Cast vs. Aluminum heads and bang for buck..

Would you spend the same amount of money or more on cast iron heads instead of aluminum?

  • No

  • Yes

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j par

j par

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@318willrun and I have been having our battles LOL about the difference is now seemingly in price between stock La heads Magnum heads and now a new offering by Speedmaster there aluminum assembled heads when on sale can be purchased to your door for$820 fully assembled.
Of course there may be several different reasons for either head. Some people may just want to work with what they have and that's great and that's exactly what I did. Only now in hindsight seeing that I spent more than $820 on these cast-iron heads. A lot of people will say they need to be looked over and the pair that I have I will. Also I've heard the argument of our Factory heads being completely production and being slapped on and running and nowhere near the tolerances of today's standards.
So basically for me it's more of a bang for buck thread, but again there are a lot of people that want a stock look and so forth...
 
451Cuda said:
Minor point...but most aluminum heads are cast. Say Iron vs Aluminum.
Click to expand...
Screenshot_20191010-104820.png

Looks like gravity die cast?
 
yellow rose said:
It depends on the head. You didn't have that answer in your poll.
Click to expand...
Correct. notice how he said "equal or MORE money for iron heads"????? :realcrazy: I think the normal consensus is aluminum heads are more money.....
 
I think we may find the lower end aluminum heads becoming even more attractive vs iron, in the short term anyway. The Trick Flow heads look like they're shaking things up, so some may be getting out of the market, or may have to lower prices to attract buyers.
Assembled LA aluminum heads for $687.50, plus shipping. This from an email I received today from Mancini's:

We went to Edelbrock and made a run of cylinder heads without any logo's on the ends of the heads. They still have all the factory mounting holes in them. We also have ready to bolt on Magnum cylinder heads, since the Mopar R/T heads are no longer available.
Act now this great promo is limited to stock on hand
Performer RPM Cylinder Head
 
S'cuder said:
I think we may find the lower end aluminum heads becoming even more attractive vs iron, in the short term anyway. The Trick Flow heads look like they're shaking things up, so some may be getting out of the market, or may have to lower prices to attract buyers.
Assembled LA aluminum heads for $687.50, plus shipping. This from an email I received today from Mancini's:

We went to Edelbrock and made a run of cylinder heads without any logo's on the ends of the heads. They still have all the factory mounting holes in them. We also have ready to bolt on Magnum cylinder heads, since the Mopar R/T heads are no longer available.
Act now this great promo is limited to stock on hand
Performer RPM Cylinder Head
Click to expand...
That's per head. 687.50 x 2 (just so folks don't get the wrong idea)
 
Did I need to get more specific than the LA and Magnum heads? Like which LA and Magnum heads? We're not talking W-2 or up...
yellow rose said:
It depends on the head. You didn't have that answer in your poll.
Click to expand...

318willrun said:
Correct. notice how he said "equal or MORE money for iron heads"????? :realcrazy: I think the normal consensus is aluminum heads are more money.....
Click to expand...
 
I’m going to try and limit myself to one post on this thread.

I doubt you’ll be able to get a set of used old iron cores completely refurbished, and updated with all new hardware, set up with hardened exhaust seats, bronze guides, with some minor bowl blending, etc........ done by a well respected machine shop/cylinder head service for under $1000.
You get all that with new import heads.
All new parts, stainless valves, bronze guides, hardened seats suitable for unleaded fuel.

In many cases, the import aluminum heads are less expensive than reworked OE iron...... and offer a performance increase.

The situation where this doesn’t always play out is when looking for replacement heads for the low performance OEM type applications.
Like a stock rebuild on a 318 2bbl, where something like a SM head isn’t a good option.
 
A worn out cast iron head vs a new bare aluminum head. I will use the iron head for a door stop.
I will use the forklift to move the iron head to the door.
 
