In this video I look a some budget friendly options when choosing cylinder heads for your SBC. Double Hump, Vortec, Summit, Flotek, ProMaxx, AFR can all be a great option depending on your build. #chevrolet #chevy #summitracing #350
I can tell you from much experience, AFR is the ONLY way to go. Especially for a SBC as these heads like the 195 Eliminator fully CNC versions are the best thing you can buy for the money. I have also used the AFR 185 SBF heads and they will produce an amazing amount of power for the small Fords. The AFR heads produce more power everywhere than any of the others and they are the best made heads you will see. When looking over the heads just out of the box you will see real craftmanship and quality. They are clean and ready to use. We have checked the spring pressure and they are correct and we have vacuum checked them and all of the seats are good and the valves seal up. The pushrods do not rub on the heads in areas like some Darts do and need to be clearanced with a cutter. Quality control is a huge issue with most of these Chinese castings except for the new line of low cost AFR heads. The CNC work is superb and everybody knows that they perform. DO NOT get any of the cheap Chinese stuff unless you want to deal with seats falling out and the attending destruction that results. Be sure and always use 7/16 studs, not 3/8, especially with any real spring pressure. The standard PAC springs used on the SBC heads for hydraulic roller cams are quite good and will allow in excess of 6500 rpm with good profiles and sometimes more. The old original Chevy double humps might look cool but they are heavy relics from the past and belong to engines that just need something that needs a legacy part. They will never produce the power of something like the AFR's or Trick Flows. Put a small roller cam in it, something about 215 degrees and 540 lift or so and it will idle nice and run like it should.
I just used a set of AFR195 heads on a 421” SBC with a 6-71 blower and made 725hp. Big power for these little heads! I already had the 195’s, which is why I didn’t go with a 220. I was pleasantly surprised with the numbers. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Yfs7fYUDe10.htmlsi=vVSi9VNjo9jR4klc
It’s true! AFR and Trick Flow are the top two. Use one of those heads and you can use a mild camshaft and have good street manners and good HP. It’s kind of like how the Chevy LS is. An outstanding flowing head and a tame cam gets you 400+ hp. The mild cam timing gets you the good mileage. The good flowing heads don’t hurt mileage as would using a factory head then trying to make up power with a huge cam.
Budget heads are still better than oe castings. I run speedmaster on my Pontiac , have been extremely happy with them. Great castings, decent valves, toss springs locks and retainers in the trash. AFR coming out of the original Brownfield company. Yea heads have come a long way since the brownfields
@jeremymyers5643 I didn't say all promaxx heads. Learn to read. I said was thar several vendors all use that same casting. Promax, flowtech, and speedmaster/procomp happen to use it. That particular casting is a chinese clone of the dart pro 1. You can tell they are all the same by the exhaust flange
I do like how pro maxx valve jobs & assembly are here in the states , been doing business with them since nice Alabama cyl head in the 80s , I sell about 5 pair a year , the Project X are copies of AFR eliminator CNC heads as cast sadly Both AFR & Project X are Cast on China but their foundry has better casting quality than Buddy In California
I have been a dealer selling ProMaxx heads shortly after Jason and Company took over. Excellent service and Quality heads and parts. Never have had a problem. They have some great up and coming heads in the works.
Excellent braakdown on SBC head choices. I purchased a set of heads on Fleabay sold by Deep Motors. Upon receiving, I was impressed by the pictures and upon receiving, still impressed. Not much clean up and definitely a higher performance choice over double hump. It will be a while before I start matching up to my build. They come with bronze guides and seat inserts, and are supposed to flow 244 cfm at 0.500" lift, shy of the AFR DH175 heads. I have Ferrea valves, Scorpion race aluminum roller rockers, ARP studs, Comp chromemoly retainers and hardened keys, and pushrod guide plates and the best PAC beehive springs for higher RPM. It was cheaper for me to go this route and upgrade over what comes with a "kit" head, as I call a fully assembled head. The springs on them are not what I want for a flat tappet cam. For the dollars spent, this was and possibly the lowest price, decent bare head available. Good choice? Probably questionable. Give them a look over before you bash me with comments. The castings have raised rails and can be ported if that is the route you want to go. No steam holes and I have a jig I am making for that purpose. I would rather dig my own hole than to wind up there with expensive heads. Yes, I spent a lot for parts to fill the cavities. Why not? I foolishly purchases a set of Speedmaster bare heads over 8 years ago and they are absolute garbage. The valve pockets are so large, the seats look unsupported and cause a tremendous flow interference. They are bigger than the valve head barely supporting the valve seat insert. I guess I could weld on them but why? Lesson learned. All the suppliers such as Jegs, Summit and Speedway stopped selling anything from Speedmaster. The company is just plain corrupt and immoral, out for the buck and nothing else. Customer support is at best sketchy. Avoid at all costs.
