A few of my customers have been bugging me to stop by and say hello. If you have any cylinder head or engine questions fire away. I have a cylinder head shop and have been porting heads for 12 years. I would be happy to help. I run a '68 Camaro (yes I have owned several Chevelles) it has a 436" small block with Dart 215 Pro-1 heads, 14:1 compression, and a .715" roller. It makes 740 HP and runs 9.80's at 138 in a 3300 lbs car. On nitrous it jumps to over 1050 HP and runs mid eights on Drag Radials.

Do you have any info on 771 BBC heads? Would they be a good head to have work done on for a performacne oriented BBC?

Thanks!

Adam Layman

OK, I'll ask the question on most TC'ers minds, what's better, aluminum, iron, rectangle or oval? :D Seriously though, I want to get my L98's breathing a little better when I swap cams, so any tips you have on these heads would be appreciated.

Welcome...Thats a real quick car on radials! do you use timing computers to get the car to hook?

On the heads, I have to decide on a good head for a 496 Vortech deal.

Three heads come to mind the AFR 305, the Canfield 310 or the Pro Action toplines.

If I had to pick right now I`d go with the Cans and save a few $$ what`s your recommendation on this?

Ok. i got lots of questions. 383. AFR 195s, ported to 210 runners. 2.02 valves. flow 298/226 at .600.(good mid flow #s) 10.7 cr. comps 294HR hydro roller. 242/248@50 570/576 corrected @110. super victor. 750hpcarb. 525hp (6200) 495tq (5000)1.3/4 lemons, power breaks, street/strip. peak tq seems to come in very high. is there anyway this combo can be improved on retaining a hydroroller? is 540hp and 525tq possible and if so what changes do i need to make? thanks for stopping by. Dave

Hey Mike......Glad to see you stopped in graemlins/thumbsup.gif Lot's of good stuff here...I think you'll like it.....Welcome to T.C.....To all who dont know already Mike did my heads last year and as I have said before it was the best money I have ever spent...Performance and ease of doing business..... graemlins/beers.gif graemlins/beers.gif Scott.

I see your from Indianapolis, same as me. Is CFM the name of your shop? Where is it located and do you perform block machining too?

Awesome, I been following your website and your head forum for the past 2 years, glad to see your on the forums here now!

You can ask him ?s at his web site cfmperformance.com

Welcome, Mike. Your area of expertise can unlock great power for a reasonable outlay. I will try to find your forum. It sounds interesting!
Yeah, I got a question. Air Flow Research has quantified the horsepower-flow formula thusly;
hp equals cfm x .2575 x the # of cylinders. I used that formula on my #781 heads. 312 cfm {intake} x .2575 x 8 = 642 hp. On the dyno, we saw 634 hp, 8 hp shy {with bent pushrods!}. Can hp be exceeded by this formula, or am I just running out of air to push 700 ponies? Where are the variables, like compression, more cam, and a hundred other factors, or is the equation the ultimate limiting factor?

In your opinion what steel head flows the best in a mildly ported form for a street application on a SB 350.Camshaft intake lift would range between 475 and 525.Duration range between 218-225.

I realize that an ARF would probably be the ultimate,but what about steel?

GM Vortec?
Pro Topline Vortec?
Dart I.E. 180?
Pro lightning 180 Iron?

Originally posted by 66chevyIISS:
Awesome, I been following your website and your head forum for the past 2 years, glad to see your on the forums here now! Brad got me reading Mike's board, he is a very cool and smart guy. Talked to him a few times over email last year.

AdamLym - Don't have any info here, Is it just an oval port? If so, most can be made to work quite well with bigger valves and mild porting. They will generally flow aorund 300 cfm with a 2.19" valve and bowl work.
MY NEW WEBPAGE

ZZ69chevelle - Simple porting mods with a good valve job go a long way. It's not hard to make good power with factory casting as long as you cam them right.

BigRed-L72 - No timing computers yet. We are going to that next year to make it more consistent. We are alos gonna put in a moly cage and take out some weight.

