Have the aluminum Stage 1 heads from TA made their al. Stage 2 heads obsolete? I have a gut feeling that the Stage 2 heads may be more suited for racing applications than the new Stage 1 heads, but that is based on bit of a guess based on port shape- or have the new design for the exhaust flow path on the Stage 1 heads surpassed the Stage 2's ability to perform? One of the weakest links in my 455 is the heads. I have slowly been accumulating parts, but still no head castings purchased. I'm trying to make the best decision on head choice- my car is a daily driven, street car with a 455 bored to 462 that is just mildly more performance oriented than how it was when new in '74. The car is quick, but I know my smog heads and small valves are killing me performance-wise. I run a beefed up TH350 and a 3.31:1 Chevy 12 bolt. I'm not looking for a 1/4 mile all-star (at least not now), but I would like more performance. The heads are the most obvious limiting factor in my buildup. I'm not sure how much head porting, if any, I can afford. I wouldn't mind buying Stage 2 headers, because I will need a new pair soon anyway, but would it be a waste of time to buy Stage 2 heads? I saw a great deal on blems in the last Build Sheet- my jaw dropped. I don't really care if the casting has a scratch or whatnot, what I care about is my pocketbook- would I be "money-in" to just pay the extra money for the (non-blem) Stage 1 heads? Or will the Stage 2's be a good choice because of the D-shaped ports sort of make up the difference for me, because I probably won't have my heads ported, at least for now? On a related note, I'm thinking of a new cam to compliment the heads. i don't have notched pistons, but I will be installing my TA roller rockers. I'm thinking of the TA 212, since it still has a good idle and I shouldn't have valve clearance issues. Any input on that camshaft?
