W2 heads I think they are ready

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12swinger

12swinger

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I’ve had these around for a few years and am getting around to using them.
I bought them on fleabay with a victor jr intake, which I’m not a huge fan of, and found a Strip Dominator instead. I installed new guides, and new valves actually everything’s been replaced.
I polished the chambers some, roughed in the port work, and let a buddy wrap up a valve job, and some touch up work.

Didn’t bother flowing them, as I’ve put these on a flow bench before and there usually decent.
W2 heads have fairly large ports to begin with, and don’t require much work on the port intake opening, most gains are under the valve, and in the bowl area, and if you mess with the opening airspeed can decline.
Years ago I was working at a shop that took a set to the next level through raising the port floor significantly, and thereby kept the airspeed up, and airflow wasn’t tumbling or stalling, and the ports did not get all that much bigger, they just raised them, though I never got to see them on a car.
Loren Zeedyk was hanging around the shop some at the time, and probably was an influence. He had a lot to do with the development of the W5 head I understand and I have a set. I was also lucky enough to see his work in action on a car the shop campaigned that set some track records around me, with Zeeker heads, and intake, and I believe Don Dye did the carbs. I’m wandering and reminiscing. He was a great guy Loren.
I intend to put these on a street car, that sees occasional track time, and if we get through this Covid19 will be at the track again.

What’s your results with the old W2 heads?

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12swinger said:
I’ve had these around for a few years and am getting around to using them.
I bought them on fleabay with a victor jr intake, which I’m not a huge fan of, and found a Strip Dominator instead. I installed new guides, and new valves actually everything’s been replaced.
I polished the chambers some, roughed in the port work, and let a buddy wrap up a valve job, and some touch up work.

Didn’t bother flowing them, as I’ve put these on a flow bench before and there usually decent.
W2 heads have fairly large ports to begin with, and don’t require much work on the port intake opening, most gains are under the valve, and in the bowl area, and if you mess with the opening airspeed can decline.
Years ago I was working at a shop that took a set to the next level through raising the port floor significantly, and thereby kept the airspeed up, and airflow wasn’t tumbling or stalling, and the ports did not get all that much bigger, they just raised them, though I never got to see them on a car.
Loren Zeedyk was hanging around the shop some at the time, and probably was an influence. He had a lot to do with the development of the W5 head I understand and I have a set. I was also lucky enough to see his work in action on a car the shop campaigned that set some track records around me, with Zeeker heads, and intake, and I believe Don Dye did the carbs. I’m wandering and reminiscing. He was a great guy Loren.
I intend to put these on a street car, that sees occasional track time, and if we get through this Covid19 will be at the track again.

What’s your results with the old W2 heads?

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A few years ago we did a dyno manifold test on my W2 head 363 motor it had a gasket matched Strip Dominator we swapped on an out of the box Victor W2 and it was a 13 H.P. increase, my heads weren`t heavily ported. I still have the 363 ( 360 magnum short block W2 heads) it is being redone for lower compression ( 11.5 to 1 to 9 1/2 to 1 ) for pump gas. When I was building my current 408 ( R3 block ) I purchased a pair of W2 heads for the build but sold them to get engine builder recommended 360-1s , the 408 makes good H.P. and T.Q. for low compression more than I expected but I wish I would have kept the those W2s though. The pair of W2's I do have came off a complete 12 1/2 to 1 340 I bought over twenty years ago for $2400 a steal by todays standards ! My 363 actually made 22 more h.p. with less cam and compression then the 12 1/2 to 1 340 : 10.40s vs 10.80s in my 3150 lb. Dart. My current 408 has ran 10.69 a best but is ran on a throttle stop to run 11.50s for Sportsman Eliminator and 11.50 Index racing.


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I've been running a set on my Scamp with a 360 on the street for years. They run great and have not had any problems at all with them. It will pull to 6500 with no problem but with a stock bottom end I don't go there often or any higher. I used to run them on my dirt car when I raced. I went to the W5 heads on the race car and the W2 got street duty. The race car and W5 heads are long gone. I did find a dual plane manifold a few years ago and it made it much more street friendly.
 
If interested, I have a set of aftermarket ductile iron W2 rockers with jam nuts & the wedding band spacers. PM me for more information.
 
BVoelzke said:
A few years ago we did a dyno manifold test on my W2 head 363 motor it had a gasket matched Strip Dominator we swapped on an out of the box Victor W2 and it was a 13 H.P. increase, my heads weren`t heavily ported. I still have the 363 ( 360 magnum short block W2 heads) it is being redone for lower compression ( 11.5 to 1 to 9 1/2 to 1 ) for pump gas. When I was building my current 408 ( R3 block ) I purchased a pair of W2 heads for the build but sold them to get engine builder recommended 360-1s , the 408 makes good H.P. and T.Q. for low compression more than I expected but I wish I would have kept the those W2s though. The pair of W2's I do have came off a complete 12 1/2 to 1 340 I bought over twenty years ago for $2400 a steal by todays standards ! My 363 actually made 22 more h.p. with less cam and compression then the 12 1/2 to 1 340 : 10.40s vs 10.80s in my 3150 lb. Dart. My current 408 has ran 10.69 a best but is ran on a throttle stop to run 11.50s for Sportsman Eliminator and 11.50 Index racing.



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You’ve got a quick car and it’s obviously a mostly full body car.
A sportsman class is heads up I’m Guessing?

