Are Speedmaster Heads Good? I've Heard a Lot of Bad Press on Edelbrock 340 Heads Lately

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harrisonm

harrisonm

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I have been thinking about getting some performance heads for a while. Maybe I should have bought some Edelbrock heads before the quality went downhill. I understand that since the company was sold, quality control has left the building. I have a few questions:
1. Where are Edelbrock heads made now?
2. Are the horror stories I have heard about the poor quality of their heads true?
3. I guess a lot of people here have purchased Speedmaster heads. How are they quality wise? And do they respond well to being massaged. I think I have read that @pittsburghracer has worked on them.
I have a 340 with stock iron heads that is built to about 375 HP.
 
harrisonm said:
I have been thinking about getting some performance heads for a while. Maybe I should have bought some Edelbrock heads before the quality went downhill. I understand that since the company was sold, quality control has left the building. I have a few questions:
1. Where are Edelbrock heads made now?
2. Are the horror stories I have heard about the poor quality of their heads true?
3. I guess a lot of people here have purchased Speedmaster heads. How are they quality wise? And do they respond well to being massaged. I think I have read that @pittsburghracer has worked on them.
I have a 340 with stock iron heads that is built to about 375 HP.
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Edelbrock heads I’ve been told are still being cast in California. Edelbrock is famous for making an ugly “plunge cut” on their heads. Do not buy Edelbrock heads bare unless you are capable of fitting the valve guides. Both heads respond nicely to a nice racier valve job. Speedmaster heads come with 10 degree retainers and keepers while Edelbrock after all these years still come with crap 7 degree stuff. The Speedmaster castings are 10 times nicer as is the valve guide fit. The Speedmaster heads flow a few cfm better out of the box. I never check spring pressure out of the box as I always set them up after I’m done but from member spring pressure is on the low side.
 
harrisonm said:
I have been thinking about getting some performance heads for a while. Maybe I should have bought some Edelbrock heads before the quality went downhill. I understand that since the company was sold, quality control has left the building. I have a few questions:
1. Where are Edelbrock heads made now?
2. Are the horror stories I have heard about the poor quality of their heads true?
3. I guess a lot of people here have purchased Speedmaster heads. How are they quality wise? And do they respond well to being massaged. I think I have read that @pittsburghracer has worked on them.
I have a 340 with stock iron heads that is built to about 375 HP.
Click to expand...
If you have the budget, I have heard really good things about the trick flow 190s.
I will say that the speedmasters intake bolt holes seemed "off" I put on a edelbrock performer and no matter what I did the bolts felt like they wanted to crossthread and go in at a wonky angle.
And then I put on a Torker 340 and the threads are pulling out of the heads. And yes, I tested the bolts in the holes off the car on the bench and they went in straight and didn't cross but they still felt "tight" so to speak.
 
I’ve got a set from ProMaxx. They are cast overseas but all the machining is done here in the states. Nice casting and good machining. They have an as cast and a larger CNC’d port available. Not quite as much flow as the TrickFlow but better than the speed master versions or Edelbrock. Priced in the middle, for another option.
 
harrisonm said:
I have been thinking about getting some performance heads for a while. Maybe I should have bought some Edelbrock heads before the quality went downhill. I understand that since the company was sold, quality control has left the building. I have a few questions:
Click to expand...
Not with the set I got.
harrisonm said:
1. Where are Edelbrock heads made now?
Click to expand...
Still made in America cast in California.
harrisonm said:
2. Are the horror stories I have heard about the poor quality of their heads true?
Click to expand...
It happens with every head manufacturer, bar none. You just hear more of anything Edelbrock because they outsell everyone else combined, so there is more good and bad press about them.
harrisonm said:
3. I guess a lot of people here have purchased Speedmaster heads. How are they quality wise?
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They blow chunks over the last 2 sets I have gotten and will not use them again unless they become cheaper than used polluted dirt from 3 mile nuke plant.

But that’s just me.
harrisonm said:
And do they respond well to being massaged.
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Yes, better than Edelbrock heads but will cost more to do so. It’s a catch 22.


harrisonm said:
I think I have read that @pittsburghracer has worked on them.
Click to expand...
Why yes he has. Put his name in the search box on the upper right corner and search his threads.
harrisonm said:
I have a 340 with stock iron heads that is built to about 375 HP.
Click to expand...

Sounds like fun!

For WIW, I’d purchase the Trick Flow heads. I have a set and there super nice! So nice I’d buy them twice and not think about the other heads with exception to ProMaxx CNC heads that they make right from Chink land.

Those are the two I’d roll with right now for a street/hot street set up. You can make some really good power with these heads.
 
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gzig5 said:
I’ve got a set from ProMaxx. They are cast overseas but all the machining is done here in the states. Nice casting and good machining. They have an as cast and a larger CNC’d port available. Not quite as much flow as the TrickFlow but better than the speed master versions or Edelbrock. Priced in the middle, for another option.
Click to expand...

