Best Stock BB Heads?

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I'd also challenge the conclusion that the vast majority of people who do their own on their own equipment can do anything close to what a good shop can. And that's coming from someone with a TCM guide and seat machine and Sioux valve grinder in his garage. The accuracy of the valve job makes or breaks a head. Any head. The talent, experience, and attention to detail required to even equal a floating pilot, cutter-type valve job using stones is very high.
I've gotten 280 with a 2.14 intake on those 346s doing a "full port". It takes time, and experience to get that good enough. And with aftermarket heads being as cheap as they are, and them coming with a valve job equal to or better than the DIY'ers, it's stupid not to get them. But most have sticker shock, and equate the $300 valve job done local to the pro results - which frankly is simply not possible. Or really damn unlikely.
 
The old factory stuff gets older every day.
Although I grant you, a lot of it isn’t getting any more worn out with time.
It’s just sitting on a shelf or under a bench somewhere.

However, much of it was pretty well worn out when it was taken out of service.

What I’m getting at is, it’s not that common anymore to find a pristine set of low use factory heads that really only need a valve job before being put back into service.
They often need guides, seats, resurfacing, and a bunch of parts.

Like I said before....... if you can do that stuff yourself...... great.
If you have to pay someone...... it’s going to add up quick........ and it’s surprising how quickly you can end up with a set of “freshened” oe heads that are approaching new head money.

I looked to see what was currently on ebag....... there’s guys selling refurbished oe iron for as much as aftermarket heads.
Well, I say “selling”..... I don’t know what they’re actually getting for them.

Don’t get me wrong....... I love seeing those jobs come in the door....... but I’m very up front with people in letting them know........ it may not be the most budget friendly option for them.
 
In my experience I've found that all stock heads work equally well as door stops. The door does seem happier with 906 heads, but it stays closed even with a 346 or 452 head. Even the most worthless 516 head will hold a door open.
 
I wonder how many races have been won and how many records set with those "doorstops"?
 
for information, the 906 has , R,M, F ,C the C out flows them all, we tested on a 600 super flow bench.
 
perfacar said:
for information, the 906 has , R,M, F ,C the C out flows them all, we tested on a 600 super flow bench.
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Now that's good information! Thanks for sharing that!
 
The ProMaxx Head, in layman’s terms is the same casting as the Sidewinder heads, only they install US made guides in them, and do the guide and seat work in the states.

For me the bottom line on those is........ how do they compare price wise to the current industry std for a non-mw head..... the TF240.
It’s unlikely they would make more power than the TF240, and down the road I’m sure the resale won’t be as good........ so the only way I can see those as a real viable alternative is if they are noticeably less expensive....... and I don’t think they are.
Not to mention that the TF’s come with pretty nice hardware.
 
to clarify, most 906 heads flow same at .500 lift, in the midrange, is where the difference is. the R has a straight line from zero to .500. the F and the C have a hump in the midlift. this is where the valve spends most of it's time. just food for thought. mopar stated , more flow in midlift will make more power. race manual .
 
RustyRatRod said:
I wonder how many races have been won and how many records set with those "doorstops"?
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Every record that requires/required stock heads or when that's all that was available, so a lot

Record machines, especially as time has progressed are BIG DOLLAR cars. I have a set of eddy RPM heads that flow 345cfm. They weren't cheap. I can't imagine what it would cost to attempt to squeeze every ounce of hp out of a set of iron heads, not to menaiton the R & D and the failure yield involved.
 
PRH said:
I agree with the sentiment of using whichever heads need the least amount of $$$ spent to make them servicable.

The “best” ootb stock std port I’ve tested was indeed a 906 “F” head.
However, not all “F” heads are great, and I’ve tested non-F heads that were better than some F heads.
They are after all just castings........ and they’re not all exactly the same.

For a novice who’s going to do a little clean up, imo the 346/902/452 heads are easier to do and have a higher chance of making real improvements to than the 906/915 heads.
For an experienced head porter who has the extra time it takes to make a 906/915 work....... they do have more potential.

That being said...... unless the cores you’re going to use need very little work....... you’ll be better off buy new aluminum heads....... from both a cost and performance standpoint.
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Exactly!
 
RustyRatRod said:
Jim Laroy likes them. That's good enough for me.
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Nothing wrong with the 346, Richard Petty once said that his favorite head was the 346. I don't like the 902 simply because I've found them cracked more than the others in their stock state. Now I don't have a preference between the 346 and the 452, to me they are about the same and we've never pushed them beyond 680 HP. However, the 906 is my favorite of the factory iron, yet we've never been able to get more than 748 HP out of them. Maybe could have, but when the dyno operator forgot to turn the water on to the engine that day, well, that kinda squelched any real power tests.
 
roccodart440 said:
Every record that requires/required stock heads or when that's all that was available, so a lot

Record machines, especially as time has progressed are BIG DOLLAR cars. I have a set of eddy RPM heads that flow 345cfm. They weren't cheap. I can't imagine what it would cost to attempt to squeeze every ounce of hp out of a set of iron heads, not to menaiton the R & D and the failure yield involved.
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When we decided not to do them anymore, the price was over $5,000, probably too cheap.
 