The Canfields are great. They have fantastic velocity and flow. I used a set on a LS-7 crate motor and made 740 HP with a small roller cam. I love them for the moeny and performance.

Dave - You could advance the cam some. Try a 4 hole spacer or switch to an Edelbrock RPM manifold. I think you can get the power you are looking for. Anytime yor HP and torque peaks come within 1500 rpm of each other your cam is potentially too small. Try a little more duration. What lobe separtation is the cam ground on? 110?

Hey Scott - Thanks for the plug. I thought that solid roller would do the trick. Keep working on it.

von - CFM is the name of the shop (Creative Flow Management) I'm right around the corner from Automotion Race Cars. I'm sure you kow where that is. I'm on Carson Ave just south east of them. I don't do any block work. I sent you and e-mail with a recommendation.

ejrempel - The Airflow research formula is a general theory. It comes close in many cases, but can fall short. A lot depends on velumetric efficiency, cam profile, compression, intake and carb, ect. 700 is a bit much to ask, but you could get into the 680 range with very careful building and a few tricks.

thrasher - Pro Toplin Vortec is super nice. I can get these heads on the 265 - 270 range with a 2.02 valve and a bowl port. The Dart Iron Eagle 180 is not too bad. The GM Vortec is OK if you use it as is. If you need to add biger valves and screw-in studs forget it. It gets too expensive then.

Mike,

What's your shop hours? I talked with you several years ago at Super Chevy and knew you were located in Indy, but wasn't sure where.

I have been wanting to talk with you and ask some questions about porting some oval ports. Is there a good time during the day to stop by when you are not too busy?

Mike, have you worked with any of the new Brodix Oval port heads? The ones with the stock exhaust port location.

Shop hours vary depending on race seasone and such. I try to keep 8 to 5 hours minimum. Call me and we can set up a time when you can come by (317) 782-0375.

I haven't done any of the new Brodix heads yet. I think I'm gonna buy a set and work them over for the info. If anyone has a set I'll port them for 1/2 price to get a look at them. Anyone???

Mike- 2 questions for ya, thanks.

1. Do the Pro Topline 180 and 200cc heads actual flow as advertised on their website?(Not just high lift numbers but mid/low #s too) The vast majority of flow #s I have seen say they are good heads but noit as goods as ProToplines claims, just want your opinion of what you think of them.

2. Also, do you have any experience with World S/R Heads? I have the small valved versions(1.94/1.5) on a 350 and run low 14s with a 203/212@.050 cam but am hoping for low 13s next year with a bigger cam and ported heads....where should I concentrate on porting these heads and do you think with the ported heads and cam in the 220-230@.050 range that they could support my goals of low 13s, even with the smaller valves?

Thanks for th help and Welcome Aboard!

Just wanted to say welcome Mike. graemlins/thumbsup.gif
I too am thinking about a set of Pro Toplines
for my next 400 project.

Mike,

Welcome! You have your work cut out for you if you intend to take questions here and on your own board. I'm sure there will be a ton of inquiries for you. graemlins/thumbsup.gif

Originally posted by Mike Stark-CFM:

Pro Toplin Vortec is super nice. I can get these heads on the 265 - 270 range with a 2.02 valve and a bowl port.You appear to be saying that you like the Pro Topline Vortec better than the others, care to elaborate a little bit more? There are a few guys here running the Dart IE 180's with some decent success. As a matter of fact I'm told one those sets was purchased through you. I guess the Pro Toplines have since come out and surpassed the Darts in your opinion?

