440 source aluminum heads

Does anyone have any experience with 440 source assembled BB cylinder heads? I have heard mixed reviews about flow inconsistincies etc. They are a great deal at first glance...

ya, i have been wondering about them also. they got a pretty good price on them.

The boys over at Moparts will bash away at them because Brandon (owner of 440soucre)will not kickback to them, for refferals, like their buddy buddy vendors do....

His stuff is middle of the road and priced well for the budget guys, not top notch not bottom of the barrel..
If you want the best and will pay the price, look elsewhere.

If you are a "good enough, low price, makes me buy" kind of buyer, he is your guy.

Brandons motto for the moparts guys:
"Arguing on the forums is like trying to teach a pig to sing. All it does is waste your time and annoy the pig"
mention it and he might even give you a discount....

Agreed - the heads are good pieces - a couple people i know have had problems with the retainers sinking into the springs but those are few and far between - I put a set on with beehive comp springs and there are NO problems at all.... good head for the price...

and just for the record - MOPARTS can suck my left one...

MOPARTS can suck my left one

you may have a problem, depending on which one obammy gets...:grin:

McCain already has them both.

At least McCain has a pair that actually belong to him......as opposed to taking someone else's and spreading them around.


IF that Commie gets in to office and raises corporate taxes even more, and forces even more business to go "off shore" costing even MORE JOBS.......then you'll have a tough time blaming that on the Republicans, or Bush, or McCain. You'll only have yourself to blame.

c town it would BE LOW ME

to make a comment...:tongueflap:

I didn't think that a set of heads were that political?

Wow, who knew aluminum heads where a touchy subject, BTW, are the 440 source heads made off shore? I agree with 69 Runner, too much off shore stuff here in Canada as well. I understand Comp cams are another off shore manufacturer. Not to get this thread too far off topic.

I thought sending jobs off shore and screwing up the ecomony (and Americans in general) was the specialty of the Republicans... The most commie things lately have been the Republican bailouts and the so-called "Patriot Act".

You know, I always thought everything was supposed to relate to sex. Now it equates with politics? God, I am getting old. (And apparently that's all I am getting)

Rev.

Feels just like a guy that wakes up after a binge in Vegas married to a guy......WTF....:rolling:

I thought sending jobs off shore and screwing up the ecomony (and Americans in general) was the specialty of the Republicans... The most commie things lately have been the Republican bailouts and the so-called "Patriot Act".

True - republicans send stuff off shore... but make it in the good old USA and pay 3 times the price... supply and demand buddy - would u buy a set of aluminum heads if they cost $3000 if you could get the same for $1000 ?

Well, I can say this, if the 899.00 heads from 440 source are sub standard, I would spend the money on a set of RPM heads. I have a set of 452's being ported, polished and flow bench tested right now so I have initially made up my mind on this motor, BUT...the more info we have for members to resource the better, more educated decisions we can make. And on another note, I have been to China and attended a trade show (similar to NACE) and I know that what we are getting first hand from offshore sources is not the same as what we make here in North America. So back to my original question, if anyone has experience (thanks rolling thunder) we all could benefit from your experience...thanks from the great warm north.

My understanding is that the heads are pretty much copies of the Edelbrock RPM heads except for the "stealthy" appearance. They are not "bolt on out of the box" as stated on the website. Valve sealing and valve guide clearance needs to be checked. Apparently, the first batch had some problems with the locks sinking into the retainers which has supposedly been addressed. Several have replaced the locks and retainers with Comp Cams 10 degree pieces although the Comp Cams 7 degree pieces would probably be ok too. The springs are said to be OK. One other issue that has been reported by a few is interference between the retainer and the underside of the stamped rocker arm. This should be checked during assembly. A possible solution would be aftermarket roller tip rockers. I called Edelbrock to ask about the RPM heads and they basically said that you should follow the same procedures with their heads. I'am specifically talking about the 84 cc closed chamber heads from both firms. The 440 Source heads are sourced from China. This is not necessarily bad as far as quality goes. Eagle and Scat rods and cranks come from China too as do many other aftermarket parts for car restoration. If one is building a all out race engine, then better American made parts (read more expensive) should be used. For the average Joe 6-pack, these Chinese made parts are a good value from a monetary stand point. If these parts were not available most of us would probably not be able to afford to restore our cars.

[QUOTE=Chatt69chgr;11443]

" The 440 Source heads are sourced from China. "

uhg!

I bought a set at the Nats, and have ha no problems with fitment or appearance while putting them on. I did use roller rockers, so maybe that was a factor to consider. So far, I've not had the car running and probably won't for a few more months, but a buddie's car seems to be doing fine with them, stock rockers and shafts, and a 2x4 intake. I sure hope they are as good as they appear to be.

please keep us posted on your project Buck, definelty a help to us all...

I have a set of the 440 source heads on my 512 stroker, mildly ported and polished with roller rockers and heavier springs. They have been trouble free and it makes about 650hp. Also have Eddys RPm on a 383 ported and polished also trouble free. Seems to be
no difference in flow or performance

I just returned from checking on my motors at my machinist. He had me look at two 440s builds he was working on (both using 440 source heads). What he found out that there was a clearance issue when using the 3/8 pushrod with roller rockers. You either need to do a little grinding or go with a 5/16 pushrod. The motor wit the rollers is quite a bit healthier than the other and the owner decided to go with a custom set of Smith Bros rods (costing almost $180) instead of grinding. Although smaller, they are rated @ 700. There was no clearance issues when the stamped steel rockers were installed. Just an FYI for those considering these heads.