coopsie442

Hey iam doing up a Olds 455 and i am at the point of getting a new pair of aluminum heads.... But some of my friends think i shouldn't get them because there Int/ Ext runners are 188cc/106cc. So can i get them ported so there bigger? and how big should i get them too?

Olds64

I suggest not purchasing the Edelbrock heads unless you are seriously considering racing the car. Stock heads can flow just as well as Edelbrock heads and don't cost an arm and a leg. Go to your local salvage yard and find a set of C casting heads. They are easy to find on most late 60s full sized Oldsmobiles.

joe_padavano

If you're trying to compare the runner volume of Olds heads with those of some other engine (ie, Chebby), you CAN'T. The volume is a function of runner LENGTH as well as cross section. The port volume number is meaningless. More importantly, the runner shape is much more important than volume. The Edelbrock heads actually have smaller exhaust runners than stock, but since the port floor has been raised they actually flow better.

coopsie442

yah iam going to be racing the car almost every weekend. And can i get the ports ported so they flow better?

Olds64

You can also check out Realoldspower for some good information.

http://72.22.90.30/phpBB2/index.php

coopsie442

sweet thanks, but anyone else on the site have edlebrock heads? and what do you think?

J-(Chicago)

A fellow on my softball team replaced his J heads with the Ebrocks and claims that the car is "twice" as fast now. Apparently, he thought they were worth the money.
I am still skeptical however, especially if you want to use them for high heat racing. I'd imagine they would one day turn to dust if you raced them everyday. My friend just cruises the thing around the neighborhood, and I don't drive his car.

In conclusion: I onno

joe_padavano

So instead of 16 second quarter mile times, he now turns 8s?

J-(Chicago)

So he thinks.....
I wouldn't advise anyone to use his mathematical ratio calculations though.

marcar1993

I'd say, the only REAL advantage is weight. I have heard (no first hand experience, don't own a bbo) you can make even the good old J heads decent performers with a bit of milling and grinding. If you're all out racing all the time, the weight savings may justify the cost, as 100 lbs is about .1 so you should pick up about that (just geussing). If you're not an all out racer, I'd personaly pick up cast iron heads (c's are the best) and have them worked for less than the $1500 for rough cast heads that still need work to REALLY perform.

coopsie442

yah iam going to be taking it to the race tracke almost every weekend, and i like the sound of the light weight on them, so i guess ill get them. But has anyone on here got them ported before ?

joe_padavano

Well, I'll disagree. As I noted, the Edelbrock heads have raised floors in the exhaust runners to fix the most glaring flaw in the Olds factory heads. Yes, there are better aftermarket heads, but the Edelbrocks were limited by the self-imposed requirement to allow stock manifolds to fit. Other heads (Batten, for example) have raised exhaust ports that flow even better but require custom headers.

Yes, you CAN port J heads to flow. The two problems are 1) without welding, you can't raise the floor of the exhaust port and 2) if you don't know what you're doing with a grinder you can easily make them flow worse.

88 coupe

Urban legend.

Also blocked heat risers and equalized exhaust pockets. Ports flow only slightly better than Olds, but at higher velocities. How much more power will depend on the rest of the combination.

Most, if not all, of the builders have NC programs for Edelbrock heads, in place. Probably not easy to find someone who will still port iron heads.

This one cannot be emphasized enough.

Norm

coopsie442

no i am talking about porting the edelbock heads lol not the cast

88 coupe

From my previous post:

In other words, yes.

Norm

coopsie442

ok well do u know what they ported them too?

88 coupe

If you are talking about flow numbers, it depends what the customer ordered, and who did the work.

For a better understanding, of the subject, you can go here to read up on it.

Norm

zodiacblueS

That site and the external links included should be seen by anyone thinking about heads. I learned more in 20 minutes there than in months of reading other peoples opinions and experiences. Thanks Norm. Great find.

TripDeuces

'Starting with a set of stock iron "C" heads that were ported with flow numbers of 277 cfm on the intake and 175 cfm on the exhaust with 2.07/1.710-inch Manley stainless valves and dual valvesprings.'

This is from an article from Car Craft. Edelbrocks get those kind of numbers out of the box. Btw, that car runs 11.44's with a 244@.050 cam. There is much more than weight savings to a set of aluminum heads. Edelbrocks may not be the baddest set of heads out there for an Olds but they equal a ported set of iron heads any day right out of the box. Considering the kind of work required to get an iron set to flow that well they are a decent investment. You're looking at 40-50hp just bolting them on.

My442

BTR claims 50 HP out of the box over stock heads.

ah64pilot

IMO you can't go wrong with the Edelbrocks. I have them with cnc ported intake runners. I don't know the specs on the port but there are several cnc porting programs for the Edelbrock heads. I had to open up the "paper" intake gasket a little and then port matched the intake to the heads/gasket. Works good, last long time You'll like them...and stick to a cam below .600" lift and run stud mounted roller rockers w/ no other modification to the head. Or run over .600" lift with little modification.

*Edelbrock heads/intake 455 = lighter than stock 350*