Ok here's my question.
I had a 396 that was bored .060. The heads are closed chamber 65-66 96.4cc. The pistons were TRW L2287.060 12.5:1 The valves are ex.1.72, in.2.19. I was told that there are two differant type pistons for closed chamber heads. I've never seen a listing for them. When I dissassembled the engine the exhaust valves touched a few of the pistons. The deck is shaved .010. The pistons are for a closed chamber head. The cam is a Competion Cams 305H / 575 lift. Any idead why they touched, all in the same place. I think it might have been possible that the piston was hitting the head. What do you think? Look at the link.

http://www.movinontv.com/piston1.jpg

M.Stark...GM Vortec vs Pro Toplines version for a warmed over nearly stock small block 305-350 which one would you choose based on your observations and why?.
Thanks

Originally posted by Mike Stark-CFM:
thrasher - Pro Toplin Vortec is super nice. I can get these heads on the 265 - 270 range with a 2.02 valve and a bowl port. The Dart Iron Eagle 180 is not too bad. The GM Vortec is OK if you use it as is. If you need to add biger valves and screw-in studs forget it. It gets too expensive then. Mike-
Are you talking about a mild bowl porting or a good work over to get the 265-270?

Everyone knows that the GM Vortec has really good low to mid lift flow.
Is the Pro Topline Vortec as good in these areas?

By adding a 202 valve and doing the bowl porting, will the low to mid lift flow suffer with the Pro Topline Vortec's?

What about the Pro Topline Lightning 180 Iron???
Ya kinda skipped over that one.
Is the Vortec version better for this application?

Remember I am only talking about a mild cam with an intake duration of about 218-225 at.050. and 470-525 lift.

Thank you for answering smile.gif

Mike, i recently bought the new Brodix Race Rite200's with the CNC 60cc chambers and 2.05/1.60 valves for my "high end" 350. I was wondering why exactly did Brodix Port match these to a 1206 instead of a 1205 fel pro? Also the guy from brodix said the runner was much different from other 200cc runners, he described these heads as a small cubic inch race motor head that likes alot of cam and big intakes etc. Have you seen these heads and if so what makes them so different? There flow numbers are outstanding compared to any other 200 cc head ive seen {very close if not better than the AFR 195} Also the heads have NO problem going 8,000 RPM wich is uncharactoristic of a 200cc head if im not mistaken. What do you think? Just curious. ALSO id be interested in the port work if it applies to the SB heads also, and depending on how much it will cost and what i can expect. Let me know

If you want some really good porting work done on your heads talk to Mike, he does excellent work. Picked my old car up a good bit.

I had my protopline 200cc 50cc chamber heads flowed..they had 2.055-1.6 valves installed. They flowed right at the advertised flow numbers..with minor bowl work(cleaned up the seats) they gained 10%.....lost just a touch down low...but made up for it at .400 and higher

Originally posted by bigjimzlll:
I had my protopline 200cc 50cc chamber heads flowed..they had 2.055-1.6 valves installed. They flowed right at the advertised flow numbers..with minor bowl work(cleaned up the seats) they gained 10%.....lost just a touch down low...but made up for it at .400 and higher Interesting,, I have flowed a few sets of the 200cc alum lightning 64cc's & found the low - mid numbers to be pretty low compared to advertisied.
Here is an avg of three sets with 2.02 x 1.6 Manley Street Flo valves. No back, nothing special just as they came out of the box.
The .600 number is as advertisied & it lost flow by a few at .700

.100-62.5
.200-123
.300-175
.400-227
.500-251
.600-268.4
.700-265

***I just looked at their site..and they did not flow as well as advertised...I swear they must of changed their numbers..lol*****
here is out of the box...I bought them bare and had manley street flow(2.055-1.6) valves in. These are 200cc intake with 50cc chambers(they cc/d at 54cc)
200---127---106
300---178---134
400---222---167
500---253---170
600---257---185
700---260---190

This is with a minor clean up
200---125---104
300---175---140
400---242---176
500---273---187
600---277---198
700---280---206

Mike, welcome to Team Chevelle!! I have a couple head questions but I am going to wait 'til the dust settles. You are obviuosly going to be swamped with questions for a while.

We appreciate your involvement and expertise, thanks graemlins/thumbsup.gif

AllGoNoShow - The Pro heads are generally pretty close to advertised. There may be some varience, but it's usually minimal.

