Reply to "Question about heads and valves."

DeTom,

My advice, for any application using a flat tappet hydraulic camshaft, the best budget heads are the iron Australian small port, closed chamber 302C heads. You can buy them ready to install from Power Heads for $1000/pair ($1500 with porting). Combine them with the Edelbrock Performer 2V or the Edelbrock RPM Air Gap intake manifolds, a 750 Holley, the Comp Cams 274XE camshaft and the GTS exhaust system. That's an approximately 400 bhp motor that idles smooth, powerband of 2000 to 6000 rpm, good throttle response, rev to the mid 6000 rpm range. Nothing temperamental, unreliable, exotic about this motor at all. Reliable, drivable, sound in every way. Paint the Edelbrock Performer manifold blue and the motor still looks stock. But the throttle response will put a smile on your face, much stronger than the big port heads.

With flat top pistons the compression ratio will be about 10.6:1 with those heads. That's assuming the block has not been zero decked. With dished pistons the compression ratio will be about 9.7:1.

cowboy from hell