TA Aluminum Intake OR ALuminum Heads(this is for real)

Heads!

 

my 2 cents : intake
(A) business - as long as the intake comes in at a reasonable price point i think it will get more people involved . i would have to guess it'll be approx $1500-2000 cheaper than a set of heads . it is a basic "take off - bolt on" part handled by anyone with modest to normal mechanical skills and a little patience in an afternoon . easy bolt on's are what helped the SBC become the performance frontrunner . involvement , visibility , street talk = participation . bigger numbers = cheaper available parts = more involvement .
(B) performance - probably already a good number of well ported etc heads out there . i don't have any extensive tech n test info at my disposal so i am just shooting from the hip with whatever info i have picked up from here and/or common sense - those heads are probably being held back by even a decently ported TA intake . a good SP intake may be the next logical step .
i have stated all that before more or less - so i guess i am with GS on this basically .

 

i agree about the intake might sell more faster but if there was some major builds with aluminum heads exspecially in some magazines will sell the ideas to others. look at edelbrock making buick 455 heads after TA and bulldog made heads and blocks. The big thing is a time line and specs on heads(flow,max valve size,combustion chamber size,rocker type, possible extra head bolts for boosted motors) . several people have made custom intakes and with aluminum heads in sure there will be more. I say do the heads and some make a Max 350 and get it into a magazine (helps if its one TA advertises in) . some will just max port TA intakes if they have too.
I say do the heads (mostly cause i would like to see them on my car)

 

Make the heads first. Here's why.

Any GOOD engine builder should be able to fab up an intake. If you do make the intake first drop the exhaust cross over. Everybody plugs them anyway and who's going to use a 7000rpm intake in the snow? I would also like to see the air gap design used.
Also, some one mentioned they could modify a TA stage1 intake to match flow with aluminum heads. You will NEVER modify a stock iron or TA stage1 intake to flow what a single plane will.



Make the heads with Stage 2 style exhaust ports, spread the valve centers 1/8" for larger valves( we can notch the bores like BB Chevy) use stud mount rockers. Leave plenty of material above the intake port to raise it if required. Raise the cover rails also.
If you just make an aluminum version of the iron heads there will be very few sales. If I have to radically modify a aluminum head I'll just use iron heads and save the cost.

Thanks for listening Mike

 

I have been waiting since 1994 for the Alum heads and that is the way I voted. I know this price tag could be as much as 3 grand and I will do what ever I have to do to get the money together for it. I am not getting any younger and if only the intake is built, it will take another ten years to get the Alum Heads.

Who is going to put a s/p intake on a stock engine or near that. Without ported heads it just wont live up to its full potential.

I hope more than 20 people will actually come up with the money to buy this piece. Maybe the question should be Are You ready to burn 3 grand or more. That is probably what the poll should ask. Anyone can say oooohhh I want the heads on the poll but are you ready to shell out the cash?

Yes, I am with you other guys that want the intake because this will help me right now but the heads being made now will get the intake to follow faster than just the intake being built and sitting here a few more years waiting for the heads.

The bottom line is, do not vote for the heads unless you are sure you are ready to shell out the serious bucks for them.

Lets get this done now before the damn economy crashes again. Shell out the cash and lets be done with this conversation!

 

Hey Mike. Can't help you any on this one. For the BritishV8 market the 350 Buick isn't likely to gain much if any support. Based on my experience with the 340 it is just big enough to cause problems that the 300 does not have and the 300 can be stroked to 350 cid easily. So there is no advantage, and there are no headers for the 350, where everything needed for the 215 through 340 and all Rovers is widely available. The difference between the work needed to fit a 350 and a 455 is almost nothing as well, but just about anyone considering either of those swaps is more likely to choose the Chevy LS instead for fairly obvious reasons since the work involved is the same.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. I know you've sold a few sets of Rover heads to the BritishV8 market and from all appearances they should continue to do well there, especially on the larger displacement builds. But I wouldn't count on any 350 sales there.

Jim

 

How many SBC engines are out there making 550+ hp with dual plane intakes? lots! With good heads the TA intake will work well. The current issue is the heads lack flow and the TA intake is not adding enough flow to the heads. Add good heads and all that changes and we can make power without boost. The hardcore guys will just build a aftermarket intake.

 

The air gap will be a large core plus I still need to have a heat cross over. Even with temps in the 40's - 50's heat in the intake will be beneficial.