The S/R heads would be better off with 2.02 valves and some simple bowl porting. You should have little trouble getting low 13's out of it.

Rmchevelle - I would say the Darts and the Pro heads are pretty much equal. I like the Pro heads for their cost and quality. The Darts are nice as well. I think the Pro heads will flow slightly better in some cases.

Bad Rat 414 - It's pretty common for BB Chevys to have piston to valve issues with TRW pistons. The springs probably got a bit soft when the engine was warm and allowed the valves to hit at max RPM. How much clearance did you have. Look for a minimum of .100 to .120" on the EX side with heavy valves. You should also have about 135-140 lbs of seat pressure and about 325-340 open to help control the valve.

BigRed-L72 - I would go with the Pro heads. They are thicker more durable castings. Come with screw-in studs, have stainless valves, good springs, use conventional manifolds and valve covers, ect. I sell these heads starting at $600. The Vortecs are great if you can take them and directly replace your existing heads. If you have to spend any extra cash forget it.

thrasher - I like the Vortec version for the cost savings over the 180's. The 180's are very nice as well, just cost a little extra. All it takes is a 2.02 valve a mild bowl port. Nothing special. I wouldn't even recommend any additional porting on these heads. In that case you should step to something larger.

Flow #'s for Pro Vortec 2.020 bowl port
IN / EX
100 - 80 / 70
200 - 141 / 130
300 - 188 / 163
400 - 229 / 167
500 - 255 / 173
550 - 265 / 175
600 - 260 / 177

Nickel333 - I haven't done anyhting with the new Race Rites yet. I will get a good look at all the new products in a couple of weeks at the PRI show wich is a dealer only event. Sounds like they flow well. Runner volume will only dictate rpm to a point. If there is adiquate areflow it will supply rpm regardless of runner volume. The 1206 size is by far the most common among aftermarket heads. They probably used it so the heads could be replaced with existing port matched manifolds. We can talk about doing some porting on your small block heads. Call me (317) 782-0375

swm233 - Let me know when your ready.

Since I just stumbled across this thread, I have had Mike do the last three sets of heads for me. Awesome work and excellent prices. I picked up nearly 80 rwhp on a big block by going from fully ported ZL-1 heads to his fully ported Canfields; I realize some of the gain is in the better head design of the Canfields, but still an impressive gain.

Jody

Been tossing around whether to pocket port/bowl blend and also clean up the exhaust ports on my bone stock Canfield 310's and port match to my bone stock Vic Jr. intake. I would like to do some AB testing.

Mike has anyone done any controlled testing when work has been done to a set of Canfields on a street/strip driver?

Originally posted by mc71454:
Been tossing around whether to pocket port/bowl blend and also clean up the exhaust ports on my bone stock Canfield 310's and port match to my bone stock Vic Jr. intake.I'll be watching this reponse, Tom. I just may want to port the Canfield heads on my little 460 too :D BTW, how do you like that Vic Jr? I just ordered a cowl glass hood for my car and was planning to test the Vic Jr. over the Performer RPM I'm running now. May be a gear change on the horizon too. Like to get bottom 10's outta my ride before it's over smile.gif

:confused: Ken.....I thought your heads had been worked a bit already.......


Mike, I may need you to port the heads on my new 565..........

Originally posted by blaauboer:
:confused: Ken.....I thought your heads had been work a bit already.......


Mike, I may need you to port the heads on my new 565.......... I thought so too, but when I pulled the engien apart to do the solid cam install I found out different :( I had thought they had fancy port work done, but it turned out they had only had basic port (gasket matched, about 1" into the runners) and clean up work (casting flash, etc...). I would be curious to know how much a full port job would pick my engine up.

Mike,

Here are my engine specs I'ld be curious to see what your thoughts are? I've also included some links to a couple of pics of what my heads looks like now to give you an idea of what's been done so far. Sorry I don't have any pics under the vlaves but little or no work has been done there and you can see the casting flash back in the runners, so...

