Need Big block advice!

[rumpfox]

you are way better off with buying a new set of hyperteck zero deck pistons or having the block bored .o20. you'll come out way better in the long run. i don't care what you do if you don't have comp' you're not going to make h.p. 8.2 is what is stock steel .020 gasket. a felpro is .042. a 72 or later cast crank eng. is only safe to bore .020 or you'll get cyl. dis.you have to think. a 10 .5 440 made an honest 375 hp. more than you'll need with 500 lbs. of tor. don't forget a cast crank req. a wieghted converter or, what i do is get on of those flex plates to take care of the bal. prob. that way you can buy a stall convert. another prob. with a super big cam. try to get a later mod. tranny. they have better internal improvements. yes you have to change the tranny also. big block trannies are getting real hard to come by over 30 yrs. since made.

 

[68plymouth383]

Welcome to the forum! !

 

[bajajoaquin]

So now it seems that someone else said that they're not crap, and it's okay.

You shouldn't buy them to make 750 hp. Okay.

To my mind the Stealth heads were the best value proposition if you were looking for a stock replacement head that made a little more power. For about $1200, you could buy heads, upgrade locks and retainers, and have a stock-appearing part that put out a few more HP, weighed 75lb less, and didn't cost a whole lot more than buying reman performance heads.

Which, for a C-Body, sounds about right.

 

[LocuMob]

So now it seems that someone else said that they're not crap, and it's okay.

You shouldn't buy them to make 750 hp. Okay.

To my mind the Stealth heads were the best value proposition if you were looking for a stock replacement head that made a little more power. For about $1200, you could buy heads, upgrade locks and retainers, and have a stock-appearing part that put out a few more HP, weighed 75lb less, and didn't cost a whole lot more than buying reman performance heads.

Which, for a C-Body, sounds about right.

Thanks for saying what I was thinking in my head.

As for my previous comment on nitrous with the Stealth head, I wouldn't do that myself, just the only performance build I had heard of when I bought mine.

 

[commando1]

It's hard tfor me to wrap my head around the fact that in a C-body, it's worth putting on any aftermarket head for a few more horsepower and a small weight reduction over 452's. Twelve hundred dollars for 12 hp? And 75 lbs. Is the equivalent of 9 gal. of gas. Or being overweight.

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[68plymouth383]

I tell you what I'll buy one of them tornado air cleaner apparatus I'll gain the 12Hp that way... LOL

 

[tallhair]

It's hard tfor me to wrap my head around the fact that in a C-body, it's worth putting on any aftermarket head for a few more horsepower and a small weight reduction over 452's. Twelve hundred dollars for 12 hp? And 75 lbs. Is the equivalent of 9 gal. of gas. Or being overweight.

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However I think the point made above is if you want some performance and are rebuilding a B or RB and have to purchase iron heads and have them done, which would probably involve installing or replacing the hardened seats and maybe a little port work or buy the aluminum head and invest a little money in the pushrod holes and new locks and retainers it's more bang for the buck with the aluminium one.

It probably doesn't make sense if you are just re-ringing and re-bearing an engine and putting it back w/ no plans to look for more power but are just R & R'ing it

 

[commando1]

If my heads were cracked, all I need is Craigslist and a couple of hundred bucks.
Then off to the machine shop.
And I'd be within 15 or so hp of the guy with 15 hundred dollar heads on his 4500+ lb. New Yorker.
That's like Totie Fields wearing speedos..

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[tallhair]

If you are just looking for stock replacement to get it back on the road yes. Not everyone is the same and it doesn't make them foolish to be different

How much do you think the machines shop would charge btw? Even 452 heads are probably going to need new ex seats

 

[commando1]

Ok. I'm cheap. There you have it. Lol.

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[tallhair]

I wasn't saying that at all Stan. I'm just saying the alternative makes sense in some cases

I had my 915's worked on instead of buying the stealth head. I don't think I'd do that again though.

 

[68plymouth383]

When I built my 440 I found a good pair of 906 heads. I had my machine shop install hardened seats, and do a valve job. The valves were worn so they were all replaced. Total cost to rebuild both heads with all new valves, hardened seats, new valve stem seals, and springs around 600.

 

[tallhair]

I'd say that sounds about right. Did the $600 include the cost of the heads?

 

[68plymouth383]

No. I drove out to Austin for the heads they were 80 bucks.

 

[70bigblockdodge]

Who is Totie Fields? Sorry I have to ask, you know wanker and all.

:backontopic: the 452 castings are induction hardened, deeper the 346 and others 71-74 have only a surface hardening which does not go deep enough against a cut.
This is the way I have understood it I'm sure the actual professionals will have more insight.

 

[68plymouth383]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuGnPpMZ6YM

Who is Totie Fields? Sorry I have to ask, you know wanker and all.

 

[heyoldguy]

It's hard tfor me to wrap my head around the fact that in a C-body, it's worth putting on any aftermarket head for a few more horsepower and a small weight reduction over 452's. Twelve hundred dollars for 12 hp? And 75 lbs. Is the equivalent of 9 gal. of gas. Or being overweight.

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12 HP for a $1200 investment?

How many horsepower is the airflow increase worth, in a Stealth head vs a stock iron head?

Anybody here tested that?

Huh?

Raise your hand now.

Well the time we tested it on our dyno, we took stock iron heads on a 7.5:1 compression 440 and replaced them with slightly ported iron heads, heads that didn't flow as good as the Stealths by 20cfm, and we still gained 62 HP.

Now, 62 horsepower may not be worth $1,500, $1,200, $1,000 or even $500 to any of us. We'll each have to decide for ourselves.

 

[LocuMob]

It's hard tfor me to wrap my head around the fact that in a C-body, it's worth putting on any aftermarket head for a few more horsepower and a small weight reduction over 452's. Twelve hundred dollars for 12 hp? And 75 lbs. Is the equivalent of 9 gal. of gas. Or being overweight.

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Stan, I planned on putting them on an engine for my Dart, but put them on when I thought I had a problem with the heads on the 440 in my Polara. I didn't have my stockpile of factory heads then.

CL and a couple hundo? I tried selling pairs of heads for $50 and didn't get 1 call. I'll send you any or all of the 6 extra I have for shipping. Can't give them away up here.

As for oldguy's claim of 62hp in a head that flowed less, I can't say I noticed that much of a difference, but my body doesn't have those sensors. But you have encouraged me to put my car on the dyno at Mopars in the Park next year to establish a baseline for when I put the Stealth heads back on.

 

[commando1]

I'mI'm always afraid to argue with oldtimer. From past posts he's got a background I wouldn't dispute much of what he says.

 

[LocuMob]

I'm not disputing his claim, in fact that's better than what I thought I might pick up. I'm about to order the exhaust for the car, so if it gets on the dyno, the only difference I plan on is the Stealth heads going back on. This is my cruiser, not a race car. Still be fun to see what is has going for it.