hey the title says it all im looking for an affordable set of aluminum heads for my 5.8L's and maybe a 300 6cyl. if they even make them... i dont want cheap 1's but i dont want to pay like $1300 for a set i would like something in between i know a lot of ppl make heads for these but i dont know which 1s r good or not...

 

Good question. Posting to subscribe... GL !

 

haha thanks because i felt like an idiot asking...

 

are you dead set on aluminum? the best bang for the buck is cast iron. for a truck theres really no reason to go aluminum unless it just makes you feel better.

you can get a set of gt40 heads from a 5.0 explorer for close to nothin, and theyll pretty much support any mild mod you can do on the stock EFI.

what exactly are your ultimate goals?

 

i have a set of GT40 and a set of GT40P heads but idk right now what im going to do... i would like 325HP and 400FTLB when im done but im definitely not an engine build at least not for the next 4yrs so im going to rely on FTE to lead me in the right direction on what to do and buy...

 

keepin it SD? i'd port the gt40's, mill 'em to boost compression, and put in the SD friendly cam. anything else will be way too costly for the gains, and will get you around your peak hp goal with long tubes.

in fact, this is exactly what im doin now for mine. the price tag just doesnt justify the gains (if any) of goin with more expensive stuff. the ported gt40s will be perfect for the SD friendly cam's power band. i.e. <4500 rpm. prob more like <4000.

 

Both of my trucks r MAF... plans are...
-heads... if i go with cast 1s i'll use the GT40 b/c they dont have the spark plug problem... 3 angle valve job, shaved, Ported and polished longer valves
-1.7 roller rockers
-i have a set of shorty headers and a cat back on the 1 truck but i think both r getting complete new 1s
-under drive pulleys maybe
- BBK throttle bodies
- what ever other bolt ons there are
- someday when i know what im doin (hopefully i'm goin 2 Wyo-Tech with GI bill) i would like a 393w stoker since their more reliable then 408w and a turbo or supercharger if i can find a used 1 since no one makes them anymore
-ZF's to handle the power
-BW 4407 T-case since there stronger i here hopefully they'll handle the power

 

GT40 heads need a lot of work on the exhaust ports to make respectable power, the intake side actually flows well enough to make 325-350hp but the exhaust side isn't much better than E7's, so it ain't happening without lots of grinding. If you want some seriously high performance cast iron heads look no further than Dart Iron Eagles or the RHS irons, these things flow some serious numbers.. right up there with the aluminum heads from AFR and TFS.. so 400hp and more importantly 450TQ are within reach with these heads on a 351, and you probably wanna be sitting down when you hear what can be done with these things on a 393 or 408 stroker.

 

Paul do u think 350HP and 400FTLB is easy to aquire? im also not sure what 2 do if may emissions is in the heads? how hard is it to delete the emissions stuff? do u think u could give me a build to reach my goals or even more? how so u know all this stuff where did u learn it so i can??? thanks

 

if you have a maf setup, your pocket is your limit. i cant really give better advice than conanski, but if youre lookin to spend 2k + on a top end combo, i'd consider gt40's with forced induction. . .you'll spend about the same going either route, but with forced induction (especially supercharger) street manners remain close to stock with the power of a radical NA monster. supercharger kits for these things are rather modest in price if you do your homework and are patient with part collection. budget turbo kits are even less if you have some fab skills.

as far as learnin, read books, listen to guys like paul, and get to wrenchin!. . .you could learn everything there is to know, but it means nothin if you dont apply it to the real world. if its cheap, its not easy. . .if its easy, its not cheap. anyone can open a jegs catalog and buy a 3k top end combo, and slap it together without any real experience, and send it to the tuner. or, you can go the budget route, port a set of already decent heads and intake manifold, and build your own power. my only real point with this, is, you learn soooooo much by just attackin somethin on your own to make power, while saving tons of cash. both the vehicles in my sig with dyno #s are very modest setups (camaro has stock ls1 heads that i ported, i ported everything on the cummins from the intake horn to the turbo). its not really about how ya learn, its about your ability to learn. crawl-walk-run. . .do a budget build by puttin in your time, and then later when you get the 3k dollar top end combo like the other guy, you'll know what to do to make MORE power than the other guy who's in the crawlin stage and just slappin parts together. you'd be "running" by piecin together a high end combo, and doin what you know to in order to make max power out of any setup. thomas edison failed 9,999 times before he successfully invented the lightbulb. he said "i havnt failed, i just learned 9,999 ways NOT to invent the lightbulb". over time, you learn what works, what works best, and what doesnt work at all.

 

Here's my build with 180cc Dart heads on a relatively stock bottom end... bored 0.030" over, flattops with valve reliefs, and the little SD friendly Crane 444232 flat tappet cam. Of course this also requires an intake like the Eddy Performer or ProProducts Typhoon, 24-30lb injectors, and a 70-75mm TB and MAF meter.




Deleting the emissions stuff is all too easy since most of it has no impact on engine operation whatsoever, but even if it did you can diable the EGR and Thermactor systems with the programmer you're going to buy for this build.. since the motor won't run very well without a tuner anyway.

 

what should i get??

• Combustion Chamber Volume (cc)
  • 58
  • 64
  • 62
• Intake Runner Volume (cc)
  • 180cc
  • 200cc
  • 215cc
  • 195cc
• Exhaust Runner Volume (cc)
  • 73cc
  • 66cc
  • 78cc

 

180cc heads are plenty for this displacement with fat TQ production in mind and 62 to 64cc combustion chambers to keep CR in regular pump gas range.. my heads have 62cc chambers.

 

what r the specs. for the stock heads. what should i do with the intake? the ports aren't going to b the same size r they? should i get them ported to match or???

 

port matching is a must. the 5.8 intake base is the largest choke point (i got all this from paul in my previous search for answers), and can be ported easily and extensively (its very easy to get in the ports since the base is so short). not much can be done to the upper, but you can port match it to the base once you are satisfied with the base.

an alternate is the typhoon intake, paul suggested earlier. its the best bang for the buck there is for these motors. everyone wants to charge 800+ for a set of upper and lowers. 800 bucks is best spent elsewhere in your case. . .the typhoon is very affordable, or you can port the hell outta your stocker.