akitagandy
Member
Does anyone know about Lt1 aluminum heads and will they fit on early model 350 and are they worth buying $300
LT1 heads
- Thread starter akitagandy
- Start date
Ted Brown
Member
I myself, would not run Alum heads on the street, (even if they gave them to me) hard to get the right head temp for one thing, because you are not wanting to run your engine at 240 plus, like the stock engines do, just a smog thing... Plus you have to be very careful not to use any stainless (bolts, etc. and any threads need to have the correct lube, anti-seize) on or near those heads...Does anyone know about Lt1 aluminum heads and will they fit on early model 350 and are they worth buying $300
IMHO
I wouldn't be surprised if it's been done, but there are lots of differences between the LT1 and the early SBC. reverse water flow, different manifold bolt pattern, and that wonderfull
Aluminum heads are fine for the street. I've used several versions over the years, and currently have a set of Edelbrock Performer RPM on a 377 SBC that I've driven on the street for several years with no issues whatsoever. you can run a point higher compression ratio without detonation when using aluminum heads, and save quite a few pounds to boot. only thing you need to do is use a hardened washer under each head bolt to keep them from gauling. Yup.. I like aluminum heads, but I'd have to say "no" to the LT1s you mention.
Russ
benT
Active Member
IMO I would skip them and save a few more bucks and buy new ones. There are some really decent ones (better than the old outdated LT-1's) for not much more. Check out Skip White performance. They have some pretty good fully assembled ones (I hear) for $650 (inc. shipping!). That is a bargain!. Skip White I have not bought anything from them, but others on here have.
akitagandy
Member
I found some info that said they want work without a lot of work, water jackets will dump into the valley
I have Skip Whites aluminum heads on my blown bucket. I have been to Skips shop several times. I highly recommend them, very good folks to deal with.
Mike
Well-Known Member
Race motor that is likely going to make expensive noises at some point in its lifetime - aluminum heads, because they are easier to fix. Knock the chamber out of an aluminum head and it can be fixed in a matter of hours. Knock the chamber out of a cast iron head and good luck on trying to find someone/anyone that will even touch it.
Street motor that is expected to start, run and live forever without failure - cast heads, because it's easier to make power with them. All we're doing with an internal combustion engine is trying to take as much cold and dense air as we can get, mix in as little gasoline as we can and try to make the cold air air as hot as we can. (No, this principle is not the same with nitro-methane, as the intent there is to load the motor as much as possible, so it can burn as much fuel as possible, hopefully without driving the crank through the oil pan in the process.)
Yes, you can run an additional point of static compression with the aluminum head. Point being, that additional point is pretty much necessary to make the same horsepressure. If you are capable of making more power, then you are capable of consuming more fuel and creating more thermal energy. An aluminum head is an excellent heat sink, to the point where it generally will require a different tune-up to make the same power as with a cast iron head.
If you're building a race head, where intake runners are getting moved aside and up, where valves are getting rolled over, where spark plug locations are changed or where chamber shapes are changed, then aluminum is the obvious choice. However, if you set up a cast iron head engine and an aluminum head engine up exactly the same, the engine with the cast iron head engine will make more power. And it will make peak power after much less warm-up time.
There are several reasons for warming a race motor before racing it - seating the clutch for a final air gap setting, warming up the oil to thin it down and checking timing one last time are some of the reasons, but one of the most important is to warm up the cylinder heads. Ever see a drag car towing to the staging lanes with a cover over the motor? It is done to hold heat in the motor. All that aluminum is radiating heat faster than it should, so you cover or wrap it up to hold in the heat. There's nothing being hidden from prying eyes, as most people don't know what they're looking for anyway.
Street motor that is expected to start, run and live forever without failure - cast heads, because it's easier to make power with them. All we're doing with an internal combustion engine is trying to take as much cold and dense air as we can get, mix in as little gasoline as we can and try to make the cold air air as hot as we can. (No, this principle is not the same with nitro-methane, as the intent there is to load the motor as much as possible, so it can burn as much fuel as possible, hopefully without driving the crank through the oil pan in the process.)
Yes, you can run an additional point of static compression with the aluminum head. Point being, that additional point is pretty much necessary to make the same horsepressure. If you are capable of making more power, then you are capable of consuming more fuel and creating more thermal energy. An aluminum head is an excellent heat sink, to the point where it generally will require a different tune-up to make the same power as with a cast iron head.
If you're building a race head, where intake runners are getting moved aside and up, where valves are getting rolled over, where spark plug locations are changed or where chamber shapes are changed, then aluminum is the obvious choice. However, if you set up a cast iron head engine and an aluminum head engine up exactly the same, the engine with the cast iron head engine will make more power. And it will make peak power after much less warm-up time.
There are several reasons for warming a race motor before racing it - seating the clutch for a final air gap setting, warming up the oil to thin it down and checking timing one last time are some of the reasons, but one of the most important is to warm up the cylinder heads. Ever see a drag car towing to the staging lanes with a cover over the motor? It is done to hold heat in the motor. All that aluminum is radiating heat faster than it should, so you cover or wrap it up to hold in the heat. There's nothing being hidden from prying eyes, as most people don't know what they're looking for anyway.
Gerry
Well-Known Member
Mike, You know all the right words to say, and how to say them... Thanks
I have to agree.
The trans in my topolino was a FHX. I could watch the 60 ft times and Et come down as it warmed up over the day. Theres a lot more to heat than people think.
Guess what my T is running alloy D port heads that came with the 350 HO crate motor. I will take it from GM that 20 years of research can produce a 357 BHP crated motor that carries a warranty.
Heres hoping
gerry
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