Trick Flow small block heads

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dartindanno said:
Idling at 1000rpm as recommended by Bullet to keep the oil splashing on the cam
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So how are things going with the motor? What gear are you running? Have you had a chance to wind it out or Still napping? I’ve got my old EQ’s and other top end parts off, the new lined up, starting to get the TF’s and other related parts prepped for install. Waiting on better degreeing equipment to arrive and it’s “On”, been over a year sitting on it all, time to get to it!

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abdywgn said:
12many, that is just way too organized!
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Shall I tell you about the many times I’ve pulled those parts down from the garage loft to oodle them, only to put them back in the boxes and put em back up? No, maybe I better not....:rolleyes: I recently came into a couple of big HD steel work tables for the garage so I put all that stuff out on display, I think that’s what really got my *** in gear!
 
Since I'm in Wisconsin the mighty Dart is still in the bubble until Spring. We had 3 degrees this morning and I don't think it would like getting fired up just yet. I was only able to take it out 4 times before winter hit and I kept it under 4,000 rpm. But it pulls hard and I'm counting the days until I can get it wound up. Specs are in my signature
 
I have not had a chance to talk to Trick flow yet, but it looks like they changed the recommended head gaskets. It was the Cometic's before, but now looks like the say to go with the Fel-Pro 1008. I have the Cometic's on mine, and am not pulling then out, but kind of wondering why the change? Below is from their instruction sheet I found online.

trick Flow.jpg
 
It’s a typical aluminum head on an iron block just like any other combo out there. Nothing unique about the TF heads
or the surface finish. Likely has to do with the fact you have to have a certain finish on the block to run Cometics and it’s possible some people have deck surfaces that are too rough to run those which would require block resurfacing. The new gasket recommendation would not. Just my hunch.
 
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DrEamer said:
I have not had a chance to talk to Trick flow yet, but it looks like they changed the recommended head gaskets. It was the Cometic's before, but now looks like the say to go with the Fel-Pro 1008. I have the Cometic's on mine, and am not pulling then out, but kind of wondering why the change? Below is from their instruction sheet I found online.

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Hard to beat the FelPro 1008 head gasket for many builds. Cosmetics aren’t a “fit all” but great for higher compression builds and power adder builds.
 
12many said:
It’s a typical aluminum head on an iron block just like any other combo out there. Nothing unique about the TF heads
or the surface finish. Likely has to do with the fact you have to have a certain finish on the block to run Cometics and it’s possible some people have deck surfaces that are too rough to run those which would require block resurfacing. The new gasket recommendation would not. Just my hunch.
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THIS^^^^^^^^^^^. If the surface finish of the head AND block are not correct you will have issues. You can’t hardly get the surface too smooth for a Cometic (you can, but you have to work at it), and you can easily get the surface too smooth for the FelPro gasket.

I’ve seen the results from the surface being too smooth for the FelPro gasket. I should have taken pictures of what it looked like.
 
yellow rose said:
THIS^^^^^^^^^^^. If the surface finish of the head AND block are not correct you will have issues. You can’t hardly get the surface too smooth for a Cometic (you can, but you have to work at it), and you can easily get the surface too smooth for the FelPro gasket.

I’ve seen the results from the surface being too smooth for the FelPro gasket. I should have taken pictures of what it looked like.
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So for those of us (me) who have no clue (again me), what does the surface look like when it's "just right"?
 
I do t have a picture handy but you machinist should know where this falls into. For you, the best I can say is look for pictures on the net for that “Certain RA finish” required and other that are just finer or rougher.
 
yellow rose said:
THIS^^^^^^^^^^^. If the surface finish of the head AND block are not correct you will have issues. You can’t hardly get the surface too smooth for a Cometic (you can, but you have to work at it), and you can easily get the surface too smooth for the FelPro gasket.

I’ve seen the results from the surface being too smooth for the FelPro gasket. I should have taken pictures of what it looked like.
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shop that does my stuff( they are very good Mopar shop) told me the surface finish isn't all that critical to run cometics
More room for error, so to speak on the mating surfaces than what you hear is required.
I say that because they are ultra picky regards attention to detail, so that statement i found a bit surprising
 
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My machinist just laughed and said, “We got that covered! No worries!”
 
