W2 heads

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m79ded

m79ded

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With so many variants of W2 heads i'm confused as to which ones are good. In the late 70's I used a set of Econo that the part number from Direct Connection ended in 34 and they were good for their time. I was also told there was a batch of cast iron heads of that era that were prone to cracking. Im sure things have progressed with time. What i'm looking for is for a street and bracket race engine, heads like an Econo head, nothing over the top. Are there aluminum variants? Perhaps just go with new Trick Flow? Also decent Intake recommendation.
I'm looking to do up an engine in the 408 range.
Thanks
 
m79ded said:
With so many variants of W2 heads i'm confused as to which ones are good. In the late 70's I used a set of Econo that the part number from Direct Connection ended in 34 and they were good for their time. I was also told there was a batch of cast iron heads of that era that were prone to cracking. Im sure things have progressed with time. What i'm looking for is for a street and bracket race engine, heads like an Econo head, nothing over the top. Are there aluminum variants? Perhaps just go with new Trick Flow? Also decent Intake recommendation.
I'm looking to do up an engine in the 408 range.
Thanks
Click to expand...


The Trick Flow will NEVER make the power of a W-2. It's that simple. I know there were some versions of the W-2 with some cracking issues. I've never actually seen one though. I suspect some may be owner induced. I think it was Duntov (maybe Yunick) that said some guys can break a bowling ball in a sand box.

If you do find the Econ heads, contact Mike at B3 racing engines and have him help you set up your geometry. He is second to none and a damn nice guy and he will hook you up.

The only difference between the Econ and the race heads is the rocker stands. The econo head used saddles like a production head and the "race" head had the stands milled off and you need to use blocks with the shafts. Other than that, the heads are the same. Then in the 1990's you could buy W-2 heads with a closed chamber ( I hate the chamber as its like the W-5 head and it's a piss poor design) but you can fix it with some work. The open chamber is just as good. Either casting is the same port. Some of the newer castings had a bit more materiel in the ports and in other places in the casting.

I will say not to look at flow numbers alone. At 408 inches any production style head is a cork. 300 CFM out of a W-2 will make way more power than a production style head making the same, or even more CFM.

As for intakes...I still prefer the Strip Dominator. The edelbrock is as good and it's a toss up between the two. I just prefer the port shape of the Holley better.
 
pittsburghracer said:
Ya it was my fault my W2 heads cracked. What an idiot statement. LMAO.
Click to expand...


No, not what I'm saying. Why all the butt hurt. The two I've seen crack were at the outside bolt holes. I know, for a fact that one of them was sitting on the dowel pin when he torqued it down.

If they are cracking at the bolt bosses that's a human fault most of the time.
If they are cracking from the seat out...I've seen a hundred of those, even in Pcar heads. Put a seat in it and forget it. Come to think of it, the only W-2 heads I've seen crack at the intake seat are the early closed chamber head. My buddy has a set. I'll get some ductile iron seats ( or make a few), install them and let them run.
 
The econo’s That cracked on me were well known for cracking. I hear they corrected the issue with a vertical web by the lower row of bolts. Mine both cracked right by the W2 casted on the side. I got them new from a buddy doing some horse trading so I didn’t have big money in them and lucked out on an intake and two set of rockers. They maxed out at 260 cfm at .450 lift then dropped off. By time I went to port them I heard of cracking issues so I stuck with the 3/8 diameter 2.02 valves and when I hit 305 cfm I quit and put them on my 408 that easily went 9.80’s on pump gas. When the leaks got to bad I took them off, leaned them against my shop wall, and sold the intake I ported and two sets of rockers. I’ve bought and sold two sets of race heads without even trying them. I hope to never port cast iron heads again.
 
If you plan on running a camshaft that needs ANY type of good spring at all, look for the long valve W2 heads. Econo or not.
 
pittsburghracer said:
The econo’s That cracked on me were well known for cracking. I hear they corrected the issue with a vertical web by the lower row of bolts. Mine both cracked right by the W2 casted on the side. I got them new from a buddy doing some horse trading so I didn’t have big money in them and lucked out on an intake and two set of rockers. They maxed out at 260 cfm at .450 lift then dropped off. By time I went to port them I heard of cracking issues so I stuck with the 3/8 diameter 2.02 valves and when I hit 305 cfm I quit and put them on my 408 that easily went 9.80’s on pump gas. When the leaks got to bad I took them off, leaned them against my shop wall, and sold the intake I ported and two sets of rockers. I’ve bought and sold two sets of race heads without even trying them. I hope to never port cast iron heads again.
Click to expand...


