Which heads to get?

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couper 340

couper 340

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Hi guys i have 576 heads on my 340 with 2.02 not ported. I was looking to up grade to
E Q cast iron magnum heads. but was also looking at aluminum heads pro comp / MOPAR PER
EDELBROCK . after looking around and doing some reading it seams that as far as flow # the EQ
out flow them all. I like that the aluminum is lighter and cools better . build the car for street strip but fine my self using it more at the strip. I know the 576 are good heads but will spend just as much to get them ported and not sure they will flow as well as the stock EQ OR aluminum heads ? Can you guys shed some light on this ?Thanks 340 hughes cam lift @ 1.6
554/565 dur @50 228/232 flat tap hyd air gap FBO ign MAY CHANGE this year. 4 speed 3,73 gears shift at 6 grand 9.5 compression
 
I would go aluminum .
If you have future plans of making it more for strip the aluminum is better imho .
There is a slight weight advantage ( not that much )
There are enough quality porters that can really make the pro comps or edelbrocks flow really well !!
 
Witch heads are only available around Halloween!! Lol!
 
For the record I have ported edelbrocks on my 340 in a 72 cuda and ported pro comps waiting for me to get off my butt and finish my dart motor .
I have 1.6 Hughes rockers on the pro comps and comp cams magnum rockers on the edelbrocks .
 
Edelbrocks 50lbs lighter to begin with then steel.. and have far more potential then a steel heads..:D:D
 
I see a lot of potential still left in the current combo;Like cam duration and compression,and shift rpm.
Also gears.

To properly make use of the aluminum heads, (street or especially strip), you will need to bump the Scr as well.
 
stroked340 said:
Edelbrocks 50lbs lighter to begin with then steel.. and have far more potential then a steel heads..:D:D
Click to expand...

Please excuse my ignorance, but why do aluminum heads have more potential? Putting weight difference aside of course.
 
There ability to be ported out further to yield more cfm with a fatter curve.
It's performance ceiling is higher.
 
There's some iron heads with great potential and initial OOTB flow. You'll gain some CR either way if your heads aren't cut.
 
The guys with Edelbrocks will tell you they are the best, the guys with EQ will tell you they are the best. Weight aside, OOTB they will be hard to tell a difference in performance. For your currently outfitted engine, I would say EQ because there doesnt seem to be much difference until you get over 500 HP and they are less expensive. If 45# is a concern, put battery in trunk. The first question I would consider from anyone giving advise is how many pairs of EITHER have they installed, driven or even touched. If they only have had one pair and trash the other without ever even having seen them, then its just bullshit they heard on line.

There are advantages to both, it just depends on which brand/type gives you the most benefit for your particular situation/application.

My buddy at EQ said Brian at IMM is doing a build with EQ heads for MM mag with dyno test coming soon. If you are curious about EQ this should clear the BS up as many here think they are junk. IMM also sells and ports Edelbrock. I am interested to see how that turns out. People also respect what he says so hopefully it will clear up some unanswered questions.

If you want to know my opinion, PM or call the shop at 541-955-0363 as I have been bashed enough for praising EQ. I sell both and have installed 30+ pairs of Edelbrock and probably over 40 pairs of EQ in last 15 years. We are also cheaper than Jegs or Summit. I will share what I know regardless of who you buy from. Evan
 
Said it once will say it again you CAN'T compare iron heads to aluminum...although the iron heads do make excellent door stoppers..
 
I surprised that nobody mentioned that you can run higher compression with aluminum heads than you can with iron heads using the same gasoline!! Besides the porting aspect, higher compression is worth more HP by itself.

Treblig
 
Magnummopar has an excellent point. What are you doing and where are you going and is there a possible future of going to a higher level of performance? If your planning on building an engine without the possibility of expansion, then a certain head will fit that build and then that will be that. Obtaining more HP might require another head. As if the future head choice is all ready a ported head. If you need more head, then your stuck with a new head purchase.

There is nothing wrong with an iron head. Again, a lot has to do with the intended purpose. Or sometimes the rules you must fit into. Like "Must have a iron head"'in order to compete. This rule leaves you with a stock factory production head, the above mentioned, W2's. Now factor in cost.

