I called TA yesterday about the aluminum heads to see what the latest is.. I spoke to Dave, he said there are a few things they want to change/fix their not happy with. Pretty accurate ballpark price is 1550.00 for bare castings. 2850.00 for fully assembled/machined He put my name in for the BACKORDER/SECOND RUN of heads, he said 50% deposit, so 1400.00 TA will call when the deposit is due. Dave said by the end of the year, now I don't know if that's for the first run, or the backorder/second run. Dave did say he doesn't know everything about the aluminum heads as far as progress and or specs, he admitted this is new stuff to him. I appreciate his honesty! He said Tim or Mike know everything about 'em, and when they call for the deposit, they will go over my build, cam specs, and piston specs. Its going to be awhile, but no biggie, gives me time to accumulate cash for all this
You may want to throw together your spare motor, like JW mentioned! Don't miss out on summer fun. You know how long the intake took.
When you order things from ta try to always talk to Tim or mike. Dave too my order for my bare te stage 2 heads, sp2, and 2 1/8 headers. I'm so glad I had the headers shipped to me first not straight to coater. Dave put down I wanted the stage 1 headers for my stage 2 heads, then tried to blame me saying I gave him the part numbers........I was driving and had no numbers for anything. Had they gone to the coater first I would had been out several hundred more dollars for the coating job and I bet ta would had not returned them. On a plus note ta did swallow the return shipping to them and back to me, so I know that was few hundred bucks. I would had really mad had they not. Dave also failed to tell ne that the exhaust valve were on backorder. So I would place a follow up call and talk to Tim or Mike to makes sure all the info is correct so there are no surprises
I gave that idea a passing thought, but decided against it, I don't really wanna pull the engine back out to install the heads. I'll drive my GN, maybe take it to the track too, NAAHHHHH, I'd better not do that
Sean probably knows better than I do, buy I think I read where Mike T. said they weren't going to sell any out of the first run because of the changes they wanted to make. It was likely a small prototype run anyway. Given that I'd decided I was going to wait for a 2nd run in case they made changes (hoping there would be a 2nd run), I guess I should throw my name in for a set. I can't wait to build another 350.
A few months ago the waiting list was about 30 people long, who knows how long it is now... Dano is corect they are not selling any of the first 6 sets they had cast, and once they are happy with them they sell the next run but only once things are 100%. Although the prototype heads have a few issues they are still able to use them and I think they want to get them up and running on an engine before they go to the next run with the improvements. Dano has a point there will likely be small changes made in the 2nd and 3rd runs but the question is how long do people want to wait? Myself having been in line with a deposit for years I will take the first set and go with it!!! Others can sit back and wait to see how it turns out but the problem is there could be major delays between runs.
It would have been great to be in the running for the first batch of heads, but the way my cards played out, I'll have to wait, oh well. I didn't expect to even be a candidate for the new heads, but since I'm down for the season with my GS, I may as well throw my name in the hat. Ahhh, its a hobby, not my daily driver 30 sets spoken for so far, that's sounds encouraging, to me anyway, and for TA!
Hopefully TA will cast a connecting rib in the tall water passage at the edge of the outermost combustion chamber to help support the flame ring to help fight head gasket failure. On my iron heads, I made some small pieces of steel and brazed them into the water jackets before I milled them flat. Next engine, I'll do the same to the block.
Yes, I hear you. But what are you guys going to do with all those fairly good flowing ported iron heads you have laying around? Boat anchors? Someone we all know has a BIG stash!
I'm probably going to hold onto to them for that one day that will never happen 20 years from now then hold on to them some more, then MAYBE get rid of them, then decide I'd better hold onto then for that one day, then I'll be too old to lift 'em +-
You never know what will be worth more coin 20 years from now when the Millennials grow up and have the $ to spend on these cars. Who knows, they may covet the slower models like the sbb 350 2bbl and v6 and L6 versions of the cars because of how a lot of them are even afraid to drive a modern car! What would they do with a Stage 1 455 car? Be to afraid of it I suspect. Derek
Or it could be the "old guy" hobby like stock '20's Dodges and model Ts, or those gaudy street rods from the 80s and 90s that hardly go for anything anymore because the old guys that had the attachment to them are all dying off...
Unfortunately, other than resto mods, I think you're right. Might be different if the new cars today weren't so...Everything. Only thing the new cars today lack is the cool factor, but I in 20 years the guys that couldn't buy one now are going to want a (insert any number of new cars), not a relic from the late '60's/early '70's or even the mid '80's.
I agree, if you think about it, the new cars do EVERYTHING better than older cars. The only thing I don't like about newer cars is the intrusiveness of computer control...... drive by wire (sucks) electronically shifted trans. (sucks) Auto stop (stupid) Biggest item I'd like in my GS or GN are cup holders!!! Older cars have styling that flat blows away the newer cars
Mark, I really think you should not shelf the GS this summer.. to wait for parts. I think you were just getting into your testing, and would hate to see you stop now while your heading the the right direction. So much can be learned with your spare parts this summer, and the wait will be much more bearable if the car is running. And if that wait turns out to be much longer than anticipated, you won't look back in the future and wish you wouldn't have lost all this time. Imagine how good it will feel to go out and run with the new heads, after you have the car completely figured out, and you can tell exactly what that investment was worth. JW
I know I am not going to wait, I am going to put that sp3 intake on and go run it and see where it goes. Keep on waiting and you'll be 64 TA wants to get those heads right and I do not blame them.
Wouldn't setting up the engine compression wise (11.5 to 1) for aluminum heads be detrimental running the irons I have now? That's whats keeping me from running with my new combo minus the new heads for now.
You will have to forgive me, I have not followed all of your build thread, but I guess why so high on the static compression would be my question. That will require something better than pump premo, even with alum heads. Has someone lead you to believe otherwise?.. I would be interested in that discussion. JW
