Does anybody have any experience with the ProComp Alum. head on Ebay. I always feel more comfortable buying Edelbrock or Trickflow just because I have a better idea of what I'll get.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Big-B...=p4506.c0.m245

 

What I have heard, they are a poor copy of a quality brand of aluminum head & best left at E bay.
Some have bought them & by the time they are complete & corrected to perform as best they can, you'll have as much in them as a good set of heads that will perform well right out of the box.

Please! dont go to 460ford.com & ask that question, you'll get a jaw beating for sure.
Neil

 

I will NEVER EVER Let anything that says Procomp touch my cars ever... all there stuff is made in China crap and will just cost you more in the long run...

even the SBF heads are POS.

 

I am yet another that will never let a Pro Comp part get bolted to any engine I have run. Even the shivy guys dont like the stuff. Dizzys dont keep time, and other parts are just not accurate enough to bolt to one of my beloved engines.
Just not a fan of the low dollar options. I truly believe that you get what you pay for, and believe that this is a lesson to epensive to learn the hard way.
Kaase P-51 heads for me. I wont even run the Eddys. While some heads are good, there are just some better ones that are in the same price category.
If the price of the Kaase heads are a little on the steep side, Trick Flow has a a decent design and bowl. They are this way because they too are a Kaase design.
The A-460 head is a great head as well.
These will make more power than other heads. You will get what you pay for. Cant skimp on quality here.

 

that's too bad to hear. . .would be pretty slick if they were worth the money. . .very attractive price compared to what it costs to get iron heads worked over

 

What does it cost to get iron heads worked over ??.
I just did a set of D3s, had carbide exhaust seats installed, valve job, new springs, keepers & shims, was 602.00 & some change. Brought them home & ported on them for 3 days.
Neil

 

~$950, machine work only

New exhaust seats installed, 3 angle valve job, machining for stud rockers, resurfacing all mating surfaces, install valve guides

He even chuckled before he gave the price quote and said I should just spring for aftermarket heads

 

For that kind of miney did they make any mods so that the rocker tips fit the valve a little better?
Running a stock length valve, or longer valve? Longer valves tend to amplify this problem.
Seems like a bunch of money for the return these heads can offer.
Are there class limitation that pevent you from using a nice aftermarket head?

 

As far as I know, no. . .and no classes, I hadn't planned on racing the truck. . .this is just for me Though it has been suggested by friends and family I might want to at least take it to a track or pull at least once. . .

I was looking at aftermarket heads after I got that price quote, and I was going to give Scott a call today if I could find the time. . .going to be a long work day. . .

 

Also know that the valve angle and valve location is not optimun for stock 385 series heads.
I know that some guys are making some power with stockers, heak I have two 500 plus cubic inch engines with stock heads. (alright they do have some work) but the potential that is realized with a quality set of heads is amazing.

 

I figure that to be the case. Never hurts to ask the question though.

 

Thing is, I'm just not doing anything radical enough to justify $2000 in heads. . .at least I don't think so I was looking for 350-400 HP and 500 TQ, According to RHP and Ford460 (?) that was a "pretty basic" build and could be had on ported small valve D3 heads. . .

I'd like more head to support more motor down the road, but that is a little ways off and I don't want to start down that road yet

 

Thats fair enough and understandable, There is no debate from me. Just wanting to point out that while 2 thousand bucks seems like a bunch, it is only twice as much as you have going into the cast heads that you have now. Once you use the original heads, that makes the next step even further away, but with connervative goals, it sounds as though you are going in the right direction.
I am confident that your number will easily be achieved. That is a reasonable number that is not too difficult to reach.

 

I got a dumb question ? I think I know what it is but want to be sure.
What is setting the valve height.
Is that setting or grinding the valve seats so the stem sits at a certian height so all of them will be the same height in relation to the rocker arms,,,, or setting or grinding the seat so the valve will be at the right distance from where the spring seats onto the head.

I was thinking it was setting the valve so the end of the stem would be at the right height in relation to the rocker arm or setting them to what they were when Ford built them.

If you grind on a seat to much or face a valve to much, wont that cause the valve stem to sit to high & you end up having to shim the fulcrum or changing the push rod lenght to compensate.
Does it get to a point where the valve stem can sit to high & the tip need grinding some.
Neil

 

Larger lift cams will require the valve to travel further because the spring has got to be longer and coil bind can occur as well as the valve retainer / keeper can run right into the top of the guide.
The fix: change the installed height and / or use a longer valve to re-gain enough travel to prevent the above problems. Sinking the valve should be avoided at all costs. This is a power robbing technique and does not do a bunch for reliability. Often the seat is conpromised and larger valves with high seat pressures can start to tullip the valve.
Often times grinding the spring seat is not enough and you have to avoid grinding away too far. The top of the guide becomes the limiting factor here so there has to be alternative. The alternative is a longer valve.
In some conditions where the valve angle and or cant is off or not designed correctly, the end result is a rocker that does not sit directly on top of the valve stem.
This is a problem with stock 385 series heads and is addressed with aftermarket units.
Ive read this a couple of times and hope it makes sense. I have it in the old noodle fairly well, but not sure if anything is lost in my translation. lol.