Reply to "Head selection"

I currently run a pair of SVO A-3 aluminum heads in our '72 L. I added them not for the power increase, but as part of an intensive campaign to lower the weight of our stock-appearing, flair-less, wing-less Pantera for better handling. The alloy heads, the required SVO open-plenum intake and a few other mods dropped 100 lbs off the engine wt. At this date, our Pantera L, with radio, AC etc weighs in at 2760 lbs- some 400 lbs less than it was as-delivered. The compression ratio is 10.5:1 and depending on the way I drive, 87-octane doesn't ping (due to aluminum's much better heat dissapation eliminatimng hot spots in the heads) but when I feel frisky, a tankful of 92 octane is better for it. The engine is 14 years old.