Eyeing a pair of W5s. Wondering what everyone's opinions on them are. Pros? Cons?
W5 Pros & Cons
- Thread starter gagembassett
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dodgedifferent2
Well-Known Member
Be very careful.
W5s had some serious issues with porosity and quality control that are well known.
Apparently the one's with the blue core plugs are the better ones. I would be skeptical because anyone could change the color of the core plugs to get their money back. If you do go ahead you will need to find somebody that knows w5 heads and have them tested, pressure checked and gone over with a fine tooth comb.
If w5 is what you want? Head ttowards indy to get their aluminum rectangular port w2s.
W5s had some serious issues with porosity and quality control that are well known.
Apparently the one's with the blue core plugs are the better ones. I would be skeptical because anyone could change the color of the core plugs to get their money back. If you do go ahead you will need to find somebody that knows w5 heads and have them tested, pressure checked and gone over with a fine tooth comb.
If w5 is what you want? Head ttowards indy to get their aluminum rectangular port w2s.
PRH
Well-Known Member
There’s “pros” regarding W5’s?
B3422w5
Well-Known Member
Pro’s
while they are viable( not leaking, still have integrity) they can support 700 horsepower on a well built stroker motor.
Cons…
porosity issues, on any of them, including the supposedly better blue plug castings.
no one makes headers for them any more, TTI used to and they were nice, I ran them on mine.
They need lots of mods to shine, they come unported, guides are 3/8, 2.02 valves, etc, etc.
both Mopar W5 intakes are mediocre, the Indy intake is the unit of choice
my opinion, go with the -2 Indy heads, or, if you can live with a 650-670 horse potential, the Bloomer heads are a proven option.
while they are viable( not leaking, still have integrity) they can support 700 horsepower on a well built stroker motor.
Cons…
porosity issues, on any of them, including the supposedly better blue plug castings.
no one makes headers for them any more, TTI used to and they were nice, I ran them on mine.
They need lots of mods to shine, they come unported, guides are 3/8, 2.02 valves, etc, etc.
both Mopar W5 intakes are mediocre, the Indy intake is the unit of choice
my opinion, go with the -2 Indy heads, or, if you can live with a 650-670 horse potential, the Bloomer heads are a proven option.
I'm running the blue plug W5s on my Arrow, but I don't know what has been done to them as they were on the engine when I bought the car. They do perform well, and I'm not seeing much in the way of the porosity issues that they are known for.
One of the cons is limited choices when it comes to rocker arms. There are only 3 sources that I'm aware of, Harland Sharp, T&D and Jesel. Both the T&D and Jesel setups require machining of the heads and modifying the oiling system to oil through the push rods. They are also expensive. The Harland Sharp sets are reasonably priced and their customer service is top notch.
I agree with what the other responders have said about going with Indy. I'm actually considering switching from my W5 set up to Indy heads and intake over the winter.
One of the cons is limited choices when it comes to rocker arms. There are only 3 sources that I'm aware of, Harland Sharp, T&D and Jesel. Both the T&D and Jesel setups require machining of the heads and modifying the oiling system to oil through the push rods. They are also expensive. The Harland Sharp sets are reasonably priced and their customer service is top notch.
I agree with what the other responders have said about going with Indy. I'm actually considering switching from my W5 set up to Indy heads and intake over the winter.
The route I'm thinking of going is W5 heads on the Turbo 360 I am building for my father's W150 pickup. Don't need crazy high power but if the W5s would work I would run them.
B3422w5
Well-Known Member
I would honestly look at other options that would be cheaper, and likely more reliable, especially with a power adder like a turbo
They will work, just be aware of the potential issues outlined above. Having them inspected is a must in my opinion. Keep in mind that the W5s have rectangular intake ports and are raised. The only intake manifold still made for them is the Indy intake. But you have to modify the ports on the Indy intake to match the W5 intake ports. You can occasionally come across a used Holley, Edelbrock or Mopar Performance W5 intake. I've even heard of some folks taking a W2 intake which has oval intake ports and modifying them to fit the W5 heads. The bolt pattern on both W2 and W5 intakes are the same.
Honestly it will be mostly for stoplight to stoplight racing, cool factor and the rare trip to the track. Normally I wouldn't look at W5s for something like this because I know they were designed for racing but the deal is pretty decent, no more than what it would cost to set up my Edelbrock heads, that's what made them catch my eye. And the boost wouldn't be anymore than 8-10 psi
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33IMP
Well-Known Member
If the deal is good on W5s, chances are the heads arent.
B3422w5
Well-Known Member
you need to factor in rocker gear, exhaust and intake, all of which will be more expensive to prep, even if it’s truly no more to set up the W5 heads over an edddie type replacement head( which I find hard to believe)
after reading what your intentions are, the W5’s would probably be last on my list of choices….and I am a guy who raced those heads for years…it’s even still in my handle here, and elsewhere.
Listen to good advice!
PRH
Well-Known Member
They’ll work……..until they don’t.
I'm more than willing to listen to advice that's why I came here. May I ask why you say that in detail though? Better to the why of the reqson for better knowledge
The hp limit is the turbo if you use a turbo that only capable of 900 hp that will be the total output just a different boost amounts eg.. a 300 Hp NA engine needs about 22 psi of boost to hit 900 hp and a 600 Hp NA engine needs about 7-8 psi for 900 hp. Point is you probably don't need special heads to accomplish your goals.
There’s not a lot of Pro’s to the head and they are heavily in the Con section. I got my set cheap, IMO. The work up on them included an excellent deal on titanium valves.
The machine work needed for the Jesel/TD rockers is an easy thing to do. It should not be part of the crying process. The price of the rockers can be, but! There not horribly more expensive than a good quality set for an Edelbrock head.
Price check everything and compare. But I do agree, for light to light action and seldom seeing the track, the lower cost aluminum heads are much more favorable.
The machine work needed for the Jesel/TD rockers is an easy thing to do. It should not be part of the crying process. The price of the rockers can be, but! There not horribly more expensive than a good quality set for an Edelbrock head.
Price check everything and compare. But I do agree, for light to light action and seldom seeing the track, the lower cost aluminum heads are much more favorable.
Thank you
I hope rockers are with them. Headers in addition would be a home run.
What’s the price tag on these?
What’s the price tag on these?
3,500 with rockers
33IMP
Well-Known Member
If you were building an n/a engine to race, okay, maybe.
For a street car with a turbo, id rather see a set of sidewinder or rpm's set up for your application.
If you're still interested in the w5s, considering their reputation, I'd have em stripped and pressure checked before I handed over ANY money!
What would you do for turbo headers for the w5s? There are no castings that you could use, like with sw's or rpm's.
(I'm assuming quality rockers, Harland Sharp at a minimum, not speedmaster knockoffs).
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justinp61
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Header flanges can be sourced or made for a build your own header flange.
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