Whiplash cam with sidewinder heads

[jdscofield]

Has anyone ran a whiplash cam with a set of sidewinder heads?  I'm finally going to have some cash for the charger and wanted to freshen up the 400.  Currently, it's bored 30 over with flat top pistons, stock heads, performer rpm intake, Holley 750 dp, long tube headers and flow masters, and a suregrip with 3:55's.  The current cam is either stock or the next one up (long story there.). I'm pretty set on the whiplash cam.  I was thinking about upgrading the heads because I'm pretty sure they need to be redone anyways.  I won't know till I take them off.  Anyways, just wondering if anyone has used this combo or something similar or if anybody has any thoughts.

[Troy]

Aren't Whiplash cams designed to compensate for poor factory compression. If you're putting on brand new heads can't you just use smaller chambers and/or thinner gaskets to solve some of the issue? Those cams are designed for the rest of the engine being stock so, probably not ideal for high performance aluminum heads.

Once you decide to remove the heads you're kind of committed (at least new gaskets and bolts). However, you could then measure and see exactly how bad your situation is before making any parts decisions. I wouldn't buy heads or a cam until that point. Swapping the Whiplash cam is supposed to be cheap and easy as you're really not tearing into the motor much - but it could be solving a problem you aren't sure of. Either poke the cam in there and be blissfully ignorant or pull it apart and get a cam that works best with those heads on whatever the bottom end turns out to be.

Troy

[c00nhunterjoe]

I would do a compression test, pull the heads, measure the pistons, then decide what to buy.

[Challenger340]

ALL 440 Engines have "Flat Top" pistons... even the 7.8:1 Engines, it just depends how high up close to deck at TDC the Pistons are to determine Compression Ratio ?
so....

I would do a compression test, pull the heads, measure the pistons, then decide what to buy.

the above becomes very good advice BEFORE you buy Heads ? because you may need the 75CC Version of the E-Street Heads to get any decent compression ratio.

[BSB67]

Its a 400.  He needs the E-Street heads.  Probably mill them too.