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Small Block Aftermarket Heads?

1K views 8 replies 4 participants last post by  celrod77 
#1 ·
Well I am in the process of putting together a Chevy 383 stroker t drop in my YJ over the winter. Looking for some input on what heads to use. I am considering a couple different options. Dart SHP aluminum, Brodix IK series aluminum, Sportsman 2's or Dart Iron Eagles. I will be using a Howard's retro fit roller cam with a power band of 1800-5800 rpm.

Any suggestions or experiences on heads you would recommend would be great
 
#2 ·
For an out of the box head, AFR makes a really good head. I'd look at their 195's for what you're looking at putting together.
I'd figure out the rest of the motor (compression/heads/induction setup), then call to get a custom ground cam made to what you have.
 
#3 ·
All depends, looking for low end torue or high end power? What compression ratio do you want to run? What piston and rod length? Cast iron or aluminium? All of these factor into the choice. You can run about 1 point higher compression with aluminium over cast iron, but cast iron tends to make more power because it retains the heat.

Becasue of the engine size I would start looking at 180cc to 190cc intake ports for torque, 190cc to 200cc for upper end power. With you cam choice I would look more toward the 180cc as that would match the rpm range of the cam. I would keep the compression around 9:1 with cast iron or 10:1 with aluminium if the heads have a "fast burn" chamber.

Hope that helps.
 
#5 ·
I would look at the Dart Iron Eagle 180, they come in chamber size from 64cc to 76cc and all have "fast burn" chambers so if you kept the compression @ 9:1 you can burn 87 octane. Trick Flow makes a nice aluminium head also with a "fast burn" chamber and would be at the at or above the $1,000 mark - they have 175cc and 195cc intake runners, either would work fine but the 175cc would have better off idle torque and throttle response, the 195cc would have better power over 3000 rpm.
 
#7 ·
The 383 I had in my Jeep previously ran some AFR 195's. That motor with a mild cam and pump gas put down 474HP at the tires thru a th400.
I think you'd be kicking yourself going with any smaller of a head than a 195'ish runner. Doesn't have to be AFR, but anything smaller and I think you'd be sorry for it down the road (if not now).
 
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