Promaxx gets the Chink castings and machines them here erasing the crap work into excellent work. I have a set of CNC small block heads. Veeeeeery nice!
 
pittsburghracer said:
Edelbrock heads I’ve been told are still being cast in California. Edelbrock is famous for making an ugly “plunge cut” on their heads. Do not buy Edelbrock heads bare unless you are capable of fitting the valve guides. Both heads respond nicely to a nice racier valve job. Speedmaster heads come with 10 degree retainers and keepers while Edelbrock after all these years still come with crap 7 degree stuff. The Speedmaster castings are 10 times nicer as is the valve guide fit. The Speedmaster heads flow a few cfm better out of the box. I never check spring pressure out of the box as I always set them up after I’m done but from member spring pressure is on the low side.
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I’ve thrown there springs out in favor of what I need vs what they came with.
 
rumblefish360 said:
Not with the set I got.

Still made in America cast in California.

It happens with every head manufacturer, bar none. You just hear more of anything Edelbrock because they outsell everyone else combined, so there is more good and bad press about them.

They blow chunks over the last 2 sets I have gotten and will not use them again unless they become cheaper than used polluted dirt from 3 mile nuke plant.

But that’s just me.

Yes, better than Edelbrock heads but will cost more to do so. It’s a catch 22.



Why yes he has. Put his name in the search box on the upper right corner and search his threads.


Sounds like fun!

For WIW, I’d purchase the Trick Flow heads. I have a set and there super nice! So nice I’d buy them twice and not think about the other heads with exception to ProMaxx CNC heads that they make right from Chink land.

Those are the two I’d roll with right now for a street/hot street set up. You can make some really good power with these heads.
Click to expand...
THANKS. Trick Flow Powerpoint 190s? will current headers and intake bolt up to them?
 
harrisonm said:
THANKS. Trick Flow Powerpoint 190s? will current headers and intake bolt up to them?
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harrisonm said:
THANKS. Trick Flow Powerpoint 190s? will current headers and intake bolt up to them?
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Yep, like said above, the standard LA intake and exhaust bolt patterns are used making any ‘66 plus intake or exhaust a bolt on.

IMO, these heads on a 340 will be really nice.
 
Ok guys I didn’t watch this so if it’s bad don’t blame me. I started to watch it but it was to slow to my liking.

 
33IMP said:
If I may ask, from where to where?
(Picking up 3 tenths with an 11 second car, and 3 tenths with a 15 second car are different things.)
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It’s a 10 second car. His build is on here somewhere but I think he runs like 6.60’s in the 1/8.
 
33IMP said:
If I may ask, from where to where?
(Picking up 3 tenths with an 11 second car, and 3 tenths with a 15 second car are different things.)
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That's in the 1/8. Car went 7.07 with the speedmaster's and 6.6x with trickflows. In the 1/4 the best it went with speedmaster's was 11.35, trickflows - 10.68, on the chip with the 1/4 passes.
 
73smallblock said:
That's in the 1/8. Car went 7.07 with the speedmaster's and 6.6x with trickflows. In the 1/4 the best it went with speedmaster's was 11.35, trickflows - 10.68, on the chip with the 1/4 passes.
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That's a nice improvement.
Fun video.
 
toolmanmike said:
That's a nice improvement.
Fun video.
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No, thats an amazing improvement from a head swap, at that performance point! 50 hp maybe. 75 maybe too.

Edit: Wallace says a 500hp/3000lb/7.07 goes to 600hp/3000lbs/6.65.
If you got that JUST from a head swap... those speedmasters must have been garbage!
 
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73smallblock said:
That's in the 1/8. Car went 7.07 with the speedmaster's and 6.6x with trickflows. In the 1/4 the best it went with speedmaster's was 11.35, trickflows - 10.68, on the chip with the 1/4 passes.
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The Trick flow flows 40 cfm more where it counts over the Speedmaster, so I would expect a decent pickup on a choked engine.
I bet you're real happy with your gain.
 
fishmens67 said:
The Trick flow flows 40 cfm more where it counts over the Speedmaster, so I would expect a decent pickup on a choked engine.
I bet you're real happy with your gain.
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Yes, I was very happy with the gain. That was 3 or 4 years ago now. I have a different intake that John ported for me and am going to lean the carb out some.
 
pittsburghracer said:
@73smallblock switched from unported Speedmaster heads to cnc ported TrickFlow heads and hopefully he will step in but I think he picked up .30.
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33IMP said:
No, thats an amazing improvement from a head swap, at that performance point! 50 hp maybe. 75 maybe too.

Edit: Wallace says a 500hp/3000lb/7.07 goes to 600hp/3000lbs/6.65.
If you got that JUST from a head swap... those speedmasters must have been garbage!
Click to expand...
Let's see, Unported Speedmasters out of the box to CNC Ported Trick Flows. The Speedmasters are 1 small step better than OOTB Edelbrock's and ported Trick flows are a step away from W2's. They better give you 50 horsepower on an engine like that. That's a big jump in heads.
 
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