Is anyone out there running D0OE heads on their 429 or 460 instead of the more common D0VE C heads? If so, I am looking to see the up/downsides of each head...
Thanks for any info! Mark


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I've used all the cast iron heads. What you use depends on your application. DOOEs, with their large ports, perform best at higher rpms. They don't really start flowing until 3000-3500rpm. I found they weren't the best choice for most truck applications other than mudder or puller engines after maximum rpms.

A well ported set of DOVEs or the D3s with the smaller ports, provide higher mixture velocity for low-and mid-range power, and, properly ported, will also perform well at high rpms.

PIs are considered the best of both worlds. With port sizes between the DOVE and DOOE, they perform well from off-idle to whatever rpm you're after.

All cast iron production heads require extensive porting, especially on the exhaust side, to realize their full potential. There's a comparison chart showing before/after flow of cast iron heads at the bottom of this page:

http://www.geocities.com/madodah2002/

If you're after just high rpms, all cast iron heads except the open chamber D2s have been proven capable of suppporting 600-700hp when ported by a pro who knows what he's doing.

Cost is an important consideration. DOOEs and PIs are no longer bargains. Pullers and drag racers required to run cast iron heads to stay in stock classes have created large demand for the DOOEs and PIs. By the time you buy a set and do them right, you're very close to the cost of a set of aluminum aftermarket heads.

 

I run the D0OE's on my Merc because it came with them. Around the .500 to .600 lift range they crap out. Ran them on an NHRA stocker, ran some 11.80's(way too slow for the index) & the thing liked the 3000 to 7200 RPM zone. You can get aftermarket heads for slightly more than stock CJ's now.

 

Can the later D3 heads be modified to duplicate the PI heads by porting and installing larger valves?

 

They can be fitted with the larger valves, plus there is port work that can bring them around performance wise. Who has that link for the fellow that documented the D3 head mods? You still won't get the combustion chamber volume down to 70 specs, but a pop up piston will do that nicely.
Mark


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Ford started it; Ford will finish it!

 

You can't duplicate the PI heads with porting due to the larger inner chamber that's cast in, but D3s with larger valves and a porting job by someone who really knows 385 heads will come close to ported PIs. Because of the larger inner chambers, PIs and DOOEs take better advantage of plates that raise the exhaust floor than do D3s and DOVEs.

Don't forget that big flow isn't everything. Velocity and cross-section are equally important. An engine built from the cam out with well ported heads will outperform one with full porting and a cam with lift and duration that doesn't match the flow. Some people run D3s and outperform the PIs and DOOEs because they've taken the time and have the patience to put a combination together.

As Rick can tell you, that takes breaking a lot of parts and breaking through some of the 385 mythology regarding rods, piston quench and resulting combustion travel, carb size, intake configuration, exhaust systems and, especially, cam selection in relation to head capability. Pullers have put together some of the best performing 385s due to the fact that most are restricted to production, cast iron headed engines that need to run flat out for sometimes three times as long as a 1/4 mile drag engine at 8000+ rpm and survive. Against aluminum headed competition.

 

Try this site. The seems to know what he is doing using a home made flow meter and a bunch of other helpful info on head and valves.

http://reincarnation-automotive.com

I hope this helps you figure out your delema.

 

Scott knows how to port 385 heads.