Aluminum or cast iron heads update????
 

Hi guys, I am in the process of winding up the 454 Mag mpi and am seriously considering some canfield or top line Aluminum heads. On eBay they are $1500 all done which to me in New Zealand is a bargain of the century. Apparently you can run more compression with them and they flow better than the stock Gen VI heads. I HAVE A GREAT BIG HEAT EXCHANGER so the only thing flowing in them is frest water and anti freeze. Also i coat the engine after every use with WD 40, no exceptions. Can any one help me on this or offer a better solution. Cheers, 9

Re: Aluminum or cast iron heads????
 

Depends.... the aluminum is great for heat transfer.... hence... less hot spots and chance of detonation... but..... If you aren't running a closed cooling system and are running in salt water... be prepared to replace your heads on a yearly basis... The electrolysis will destroy them in short order. Good luck.

Re: Aluminum or cast iron heads????
 

Hard anodizing is supposed to retard the electrolysis. I got my Canfields that way and so far , so good :cool:

Re: Aluminum or cast iron heads????
 

i had a nice talk with juils owns miss nor-tech he advised me to go with iron heads for reliabletie, its moor fun to burn gas than turn tools :drink:

Re: Aluminum or cast iron heads????
 

Aluminum all the way:
Lighter, more detonation resistant, easier to port, easier to repair etc. - the pros by far outweigh the cons, especially with closed cooling and regular care and maintenance. Besides, when was the last time you saw a really powerful motor with iron heads? :D

Re: Aluminum or cast iron heads????
 

AFR has the same, hard anodizing for boats.

Re: Aluminum or cast iron heads????
 

I traded up my cast irons for aluminum. I went from a modified cast head (ports were opened up, stock 2.19 valves), to a stock Canfield 310cc aluminum. I gained absolutely nothing but a big credit card bill. Unless you plan on turning high RPM's , the larger ports and better flow won't buy you anything.

Re: Aluminum or cast iron heads????
 

ScarabScoundrel,

Did you change the cam ?? A cam change is required if you wanted to see any difference. Or you can bolt a supercharger on.

I went with aluminum heads only because i was going to a much larger cam and going from 5 psi to 8 psi of boost. They will help flow but only if other things that affect flow are changed as well.

Re: Aluminum or cast iron heads????
 

The heads are good but make sure they are hard anodized and watch for the port volume if your running 454 and low comp if they are larger than 345 cc runners they may hurt your torque. Good luck

Re: Aluminum or cast iron heads????
 

Mesabalancing,we are working on Dart race heads/ ported by Champion.However, they have not been hard anodized yet.We will have 4 sets and I don't know where to send them.Any suggestions?