I have deep motor on my 383. Great head. Mine were ported. Mine had a 5 angle on tulip valves. Mine are on a popular RU-vid channle. Seats came out of my old double humps.
@@goldsgarage8236 give the head number and "camel hump" if that's what they are or did you in blue and I missed them. love building matching number engines
I have a build coming together using the 200cc as cast flotek heads. 355 inch SBC. static cr at 10.3-1. 5.7 rod. Scat 9000 crank. I haven't settled on a cam but I'm leaning towards the Comp XE288-HR hyd roller setup (Though I wonder if the XE282-HR is the better choice). RPM Air Gap intake. It'll run 1-3/4" headers. I'm shooting for 400-425 at the crank. The engine will be going into a 81 Malibu wagon. TH400, 3000 stall, 9" ford rear with 4:33 gears. It'll mostly be a rowdy street car with a few weekend street car nights at a local 1/8th mile track.
GM has EQ making Vortec replacement heads for them now. They come with the corrected valve guide seal machining and they are machined for screw in studs too. They are offering both the 350 and 305 Vortec heads on the Bay of e. If you ever do a 283/305/307 with the right cam you can get some decent power out of these little underdog engines. A 283 that puts out 325 HP isn't very hard to do and relatively inexpensive with these heads. Got to use a genuine imitation RPM Airgap though. I see it to many times guys think because the cubes are small it needs the crappy factory style aluminum intake so it doesn't loose low end torque.🙄 There is no down side to using an RPM Airgap style dual plane on the smaller engines. Helped out a guy that wanted to get more out of his little 307 and told him to get the 305 EQ Vortec heads and he went from the factory 200 something HP to over 300 HP, I'm guessing 315 to 340 HP. From 15.9s to mid 13s in the QM with a cam, timing set and top end swap. A Summit 1203 4/7 swap hydraulic flat tappet cam, a genuine imitation RPM Airgap dual plane intake, 1.6:1 roller rockers and he picked a 600 Holley. I would of went with a 650 or 700 but 600 is still good. Runs better than some 355s out there. There are better 283 piston choices so the potential with these heads are very well for this underdog too.😎👍
Here is a formula that tells the air flow an engine requires at a certain rpm. RPM times CI times . 000978474 divided by 8. You will find this accurate. Thank you for your work.
Actually that is not accurate because of how heads are tested ... When done on a bench it's at a specific pressure drop that is not the same as what the port will see in a running engine ... Cfm is not a universal term it has to have a specific pressure drop to compare to something else and your formula is just the mechanical volume
@@scotthatch4548 that is correct, but the engine still requires a certain amount of head flow If you have a better formula, id love to hear about it. That formula is from some of the best engine builders in this country.
dealer most likely pinned the studs with a rollpin, go smaller stems. correct valve shape and lighter valves and modern springs to make that stock looking motor spin exhaust seats Iike dura bond conversion guides
Great information about heads. I’m looking to put some vortec heads on a stock 350. If you can find them cheap enough in good shape they can be winners.
I bought a set of those promaxx heads. They looked like nice clean castings but the guides were cut funny which buggered up the valve job. Moral of the story buy them bear.
Those double hump heads could be gotten with a complete v8 chevy small block for less then $ on a non running engine if you looked around classified adds back in the 1980s too. glad the aftermarket is there. I have seen a double hump aluminum head now available that is cloned look and updated . i am sure painted heads would pass off for originals now.
