Hey guys which head to go with?For the 434 project with supercharger about ready to start putting this thing together.Decided to go with the F1R.Done a search already seems to be a toss up.Any help would be appreciated.

 

Between those two... I'd go with the Pro1 227fp over the AFR.

If I had to stay 23º and money wasn't an object, I'd look to the Edelbrock/Chapman Victor hi-port heads. There are some nice 23º heads from Weld Tech as well but I have recently seen a set of these Chapman heads (236cc) make ~630hp 6000 rpm 590 lbs-ft in a 427 with a little wimpy camshaft.

If I were looking to go 6500-7000 rpm I might consider the large Vic/Chapman heads or try saving a few dollars and go to the Brodix 18SPX heads. Whichever route... I'd buy them bare and match all the valvetrain components up.

I got your PM the other day but there were a number in line before you so I'll cover your rod question here....

You say "hi-deck" and I'll assume 9.325 (there's a 9.5" block too). For supercharged, I'd stay with no longer than 6.125 which will keep your comp height in the 1.2" range, allowing better ring pack placement.

-Mindgame

 

Thanks Mindgame I was leaning toward the Pro 1's.I read a post from you awhile back and you said the Dart would out flow the AFRs.Still have a lot to do hopefully I get this thing going by the summer.Thanks again

 

Hey Mindgame are there any benifits going with an 18*head?And if I went with them what else would be needed?Thanks.Still learning

 

the 18* heads give a better valve placement ( by unshrouding the valve more toward the center of the chamber) that results in a straighter shot to the combustion chamber giving you better flow and velocity, you would also need a manifold to go with the 18* head, they are easy to come by but if you are fuel injected there are less options unless you have the manifold converted Remember the mighty LS 1 heads are 15*

 

It's not as much a matter of flow as it is the quality of the port work. Dart's cnc work looks like the more expensive Weld and Chapman heads I've seen where as AFR's looks like they were in a real hurry to get it done. I think either head could be worked to make great power but I like the Dart better out of the box. Either way, I would have an experienced porter blend the port into the valve seats. It's a minimum amount of work and most CNC heads I've seen could use a little blend there.

As for true 18º heads, 1red mentioned the intake and he's right, although you can get Brodix 18's with a 10 or 5º face angle.
You will also need special pistons (available off the shelf), offset lifters (dictates the use of a solid roller cam), shaft rocker system, special head studs, longer valves and pushrods... edit: oh yeah, headers.

Only other thing I can think of right now is in machining the pushrod slots.

There's also the Brodix 18X and it will use a standard intake, stud rockers, special 18º pistons, longer pushrods etc..

I like the 18X for the big small block build because it has ample port volume right out of the box and with a little bit of work it can flow a lot of air. The chambers are a wee bit on the large side but they can be milled down. May not be a problem depending on the camshaft and static comp you need to achieve a good dynamic compression.

My 2 cents.

-Mindgame

 

you might also consider the brodix 18x stuff which uses a standard 23* valvetrain. and still allows you to run a hydrolic roller cam. as opposed to some of the other 18* stuff that requires offset lifters and shaft mounted rockers. that way you still get a majority of the benefits without cranking up the cost of your valvetrain when you dont really have to. i'm just assuming you wanted to use a juice cam since most people do.

Edit: crap mg already beat me to it

 

Hey thanks fellas I appreciate all the comments.Will be talking with Bret about the cam.Just need to finished up a few things before I start this project.Will let you guys know how this thing turns out.Thanks again

 

FWIW I no longer need the information I asked about in my PM to you...

 

I have the cnc dart pro 1's sitting in the speed shop my buddy runs for about 2 weeks and we have spent quite a bit of time admiring the cnc work, its really smooth and while the ports arent excessivly large to the eye the consistancy throughout the port is impressive. I thought about going the 18 degree route for a while but for the amount of cfm I would gain I really couldnt justify the extra cost as I already have the 23 degree pistons. I also dont think that I could use the potential of these heads with only 420 ci and a 680 lift 270@.050 sollid roller.

 

The 18's in your setup would walk off and leave a 23º head. We're talking better than 25 hp. Or, you could opt to run less duration and still make the same hp. Moot point now cause you already have the parts but the "potential" is there, especially on an engine of that size, running that much duration. You could run out of head real quick.

-Mindgame

 

Hey fellas if I did go with the Brodix 18 could I still use a 23* intake or is that just for the valvetrain stuff?Thanks

 

Look into the Pro Action heads.The Co has been bought by RHS and are still making heads. The drawback is you will have to have them converted for reverse flow cooling as all other heads, except the AFR's and TFS,I think. They make 15*&18*stuff also and some killer sprint car heads.