the right heads!

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farmer260

73 Dart Sport
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well im still working on what i want to do with my 360! I have the machine work done and the bottom end all done and it has been bored out 60 over! i have J heads all ported and machined with oversized valves! my engine builder was asking me today if i would like to upgrade my heads to Aluminum heads! what do you guys think? its a fair bit more money but is it worth it? and if so what should i get for heads? i will be useing i the car mostly on the streets!
 
Why spend the money if your J heads are all ready done ?

What are your goals for the car ? Driver, Racer, both ?
 
i will be useing car car on the street and maybe the odd 1/4 mile trip! the J heads still belong to the builder I havent bought them as of yet but he had them matched to the bottom end! he says the engine should put out about 425hp and should run about 10:1 compression with the J heads!
 
If you haven't bought the J heads yet upgrade to the aluminum.

I bought a set of edelbrocks for my 340 that has J heads now.The porting work is all done and as soon as I move into the new house with an attached garage the heads will be on.Only three weeks left before the move
 
stay with the ported J-heads unless saving 45lbs is your objective. you will be lucky to get $600 for your ported Js and Eddys will be in the $1500 range. I switched from ported Js to Eddy magnums and the power gain was minimal - least thats what the timeslip said. In your situation, I would not do it.
 
ya i dont think i can afford to buy aluminum heads! i can always buy them in a year or two when i have some money freed up! they way then engine is right now my builder says it should make about 425hp so thats not to shaby for what im paying for it! I have lots of other stuff that has to be done to the car and buying al. heads is not one of them! (for now)
 
If heads are not a priority and money is tight, I wouldn't even think about the W2s or W5s (which are aluminum heads). The cast iron W2s are still going to be costly and you can multiply the cost for the W5s x2 if you want them to work to full capacity. Even the cast iron Econo W2s will work probably work the same as the heads you all ready have (since thy have been somewhat ported all ready). Just stick with what you have and go after all the other stuff you mentioned that the car needs.
 
BTW: What is the machinist asking for that set of J heads and does he have any hard flow numbers for them? If the cost is close to a set of aftermarkets and you think you may want more out of the motor at a later date, then it might just be a matter of Stage 1ing, 2ing or 3ing an aftermarket set at that time. The OEMS will stall at a certain point but you need to figure out if you need/want to go beyond what they can offer.
 
W2's or W5's are not really "street friendly" heads. I'm pretty sure only TTI makes headers that fit the W2's and W5's will most likely have to be custom made. Next up is intake availibility. Then humungo port size.

Stick with your J's, you will be much happier in the long run and on the street. Iron heads will make more power everything else being equal too.

The general rule of thumb is that each cfm of head flow will support a bit more than 2 hp. For example, let's say that your heads flow 230 cfm at .500 lift. This should support around 480 hp. W2's flow around 260 cfm at .600 lift. Do you really want to run .600 lift cam on the street?
 
I believe that headman and hooker make W-2 headers.
The J's will do fine. W-2's are doable for the street. It's just that you'll start from scratch on the head.
They flow well @ high lifts. You don't need to lift the valve that high just because the head can flow well with that much lift. But it is also a matter of port volume and then speed of air and fuel through the head. The W series heads are excellent heads, even better when you want to pump up the power.

Again, stick with the J's. (Though I'd run a slightly thicker gasket for a slightly less than 10-1 ratio for pump gas.)

OH, Besides MoPar's M-1 single and dual plane W-2 intakes, theres the single plane Edelbrock Victor and an Indy single plane offering.
 
ok i just talked to my builder and he says he would like to see me put edddie rmp heads on this engine! the Js he has for me are bare heads and by the time i buy valves, springs, retainers, guides, etc. i will be better off with rpms! how much are a bare casting set of J heads worth? they have big valve openings and have been ported! just so i know what im dealing with!
 
Ported heads are only worth what they can prove themselves to be.
In other words, how well they are ported, if ported correctly.
 
Having run j's,x's on my previous 340's..if i were you i'd bite the bullet and buy the Edelbrocks,what its going to cost to build those j's won't be cheap and in the end all you've got is a set of 30 year old IRON heads..i've had a permanent smile on my face from the first time out with the Edelbrocks..well worth the money spent,and like they say "You want to go fast,.how much money ya' want to spend..
 
He the Js havent been done yet then yes its probably going to cost just as much for a new set of RPMs as it would for the Js.
 
Go back to the first question and he said that it's mostly for streets in the last statement, so cost of the aluminums are out, and he wont need what the capiabilities are for the eddies. Because he'll never use what the heads can offer let alone the iron heads if done properly. Building the right combination is the key not just big heads.
 
farmer260 said:
so what would the difference be between machined J heads with big valves and a set of eddies? (on a 360)
Click to expand...

I know one thing that is fact,,,, the eddies would be lighter.

If the J heads was just stock I would say go with the eddies with no problem but the J heads have been ported so that upped the flow. Have you seen the heads? Have they ever been flowed? If so what are the flow numbers? These are the type questions I would be asking the builder before I spent $1200 on eddie heads. Heck they might out flow the eddies.
 
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