S'cuder said:
I think we may find the lower end aluminum heads becoming even more attractive vs iron, in the short term anyway. The Trick Flow heads look like they're shaking things up, so some may be getting out of the market, or may have to lower prices to attract buyers.
Assembled LA aluminum heads for $687.50, plus shipping. This from an email I received today from Mancini's:

We went to Edelbrock and made a run of cylinder heads without any logo's on the ends of the heads. They still have all the factory mounting holes in them. We also have ready to bolt on Magnum cylinder heads, since the Mopar R/T heads are no longer available.
Act now this great promo is limited to stock on hand
Performer RPM Cylinder Head
Click to expand...
Quantity 1. I'm looking for a pair at that price. :lol:
 
j par said:
Did I need to get more specific than the LA and Magnum heads? Like which LA and Magnum heads? We're not talking W-2 or up...
Click to expand...


I don't ever use magnum heads. If that's the case, I'd buy the trick flows and be done with it. Unless I had a sickness and had some cast iron heads sitting here and talked myself into porting those, as the guides and seats didn't cost me a thing.
 
yellow rose said:
I don't ever use magnum heads. If that's the case, I'd buy the trick flows and be done with it. Unless I had a sickness and had some cast iron heads sitting here and talked myself into porting those, as the guides and seats didn't cost me a thing.
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So right off the rails and completely off the subject.... Thanks...
 
I have several sets of X and J and 915 and other BBM heads with new guides and Dura Bond sintered exhaust seats
can't sell them for what I have into them
Only place they are useful is for a restore
 
j par said:
@318willrun and I have been having our battles LOL about the difference is now seemingly in price between stock La heads Magnum heads and now a new offering by Speedmaster there aluminum assembled heads when on sale can be purchased to your door for$820 fully assembled.
Of course there may be several different reasons for either head. Some people may just want to work with what they have and that's great and that's exactly what I did. Only now in hindsight seeing that I spent more than $820 on these cast-iron heads. A lot of people will say they need to be looked over and the pair that I have I will. Also I've heard the argument of our Factory heads being completely production and being slapped on and running and nowhere near the tolerances of today's standards.
So basically for me it's more of a bang for buck thread, but again there are a lot of people that want a stock look and so forth...
Click to expand...
You do understand, not one person's opinion will be changed by this thread....... Kind of like "Holley science vs Eddy simplicity".... LOL. Another thread that changes nothing but promotes arguements. Toolmanmike was worried about my "undisputed vs unhinged" thread leading to fights, and having to clean it up. That thread has already had pointers that others are going to try on their car (the whole purpose of that thread). I'm hoping to learn an old racers secret myself!... LOL.....
 
Depends. Air flow is air flow no matter what. Compression is compression no matter what.
As long as you can feed it the octane needed, your good to go.
I wouldn’t take an OEM head to extreme levels when there’s a greater performing aluminum head available at or closely priced that performs the same or better. It is possible to take a stock head to a respectable level no doubt. Cost wise, if your doing none of the work, the balance could be close depending on the aluminum head purchased. It’s boarded line with a OEM vs an Edelbrock performer head.

So would I use an iron head? Sure!
Application dependent.
Perhaps, a stealthy average stock like engine with headers doesn’t present much of a threat. I have read porters getting 270+ cfm out of an OEM iron head. That’s enough flow to get going pretty good.

Then there is the W2. 300 cfm+ capable. A quick look by most wont know it’s something different. I look forward to mine soon.

The three pluses to aluminum is there lighter weight, there easy repair (most aluminum heads that is.) and Aluminum seems to tolerate a little more compression.
Now that just means the iron head has to be built with a little more forethought? LOL!!!!!

There’s a lot of good posts and thoughts going on here so far. Those above are mine. I say, “Build it the way you want it.” I myself, I don’t think I’d put much into a stock head. But who knows? Maybe one day I’ll do it and not care about the cost.

The last thing I can say about this is, a little advice for anyone new to the game.

“Spend the money on the best head you can afford and you’ll be way happier and way ahead of the game by a long shot! Air flow IS power.”
 