I think someone on here posted a picture of a crack like that. Do you still have the cracked heads?????
 
what RRR said about long valves and taller springs- then get the geometry right
a long lived and killer combination
also agree that no stock type head no matter how trick can run with the above
 
@m79ded

You should still be able to get new W2 heads.
There the race style head. Intakes can also be bought new and ether aren’t to hard to come by on eBay.
Watch pricing though.
 
rumblefish360 said:
@m79ded

You should still be able to get new W2 heads.
There the race style head. Intakes can also be bought new and ether aren’t to hard to come by on eBay.
Watch pricing though.
Click to expand...
So what you're saying is just buy the new ones that are available and like RRR and Wyrm said get the long valves if going with a big cam, I would assume chambers should be closed for quench purposes as well. I'm comfortable setting up big blocks (Heck last year did A 451 with 12" vaccum go 612hp 625tq) but the small blocks I'm not sure that's why I ask people that know better. There just are so many
 
I wish I still had the pictures of a set of Batton W2 heads a friend of mine had me flow test and almost buy. I guess the Indy 360-2 heads are a copy of them from what I hear but the old Batton's could pull some steam in the right hands out of a VERY old head. These heads were FULL of epoxy that was dried out and cracking. My buddy couldn't do the work and I didn't want to but they hit slightly over 330 cfm. I have one old picture of the intake he brought to my shop. The shortside is so nice in any W2 head compared to the Edelbrock heads and copies of it. Why they couldn't put some material there is beyond my thinking.
Battenheadandminifold005.jpg
 
Heads are out there, but I've seen a couple guys looking for the long valves and having trouble finding them. Sources are drying up.
 
m79ded said:
So what you're saying is just buy the new ones that are available and like RRR and Wyrm said get the long valves if going with a big cam, I would assume chambers should be closed for quench purposes as well. I'm comfortable setting up big blocks (Heck last year did A 451 with 12" vaccum go 612hp 625tq) but the small blocks I'm not sure that's why I ask people that know better. There just are so many
Click to expand...

You need to get the long valve HEADS. The heads are cast differently to handle longer valves.

I never could for the life of me figure out WHY Mopar made badass heads for the small block and made a stock valve length head. Most anyone using W2s would go for a camshaft big enough to need a spring that the stock length valve could not handle.
 
m79ded said:
So what you're saying is just buy the new ones that are available and like RRR and Wyrm said get the long valves if going with a big cam, I would assume chambers should be closed for quench purposes as well. I'm comfortable setting up big blocks (Heck last year did A 451 with 12" vaccum go 612hp 625tq) but the small blocks I'm not sure that's why I ask people that know better. There just are so many
Click to expand...
Yes
 
yellow rose said:
The Trick Flow will NEVER make the power of a W-2. It's that simple. I know there were some versions of the W-2 with some cracking issues. I've never actually seen one though. I suspect some may be owner induced. I think it was Duntov (maybe Yunick) that said some guys can break a bowling ball in a sand box.

If you do find the Econ heads, contact Mike at B3 racing engines and have him help you set up your geometry. He is second to none and a damn nice guy and he will hook you up.

The only difference between the Econ and the race heads is the rocker stands. The econo head used saddles like a production head and the "race" head had the stands milled off and you need to use blocks with the shafts. Other than that, the heads are the same. Then in the 1990's you could buy W-2 heads with a closed chamber ( I hate the chamber as its like the W-5 head and it's a piss poor design) but you can fix it with some work. The open chamber is just as good. Either casting is the same port. Some of the newer castings had a bit more materiel in the ports and in other places in the casting.

I will say not to look at flow numbers alone. At 408 inches any production style head is a cork. 300 CFM out of a W-2 will make way more power than a production style head making the same, or even more CFM.

As for intakes...I still prefer the Strip Dominator. The edelbrock is as good and it's a toss up between the two. I just prefer the port shape of the Holley better.
Click to expand...

Break a bowling ball in a sand box ---good one ! , never heard it before .
 
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