When i redid my 215 I used the felpro head gaskets that came in the gasket set. I have read that using the felpro head gaskets lowered my compression. So my question is,would it be worth my time replacing the current felpros with the shim style gasket? Also while i would have the engine taking apart a local buick guy recommended that i advance my cam 4 degrees. He told me that i would get better low end. Any thoughts on advancing the cam?
If your cam is stock leave it alone. Your not going to gain much with it advanced. If your needing more low end look at some crower cams. Fel pros seal better then the shim gaskets. If you need more compression shave heads or change Pistons. . A higher stall converter can help low end also
It is an isky 270 cam. wasn't really looking to get any machine work done. was just curious if the different styles of head gaskets made that much difference. I don't have any converter options with the current transmission.
I have never had any issues with steel gaskets sealing... Certainly easier than milling the heads. You can find on line compression calculators to figure your gain.
Sounds like you are disappointed with your engine's low end performance and are searching for a way to improve it. You mentioned the Isky 270 cam. While I have no idea what the specs are on that cam, the biggest mistake a lot of people make is to over cam an engine mistakenly believing that they will get an increase in power without any downsides at all. In addition, the smaller the engine, the more effect a bigger cam will have on it. A larger cam holds the valves open longer shifting the power range of the engine up to a higher RPM where it can make more HP, but you lose lower end power and idle smoothness. Again, the smaller an engine is, the more effect a cam can have. The same cam installed in a big block will be milder than in a small block. Also, at the time the cam was installed, it should have been degreed in. Most cam cards have you install a cam so that it is 4* advanced. That is something YOU HAVE TO verify when the cam is installed. If you just installed it dot to dot with a stock crank gear, there really is no way to know whether the valve timing is correct or not. As far as static compression goes, if this is the all aluminum V-8, the stock compression would have been 11:1. Putting thicker head gaskets on would drop the compression probably .5. The bigger cam combined with the static compression drop might be your problem. That is assuming that the cam is in right. There are too many unknowns here to even guess where the problem lies. The more information you can supply, the better.
I'll take improved quench and better octane tolerance over not, every time. That tighter quench helps in more ways than one. IF it's apart, the steel shims should help, depending... Bigger cams do not always mean shifting the rpm range higher. Isky 270's are generally "small" but much more aggressive than stock. I would expect much improved bottom end and midrange, esp. if you have a bit of compression and better yet...a bit of effort into even mild porting work. That mild porting work greatly helps the bottom end of the powerband, waking up the cam and top end sooner. Advancing may or may not help, see below. This being said, your questions depend on how everything measures and specs out. That's what needs to be done in order to contemplate which parts to use. Keep in mind, small cubes and lower power outputs are what you are dealing with here. Your post's questions generally increase power with predictable percentages, but the percentage gains show up differently on a larger beast. If it were mine, I would do it if I were at least pocket porting the heads and possibly the intake, otherwise no.
http://iskycams.com/cart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=12_14&products_id=50 http://iskycams.com/cart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=12_14&products_id=56 Is this the typical 270 cam?
If you really want to get some "performance" from your car and do burnouts n such you need to swap out your transmission. Those old 2 speed dynaflow dinosaurs are junk. Guys that have a t5, t10, 2004r, or 350 turbo tranny bolted up to their 215 motor say theres a huge difference in performance and funability! Keith
That's a fairly big cam in a 215. Yes can might bring up some low end but as mentioned a 350 trans would improve power feel along with a convertor . also seems that cam requires a lot of gear which I assume you need more gear also
Definitely pays off to math out everything before swapping a few parts. See how quick these get away from you and turn into a major build? :grin: Curious to see the opening and closing events to stock. Definitely an improvement to go to a 3 spd.
The cam is the 270hl. I talked with a tech at isky over the phone before i ordered my cam, they told me that i would be fine. Although the guy seemed to be in a hurry. I would love to throw in a 200-4r, i have one out of an 87 GN...If it wasn't such a pain to refab the tunnel it would be in there. I know gears would be the best and easiest way to make improvements. Since I dont really have those options with my car I am just trying to see if there is another way to skin a cat...
The 200 is the smallest overdrive . its usually the 700 and others that need a lot of work to use. Try Alittle more research. If not the 350 trans is fairly easy to obtain cheap and should fit with minimal work. What rear gears are you running as isky seems to recommend 3.70 with that cam. If you know your compression specs maybe more compression will help low end but will you be able to get fuel with enough octane? Maybe retuning can get more out of your combo, possibly more timing? Recurve distributer? I'm thinking maybe a combo of gaskets, advance cam, trans/convertor and /or gear . that judging by iskys recommendations.
You won't see a lot of power gain going to steel shim gaskets. The downside with an old engine is that you have to make sure the heads and block deck are really flat, or you may have a leak right off the bat with steel shim gaskets. Things corrode and move around over the years.
