Hi Guys

I've been a long-time lurker here but haven't posted much.

I've got a '95 5.8/351 that I'm prepping to drop into my '82 FlareSide. The truck is already EFI, as it has the drivetrain from a '90 with a 5.0 in it. I was going to just freshen up the gaskets and paint it and drop it in with an Edelbrock Truck Performer intake, Cobra 1.7 roller rockers and some BBK shorty headers and a high-flow Y-pipe as it was a already good strong runner. In taking off the lower intake, I snapped the front two bolts flush with the heads. I tried extracting them with the heads on the engine but that wasn't happening so I've pulled the heads to drill from underneath. But, since I have the heads off, I'm considering upgrading those as well. But I don't want to get into an all-out high dollar build. I'd like a bit more oomph out of the motor but I don't want to lose any low-end torque and end up shifting the power band too high. I also would like to keep the stock cam, SD EFI, and 19# injectors if possible just to avoid additional expense.

1. Extract the broken studs from the E7TE's, obviously the cheapest but no gains to be had.
2. GT40 F3ZE remans for $650 shipped.
3. There is a set of used local Windsor Jr. heads with roller rockers for $425 - I haven't seen them in person yet so there is a lot of unknown. Before I even bother, would these be too much head for a mild build or would they be OK given the extra displacement? I saw some mention that these have flat tappet springs - would they be okay for the stock cam?

Also - I've read the 1.7 roller rockers shift the power band up - could that be compensated for by advancing the cam, or is that logic flawed?

What would you do in this situation? Any help is appreciated.

 

I'd vote for the reman GT40s, they work just as well as Windsor Jrs and you would have parts that you know are in good condition. 1.7 rockers will not push the powerband higher.