355 LT1 Dart Cylinder Head, Comp CamsCamshaft & Roller Rocker Upgrade

The Edelbrock heads and cam combo achieved great torque, but it was apparent that a larger cam, at the very least, was needed to achieve our goal of over 450 ponies in an effort to keep up with our LS1 brethren. But to make good power naturally aspirated, we couldn't simply slap a few random parts together and call it good. Dart's Platinum Pro1 LT1 180cc heads were relatively new and untested, yet looked to be a formidable cylinder head for smaller cube motors. Dart's flow numbers had it on par with some of the best small runner CNC-ported stock castings and even some 195cc aftermarket castings. When we decided to give these $1,080 (bare) beauties a whirl, a call was placed to COMP Cams for its recommendations for a slightly aggressive street roller that would match the heads. After going back and forth a few times, it was decided that a custom grind 224/230-duration XFI roller should pair well and have good street manners. Naturally we would also have to use COMP's complementing 918 beehive valve springs (p/n 26918-16), to eliminate the valve float we were getting with the previous double springs, R-series lifters (p/n 875-16) and 1.6 ratio Pro Magnum roller rockers (p/n 1318-16). Follow along as we head back to RaceKrafters in Lancaster, PA to ring the last ounces of power out of our top-ended LT1.