10.3: 461 BB
Canfield 119cc rectangle port aluminum heads w/mild port work and 2.25/1.88 valves
Custom ground Comp Cams solid roller .655/.660 248/254@.050 108LSA 106ICL
Edelbrock port matched Performer RPM dual plane intake
Holley HP950 carb with 1/2" spacer
Hooker Super Competition headers w/2" primaries
Straightline Performance 3" offset/offset race mufflers
Torque Tech 3" tail pipes

http://kjett.home.mindspring.com/Images/can2.JPG
http://kjett.home.mindspring.com/Images/can3.JPG

Also, would a single plane intake run quicker than the performer RPM?

Scott,

565ci??? You're not giving up on the 502 already are you?

Originally posted by blaauboer:
:confused:
Mike, I may need you to port the heads on my new 565.......... What!!! :eek:

Ken....One of my frieds is going through a big D and needs to off the 565......He also has a great looking full back half 69 Nova......Needs to be finished (paint & int).....I can get the engine complete all new stuff just out of the machine shop for $5000.00 Pan to carb.....I could sell mine for that and step up.....

I'm thinking about it anyway.....I need to see whats inside this thing first.......

As you know Mike did my heads and they came out great......Good Luck...Scott.


Tom.....This is the Nova that Rob was doing for Rick......Rick was jerking Rob around and he told him to get it out of his garage.....Long Story ...But I spoke with Rick just today and that's whats going on......Later....

Originally posted by Mike Stark-CFM:
thrasher - I like the Vortec version for the cost savings over the 180's. The 180's are very nice as well, just cost a little extra. All it takes is a 2.02 valve a mild bowl port. Nothing special. I wouldn't even recommend any additional porting on these heads. In that case you should step to something larger.So you like the Pro Lightning 180's over the Dart 180 I.E's.

Do the ported Pro Lightning Iron 180's offer any better flow than the ported Pro Topline Vortec head with the mild cams I spoke of?

How much of a price difference are we talking about between the ported Pro Lightning VS. the Ported Pro Topline Vortec?
I want torque and power.If I have to spend 300 more bucks to get 20 more HP than that is what I will do.But the catch is I want it with the small cam intake profiles I keep speaking of. 218-225 duration at.050 and 475-525 lift.

I am mearly trying to get the best head for this SB350 application,short of an Aluminum casting.

I have heard that the Pro Lightning Iron 200's have a tall and narrow port.Is the Port on the Pro Lightning Iron 180's like that too???

Mike,
I hate to start the oval vs rectangle debate on one of your first posts, but I have a .060 over 454 short block with flat tops that is fresh and I have 2 sets of heads for it. set #1 is 063 casting fully ported,fresh springs good to at least .680, all new valves(2.25/ 1.88) and very nicely done by a quality performance shop. set # 2 is a set of virgin 990 casting heads with fresh stock type valve job by the same shop.

question: for a nice street/strip engine in a heavy car(68 Chevelle) should I stay with flat tops and 063 heads, 2399 style pistons and 063 heads, or different pistons and 063 heads? or maybe I should use the 990 heads with a piston that you could suggest. sorry, but after all the money spent on the 063 heads, I don't have much interest in using the 990s unless they are better heads for my purpose with no additional work.
TIA
Steve

Originally posted by swm233:
Mike,
I hate to start the oval vs rectangle debate on one of your first posts,:eek: OH GOD! :eek:

Did he just say what I think he just said? :eek:

mc71454 - The mild work you are talking about is worth about 25-30 cfm. That's an easy 40-60 HP gain. You will deffinately notice. I haven't done any real back to back testing on the Canfields, but some Dart stuff has gained 2 tenths and 4 mph with mild work like you describe.

kjett - I would try for bit more compression. You have plenty of cam for it. I think a single plane will help a little with ET, but will make the most difference with MPH. You would probably see 2 mph from that change alone.

thrasher - the Pro heads all have that tall narrow style opening. The 180's will run you $850. The ported Vortecs will run you $750. You would see very similar numbers from both heads. The 180's may offer a little more room to grow in the future, but not much.

swm233 - I say the oval ports are for you. Use whatever piston it takes to get decent compression. Iron heads like around 9.5 to 10:1 depending on camshaft. More cam = more compression as well. Sell the 990's and then invest in some aluminum heads down the road.

