Heads, how much gain?

I have been on the fence with the same decision. It is a tough call.
If a guy had a 1500. to 2000. budget would your money be better
spent on having a new set of aluminum heads checked over?
Or putting that money into larger valves and some porting on the heads
you already have.
I believe it really depends on what the guy doing the port work can deliver
more than any other factor. In the right hands iron heads can be made to
perform very well. It is a art form though. I have always felt with a iron head engine,
seemed it ran more crisp for lack of a better word.
The aluminum heads would give you a weight savings for sure. They come
with the larger valves already installed also. The ports untouched will make as
much power as a mildly ported big valve iron head.
So the aluminums does make it easy for a guy to bolt on some extra power.
For a guy that has the time tools and know how to port a iron head it could have
a great advantage when it comes to dollars spent per HP gained.
I think for most of us it is hard to beat the aluminum heads. If for some
reason you wanted more out of them later you could always have them ported.