318willrun said:
You do understand, not one person's opinion will be changed by this thread....... Kind of like "Holley science vs Eddy simplicity".... LOL. Another thread that changes nothing but promotes arguements. Toolmanmike was worried about my "undisputed vs unhinged" thread leading to fights, and having to clean it up. That thread has already had pointers that others are going to try on their car (the whole purpose of that thread). I'm hoping to learn an old racers secret myself!... LOL.....
Click to expand...
I don't know what it is about you but you like say stuff to purposely make me hit the disagree button? If not one person's mind will get changed about this then you can go ahead and answer the personal messages I've been getting as to where they can get their set of aluminum heads for $820 sent to their door?...
I'm happy for you and all the people that are benefiting from those old hot rod pointers and I'm not trying to take away from that. I had one of those old hot rod pointers Point me into putting way too much money into a set of cast iron heads. (again as mentioned I couldn't get $400 for in perfect order with badass Springs and the whole nine yards. Harden seats brand new valves everything) Now I'm trying to get with the times now that aluminum heads have been put in the same price category.
Here's where I give you credit. You were talking to that guy about putting more money into a set of Magnum heads that he was going to already pay $400 for. As a possible upgrade in performance... for me personally I sincerely wish at any point I was at that stage and looking for more and there was an option to spend just a tad more and get so much more with less work...
nobody's gotten nasty and called anybody any names or anything like that for a monitor to clean up that I've seen? Would you like this conversation to cease to exist?...
 
yellow rose said:
Did you expect a different answer? I'm always up front.
Click to expand...
And again it's like I was telling valve flyer, 820 totally loaded aluminum heads compared to buying and spending that that same amount on Factory cast iron.
This is definitely under $1, 000 territory. When you start talkin anyting else it doubles the 820 and then starts tripling and quadrupling...
This isn't Max effort this is bang for buck in the budget realm which I consider and it's definitely my opinion on this one is in the Thousand or less range..
 
What kind of money would a job like this cost. I supplied the parts. I lucked out and traded labor for a couple electric die grinders.

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041600951719[00].jpg
 
j par said:
I don't know what it is about you but you like say stuff to purposely make me hit the disagree button? If not one person's mind will get changed about this then you can go ahead and answer the personal messages I've been getting as to where they can get their set of aluminum heads for $820 sent to their door?...
I'm happy for you and all the people that are benefiting from those old hot rod pointers and I'm not trying to take away from that. I had one of those old hot rod pointers Point me into putting way too much money into a set of cast iron heads. (again as mentioned I couldn't get $400 for in perfect order with badass Springs and the whole nine yards. Harden seats brand new valves everything) Now I'm trying to get with the times now that aluminum heads have been put in the same price category.
Here's where I give you credit. You were talking to that guy about putting more money into a set of Magnum heads that he was going to already pay $400 for. As a possible upgrade in performance... for me personally I sincerely wish at any point I was at that stage and looking for more and there was an option to spend just a tad more and get so much more with less work...
nobody's gotten nasty and called anybody any names or anything like that for a monitor to clean up that I've seen? Would you like this conversation to cease to exist?...
Click to expand...
Sure, many will be interested in loaded aluminum heads for 820. But this thread isn't about where to buy, there was a thread on that last year, their big sale. This thread is about, "putting equal or more into iron heads vs aluminum".
Lets visit REALVILLE.
  • My 318 heads in my '74 Duster. New valve springs for 50 bucks, and new exhaust valves for 48 bucks, and 10 bucks for new umbrella seals, 20 bucks in stones to port. For my engine, for my build, 128 dollars and some winter time porting, I got what I wanted. Didn't want 800+ dollar heads!
  • I also bought remanufactured, fully loaded mag heads for 300 bucks (pair). They were meant for my 5.2 mag. I changed my mind, added 230 bucks for Hughes spring kit, and 60 bucks to have Odessa's fix checked out, and 10 dollars in stones. That's 600 dollars all set for up to .550 lift. You will be over 900 dollars in your aluminum heads with springs. That's still 300 bucks cheaper than your heads with new spring, and even more if you take yours to a machine shop to be checked out, and I'm not sure you'll flow hardly any better, IF better.
  • So tell my why I'm stupid in these two builds??? This is why the decision will be made case by case scenario.
 
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