I kind of left room with the W2 Set I have, as I noticed 2 spots 1 in particular of I call it porosity in the casting. I stopped before I punched a hole. Probably a easy area to fix though.
 
12swinger said:
You’ve got a quick car and it’s obviously a mostly full body car.
A sportsman class is heads up I’m Guessing?

I kind of left room with the W2 Set I have, as I noticed 2 spots 1 in particular of I call it porosity in the casting. I stopped before I punched a hole. Probably a easy area to fix though.
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Yes 68 Dart all steel except hood, trunk lid, and both bumpers , no lexan , front bench seat , 3150 lbs. with driver/ 2935 with out ...11.50 index is a heads up class on a 5 tenths pro tree, Sportsman is 11.50 and slower dial in bracket class. Not uncommon for W2 heads to be thin in places.

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Demonracer said:
If interested, I have a set of aftermarket ductile iron W2 rockers with jam nuts & the wedding band spacers. PM me for more information.
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Thanks I’ll keep it in mind.
I had to grind on these for clearance, hopefully I didn’t compromise them to much. Mopar perf look like Crane to me.
 
You are correct. The Mopar rockers were made by Crane. I had to grind mine to fit too. I used to be worried about them breaking but I have at least 20,000 miles on them now and no problem. Cross my fingers, they are not easy to find or cheap.
 
Also I have the long valves and I'm running big block springs. Don't remember my seat pressure but it wasn't anything crazy.
 
Hellrats said:
Also I have the long valves and I'm running big block springs. Don't remember my seat pressure but it wasn't anything crazy.
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Hellrats said:
Also I have the long valves and I'm running big block springs. Don't remember my seat pressure but it wasn't anything crazy.
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I ran the non roller ductile iron rockers for over twenty years sometimes shifting as high as 7,500 and never broke one. did replace an adjuster or two but that was it
 
Geometry looks pretty good with the Smith brothers pushrods.
I guess put it in now.

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Looks like 2 threads? Maybe 3 on a couple? how many threads should show 1 or none?
 
where is the oil hole for the pushrods in the rockers relative to the pushrod cups ? prime the pump with a valve cover off and see,
 
The closer you get to pushrod to the rocker arm, the less angle you have on your intake aka more lift for the same cam.
Having a cup adj on the rocker arm and a ball end on the push rod will get you even closer without binding on the rocker arm surface.
Now that i have said all of that. It's a Street Eng probably won't notice the difference.

As far as the adj closing off the oil feed..........Well, pull the adjuster screw and look i guess.
 
I’ll see how it oils, and if it’s a problem I will consider lash caps as PR recommends, though I would probably get some .050 or so longer pushrods.
Though Demonracer Sold me some other rockers, could be worth checking with them.
Though not sure how ductile iron rockers will work? I’ve had good luck with them in the past with a .560 lift cam, and a .590 I forgot.
 
12swinger said:
Crane claims 2-3
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That’s if the rocker has Crane oiling drilled into them. This **** pisses me off. Not only did chrysler never fix the oil hole location in the shaft, they never published a bulletin that I know of about that, but they also didn’t publish anything about Crane relocating the oil hole to the wrong location. They were trying to fix what Chrysler didn’t, and made it worse.

If the oil hole in the rocker is drilled where the adjuster threads break through, that is Chrysler oiling and the adjuster should be 9/32 (.281) out, plus zero, minus .050. That’s generally about zero to 1 thread showing.

If the hole is lower on the rocker than the bottom of the adjuster thread, that is the idiotic Crane fix which didn’t fix anything and made guys run pushrods that are too short. Even if Crane lowers the hole in the rocker, it doesn’t fix the fact that the holes in the shafts are not only located radially in the wrong location, they are off laterally as well.

I could write a tech paper on the stupidity of what Chrysler did with the adjuster oiling, but I won’t. It will just piss me off to no end.

So the answer is 9/32 plus zero minus .050 and yours are too long (pushrods are too short).
 
12swinger said:
I’ll see how it oils, and if it’s a problem I will consider lash caps as PR recommends, though I would probably get some .050 or so longer pushrods.
Though Demonracer Sold me some other rockers, could be worth checking with them.
Though not sure how ductile iron rockers will work? I’ve had good luck with them in the past with a .560 lift cam, and a .590 I forgot.
Click to expand...


Don’t use a lash cap. You spent the money with B3 to get the geometry correct and you will just jack it up with a lash cap.
 
yellow rose said:
Don’t use a lash cap. You spent the money with B3 to get the geometry correct and you will just jack it up with a lash cap.
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Aaaa. Didn’t know that. It’s been awhile since I read this. That kit makes you end up needing a longer pushrod than anything near stock sizing.
 
So the answer is 9/32 plus zero minus .050 and yours are too long (pushrods are too short).[/QUOTE]

I’ll mic it tomorrow.
Having a glass of bourbon atm
136.6 proof for the times
 
there are several adjuter shank lengths between your threads and your balls
yours look like long shanks
the 2-3 threads was for adjusters where the balls wewr right below the threads
imho best solution is ball and ball bushrod with cups in the adjusters
that gives you the longest pushrods and highest adjuster cup
yr has written on oiling your balls
it may be in this thread (i did not read lately & i'll try and find it
Reworking the 273 Adjustable Rockers
oiing is same problem
has anyony tried 7/16 tapered or dual tapered pshrods
get as stiff a rod as you can handel
 
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