Mike,

i would like to hear your opinions on reversion when setting up the intake/head/exhaust. some say leave a step on the bottom and sides, and make the roof flush. some say make a step all around....etc.
whats your take ? how big of a step?
my particular application is pro topline aluminum 200's on a 400 with thorley tri-y's.
intake undecided.
thanks for offering your expertise!

kip

Mike, the other big controversial BB topic around here (one being oval vs rect port heads) is rect port intakes on oval port heads- does it hurt and if so how much? I have this set up in order to look stock with an L78 manifold but use oval port heads for velocity and low port volume. I port-matched the sides and bottom of the manifold intake ports to match the head ports. I epoxied the roof of the intake ports once but the epoxy eventually came loose in a couple ports and caused problems, so I removed it all. This set up is not near as responsive at low rpm on my 396 as a stock oval port manifold. Too much plenum volume and reduced carb signal is my guess, not to mention the port mismatch in the upper third of the port at the gasket.

Hi, Mike. I'm starting work on a pair of 049's next week. I'll get them rough cut for 2.19/1.88 valves and then start blending in the pockets. I've never done any porting before. Any advise? Do you have flow numbers on what I can expect from them?
Thanks,
Ken

Thanks for the offer of free advise Mike!

I just today decided to build a new engine for my 69 GTO [Pontiac Chevelle]
The only things decided for sure:
Turbo 400
Tight converter
3:23
[454w/]496 Eagle rotating assembly...now what?

Every day driver, 2-3 coffee runs a day. Gotta idle at 700, pump gas,gotta be viscous...Like to keep the tag on the heads around $2000 [or less!]. Talked to AFR...they say one thing...Dart says another...My builder says to use 1973ish Oval O.C. 454 smoggers[w/upgraded,bigger valves]..says I won't spin the motor fast enough to need any better.
Like I said, I want it to be sweetly mannered and viscously torquey at the same time...cam ideas too...roller?

hi mike!
i'm new to this forum and glad to see a straight talkin head guy here.
my question is about the topline vortec cast iron heads.what would be the maximum static and dynamic compression ratios you would reccomend for these heads on 92-94 octane pump gas?i have ordered a set,and am looking to match pistons to them.jegs has told me 11:1 scr and i can't seem to get a dcr reccomendation from anyone at team camaro where i usually post.
thanks for listening!
Eric B

Hi Mike. I just got a reply from World Products and they have sent me the flow data on the iron merlin 345 VR castings I have purchased and I wondered if you could make a comment on weather I will need much more than a bowl clean up on them to be sufficient for my 468 solid roller engine.
.200 164 Int 122 Ex
.300 239 Int 165 Ex
.400 282 Int 197 Ex
.500 318 Int 220 Ex
.600 342 Int 239 Ex
.700 356 Int 247 Ex
.800 367 Int 258 Ex

Thanks graemlins/beers.gif

Originally posted by Mike Stark-CFM:
thrasher - the Pro heads all have that tall narrow style opening. The 180's will run you $850. The ported Vortecs will run you $750. You would see very similar numbers from both heads. The 180's may offer a little more room to grow in the future, but not much.Most of my reason for asking about the Pro Lightning 180's is because of the intake manifold options.There are several hi performance dual plane options with this head.

With the Pro Topline Vortec there is only one choice for a hi performance dual plane that I know of,just the Performer RPM Air Gap.While it is good,I'm not convinced that is the best.

What intake gasket is required with the Lightning 180?

