408 aluminum head choice for 500Hp

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Dragonbat13

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Ok my Plans are to:
Use aluminum heads
Use as high compression by utilizing good quench on 92 octane
forged Crank, Rods, Pistons(Custom pistons an option)
Magnum 360 Block for Roller cam (Prefer Hyd Roller but Solid roller if necessary)
6000 RPM (I like high winding motors)
Carb And Good ole fashion dist. (Simply because I like working on em for tuning, Much more fun than a laptop)
Head studs and MLS head gaskets.
2800 to 3500 stall converter on a 727.
Gears will be decided once the engine is figured out.
Car will be registered and street driven. However it will not be a cruiser, I want a hot street car. Dont care if it loads up the carb every now and then. However I will be driving it on the street around town, highway driving not in the plans. MPG not much of an issue either. Oh yea the only accessory that the car will need is Power breaks. No power stearing. No AC. I only want to drive a water pump and alternator.

OK my question is, what are the best choice of aluminum heads for a combo like this? I keep reading that the Eddys arent that great. I have read alot about RHS iron heads but I want the temperature control and Weight loss of the Aluminum heads. Also I am trying to keep my head purchase under $2000

Whats everybody think? I havent decided on a cam but I do understand that a Cam and Head purchase at the same time is much better than trying to figure out how to make mismatched parts work.

Thanks.






Ok here is my question I want to make something between 475-525 horsepower
 
Eddy's out of the box are not that great. can't expect to them to be all good and just bolt them on...thats where they get there shitty rep...its the additional things people gotta pay to have them gone through is what they dont like....I'd go with the eddy heads myself, maybe order them bare, and have Brian @ IMM engines (located in Cali), or Shady Dell, build them up real nice for you.

here's a the links to there shop, you can order the heads from whoever you choose...they both know their mopars!

http://www.shadydellspeedshop.com/edelbrockheads.htm

http://www.immengines.com/
 
My eddy heads had been gone through by a previous owner. I didn't get flow data on them but the stroker runs great for what you are describing. Don't know if $2K will get the heads done but they seem to work OK. 10-1, pump gas. BTW, 6K is nothing, let it spin!

I don't have power breaks or steering and do not miss it. Elec water pump is working fine but I do not sit in traffic. Only accessory is the alternator.
 
RPM heads, corrected with a high quality 5-angle valve job, matching springs, gasket matched and "stage one" clean up and blending. IMO bush the lifter bores and run a solid roller. Depending on cam and top end, 500-550hp is easy on pump swill with a medium sized street roller, good pistons, and great machine work. With the hydraulic roller, you'll need to run a dished piston and cut down the chamber size to get a dynamic compression in the 8.75:1 range to survive pump fuel, and you'll be giving up upwards of 100hp.
 
and you'll be giving up upwards of 100hp.

Really? Upwards? I've seen big block Chevys give away that kind of power with a hydraulic roller but if a 408 drops by that amount then its surely got a poorly specced cam.
 
Oh yeah, those Edelbrock heads suck...my 410 stroker with Edelbrock heads, a small solid roller cam, a dinky 750 carb, 93 octane pump gas, and it runs real slow.........see sig below.:D:D:D
 
Elebrock heads ported and prepped are just what the doctored ordered. For every one person complaining about Edelbrocks there are 50 other happy customers. Every part going into the engine should be looked over to verify its correctness.
 
I want to know how you get that 1.49 60'. That is way better than my fish is doing but I have a 2500 converter.
 
MoparAnglia said:
and you'll be giving up upwards of 100hp.

Really? Upwards? I've seen big block Chevys give away that kind of power with a hydraulic roller but if a 408 drops by that amount then its surely got a poorly specced cam.
Click to expand...


As compared to a solid roller? Yes. Really.
 
What are the indy-360 1's like out of the box? i picked up a set cheap and have a hard time finding stock flow specs ect on them. i pulled 12.2 at 115mph with my home ported j heads how much of an improvement can i expect now? engine is 408 11:1.
 
airwoofer said:
I want to know how you get that 1.49 60'. That is way better than my fish is doing but I have a 2500 converter.
Click to expand...

It's all in the converter and suspension setup. I have a PTC 8" converter that flashes to 5000, my car is a bit heavier at 3200#'s, 727 trans, comp engineering drag shocks front and rear, stock leaf springs and a snuber.....its kinda like a bee...it really shouldn't be able to fly, but it does.:D

I'm hoping to switch to a caltrac setup this year to see if I can take another bite out of my 60' times.
 
340sFastback said:
So how much power is the engine in ou812's link above giving up with that hydraulic roller?
Click to expand...

Without head numbers, impossible to assign even an estimate. I'm also certain if given the budget and free rein Brian could make a ton more with that too.

But, for arguement's sake - being the cam specs given show a medium to small cam in terms of duration. For comparison, I use flat tappet hydraulics with the same duration at .050 and lift under .530. using the mph and weight that makes 460ish with a point less compression and mildly ported factory iron heads. A similar 416 from 5 yrs ago with 1/2 pt more compression than IMMs, Shady Dell stage 3 RPMs, a 950 HP carb, Air Gap with the solid street roller XR280R, which is only 242/248 @ .050 made 540 hp on the customer's local engine dyno (in CA).

I could make more power easilly but without flow figures and other engine specs I couldnt say how much. Areas that would improve power - the lifter bore bushing operation, better pushrod angles and less deflection, more static compression ratio, and the obvious faster lobes that can be used without any worry of the lifter collapsing as it lifts the valve. Not every engine will be shy 100hp. But they'll all be down by a significant amount when compared to a properly built solid roller cam engine. A solid flat tappet could improve that package significantly too and for a lot less but with the caveat of cam break in, lobe oiling concerns, etc.

The hydraulic rollers make good well rounded power. They just can't make near as much as as a solid flat tappet or solid roller on an engine designed to make use of it.

And this is not a cut at all on Brian. He would well exceed those figures too...lol.
 
im happy with my eddy heads scott ay shubon engine did a great job with my combo.
 
flyfish said:
It's all in the converter and suspension setup. I have a PTC 8" converter that flashes to 5000, my car is a bit heavier at 3200#'s, 727 trans, comp engineering drag shocks front and rear, stock leaf springs and a snuber.....its kinda like a bee...it really shouldn't be able to fly, but it does.:D

I'm hoping to switch to a caltrac setup this year to see if I can take another bite out of my 60' times.
Click to expand...

That 5K converter is the trick. Shocks probably help also. Mine is much more street oriented. I have the stock springs and snubber also. Might go to 002/003 and Caltracs.
 
A Stock Eliminator (stick car) friend used to say besides the engine, the shocks were the best return for investment. Because they help from the last yellow to the stripe. Buy top of the line shocks if you're serious, and experiment until you have them set right.
 
Why is it that you need aluminum heads? A set of iron w2s would be nice. My friend has a 10.0 second 408 cuda with iron w2s and a low 7 second 225" dragster with w2s running nitrous..
 
I sure thank everybody for all the replies. Unfortanitly I cannot build the motor right now due to an unforseen problem with the car i was going to put it in, so I have to put most of my spare money into the other car I have. But when I get to this engine I will use the advice. For sure it will get a mech roller.

thanks againl
 
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