Trick Flow heads, etc.

-
Kern Dog said:
The advice to use MLS gaskets with aluminum heads...Pffft.
I've ran both Cometic MLS in .060 and .075 thicknesses, Fel Pro Perma Torque and never had a gasket failure with a big block.
I don't know if there would be a difference in an LA or Magnum series engine.
Also, my machinist never decked the block to any specific finish and yet....I've never had a gasket failure.
Click to expand...
Fel-Pro says that the #1008 works for aluminum.
The regular #8553 that is also blue won't
 
Last edited:
Kern Dog said:
The advice to use MLS gaskets with aluminum heads...Pffft.
I've ran both Cometic MLS in .060 and .075 thicknesses, Fel Pro Perma Torque and never had a gasket failure with a big block.
I don't know if there would be a difference in an LA or Magnum series engine.
Also, my machinist never decked the block to any specific finish and yet....I've never had a gasket failure.
Click to expand...
There had to be some specific finish. Like "cinderblock finish" lol
 
340six said:
Fel-Pro says that the #1008 works for aluminum.
The regular #8553 that is also blue won't
Click to expand...
I run Felpro 1008 on my Edelbrock headed small block stroker. ARP head bolts. Its been together over 15 years now and head gaskets haven't failed yet.
 
Yes there will be people who have never had a problem.... BUT I can think of many who have had a different experience and don't take the chance anymore. Using larger ring Felpro gaskets for instance because of failures. Search the forum. If the gasket fails with an aluminum head it can cause very costly issues and I know of many popular youtube channels using them now with fresh stroker builds..
The Felpro rings will eventually cause fire ring impressions in the softer head eventually. Just saying. Why resurface your head?

Hey do your own research. No convincing here. Not my engine. Just throwing it out there. Felpro won't tell you their gaskets aren't as good. I believe they don't make multi layered gaskets for Mopars yet? They do of course for Chevy. Maybe that's why Felpro says they are fine?

Call Trickflow and ask them which one is best insurance. Good luck with the build. Over and out.....
 

My Eddy's were bought around 2009 or so. I know they're not as good now. I've posted the numbers several times and they just kill OOTB TF's. Especially in the mid lift area. I mean KILL them.

I do agree though, OOTB TF's are pretty decent.

I hear Mr Bloomers OOTB are now outstanding. And I believe that.
 
I can’t be the only person here that has seen all the problems with Edelbrock heads, dropped valves and valve seats, crack’s 6’ long and poorest castings, I’ve seen air pockets the size of a dime on the head surface. There’s no way I would ever consider using Edelbrock heads!
 
Oldiron440 said:
I can’t be the only person here that has seen all the problems with Edelbrock heads, dropped valves and valve seats, crack’s 6’ long and poorest castings, I’ve seen air pockets the size of a dime on the head surface. There’s no way I would ever consider using Edelbrock heads!
Click to expand...
6' long cracks, wow
 
Ironmike said:
My Eddy's were bought around 2009 or so. I know they're not as good now. I've posted the numbers several times and they just kill OOTB TF's. Especially in the mid lift area. I mean KILL them.

I do agree though, OOTB TF's are pretty decent.

I hear Mr Bloomers OOTB are now outstanding. And I believe that.
Click to expand...
Aren't they out of business?
 
Newbomb Turk said:
Let go back to what I think you were saying (or were trying to say) first and then we can go from there and maybe learn something.

I took it you were saying that the TF head is on the “big” side for 340 inches so that’s what I based my post on. If that’s not what you were saying (or were trying to say ) then I apologize.

If that’s what you are saying, you are wrong. Let’s use the W2 head and port as an example.

When that head was released, they were designed and developed for roughly 340 inches and smaller for Modified Eliminator and Pro Stock back in that era.

The W2 is HUGE compared to ANY non offset rocker head and it’s not even close. Yet, it was for roughly 340 inches and less.

Drop the TF or any comparable head on 408 inches and it is grossly under headed. So the notion that any non offset rocker head is too big for anything over let’s just say 280 inches is just wrong.

Comparing the TF to any other comparable head is a different thing. If we look at the TF verses an Edelbrock verses any chicom head WITH THE SAME SIZE INTAKE VALVE you will see there is nary a pinch of **** difference in flow below ~.550 lift between all of them.

This is because of the curtain area and coefficient of flow or that valve size. You can play all kinds of tricks in the port and the with the valve job and not gain more than several CFM at low lifts.

It is physically not possible to move more air through the available curtain area of say a 2.02 valve at low lifts. You can use a bigger valve, but then you’d need to use a bigger valve in all the heads for the same comparison and you’d be right back to the same issue. They’d all be the same or so close it wouldn’t make one head even marginally better than any of the others.

Or you can use a steeper than 45 degree seat for much better efficiency but you’d need to do the same for all the other heads and you are back to square one.

As you correctly noted until the left is above .550, there isn’t a pinch of **** difference in any of these heads and so power will be so close that there isn’t a real difference.

Which is why you see me telling guys who want to make power to use as much lift as the valve gear will take because gaining air flow at low lifts, where the valve speed should be fast enough that in real time the valve should be moving way slower around max lift (where air flow is always greater than it is at say .400 lift and below) to make the most power.

You are correct in saying there isn’t any difference in power between all these heads at under .550 lift. None of those heads are too big for 340 inches though. Not even close.

That was the point of most of my post.

Also, it just blows my mind how guys build 400 plus inches and then choke the engine to death with a dual plane intake. And they just bolt them on and do zero porting.

It just makes zero sense, but all the “torque rules on the street” guys think that’s how it works.
Click to expand...
Great amount of info here, I've read it twice & will ponder & reread
 
Kern Dog said:
Here is a weird one. Exhaust gasket and ports. The Trick Flow port shape is smaller than the Remflex gaskets a buddy is using.

View attachment 1716413533

View attachment 1716413536

The bottom part of the center ports on the heads are just left a square-ish shape.

View attachment 1716413534

I find that strange.
Click to expand...
Looks like you're using the wrong Remflex gasket. When I build my TF headed 408, I used Remflex header gaskets and it didn't look anything like that. There was some mismatch/overlap but sealed up perfectly. Here's the ones I used....

Remflex Inc. 6004 Remflex Exhaust Header Gasket Sets | Summit Racing
 
ValiantRacing said:
The Promaxx heads are very nice, and the finish work is superior to the SM
Click to expand...
Largest gripe I have about the SM heads is the hard, hard seat material. Seats are a pleasure to cut on the ProMaxx and the TF compared to the Speedmaster.
 
Interesting……
Granted, I haven’t worked over a set of SBM SM heads in a few years……. And who knows if what I worked on then and what they sell nowadays even come from the same source………. But I didn’t have any trouble with the seats on any SM heads I’ve done.

IMG_3895.png
 
I’m guessing they are a powdered metal. One or two seats will dull a new carbide cutter. Nicks/lines start showing up quickly. Chatter potential is much worse as well.
 
The SB SM heads I’ve had here def didn’t seem like they had powdered metal seats, but it wouldn’t surprise me if they did these days.
Lots of heads use them now.

I got a lot of practice with them prepping Indy EZ heads.
I’ve never been able to get a satisfactory finish on them by machining alone. They get finalized with a stone.

IMG_3896.png
 
Last edited:
Getting off track here, my apologies…… one more-

Speedmaster RPM style BB head……….these seemed to have powdered metal seats……. That SM hadn’t quite mastered the seat machining on.

IMG_0892.jpeg


I had a little better luck than they did-

IMG_0973.jpeg
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
-
Back
Top Bottom