promaxx came out with new sbc heads 2 years ago th project x series i have the 185s on my 327... they re why better than the old maxx series which is the same as the afr enforcer assalt racing flow tec speedmaster (all same casting but afr and project x series is 8mm valves pac springs arp hardware)
The Maxx series heads are copies of the Brodix IK heads. Most of the others are copies of an old Dart head. You can see the difference when he compares the exhaust ports. The flotek has a more squared off shape. The Promaxx has the D shaped exhaust port
@@goldsgarage8236 32-Valve Thunderpower Cylinder Heads for Big Block Chevys Over the years Thunderpower has been commissioned by various automotive manufacturers for the purpose of improved performance. This experinece has led us to the development of the Thunder Power 32-Valve Cylinder Head; a project originally commissioned by the U.S. Department of Defense with the military in mind. The application had to meet the projected requirement as a multi-fuel hybrid engine able to run on virtually any type fuel (including diesel and propane) using an innovative thermal-ignition concept. 32 Valve Thunder Power Heads The Thunder Power aftermarket extreme power heads are a superlative quality 100% US made bolt-on OHV-OHV 32-valve cylinder head conversion that utilizes a standard-configuration big-block Chevy roller camshaft. This is accomplished by unique, shaft-mounted dual-tip 1.6:1-ratio rocker arms actuated by conventional (albeit nonstock-length) pushrods and horizontal "assist" rods on the exhaust side. The cam grinds used are a lot milder than traditional 2-valve big-block cams because of the extra valves' greater flow window area. For example, a standard high-performance big-block Chevy 2-valve motor uses one 2.19-inch intake and one 1.88-inch exhaust valve per cylinder; these valve sizes have a circumferential window area of 3.44 and 2.95 inches, respectively. By contrast, the Thunder Power head use two 1.75-inch intake and two 1.50-inch exhaust valves per cylinder for a total circumferential window area of 5.50 and 4.71 inches, respectively. The use of two valves lessens the overall weight compared to single valve heads that produce an equal amount of volumetric efficiency. This means that more horsepower can be had with a milder cam. This design was researched and tested on our flow bench and has produced a significant increase in the amount of efficiency with a minimum amount of parasitic energy loss; devices that take energy from the engine in order to enhance the engines ability to create more energy. The clover leaf-shaped combustion chambers. 32 valve heads for BBC. The clover leaf-shaped combustion chambers displace 102cc and can be milled down to 90cc. Due to greater mixture distribution and quick-burn design features, the engine makes maximum power at a mere 29-30 degrees ignition timing advance. Other added features include: a groove machined around the outside and sparkplug area to receive a rubber O-ring allowing the head and valve cover a solid seal; the rocker shaft towers are cast with extra webbing for reinforcement; rockers arms have reinforced webs machined on them for added strength; the manifold is cast with bosses for EFI applications; the heads are machined for AN fittings at both ends so that oil drain directly back to the pan (minimizing the amount of oil pooling at the bottom of the head and not into the blocks valley); lastly this is a bolt-on application to any block using an OEM bolt pattern. With a proper cam design the engine idles smoothly (as low as 500 RPM) having incredible low-end torque due to the high-velocity, reduced-diameter runners and valves and mild-cam. And yet has more than adequate deep-breathing ability on the top-end. Simply put, the chief drawback of big cams, the sacrifice of bottom-end drivability, has been eliminated and a big cam is no longer needed to make the big numbers. All this means that the engine produces over 500 lbs. per ft. of torque from the 3000 through 5000 RPM range. With a normally aspirated single-carburetor, reaching the 600 street-able horsepower is obtainable. 1932 Ford Highboy belonging to a customer from Camarillo, CA A set Thunder Power 32-valve heads for a Big Block Chevy. The clean look of the Thunder Power valve covers allows for smooth lines that accent the car body. With the dual exhaust runners design, the headers become eye catchers for enthusiasts. This '32 Roadster belongs to Mike Conroy of Camarillo, CA. 1931 Chevy 2-door belonging to Ron Tuckey of Quincy, MI A set Thunder Power 32 Valve Heads for a Big Block Chevy. Street Rodders like the Thunder Power heads because they are the only "hemi" style heads for Big Block Chevys that are low profile and therefore, they don't dominate the engine compartment. They tuck nicely in a small space perfectly giving that clean look. This '31 Chevy 2-door Street Rod belongs to Ron Tuckey of Quincy, MI. Thunder Power 4 valve heads for BBC This'49 Merc custom hot rod uses a set of Thunder Power 32-Valve Heads as an eye catcher Here is the award winning "Merrodder" of Scott Whitaker from Hamilton, OH. Custom rod builders like the Thunder Power Heads because of the unique appearance that make their projects stand out more than a OEM appearing