Mike I bought a set of canfield 195 for my SBC and they consumed oil all ports through the exhaust side. I have returned them to Canfield and they keep saying it must be my shortblock. Not to bore you with the whole story that engine is back together is is not a smoker. Do you know John and Kenny at Canfield? Are they good guys or do I have a battle on my hands? Thanks

Mike, do you have any experiance with the brodeix HV1016 S/B intake? if so what are your oppinions. i guess my real question is, "In Your Oppinion" what is the best S/B duel plane intake for performance? Thanks Dave

Hello,I have dart 320cc heads witch I send to cnc porting to totalflowproducts.they flowed the heads before and after. before 314@.700 243@.700 after 359@.700, 269@.750.kind of low numbers, what do you guys think? does anyone has any bisnes done with this company or steve sanchez? what kind of hp i can expect from these with 11.85:1CR and right cam?

Originally posted by sheetmetal:
Mike, do you have any experiance with the brodeix HV1016 S/B intake? if so what are your oppinions. i guess my real question is, "In Your Oppinion" what is the best S/B duel plane intake for performance? Thanks Dave AH yes.That is going to be a hard question to answer.There are many to choose from,

IT IS GOING TO BE VERY DIFFICULT TO FIND SOMEONE WHO HAS TESTED THEM ALL!!!

Ebrock RPM Air Gap
Dart Kool Can
Brodix HV1016
World Products Sportsman II
Weiand Stealth
Holley 300-36 Contender/Street Dominator
Ebrock RPM

This is something that I am also interested in.I'm not convinced that the RPM Air Gap is the end all of dual plane intakes.

I have three Edelbrock intakes and I find the castings to be lacking of quality.
Carb mounting/Plenum opening not centerd,port exits big and small.Not to mention one port in particular is too far to the right.When I lay a Fel-Pro 1205 gasket on it the gasket is in the way of the opening.This is on my RPM AND MY RPM AIR GAP.

I have also found a couple of people that have gotten rid of their RPM Air Gaps for something else,wich they say is better.Namely the Weiand Stealth and the Brodix HV1016.

There might not be a big difference between them,but every little bit helps.After all we are all in search for a quicker ET,no matter what the application is.

kip - There should be little to no step at all in the port match. It should be a continuous port right past the gasket. Air slows each time it make a turn, jump or step. Air speed is more important than most things on the intake tract.

von - I would stay away from the set-up your using. Put an oval port intake on the engine and enjoy the performance. You may want the look, but you are sacrificing low speed signal.

Ken Wall - Go easy on the ports. It's not what you take out, but what you leave. Just blend the valve job into the port and be done with it. The heads will flow around 300 on the intake side and 200 on the EX.

L-78 GUY - I say go with a decent set of oval ports too. They work fine and you can get into a done up set for less than $900. The next best bet would be the Canfields for around $1800 or so. They both would make great drivable power with the Canfields making a little more up top. If you go roller keep it mild. A hydrualic roller would work well for the RPM you plan to run. A decent flat tappet will also do a nice job.

SLEEPER86 - I say 9.5:1 for most iron headed deals. You can use more with a larger cam and good cooling system, but you are only gonna gain about 5 to 8 HP at the cost of possible detonation. keep it simple and fun. If you want big power you can step up in the future.

67johnny - The flow numbers look pretty good. I doubt if you will need much clean-up on them. There would be a little more power, but it might cost too much to find at this point. What are your HP goals?

thrasher - The vortec style head that I sell from Pro Topline will accept any style intake manifold. It is the Pro Torker head. It works as a direct replacement for any small block cylinder head.

Mello Yellow - I know John. He seems to be a real good guy. I doubt if you will have too much trouble dealing with him. If the seals and guides were good on the heads then the oil could have been coming from somewhere else. What was changed on the engine?

sheetmetal - I like several. Performer RPM, World Sportsman, the Brodix, ect. They are all good. I generally stick with the RPM manifolds for ease of finding them and the Edelbrock quality. The Brodix intake seems to work well. If it accelerates hard through the range with good top end you cant ask for more.