I’m sure “best of the best” nhra SS heads would be well north of $5k.

Of course for a BB Mopar these days, they would be the nhra approved Ede heads.
 
I was under assumption 906 heads flowed better at higher RPM?
It least it feels/sounds like it......lol
 
mycuda said:
I was under assumption 906 heads flowed better at higher RPM?
It least it feels/sounds like it......lol
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I don’t think rpm has anything to do with how well they will flow during use. Head A & B are ported the same. A ported head A flows the same as ported head B. What number the head is has little to do with how it is ported. Head A may port out better
 
mycuda said:
I was under assumption 906 heads flowed better at higher RPM?
It least it feels/sounds like it......lol
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HP Books claims that 906's are the best.

I did a little test with my 440's. The first one was built with all out 906 heads. Full port, oversized valves. THe 2nd 440 was built with OOTB eddy RPMs. Literally OOTB... Identical builds except heads and 850 vs. 950 carb.

The 906's made tq 500 rpm higher (3500 vs. 4000) but peak hp 200rpm lower (5600 vs. 5800). Very similar power numbers and both cars run nearly the same number.

That should muddy the waters pretty well
 
Ported stock heads vs Ede heads?

Moparts on the Web - Main Index

When I see tests where they’re replacing some “ported” oe heads with some ootb Ede’s and they pick up like 50hp....... it just tells you how “good” their ported stock heads were.

The 906's made tq 500 rpm higher (3500 vs. 4000) but peak hp 200rpm lower (5600 vs. 5800). Very similar power numbers and both cars run nearly the same number.
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So, the Ede heads made more bottom end, and more top end?
Sounds like a win/win to me.
 
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roccodart440 said:
Every record that requires/required stock heads or when that's all that was available, so a lot

Record machines, especially as time has progressed are BIG DOLLAR cars. I have a set of eddy RPM heads that flow 345cfm. They weren't cheap. I can't imagine what it would cost to attempt to squeeze every ounce of hp out of a set of iron heads, not to menaiton the R & D and the failure yield involved.
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And nowadays who would do that unless they were restricted by rules in a certain class? But back when that was "all we had" those heads did do the job. The record books are proof.

No way in heck would I run an iron head on something serious now. I will continue to run them on the street though, because all I ever build for the street is stuff to have fun with.......that is unless the cost to prep the iron heads gets too much. ....and that could happen quicky.
 
roccodart440 said:
HP Books claims that 906's are the best.

I did a little test with my 440's. The first one was built with all out 906 heads. Full port, oversized valves. THe 2nd 440 was built with OOTB eddy RPMs. Literally OOTB... Identical builds except heads and 850 vs. 950 carb.

The 906's made tq 500 rpm higher (3500 vs. 4000) but peak hp 200rpm lower (5600 vs. 5800). Very similar power numbers and both cars run nearly the same number.

That should muddy the waters pretty well
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Jim Laroy has also said the 906 was "a little" better than the rest. He stressed "a little" if I remember correctly. In other words, don't "just look" for the 906 if "ya gotta" have iron heads. Any of them will do.
 
Use "915" heads and convert them to use unleaded fuel . Do not spend more than $650 on them including the price of the heads . Any more $$ and it is not cost effective . That is when aluminum heads make sense .
 
RustyRatRod said:
Jim Laroy has also said the 906 was "a little" better than the rest. He stressed "a little" if I remember correctly. In other words, don't "just look" for the 906 if "ya gotta" have iron heads. Any of them will do.
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The big thing with the 906's, to me, that is a bigger point of debate, is open vs. closed chamber. That's a bigger topic than the smaller differences on flow.

Dome vs. flat top pistons. combustion chamber efficiency (and everything encompassed by that)

The trend seems to give the nod to closed chamber heads
 
roccodart440 said:
The big thing with the 906's, to me, that is a bigger point of debate, is open vs. closed chamber. That's a bigger topic than the smaller differences on flow.

Dome vs. flat top pistons. combustion chamber efficiency (and everything encompassed by that)

The trend seems to give the nod to closed chamber heads
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Yup, I've always agreed with the closed chamber crowd. When you realize WHY open chambers came about, (emissions) there's your answer. lol
 
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