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Aluminum heads - ? Worth it?

reddog64

reddog64

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are aluminum heads worht the 1000 dollar price tag?

I kow there's probably better mods out there but i'm curious if any one has seen a significant response in hp gains?

This is really aimed at people that have already done stuff like a cam, intake, carb, exhaust etc... but never dropped the extra coin on nice heads...
 
im not a big fan of aluminum heads on a wheeler, definately worth it on a car though.
 
I say yes, but that really depends.

AL heads make LESS power than identical iron heads, all else equal. Of course, they are almost never equal. In any case, AL heads typically allow you to run more compression on the same gas, so basically your net gain is zero. Lose power because of the AL (heat shedding) and gain it with the ability to run more compression.

Most AL heads are designed to flow very well, and burn efficiently. Over "stock" older heads, the gains can be quite significant. This also depends on how large or radical the engine is. On a newer head like a Vortec, not so much gain in efficiency at truck RPM's. BUT the Vortec's (for instance) require a lot of additional money that you don't have to shell out with a good set of aftermarket AL heads. (edit: what I meant was, Vortecs look cheap up front, but the costs add up for things like good springs, new rockers, intake, etc.)

The weight is really about your only tangible gain, or loss as it may be, when comparing aluminum or iron *aftermarket* heads, which again depending on the person, may or may not be worth it.
 
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No. Not on a truck. Similar flowing Iron heads will make more power and deal with heat better. Alu is a drag race thing where saving weight shaves time off your ET. So the few HP Alu heads cost you is more than made up by the loss of weight. Unless you are interested in how fast you can get down the 1/4 mile. You dont need ALU heads. LOL Alu heads aren't going to make much diference in your Et on a 5k lb brick.
 
Aluminum heads are most definately worth the cost. I built an engine for my old blazer and ran cast heads then a short while later swapped over to a set of 180cc AFR's and what a difference that was. You could definately feel the difference but what impressed me the most was the instant 2 mpg better fuel economy it gave me.
 
Stock GM heads. There really isn't a "good" cast iron head available that will flow anywhere near what an aftermarket aluminum head will.
 
Well its kind of unfair to compair a 1200 dollar plus AFR head to a stock head and say you got better performance...... DUHHHH.!!!
Compair a ALU AFR to a Trick flow, Dart, or other performance Iron head and the iron head will make a few more HP. And have same or better flow.
 
Aluminum heads exist because they are lighter. If weight matters to you, go with aluminum heads.

I wish I had aluminum heads but my vortecs make good power.
 
reddog64 said:
are aluminum heads worht the 1000 dollar price tag?

I kow there's probably better mods out there but i'm curious if any one has seen a significant response in hp gains?

This is really aimed at people that have already done stuff like a cam, intake, carb, exhaust etc... but never dropped the extra coin on nice heads...
Click to expand...


most aluminum heads have a more efficient combustion chamber, improved runner design, larger valves, better springs and so on. the whole compression deal, well your engine only "looses" a point due to quicker heat dissapation which benefits in controlling detonation in a higher compression motor. it still has its actual compression ratio. a typical 350 with flat tops and vortec heads is around 10-1 cr. thats over a point of compression more than compared to using a stock pre vortec head. not so good with pump gas. swap to aluminum and you still gain the power from the higher cr(approximately 4% for every point) but can still use pump gas. having a higher cr will aid you when using a hotter cam because the larger the cam, the more cylinder pressure it will bleed off. in the end having a motor thats got stuff like a cam, intake, carb, exhaust etc. it will definately benefit over stock cast iron, especially because factory iron heads that came on truck were never meant for performance. aluminum heads show their true colors when coupled with a good cam and compression to match. bolting them on to a stock motor would be foolish in my opinion, but you would save a bunch of weight:D
 
Unless you got money to burn like Billy Gates, or you are building a comp buggy, I wouldnt worry about aluminum. It is simply not cost efficent for 99% of off road applications. What little benefit you would see from aluminum, if any in some applications, would rarely justify spending twice to three times as much for a good iron head.

When the money comes, I will be getting a set of EQ iron heads. (www.eqcylinderheads.com/flow.html) Cheap as hell along with good numbers on the flowbench and on the dyno make these a no brainer for me vs. aluminum. I paid $1k for my whole truck I just cant see my broke ass shelling out another G just for a few lbs saved in 2.5 ton pig that will rarely even see highway speeds.

In a few years when its tube buggy time I will be doing an LS2 build with the L92 heads all to save weight and maintain balance. Then and only then, all that aluminum and money would be worth its weight in gold.

My .02
 
You start talking aftermarket, I don't think the price between AL and iron is that great. Last I checked it was around $800 for iron, $10-1200 for AL. I'd probably pay that for reduced front end weight.

EQ supposedly makes some good stuff, I believe they have a line of AL heads too, maybe the cost is better on those? Lightning series? Or are those the iron ones.

In any case, aftermarket iron or aluminum are going to be a HUGE step up from any non-modified 80's and prior stock SBC head.
 
yup, i'll pay the couple hundred for the aluminum, some AFR's are in my future..
 
ive bought a set last xmas for 600 bucks it was the proaction 76cc heads and i love them but i love them to cuase i got them for so cheap
 
The iron EQ heads I am looking at are $600 for the set shipped to my door. That saves me $500 as compared to AFR's at near $1100 shipped.

If you are going to put heads on the engine, most would already have an aftermarket intake and water pump (aluminum), so again, to me...the weight saved is not worth $500 or even 400 or 300. That money can be used for so many other things.

That's just me...to each his own. My money don't come easy right now after my divorce so I might have to pinch a penny or two if I wanna keep modding till I get back where I was.
 
Since weight has been brought up, what is the weight difference between Alum and Iron heads, cast and alum water pump and cast and alum intake?

PaulC
 
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