Fixing to build a (I know, yawn) SBC for my dad's '51 Chevy. Anybody use the Speedway Flo-tek heads and have a report on them? Gonna be a 355 , dual plane, 4bbl, Comp XE 250, 9:1.....
You neglect to mention which head you are thinking of getting..! But, the couple that have reviews, except for one guy, all seem happy with their purchase. It's hard to actually screw up a cylinder head today. Reading the specs., all seems good. Per the photographs, they appear to have a good overall design for a performance street head. The prices are reasonable. In any case, if you have a problem, you can...return them. Mike
Mike, the one thing that is easy to screw up is valve stem to guide clearance, dosen't take more than a couple thou. too loose to start having a "plug fouler". I guess it depends on how many Tsingtaos' were consumed with lunch!
Yep, Speier Racing Heads offers them and tunes them up if you want also, as one of his more budget friendly options. They are an imported casting, but said to be well done. Not the same as a ProComp casting.(ProComp is SpeedMaster now) Another good import casting is the one going under the ProHeader, Assault, NKB, RPC names around Ebay, Chad also used that casting for a budget deal.
Never ever say yawn when it comes to the Small Block Chevrolet! Greatest engine ever built! I’m also watching this thread because I’m eyeing those heads too. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
If you get them from Speedway or someplace similar, have them checked before using. If you get them from Speier Racing you can bolt them on when you get them.
You tube has some pretty good reasons for buying empty heads and having them built buy reputable shops... Wirth watching IMO
I was looking at those, Promaxx, and the NKOTB heads...I’d choose either of those over the Flo Techs..they are both built up with better components...I said “buy once, cry once” and went with Trick Flows Instead
That is one of the reasons a couple of use recommended Speier for the Flo-Teks rather than Speedway....he uses better grade of parts. I think Speedway is just buying assembled heads from Flo-Tek,... Speier will either sell you bare or assembled with either the stock Flo-Tek valvejob or with his own valve seat cuts, but all versions when assembled from him come with his chosen components...no Flo-Tek assembly parts. The cheap grade of valves, springs, studs, etc is where the import assembly's are cutting corners to offer the super low price.
You think even Edelbrock's cheap doesn't use the best stuff. A friend brought me a set of Edelbrocks to put on his OT Fox Mustang with a 5.0. I tested the valve seal and 6 out 8 leaked. 2 of the valves were tight in the guide and a few were loose.
The flow-tek heads are good. budy who owns a machine shop says the castings are well done, and decent valves. But pulls the valves and fixes a few things, nothing major so I’m guessing guides and seals Says after some rework they are good to go for the price can’t go wrong.
Just be careful with any of the overseas heads, always have them checked before use, with some of them you'll end up spending again what you have in the cost of the heads.
Why’s that? I’ve heard positives on the Pro Maxx stuff, they machine them in their place in Alabama, use Comp Camps components, and they seem to flow pretty good numbers
Good information. It gets funny near the end-------the next time some lame dude spouts off about how he gets all his information off the Web—ask him to show you the last time he read a comprehensive test like this from a free Web-based publication.
Yeah I got a lot a “your gonna do what” from friends...what’s the old saying..” speed costs..how fast ya wanna go” I figured for a few hundred more I could get a set of heads that have proven themselves on the track and dyno..
They were in the running when I was head hunting for my SBC. I went with a Dart set of heads in at around $1000. I even called Flo Tek up and talked with them.
What ever happened to Brodix, AFR, Trick Flow, Mo Town/ Dart........Are we being cheap now a days? You get what you pay for......Haven't heard anybody bitching about those...... They DO make "street"heads, or should I say- NOT all out race........ Great that someone offers other's, and know's, and can correct the issues they might have, but now- your buying heads,then having them worked....... Always read here to support our economy, but- yet, cheap seem's to be going trend........ If your not making HP, why would you want aluminum heads in the first place? Shrugging shoulders........?
We use Darts Iron Eagles but when they asked what we were going to do with them they strongly suggested not their stage 2 flat tappet which we needed. Reason, 1/2 mile dirt track 422" .. He says we are way to hard on them. Street or drags ok but 5000rpm in the corners and 7000 on the straights for 20-25 laps kill them. So we have them assembled at a local shop and they live 2 seasons.
I wouldn't put any out of the box head on a build without going through them. Hot rodders have always been cheap. If I was building for horsepower only I would go with a more modern platform.
Pro Maxx 210's on my new 333 Windsor also cnc ported. Set up for .700 lift . Came with Comp components.
Trick Flow on my 289 build....seems like the Ford guys love em...seem to make good power...seemed like this or AFR were the ones to go with..