PETE466 - The heads have the potential of around 750 HP. The numbers seem a little low, but I don't know the finished port volume. 320's generally start out at about 325cc. Try to find out what yours are now. My heads usually flow in the 385-400 range depending on combitnations. Volume ranges from 335cc to over 400cc flowing 420 cfm.

thrasher - I agree that there are many intakes to choose from. No one is the magic intake though. What may make the most power on a paticular combo may be completly different on another. The best thing to do is dyno test them all for yourself or simply trust a proven product.

Originally posted by Mike Stark-CFM:
thrasher - The vortec style head that I sell from Pro Topline will accept any style intake manifold. It is the Pro Torker head. It works as a direct replacement for any small block cylinder head.Pro Torker?
Are the ports the same as the Pro Topline Vortec's?
The only difference being the intake mounting?

I noticed the Torker heads have the old style D shaped combustion chamber.
They look like my S/R Torquer's chambers.

Do they also offer the Torker head with the newer heart shaped chamber?
This more efficient chamber is one of the reasons that I want to get a new set of heads.The Torker may flow well, but those D shaped combustion chambers have to be leaving something on the table.

Hey Mike you seem like a real knowledgable guy, I see your posts on Horsepowertalk a lot. Do you have any experience with the AFR BBC heads? i bought a set of the 305CC heads and they seem pretty nice! also if you have any time at all I ported for the first time a set of heads; BBC 069 oval port castings. I would be interested to see what a professional says! http://www.geocities.com/codybouc/ovalports.html
any improvements that i could of made? the polishing on the exhaust is pretty rough, but i already had a ton of time in the heads and they werent' even mine! graemlins/hurray.gif

thrasher - The ports are the same, the chamber is a little different. It still works just fine. You won't see a power difference between the two. It still has a similar characteristics. Quench plays more into combustion than little chamber differences. That usually effect flow.

cody - Horsepowertalk is my BB from my site www.cfmperformance.com. (http://www.cfmperformance.com.) I haven'tm worked on the new AFR heads yet. I have seen them and they look great. I wouldn't be afraid to use them myself. I'll take a look at your port job.

cody - the heads looked pretty good. I'm impressed. Not bad for a first timer.

Mike ,Thanks for the reply. I am looking for a solid 600hp output on the 468 and have an N20 kit in mind to use after I get the car dialed in.
Thanks! graemlins/beers.gif

Mike you replied to my first post about which street head you liked best,

GM Vortec
Pro Topline Vortec
Dart IE 180
Pro Lightning 180 Iron

You said,
Originally posted by Mike Stark-CFM:

Pro Toplin Vortec is super nice. I can get these heads on the 265 - 270 range with a 2.02 valve and a bowl port.[/QUOTE]

Rmchevelle said,
[/QUOTE]"You appear to be saying that you like the Pro Topline Vortec better than the others, care to elaborate a little bit more? There are a few guys here running the Dart IE 180's with some decent success. As a matter of fact I'm told one those sets was purchased through you. I guess the Pro Toplines have since come out and surpassed the Darts in your opinion? [/QB][/QUOTE]

You stated that the Darts and the Pro heads are pretty much equal and that you liked the Pro heads for their cost and quality over the Darts.

You also stated that you thought the Pro's will flow slightly better in some cases.

My question is;
What is the price difference?
In what cases do they flow better?

Also, can you give a flow example of the ported I.E. 180?

You have bean great answering all of my questions.
Thanks in bucket loads smile.gif graemlins/thumbsup.gif

Mike
I am currently building a dart 540 (I have the short block, need everything else) the compression should be around 10.2-1 (based on 119 cc). It will be a roller motor. I have every one telling me different things about heads. it is going in a 71 chevelle conv. about 4000 lbs. it will be used on the street not tubbing or tying the frame. I was looking around 650hp/650tq. I figured that was about the max. the car could handle without damaging it. I have been looking at the dart pro 1 aluminum heads, but any help would be appreciated.