engine. In other words, THEY LOOK COOL! Pricing for the basic kit start at $15,000 The basic kit includes: 2 cast aluminum 4-valve cylinder heads 2 cast aluminum valve covers A cast aluminum 16-port intake manifold 32 valves, springs, seats and retainers 16 dual rocker arms with needle bearings 4 rocker shafts, caps and spacers 8 crossover push rods A chrome breather tube and cap A set of ARP cylinder head studs, nuts and washers 2 exhaust header flanges A set of intake and exhaust gaskets A set of misc. hardware Also includes a roller cam with 16 roller lifters Additional items available, but not included in the basic kit include; carburetors, fuel injection systems, and ignition systems. A custom "high-rised" aluminum sheet metal manifold is also available instead of the cast manifold. All pieces and parts are in house and ready to go. For more information including a brochure and performance specs, please contact us. Thunder Power Heads 32 Valve Heads for a Big Block Chevy Thunder Power Heads 4 valve heads for Big Block Chevy Thunder Power Heads 4 valve heads forBig Block Chevy NEW from Hogan Racing Manifolds is a custom sheet metal manifold, call us for details Thunder Power Heads 32 Valve Heads for a Big Block Chevy Valley Head Service 19340 Londelius St., Northridge, CA 91324 USA
@@goldsgarage8236 32-Valve Thunderpower Cylinder Heads for Big Block Chevys Over the years Thunderpower has been commissioned by various automotive manufacturers for the purpose of improved performance. This experinece has led us to the development of the Thunder Power 32-Valve Cylinder Head; a project originally commissioned by the U.S. Department of Defense with the military in mind. The application had to meet the projected requirement as a multi-fuel hybrid engine able to run on virtually any type fuel (including diesel and propane) using an innovative thermal-ignition concept. 32 Valve Thunder Power Heads The Thunder Power aftermarket extreme power heads are a superlative quality 100% US made bolt-on OHV-OHV 32-valve cylinder head conversion that utilizes a standard-configuration big-block Chevy roller camshaft. This is accomplished by unique, shaft-mounted dual-tip 1.6:1-ratio rocker arms actuated by conventional (albeit nonstock-length) pushrods and horizontal "assist" rods on the exhaust side. The cam grinds used are a lot milder than traditional 2-valve big-block cams because of the extra valves' greater flow window area. For example, a standard high-performance big-block Chevy 2-valve motor uses one 2.19-inch intake and one 1.88-inch exhaust valve per cylinder; these valve sizes have a circumferential window area of 3.44 and 2.95 inches, respectively. By contrast, the Thunder Power head use two 1.75-inch intake and two 1.50-inch exhaust valves per cylinder for a total circumferential window area of 5.50 and 4.71 inches, respectively. The use of two valves lessens the overall weight compared to single valve heads that produce an equal amount of volumetric efficiency. This means that more horsepower can be had with a milder cam. This design was researched and tested on our flow bench and has produced a significant increase in the amount of efficiency with a minimum amount of parasitic energy loss; devices that take energy from the engine in order to enhance the engines ability to create more energy. The clover leaf-shaped combustion chambers. 32 valve heads for BBC. The clover leaf-shaped combustion chambers displace 102cc and can be milled down to 90cc. Due to greater mixture distribution and quick-burn design features, the engine makes maximum power at a mere 29-30 degrees ignition timing advance. Other added features include: a groove machined around the outside and sparkplug area to receive a rubber O-ring allowing the head and valve cover a solid seal; the rocker shaft towers are cast with extra webbing for reinforcement; rockers arms have reinforced webs machined on them for added strength; the manifold is cast with bosses for EFI applications; the heads are machined for AN fittings at both ends so that oil drain directly back to the pan (minimizing the amount of oil pooling at the bottom of the head and not into the blocks valley); lastly this is a bolt-on application to any block using an OEM bolt pattern. With a proper cam design the engine idles smoothly (as low as 500 RPM) having incredible low-end torque due to the high-velocity, reduced-diameter runners and valves and mild-cam. And yet has more than adequate deep-breathing ability on the top-end. Simply put, the chief drawback of big cams, the sacrifice of bottom-end drivability, has been eliminated and a big cam is no longer needed to make the big numbers. All this means that the engine produces over 500 lbs. per ft. of torque from the 3000 through 5000 RPM range. With a normally aspirated single-carburetor, reaching the 600 street-able horsepower is obtainable. 