Used Diamond W2 Aluminum Heads Yay or Nay?

Used Alumium W2's or Port your Edelbrock heads

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68Dart500

68Dart500

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I'm at a crossroads with my upgrade path for my 408 stroker. I can take my Edelbrock Performer RPM heads and have them ported, new valve springs, rockers, and a new set of headers (currently have some junk Hedman 1 5/8).

Or I can get a set of W2 Diamond Aluminum heads rectangular port that have been ported and come complete with valves, rocker stands, iron adjustable rocker arms, and springs. Valve job was just done on the heads and it comes with a ported intake and a set of W2 headers for 25xx.

I realize I'll spend 15xx-2k having my Eddy heads ported, plus 1.6 rockers (I have 1.5 Comp rollers now), new valves, and a set of bigger headers (likely TTI). Plus I'd have to buy a different intake if I want to get away from my perfomer Air Gap.

So all that being said, would you go to W2 heads if given the choice? If you would go with W2 aluminum heads would you go with used W2 aluminum heads or go for new ones (assuming you can buy them new that is)? Is 2500 a decent price for all that stuff assuming they are in good shape? Does anything need to be done to my block to switch over to W2's?

From what I've read these are (or at least the iron version) a really good head for big power? I may ask the guy if I could have the heads checked out at a reputable local shop to pressure test them and flow bench them to see if they are screwed up or not.
 
I always pick the W2. But no way am I paying for a head that is decades old without a pressure test at a minimum. I don't care how good you are at porting, the Edelbrock head will never be a W2.

There are other choices. You can look at the Indy 360 heads if you don't want to buy used.

FWIW...I don't buy from Indy. I buy from one of their dealers. If I have to deal with Indy direct I don't deal with them. But that's just me.
 
yellow rose said:
I always pick the W2. But no way am I paying for a head that is decades old without a pressure test at a minimum. I don't care how good you are at porting, the Edelbrock head will never be a W2.

There are other choices. You can look at the Indy 360 heads if you don't want to buy used.

FWIW...I don't buy from Indy. I buy from one of their dealers. If I have to deal with Indy direct I don't deal with them. But that's just me.
Click to expand...

I second the Don't deal with Indy direct...… if someone else doesn't sell it I don't need it.
 
Go W-2 and never look back. I had a set and sold them just to get a set of 59* w-9’s. Then kicked my self over and over that i didn't keep the diamonds. They needed work but would have been worth it in the long run
 
I take it you know you will need the special W2 intake rockers
but you will also need to get B3 or other help on the geometry
If you have not done so go to the B3 website and read the three tech articles
I recommend the cups be in the adjusters not on the ends of the pushrods and recommend oil through the pushrods for best adjuster ball life
no comment on rocker choice but ask B3 and rocker arm specialists in Redding Cal for suggestions and the more ratio the better on the intake
Clearance your block for the largest dia pushrods that will fit
one way to help the block live with all that power is to keep the piston/ rod weight light
 
@Wyrmrider
When I spec’d out oil thru pushrods to Smith Bros the rep recommended against them stating they had seen cups burnt due to oil being forced back down into the pushrod.
I planned on running both oil thru and lightly restricted shaft oiling to my HS rockers.
I went with no oil thru because they do this for a living....
 
Wyrmrider said:
ok
cup or ball adjusters
Ford dia adjusters have worked for me
just chatting
Click to expand...
A Ford part find its way onto every Mopar

W2s all day long btw, haggle the bastard too. I'm sure you can get a couple Benjamin's off. What intake are you gonna run?
 
mbaird said:
@Wyrmrider
When I spec’d out oil thru pushrods to Smith Bros the rep recommended against them stating they had seen cups burnt due to oil being forced back down into the pushrod.
I planned on running both oil thru and lightly restricted shaft oiling to my HS rockers.
I went with no oil thru because they do this for a living....
Click to expand...
I myself have never burned up anything with too much oil, but I guess if it were flowing past too fast to carry away heat it might be possible... care to elaborate?
 