All I know is that when I bought the Cometics it was either stated with the gaskets or I read the technical sheet somewhere that you had to have a certain finish otherwise you could have possible leaks. My blueprint short block had a rougher finish, which I’m sure was normal and perfectly fine for the composite gaskets.I sent the Cometics back and just put regular felpros as I didn’t want to find out the hard way whether they worked or not. I’ve used mls on a multi cylinder Sport bike as well as some dirt bikes and I know both Head and cylinder
surfaces were smooth versus what was on my short block. YMMV
 
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12many said:
All I know is that when I bought the Cometics it was either stated with the gaskets or I read the technical sheet somewhere that you had to have a certain finish otherwise you could have possible leaks. My blueprint short block had a rougher finish, which I’m sure was normal and perfectly fine for the composite gaskets.I sent the Cometics back and just put regular felpros as I didn’t want to find out the hard way whether they worked or not. I’ve used mls on a multi cylinder Sport bike as well as some dirt bikes and I know both Head and cylinder
surfaces were smooth versus what was on my short block. YMMV
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I had a set of comectics and after I pulled the heads there was pits from the gasket in the aluiminum head. and mine leaked so 1008 it has been for 10 years. I'm not a fan of Cometics.
 
Nothing wrong with a Fel-Pro 1008 head gasket. It's all I've ever used on my small blocks and never had any issues, same as tens of thousands of others users.
 
Cuda416 said:
So for those of us (me) who have no clue (again me), what does the surface look like when it's "just right"?
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Much like cylinder wall finish, you can’t tell with your eye what the correct finish is. You must use a profilometer to actually know what the finish is. That goes for cylinder walls and deck surfaces.

As I said earlier, you can get the surface too smooth (for lack of a better qualification) with FelPro gaskets. When I pulled the heads off, it was blatantly obvious the head gaskets were under distress.

If someone tells you “they got it” without a profilometer, they probably don’t. No one in their right mind would let a machinist hone a cylinder without a dial bore gauge. Technology has moved far enough that the profilometer is now as essential a tool as a bore gauge is.

BTW, next week there will be a webinar on profilometers and their use. I’ll find a link and post it here.

I think everyone should educate themselves, so you can carry on a sensible conversation with your machinist. Otherwise, it’s a crap shoot.
 
yellow rose said:
I think everyone should educate themselves, so you can carry on a sensible conversation with your machinist. Otherwise, it’s a crap shoot.
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Which is why I tend to ask a lot of seemingly obvious (stupid?) questions. I hate not knowing and sometimes my questions sound stupid even to me, but I eventually catch on. This kind of info is greatly appreciated by me that's for sure.
 
Anybody running these heads care to give details on rockers you are using, your lobe lift, any geometry correction etc and what your actual lift at the valve is (pre lash) ended up at by all means please give details. Inquiring mind(s) would (might) like to know.
 
DrEamer said:
I have not had a chance to talk to Trick flow yet, but it looks like they changed the recommended head gaskets. It was the Cometic's before, but now looks like the say to go with the Fel-Pro 1008. I have the Cometic's on mine, and am not pulling then out, but kind of wondering why the change? Below is from their instruction sheet I found online.

View attachment 1715683442
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When I put my trickflow heads on last year I used the felpro 1008 head gasket. So far I haven't had any problems with them. I am right at 11.1 compression
 
12many said:
Anybody running these heads care to give details on rockers you are using, your lobe lift, any geometry correction etc and what your actual lift at the valve is (pre lash) ended up at by all means please give details. Inquiring mind(s) would (might) like to know.
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Hi. I can answer some of your questions.
1.6 PRW Rockers.
B3 correction kit.
Comp 550 lift sold cam. 260 @ 0.050
3/8 Smith Brothers push rods.
Not sure of lift at the valve I never measured it.
 
12many said:
Anybody running these heads care to give details on rockers you are using, your lobe lift, any geometry correction etc and what your actual lift at the valve is (pre lash) ended up at by all means please give details. Inquiring mind(s) would (might) like to know.
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I'm running the mancini 1.5 rockers, .559 lobe lift (sft), smith bros custom pushrods, no correction kit (the sweep is really good), .545ish at the valve.
 
Trick Flows, Schneider solid cam and M1 intake installed. Cam break-in went good, all looks/sounds good, clean magnetic drain plug (that’s always nice huh?) Got the idle roughed in, went for a spin and am cautiously optimistic on things.:) So far so good, now on to some good carb tuning!:eek:
 
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