1932 Ford Highboy belonging to a customer from Camarillo, CA A set Thunder Power 32-valve heads for a Big Block Chevy. The clean look of the Thunder Power valve covers allows for smooth lines that accent the car body. With the dual exhaust runners design, the headers become eye catchers for enthusiasts. This '32 Roadster belongs to Mike Conroy of Camarillo, CA. 1931 Chevy 2-door belonging to Ron Tuckey of Quincy, MI A set Thunder Power 32 Valve Heads for a Big Block Chevy. Street Rodders like the Thunder Power heads because they are the only "hemi" style heads for Big Block Chevys that are low profile and therefore, they don't dominate the engine compartment. They tuck nicely in a small space perfectly giving that clean look. This '31 Chevy 2-door Street Rod belongs to Ron Tuckey of Quincy, MI. Thunder Power 4 valve heads for BBC This'49 Merc custom hot rod uses a set of Thunder Power 32-Valve Heads as an eye catcher Here is the award winning "Merrodder" of Scott Whitaker from Hamilton, OH. Custom rod builders like the Thunder Power Heads because of the unique appearance that make their projects stand out more than a OEM appearing engine. In other words, THEY LOOK COOL! Pricing for the basic kit start at $15,000 The basic kit includes: 2 cast aluminum 4-valve cylinder heads 2 cast aluminum valve covers A cast aluminum 16-port intake manifold 32 valves, springs, seats and retainers 16 dual rocker arms with needle bearings 4 rocker shafts, caps and spacers 8 crossover push rods A chrome breather tube and cap A set of ARP cylinder head studs, nuts and washers 2 exhaust header flanges A set of intake and exhaust gaskets A set of misc. hardware Also includes a roller cam with 16 roller lifters Additional items available, but not included in the basic kit include; carburetors, fuel injection systems, and ignition systems. A custom "high-rised" aluminum sheet metal manifold is also available instead of the cast manifold. All pieces and parts are in house and ready to go. For more information including a brochure and performance specs, please contact us. Thunder Power Heads 32 Valve Heads for a Big Block Chevy Thunder Power Heads 4 valve heads for Big Block Chevy Thunder Power Heads 4 valve heads forBig Block Chevy NEW from Hogan Racing Manifolds is a custom sheet metal manifold, call us for details Thunder Power Heads 32 Valve Heads for a Big Block Chevy Valley Head Service
@@goldsgarage8236 Please google thunderpower 32V heads I cant write anything here because Ebay erases all I write because I am German and according to the new BEVFO laws we are not allowed to communicate about ICE engines only about EV crap in public...
Will Bill be flowing all of these castings shown? The ProMaxx sbc as cast Project X heads are a good casting (AFR Eliminator Copy) for the money also as the Maxx series heads (copy of the Brodix IK series) you have shown. The Big block Chevy ProMaxx and Flotec heads are the same casting ( copy of the AFR 315 Magnum heads) as I have used both with great results. The Flotek sbc heads are a copy of Dart pro 1 castings. As any head out of the box...get them checked over and set-up (valve springs required) for the camshaft you will be running! The Afr Enforcer Sbc heads (same as KMJ/Assault casting) are also a good casting for money but come with Pac springs, good valves and hardware. Good job Allan! 👍
Very cool. I have a '69 427 (512 Block) with '69 840 heads with about 11:1 and making around 550hp. I want to lighten up the engine with Aluminum heads but I don't want to trade Hp for weight. ..and I also don't want to sell car it's in, to afford the heads. :) Can you suggest an affordable Aluminum head? They will go to the machine shop no matter what brand they are for checking. (Street car with Holey Stealth T/B injection.) Thanks in advance.
You didn't mention if it was square ports or oval ports. Big blocks are a completely different beast when it comes to price for heads. Even the cheep chinese heads are expensive for a big block chevy. Personally I love the edelbrock performer RPM 454-O 60459 for oval port heads and the performer rpr 454-R 60559 for rectangular ports. The run about $2400 for a pair. But they are fully assembled and cam be used with either a flat tappet or roller cam. In my opinion the are the best out of the box head as far as quality of workmanship and components go. Yes there are heads that will make more power and flow better and there are cheaper heads put there. But for the best bang for the buck, it's hard to beat edelbrock
The performer rpm rec port will make a bunch more power, the intake will be the restriction for max up, but helps low a mid range, the open chamber will out flow the 840 heads everywhere, make sure to get the right valve spring option, I would port match your intake to the new heads.
Thanks John, I don't have any experience with TBI but the fundamentals are still the same. Does anyone else out there have any experience to share with John? AG
Thanks for the question Jar. No, we will save that for another 350 with the Vortec heads. We are now going to use the Summit 1105 cam on this engine. AG
I can confirm if you want to use vortec heads and need them machined and valve job you are wasting your money! Just go out and get some DNA motoring or other bare casting aluminum heads and give them to a machine shop to do all the valve job and work. They flow better, lighter and can run higher compression and you will be into them for near the same as some junk yard vortecs or new vortecs!
Back in the day i had a couple of factory single hump heads, the claim was turbo heads, the part number was 340292, they come off a F5000 highly modified.🙄