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Garrett Ellison said:
I myself have never burned up anything with too much oil, but I guess if it were flowing past too fast to carry away heat it might be posiible... care to elaborate?
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I think of it as the following: if something's getting too much oil, something else ain't getting enough
 
Okay, makes sense! Not enough pressure through the the lifters through the pushrods because of the oil going to the shafts.
 
BTW, if you get the Diamond W2s do you care to share some pics? I am not familiar with those as of yet.
 
If you go diamond get them pressure checked first as recommended above. These are early use of aluminum in heads and the quality of the casting process and resulting heads was worse that today’s cast aluminum heads. I have also heard that the guide on the Diamond and Batten aluminum W2 go through the water jacket and have been known to leak so watch for that also.

If it were me and I wanted an aluminum head that can make great power I would run the Indy 360, Eddy Victor or Large port Commando Mopar head for the casting quality and Offset intake rocker arm port layout.

Choice boils down to your goals and budget.
 
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Rocket said:
If you go diamond get them pressure checked first as recommended above. These are early use of aluminum in heads and the quality of the casting process and resulting heads was worse that today’s cast aluminum heads. I have also heard that the guide on the Diamond and Batten aluminum W2 go through the water jacket and have been known to leak so watch for that also.

If it were me and I wanted an aluminum head that can make great power I would run the Indy or Large port Commando Mopar head for the casting quality and Offset intake rocker arm port layout.

Choice boils down to your goals and budget.
Click to expand...

The large port commando isnt a good head for cost to performance.
Buddy had a set he ran for years that Ryan did. Small block stroker, 13 to 1, healthy roller, in a very well sorted bracket car.....not very impressive numbers compared to W5, Indy, even Brodix or W2 stuff.
131 mph in a 3000-3100 pound car with driver with a 904.
 
On the aluminum W2 heads your looking at, how big are the ports cc wise considering there now a rectangle instead of an oval?
I seen what Dick Landy used to do. They are huge in size. Much bigger than a standard port intake is.

A well done W2 should enable your engine to do very well. If your drag racing & in search of big power, it would be the Victor head.
 
MoPar did suggest the super commando head to replace any W5 head users heads that had issues due to the crap aluminum and casting quality. All of those heads are in the same league. Some are better than others. Much like the difference between the first place Yankees and last place Mets. All major league teams, some better than others.

B3422w5 said:
The large port commando isnt a good head for cost to performance.
Buddy had a set he ran for years that Ryan did. Small block stroker, 13 to 1, healthy roller, in a very well sorted bracket car.....not very impressive numbers compared to W5, Indy, even Brodix or W2 stuff.
131 mph in a 3000-3100 pound car with driver with a 904.
Click to expand...
 
rumblefish360 said:
MoPar did suggest the super commando head to replace any W5 head users heads that had issues due to the crap aluminum and casting quality. All of those heads are in the same league. Some are better than others. Much like the difference between the first place Yankees and last place Mets. All major league teams, some better than others.
Click to expand...

Mopar may have suggested it as a replacement for the W5, but as far as making power, it isnt in the same area code.
 
LMAO, true true true, like my baseball team match up.
What the real joke is there amazing statement of “Low cost option vs the more exotic heads.”

Awwwwwwww, come on man!
Seriously!!!!!!
Low cost? What were they again? A grand per head?!?!
:rofl:
 
Do the W2s have flow numbers? They might end up being expensive door stops.
 
No flow numbers but I'd be having them pressure tested and flowed before purchasing. Sounds like the guy is willing to drop them off at the place i suggested as long as I'm paying for the testing.

The intake is a ported matched Holley strip dominator and the headers are TTI ceramic coated. Evidently it was all in a 10 second 340 Duster.

He did send me a receipt for pressure testing, a valve job, and welding repair on these that he just had done. Evidently they had to fix a spot in 2 combustion chambers. Also he said there are some tiny cracks from some of the intake valves to the spark plug holes but the shop that pressure tested them said they were ok. Which is one more reason why I want the shop I talked to to look at them. Supposedly those cracks are common?
 
Common to a Diamond head maybe.....
 
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