My engine build is getting on its way. Rods are ordered, then pistons and crank. After that all I need is oil pump, gaskets, fasteners, rings, and bearings. I dont feel like saving the extra $$$ to have the heads ported. I may clean them up a little by hand. Would it be worth it to add cams to my setup on non ported heads? What kind of HP gain is it worth running 16psi on 8.5:1 or 9:1 compression?

 

hell yeah blower cams are worth it. im sure with 16 psi and race gas that should put you in the higher 500 hp range.

 

in my opinion the lope makes them worth it to begin with the power is just a bonus lol

 

they're complimentary mods but the cam is more important. You might make 15-20hp NA more with porting but with the right cam you can make 20-30+hp with stock heads.

See if you can find a used set of ported heads... I found some for 400 bucks. I sold some for about that too. If nothing else grab a die grinder and a carbide bit and gasket match the intake port. Don't get real far into the throat without more research though or you could lose flow.