don't go over board. Buy a cam that is rated for your compression ratio,k nothing bigger. A variable ratio lifter may help too, like the Rhoades for example.

Compression - cylinder heads - and correct camming are usually what wakes up the average Bb Chevy.

Ed

Ed

Sorry for the late reply - thanks for all the suggestions.

Seems like the compression is just right for a blower...... hmmmm. Then the intake prob is solved and the heads will be forced to flow more : )

So without changing the pistons/ rods the only way to bump the compression is to find a set of 402 heads with small chambers that effectively raises the compression? Any idea what ratio w/ the forementioned heads?

The headers have to stay.... its a BBC in a 64 Chevy II so due to clearance they exit via the fenderwells. The hooker version of the headers I need would be better, but I bought the ones I have thinking I would have a 540 BBC pushing 850 hp. I will have a serious motor one day......