gil risers vs. headers
 

i am rebuilding my 330hp 454, building stock bottom end, useing xtream 270 comp cam, roller rockers on stock heads, redone of coarse. performer rpm manifold and elderbrock 750 carb. what will give me more performance,gil risers and manifolds or marine s.s. headers? i have both. i dont know witch way to go. please help

if you have headers, use headers..what brand are they?

Probably a negligible difference on a mild build like this. Whichever you choose, it would be a wise decision to pressure test them, especially tube headers.

stock heads, redone of course. don't waste money on peanut port stock 330 heads. they are good for my Hatteras. i only go 15 mph in it. at the very least get 781 large oval port heads and put 2.18 valves in them. better yet the merc rect port 454 magnum heads. no motor is any more powerful than it's weakest link, and those heads and the low-rise intake that goes with them is yours. the exhausts you have are nice, will make motor look sexy. but it will still be a 330 with too much cam and pretty exhausts. they say you can get 500 hp out of peanuts with enough porting. wait till you spend hours with a die grinder in your hand and only have 1 cyl done. edit; performer rpm manifold. that is an oval port manifold. it'll fit. it'll run. but there is a big square shelf in the middle of your intake flow where the oval runners hit the round ports in the head. sure, some turbulence in the intake flow is good for keeping fuel mixed with the air, but not this. a guy on ebay has a couple of sets of bare magnafluxed 781 heads. 400 a set. start there or go see what is in the swap shop here. of course, everybody else will tell you to go forged crank and pistons. and while at it might as well go 496 crank...next thing you know you are spending 10 grand. but if you are going to run round port heads, you might as well sell the headers to me...by the way...welcome aboard!!!

The cam you've picked is really mild and will most likely work well with the stock heads. As others have said they're not ideal but if its what you have then use them. As far as manifolds go, use the Gils. You will see no gain between the two but headers have a tendency to crack over time. Honestly stock manifolds would work as good with the cam choice you have in my opinion. Whatever you do, don't buy a set of bare 781's for $400. By the time they're finished you'll have more in them than you could buy a new set of Dart Iron Eagles. Good luck with your build.