HELLO!!!
Thanks for the compliment, it is appreciated.
Even when I'm not always paying attention to something, after 55 years of direct exposure to it, the facts sometimes stick!!
Like any hobby, you (should) share things you learn, or thought you've learned, I believe.
I thought performance engines were a tough topic to have agreement on!!
My interest in high-end audio was rekindled about 6 years ago. There exists NO single machine that spits out a system evaluation on audio equipment as far as what sounds great, good, fair or back to the drawing board.
At least our performance hobby uses dynos (although not always honestly) and MPH at the track for power and performance results.
Anyway, the induction setup and heads are largely responsible for a given engine's power output. And, it's a big deal.
N.A. is the toughest way to proceed.
I'm in awe of the racing achievements in Pro Stock. Or, any form of racing that produces crazy power from atmospheric pressure.
Strikers were designed well and worked well. To pick up 143 Wheel with a head and incremental camshaft change is amazing. Particularly through the 48RE power vampire automatic. And, there was even more HORSEPOWER on the table with a more aggressive cam profile. That however wasn't my goal. My 4th cam grind was an experiment for sure but provides just what was wanted and will likely stay put.
All I can suggest is to have your oem heads ported by someone that has a proven performance record. I have forgotten what you've done to your truck, apologies...
It's rare to find an evaluation that just includes the head swap however. So often it's ported heads, cam swap, compression increase, vehicle diet, exhaust work, gearing, suspension changes, etc.
With all that in the mix, it's hard to state conclusively: "Wow, that porting really worked!"
Proper porting does work, of course.
Or, a Gen IV swap kit that was available years ago will provide Striker power levels.
The Gen IV head was a Very Good piece and even exceeded the Strikers in the all-important mid valve-lift numbers.
Man, it's hard not to write a novel sometimes, particularly when interested in something.
Take care.