 

Kind of curious if you and Ken Betts was still collaborating on heads

 

Well its not a problem with other engines,there will still be hot coolant from the thermostat housing crossover and heat transfer from the heads disapating enough heat even for 40 and 50 degree temps. Its not a Nail Head intake that has zero coolant running through it.

But like I said,if you're going to use the D/P tooling and it would cost more to take it out,then leave it in. But if you're starting from scratch on the tooling then just leave it out,because most people that do a performance build block those holes anyway. It especially doesn't need to be there if the intake will not be a "air gap" style intake,and would not be beneficial,especially if it puts more cost into it.

Derek

 

Think simple... Leave the crossover if a person doesn't want it let them plug the heads. Accept maybe allow for screw in pipe plugs that can be removed now lets get one of these projects going...

 

Easy answer here. HEADS.... get m Done!

 

I would also think that the new aluminum heads wouldn't need the ex. crossover ports in them either. They really aren't nessasary,the General did away with the ex. crossovers on the sbc Vortec with a plastic intake and it run just fine without them. That would help simplify the heads,and cut the costs down slightly,and save people from having to plug them. And the heads before those only had them for an EGR valve for emissions.

Derek

 

The Vortec intake only flows air not fuel that is why it has no need for heat... Any carbed intake should have heat to it and if a person wants to block it off they can do that.

 

the general and vortec are chevy items. we do buicks here.

 

haha wheres the like button

any route is a good route as its a part we never had prior. i'll by either one or both when avail even if i have to whip out a CC..

if you(TA) do go s/p intake hope Ken can do the Heads that'll make EVERYONE happy ..except the mopar guys ;-)

 

What are the plans for the head? Are they going to be the same as stock or be modified? It would be awesome to integrate Chevy rockers as that opens up options. How about the bowl area and runners. Will those be like stock?

 

My carburated aluminum headed(no ex. crossover ports in the after market heads) sbc 383 Edelbrock RPM Air Gap Vortec style intake runs just fine without an ex. crossover. Intake still gets very hot,so hot that you wouldn't be able to hold your hand on it for more than a couple of seconds when the engine is up to its running temp. It runs a little rough until it heats up in cold weather but I'm not running a choke,it runs great after about 5 mins of drive time.(with only a 180 degree thremostat) Even my carbed 305 Vortec with factory cast iron heads with a Edelbrock RPM Air Gap intake runs without a problem in the cold that I used as a daily driver through the winter beause everything else I had was broke down at the time.

I drive my 65 Impala as a daily driver up until it snows because of salt not because of the cold(heat works very good in that car),I just put it away 2 weeks ago. Most other brand high end after market heads don't have ex. crossover ports,why would a after market sbb Buick head need it? It doesn't because of the heat disapation from the aluminum heads the heat from the combustion chamber will disapate through the heads very fast to the intake(especially an aluminum intake),cast iron holds more heat in and will heat the intake slightly slower and even slower for an cast iron intake. Added to the heating effect is the thermostat housing crossover that heat disapates to the intake from the coolant also. A sbb having a shorter bore center than other brands engines would allow the disapated heat to travel faster to the rear of the engine than others too.

So is Mike saying he is just wants to make an intake for cast iron heads for low performing sbb 350s?(that most people doing a performance build plug the crossover holes in the cast iron heads anyway) Like Steve said,"who is going to use a 7,000 RPM intake in the snow?"o No:

And if someone wanted to drive that engine in the very cold and is having trouble with not enough heat in the intake,take the 160 degree thremostat out and put a 195 degree in it.(which should be at least a 180 in there if they are driving in the very cold anyway)

Just throwing it out there what other brands do and its not just sbc that deletes the ex. crossover either. Besides if its an air gap style intake what good would it be to heat the base under the intake that doesn't touch the runners?uzzled:

:beer


Derek

---------- Post added at 12:48 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:41 AM ----------

Sorry,I build them all.


Derek

 

X2, I know Mark Burton (and maybe others) had made a couple sheet metal intakes for the 350. No one has made aluminum heads for the 350.These are facts.I would've stayed with my 350 if there was the possibility of aluminum heads. Big flow out of the box with 70 lbs removed would have kept me interested.

 

Cast the intake with Fuel injection ports so we can bring these engines into the 21st centry. Then you will sell more intakes and this could become real fun.
Dan