Alumium Heads for 383

[71Charger500]

My 383 is almost done, and I was just wondering if anybody had any suggestions for a good set of aluminum heads, and the prices on them.

[firefighter3931]

My 383 is almost done, and I was just wondering if anybody had any suggestions for a good set of aluminum heads, and the prices on them.

Edelbrock, Indy, Brodix all make good heads for performance applications. The best one for your particular engine combo is difficult to say without knowing more about the build and intended use. Compression ratio ? Solid or hydraulic cam ? Headers or manifolds ? Intake manifold/carb ? Cam specs ? Rear end gearing ? Stall speed ?

Ron

[Ghoste]

And the price range is just as diverse.

[my73charger]

My buddy has the Eddy heads on his, he uses it for mainly street with an occasional trip to the strip.  He loves them and for the money they are a pretty good value.

[700HPCharger]

Eddies are good all around, Indy's are little more performance oreinted. If it is going to be a street car, go with Eddies, it it's going to see more track time, get some with more power potential. Indy has a great product, they need to do some more work with thier cast parts, but thier customer service is a little lacking.

[Chryco Psycho]

make sure you raise the compression to compensate for heat loss to Alum , this is where the Eddys fail as the combustion chamber is not small enough to compensate for heat loss , the Indy EZ heads are smaller & will compensate without changing pistons etc , also be sure to use cometic gaskets to prevent head gasket failuer due to differing metal expansion rates 

[Ghoste]

Is ther a guideline as to how much you think compression should be raised?  There seem to be a variety of numbers that you hear from .5 to 1.5 points.  Obviously, things like cam, combustion chamber shape, and intended use play a factor but I'm sure you do more than just guess.

[Chryco Psycho]

I use 1 point for pump gas , seems to work fine , I dida 11.1 :1 ratio 440 last year with alum heads it has a slight ping without octane boost just like a 440 with iron heads & 10.1:1 compression would have

[RallyeMike]

I'm building a 383 with the Indy EZ's which almost complete. Comp will be 10.7:1, which the short-block builder says will need race gas. I plan on running a race gas mix at events for saftey factor, but I think it will be ok with Premium for occasions on the street. 

[Ghoste]

So the 1 point for pump fuel is generally accurate regardless of the rest of the combination?

[Chryco Psycho]

10.7:1 should be fine for premium as long as no severe load is applied at low rpm
it varies a bit wioth cam profile but basically if the engine will run with a given cam & iron heads it can take 1 mortre point with the same cam

[firefighter3931]

If you're wanting to maximize performance on "pump gas" build a tight quench engine. Zero decked block with flattop pistons and a closed chamber head. This is where the eddy's work good with off the shelf pistons because of the 84cc combustion chamber. Using a smaller head like the indy on the same type of build will push the compression ratio up too high. You can get around that by purchasing custom dished pistons to reduce the static compression into the 10.5:1 range and still have tight quench. It just adds more $$$ to the build costs.

The other option is to just build it with the pistons in the hole and take your chances....it'll preignite even with aluminum heads if the compression is too high or there is zero quench. Bottom line : plan the build out properly and you'll be much happier with the results. 

Ron

[Chryco Psycho]

a Speed Pro flat top piston wth a comp gasket is .055 away from the head & gives 9.7 with a 88 CC heads so a 84 cc head would only give you 10.1 : 1 compression which is still half a point low with good quench

[firefighter3931]

Ya, those 383 spedpro slugs are way down compared to their 440 counterparts (2355's) unfortunately. I'm not sure i'd use those due to the loss of quench potential for a pump gas combo. The 440 6-pack slugs were easy to get to zero deck and only needed a .020 mill to the deck surface to achieve the desired result (zero deck). That's where the 84cc chamber fit the combo perfectly with 10.5:1 static compression and .040 quench. I had considered the indy's at the time but the smaller chamber would have pushed the compression ratio too high for pump gas and tight quench.

It was a budget build around existing parts ; ly's/2355's and it worked out fine. Had the rods/pistons been new then other options would have been considered for sure. The ez's sure are an attractive alternative and can be built around with proper planning of the shortblock. They do have lots of upward potential....moreso than the e-head. 

Ron