I contacted a dealer in Louisville who has Carl Self on staff, aka the King of Mopar. I said I wanted some new heads and I asked if they could install them and do a tune, etc. They said they can do whatever I need. Now I know upgrading heads is a big jump, but I wasnt aware that I needed to upgrade the fuel rail, gaskets, injectors, and all the wiring, as well as the fuel pump. I figured the stock gaskets, injectors, wiring, and fuel pump would do the trick, but I am a rookie and dont know anything. So what do you all think? I could go through them, buy the heads kit there which is from MOPAR and spend $7,000 in parts and who knows how much in labor, or I could piece it together myself and send the parts to them to install and tune and maybe save some money. So I guess it boils down to this: If I get new heads, what else do I need to get with it? I have long tube headers, high flow cats, 3" exhaust, 1.7" rockers, smooth tubes, and a tune. Do I also need a new cam? Thanks!
Thinking about getting some new heads as my next upgrade... Questions.
- Thread starter heath1225
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speedracervr4
Enthusiast
What year? I thought you had a Hennessy 650 (upgraded heads?) You do not need new injectors,fuel pump, fuel rails, or wiring. I personally would not use that shop if they told me all that. What Mopar heads? I would go with Gregg Good for heads.
You do not NEED a cam, but it will help you achieve the max potential from all your mods. It will add a substantial amount of labor and money to the project because the front of the motor and oil pan has to come off.
Go with an SCT tune once everything is done.
Search for ViperTony and it'll show you his NA head/cam Build.
You do not NEED a cam, but it will help you achieve the max potential from all your mods. It will add a substantial amount of labor and money to the project because the front of the motor and oil pan has to come off.
Go with an SCT tune once everything is done.
Search for ViperTony and it'll show you his NA head/cam Build.
I have a Hennessey 500 not 650. Its a 1997. It was a sales associate telling me I needed all that extra stuff, not Carl Self. Turns out that MOPAR doesnt have heads fitting Gen 2s anymore. They were mistaken. However, I have found some GTS-R heads that I am interested in.
Okay youv'e been given a bunch of misinformation. Mopar has a kit that's built for the Gen III Viper that swaps Gen IV heads as well as all the goodies necessary to make the swap happen. Your best bet is to either wait for the rumored Mopar kit that will do the same for the Gen II (don't hold your breath), or to send your current heads to Greg Good. Greg is the the Viper Cylinder head guru. Arrow Racing in Michigan can help you with assembly. Other long time Viper guys that can help you in your region would be the Wizard or Daniel Lesser. These are all highly respected guys who understand the Viper, not saying the Carl Self doesn't know his stuff, however I've never heard of him in the Viper world.
GTSR heads are very expensive and are best left for restorations, there effectiveness on your application would most likely net virtually no gain in power.
The best Gen II cylinder heads ever made were the Striker Heads. These cylinder heads offered many upgrades over the production castings as well as making monster power. The rumor mill is that the company was sold to another Viper Engine shop, however I have never seen or heard of them since Jeff Morys owned the company. Greg Good is the only game in town that can produce numbers near those of the Striker Heads with stock castings. As an FWI, my car produces 585 RWHP with Striker heads, cam and a set of the original SVS headers. All smog devices in place with a non modded intake, stock throttle bodies and a stock fuel system. The individuals I've mentioned in your region can all help you, most non Viper experts and many self proclaimed internet Viper jockeys will send you down the wrong road with misinformation. Your best bet is to run as far away from your dealership with regard to building your car.
GTSR heads are very expensive and are best left for restorations, there effectiveness on your application would most likely net virtually no gain in power.
The best Gen II cylinder heads ever made were the Striker Heads. These cylinder heads offered many upgrades over the production castings as well as making monster power. The rumor mill is that the company was sold to another Viper Engine shop, however I have never seen or heard of them since Jeff Morys owned the company. Greg Good is the only game in town that can produce numbers near those of the Striker Heads with stock castings. As an FWI, my car produces 585 RWHP with Striker heads, cam and a set of the original SVS headers. All smog devices in place with a non modded intake, stock throttle bodies and a stock fuel system. The individuals I've mentioned in your region can all help you, most non Viper experts and many self proclaimed internet Viper jockeys will send you down the wrong road with misinformation. Your best bet is to run as far away from your dealership with regard to building your car.
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SEASNAKE
Enthusiast
Changing the cam is much, much more work than doing the heads swap, but it will give you lots more quality time with your car. Unless you are doing a force induction system in the future, there is not going to be a lot of advantage to doing any fuel work. I don't ever remember reading about anyone running the GTS-R heads. They were pricey!! I'm trying to remember if you didn't have to get the intake to match as well.
No I don't, however I went through this whole ordeal years ago, and I do remember talking to someone who had the heads and was really disappointed with the results. The same sentiment was echoed by a very reputable viper tuner/ modifier. Needless to say I'm very happy with my cylinder head selection, though if I did it again today it would certainly be the gen IV heads. I also agree with Seasnake, you've got to build your car as a package, and the correct cam choice is crucial to an effective build. Generally speaking if your starting at square one with a stock car it's much cheaper to build a supercharged car than a head and cam car.
I just went ahead and called RSI and they were extremely helpful. I will probably be doing business with them. One performance shop told me that cam/heads would be 30 hours plus dyno time. I didnt want to spend that much money on installation and tuning.
We are around if you need us!
We can deal with Greg on your behalf, install a modified Gen-2 Mopar based kit, or install a VS-X700 Gen-2 to Gen-4 conversion at our specs.
We can deal with Greg on your behalf, install a modified Gen-2 Mopar based kit, or install a VS-X700 Gen-2 to Gen-4 conversion at our specs.
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