Heads, heads and heads.....pros and cons

[catfish774]

Is there a thread where I can look over the pros and cons of each aftermarket cyl head anywhere?

 

[moper]

The only ones I know about are outdated now. There's a few write ups in the tech archives of Moparts but I don't think they include the Indy/RHS iron heads or the Airwolf and Trick Flow aluminum ones that were recently put out in the market. You might want to make your own spread sheet for what you want (up sides) and what you might not (down sides) and then just do some research and populate it. One might say the upsides for one build might be downsides on another. Hence the suggestion to make yours about you.

 

[IQ52]

The question is way to broad and Moper is right, most information is out of date. Generally cylinder head +'s and -'s come up when one is contemplating an engine build. It might help some if you were a little more specific. We don't know if you are thinking big block, small block or slant 6.

 

[383man]

I agree. Post what you want to build and then the guys on here can post the info for you and what others run and what works for many. Ron

 

[Bigal75]

Trick Flow. There's nothing else really...

 

[NOSTRT980]

I'm not totally sure where this is going. Heads are more then flow rates for a curtain application. There is quality and craftsmanship to think about. So a good list of heads out there would be a big help on choosing the one you need. My 2 cents

 

[catfish774]

I'm not totally sure where this is going. Heads are more then flow rates for a curtain application. There is quality and craftsmanship to think about. So a good list of heads out there would be a big help on choosing the one you need. My 2 cents

Exactly. Most all products have reviews/evaluation.

ie....."I bought these heads and installed them on my engine and only to find out the valve springs were of poor quality and had to be replaced"

 

[NOSTRT980]

I had just got off the phone with a supplier when I saw this forum about heads. I was asking about a curtain head and was told they are not set up for that head combo when you can buy edelbrock monster heads that flow 380 at .600. I said not bad but what about the quality of the CNC'd head. To that I got no answer.

 

[mentor70]

here are two shots of the bottoms of my heads on 2 projects. the first is the 58 cc Trickflow head for my 302 ford. the other is the 440 source stealth head.

i bought my Stealth heads bare, and had them CNCed and build to match my other components. the Trick flows were ready to go out of the box, they were perfectly flat, the Stealths heads are wavey as hell, and the Trick Flow combustion chambers are better.

to build the Stealth heads were around the same money than if i would have bought the 440 trickflows off the shelf. and i think the trick flows are better in almost every way... should have waited!

 

[NOSTRT980]

Thanks for your review of the heads your using. We could use a section for this forum.

 

[62 Dart Convertible]

rtee007, you are looking at small block heads yeah? (Most here are referring to big block heads...)

 

[catfish774]

rtee007, you are looking at small block heads yeah? (Most here are referring to big block heads...)

I am interested in SB heads true enough, but noatter the application, I wanted info the the work needed after I buy the heads to make them work right.
I just don't see the point of buying something only to have and send it for additional all work.
The product should be ready to go out of the box. Not need additional work and shipping cost. So if they need to charge more for their heads to be ready so be it.
The man above said the Trick Flo head was good to go out of the box.

 

[Mocajava]

Bruce Toth is now a member here and someone who has 40+ years porting and racing Mopar heads. If you want to get an education on every aspect of what makes heads work the best, contact him through a PM. I have talked on the phone and through text to him several times and he is a straight shooter that will help you learn what direction you can and need to go.

 

[catfish774]

Yes, I have spoken with him. Sounds like a man that knows his s*#t lol.
I like that ability to save weight with aluminum heads but the cost of the head+ adding a valve job isn't cost effective to me.

Bruce Toth is now a member here and someone who has 40+ years porting and racing Mopar heads. If you want to get an education on every aspect of what makes heads work the best, contact him through a PM. I have talked on the phone and through text to him several times and he is a straight shooter that will help you learn what direction you can and need to go.

 

[IQ52]

There isn't a head on the market that shouldn't be taken down and inspected, even the new Trick Flow heads. I've had seven of the Trick Flow heads in the shop. Every one has needed some valve guide work and they all have some aluminum bits inside the ports and have needed to be cleaned and reassembled.

 

[Shorthorse]

There isn't a head on the market that shouldn't be taken down and inspected, even the new Trick Flow heads. I've had seven of the Trick Flow heads in the shop. Every one has needed some valve guide work and they all have some aluminum bits inside the ports and have needed to be cleaned and reassembled.

Agreed! I've had two different, well respected head guys tell me the most important thing to them was the design and quality of the head castings themselves. Everything else can be improved on and some standard auxiliary parts were less than good quality.

rt007 - Just my opinion but "out of the box", "one size fits all" is not even logical. It all depends on your combination and what you are looking for in performance. Is your car a street car or a race car or maybe a little of both? Dave from KG Engines did a pair of iron heads for my friends bracket car. The original heads had been worked but I don't know to what extent. Anyway, Dave's heads alone yielded a full second to their ET. That's right, 11:60's to 10:60's. It's safe to say that the original heads were not efficient but a good CNC head man can get it right. Just a thought if you're on a budget. Iron heads can be made to flow very well and save some bucks at the same time.

 

[Bigal75]

As far as I'm concerned heads should be purchased bare and then go from there. As for BB heads for Mopar almost all are street heads. The exception being the Indy race heads or B1s. Face it, they're all plagued with tiny ports and small valves.

 

[moper]

No aftermarket head is ready to go out of the box. They are all production line parts. Meaning "in spec" and will (or should) run when bolted down. I have run Edelbrock product, Indy RHS, and Engine Quest for msall blocks. IMO - cash-wise - the RPMs are the best bang for the buck. You will probably need to replace the springs and seals but the other parts are pretty good. The deck surfaces are just barely smooth enough for an MLS gasket which is why some seal and work, some leak. The valve jobs are horrid with seats out of round and guide clearances usually on the tight side espcially on the exhaust. The RHS heads are sold bare. So unless you have a shop assemble and sell them to you - you have no basis for comparison. Same with EQ Magnums. I have not run Airwolf heads. Personally I would not trust the parts or machining but I have not personally seen any. Again - once a shop touches them they are not "out of the box".

To the others' points - if you are dropping the coin for a performance engine, there are certain realities to be acepted. One is by not spending on the right workmanship and quality parts, you will either be disappointed, or do it twice more than the initial cost in additional payments. As the adage says, "1. Cheap. 2. Fast. 3. Reliable. You can only have two."

 

[catfish774]

Thanks for the input from all of you. If buying heads, get bare castings and then have a valve job done with the valves/guides etc of your choice seems like the best route.
Now to figure out what valves, guides, seals etc to buy

 

[Bigal75]

The seats and guides are already there.