One of the things that bother me about a lot of people is there screaming aluminum head all the time and point to weight savings. While a good idea, does a street mill even care about 50lbs. when a time slip is not in play?

1 point of compression is worth 3%, generally speaking. So if you build a 400HP engine, the aluminum head at 1pt. higher in ratio (head flow being equal) will make approx. 412 HP.

Something you'll never notice or feel on the street.
 
Buy what fits your budget.

A well prepped set of EQ or RHS X head will stomp a mudhole in a set of OOTB ede's. You'd need to port the ede's a good bit to match either iron head.

The weight difference on a street or street/strip car is so overblown it's stupid. It takes 6 hp to move the extra weight on a 12.00 car... SIX. The iron heads will make a bunch more than that compared to the ootb ede's.

If at some point you want to build something in excess of 550hp, then the ede/alum is a good choice because it will support those numbers in all out ported configurations. Otherwise it's a moot point.

Pick what fits your budget and goals and go with it.
 
magnummopar said:
Please explain....cant wait to hear this....

Question, have you ever owned, driven or even picked up a set of EQ heads?
Click to expand...

He's a gasbag with an axe to grind because another vendor wouldn't send him a free set of RHS X heads to try out... Oh wait, he offered to pay shipping... LOL

I agree with you, aluminum isn't the end all, be all that some on this site would like everyone to believe. There are a bunch that know better, only the gullible are suckered by the snake oil sales.

Buy what fits your budget and plans. Good iron heads that are currently available are a great option in some cases. It's that simple.
 
This engine will be under the 475 hp don't think i will ever go that high hp more like 400 hp
would be nice but most likely have to stroke it to get there. Want to rise compression to 10.2 at some point . Hughes racing told me that with my 9.5 comp and my cast iron heads and 3.73 that this was all the cam i could run . Don't get me wrong i like this cam for what i build runs low 13 sec but would like to go quicker .
 
Look up DusterDoug and his 340 build. Not sure what hughes is thinking cause that's not what I've seen.

ET is chassis, MPH is HP. What's the MPH with that 13 second ET.
 
couper 340 said:
This engine will be under the 475 hp don't think i will ever go that high hp more like 400 hp
would be nice but most likely have to stroke it to get there. Want to rise compression to 10.2 at some point . Hughes racing told me that with my 9.5 comp and my cast iron heads and 3.73 that this was all the cam i could run . Don't get me wrong i like this cam for what i build runs low 13 sec but would like to go quicker .
Click to expand...


No need to stroke it..my "stock stroke" 360 with 10.5 comp roughly 400 h.p. runs in the 11.70's..with Edelbrocks that are barely worked on:D:D
 
couper 340 said:
This engine will be under the 475 hp don't think i will ever go that high hp more like 400 hp
would be nice but most likely have to stroke it to get there. Want to rise compression to 10.2 at some point . Hughes racing told me that with my 9.5 comp and my cast iron heads and 3.73 that this was all the cam i could run . Don't get me wrong i like this cam for what i build runs low 13 sec but would like to go quicker .
Click to expand...

Your engine will make 400 HP with OOTB EQ...you will have to do some intake port work to make 450-475 HP as well as a cam change. You might be surprised by what it will do with the OOTB heads.
 
magnummopar said:
Please explain....cant wait to hear this....

Question, have you ever owned, driven or even picked up a set of EQ heads?
Click to expand...

Stroked340 you didnt answer my question....have you ever used or held EQ heads?

New ?'s
What did you pay to port your Edelbrocks?
What is your quickest time slipped ET?
Dyno results?

Saying you cant compare aluminum to iron is like saying you can compare a dollar to four quarters....same ****, that said, I would rather carry $10 in dollar bills in my pocket but $10 of quarters in a sock would end the conversation. Each has its place but they both do EXACTLY the same thing.

And yes, if you hog out a set of Edelbrocks to the point of having to weld up push rod holes, you can make an extra 30-40 hp but at what cost, how long are they going to last? The ONLY reason the Edelbrocks flow more is that without water jackets as big as iron heads, you can go bigger in porting and of course can then get a bit more flow. Good luck with that during a street cruise.
 
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