***Buick 350 Alum Heads Update***

Discussion in 'Small Block Tech' started by sean Buick 76, Apr 6, 2016.

  1. sean Buick 76

    sean Buick 76 Buick Nut

    We don't have exact weights on the new heads yet so we cannot say exactly what the weight savings will be...
     
  2. TA Perf

    TA Perf Member

    IRON HEAD 51 LBS
    TA ALUM un-machined 30 LBS
     
  3. Extended Power

    Extended Power Well-Known Member

    Sean that picture with the valve size of 2.05" for the intake....is that correct?
    That is a huge increase from the exsisting TA Performance big valve kit of 1.920"!!!!

    They should have a "Race Porting" option....
     
  4. garybuick

    garybuick Time Traveler

    42lbs savings on the heads
    and do you guys at TA have an official weight difference between the iron and aluminum manifold?

    what about exhaust manifolds vs headers. got to be some weight savings there right?
     
  5. sean Buick 76

    sean Buick 76 Buick Nut

    Yes those valve sizes are correct..

    TA did a nice job of creating the best head that they could while still keeping it a "bolt on"... We can re-use the headers, intakes, roller rockers, etc.

    I cannot speak for them but I know that they will do their best to incorporate improvements to the heads before they mass produce them. I have no doubt that out of the box they will be FAR better than most ported irons. I don't think that most people will have wild enough combos to really take advantage of the porting. Plus massive amounts of porting will reduce the low RPM performance which is no good for a street car.

    That being said Scotty Brown is already planning to offer a full CNC porting program for about $1000 so people will be able to just order TA heads from him and they will be ready to race out of the box. First he will need to get a set in hand, port them, and then develop the CNC porting program. The good thing about this option is consistency... People will be able to copy other peoples proven combos once we get to this point and it will be like following a recipe to success instead of the HUGE amounts of variables with hand porting heads.


    Aluminum Stage 1 intake weighs 16 lbs. vs 53 pounds for stock intake.

    I can try to remember to weigh a manifold but they are not much heavier than a long tube header...

    I would not get too caught up in the exact weights... With alum heads and alum intake with headers it will be lighter than almost any other V8 in the world.. About the same or less than an alum block 5.3 LS engine...

    The Buick 350 block is only 160 pounds.
     
  6. Dano

    Dano Platinum Level Contributor

    80 lbs. is still significant. This is getting really exciting for us SBB fans. Heads, intakes, Strokers, NASCAR rods, billet crank, Girdle. We're finally going to really see if these little 350 Buick engines are capable of everything we've always dreamed they could be.
     
  7. 300sbb_overkill

    300sbb_overkill WWG1WGA. MAGA

    That would be the first place I ever seen that sells TA heads other than TA.

    Are you sure?



    Derek
     
  8. TA Perf

    TA Perf Member

     
    Julian likes this.
  9. DaWildcat

    DaWildcat Platinum Level Contributor

    When Greg Gessler was still porting cylinder heads, he offered the same service. I didn't purchase my TA SE1 aluminum heads from TA, I purchased them from Greg with his additional work, as did many others. He advertised the different levels of his porting/chamber work available on his website. JimW did/does the same. I wouldn't be surprised if Jim Weise, Chris Skaling and others will offer the same services for the new aluminum 350 cyl head.

    Devon
     
  10. sean Buick 76

    sean Buick 76 Buick Nut

    Thanks Devon you are correct.

    The idea is that the customer does not have to make the order for the heads, wait for it to get shipped to them and then ship it out again for porting.

    Thanks for your effort on this. I could not find them on the TA website thats why I posted the Molnar website.

    We need to support TA and buy everything that we can from them because they are bending over backwards for us and helping us with the parts we desperately need. If I have a chance to buy something from TA or from another vendor I will buy the TA part.
     
  11. DaWildcat

    DaWildcat Platinum Level Contributor

    I could not have said it better than you just did, Sean.

    I'm old enough to remember long, caring phone calls with Jim Bell for Buick stuff, and Nunzi Romano for Pontiac stuff in the mid '80's. Later, the same long, caring phone calls with Mike Tomazewski, all before anyone had even heard of "internet" and "email".

    I'm young enough to know how precious these folks are/were. The fact that Buick 350 aluminum cylinder heads, not to mention the single plane intake are now a reality is just flat amazing and a testament to the people who not only enjoy their passion, but want others to do the same!

    It's 2017. When was the last Buick 350 block cast? Who ever paid any attention to that engine, anyway? You folks did, spoke up, and apparently they listened! This is awesome in so many ways.

    Devon
     
    Mart likes this.
  12. Jim Blackwood

    Jim Blackwood Well-Known Member

    The SBB with alloy top end at ~405# is roughly 50# lighter than the LS-4 at ~450#. That is the lightest and most compact of the LS engines I believe.

    At BritishV8 we have been paying particular attention to engine weights now for decades. When you have a 2000# car and emphasize cornering, it is very important what the engine weighs, how high that weight is, and where it is in the car. My memory isn't flawless, but I've accurately measured the SBB engine and engine components in everything but the 350 and the numbers are pretty consistent. I wouldn't expect a variation of more than a pound or two.

    400# is extremely light for a 350 cid iron block V8. Especially on a tall deck/deep skirt engine like the 350 Buick with the block strength to approach 1000 hp. The 302 Ford is comparable except for strength, maybe the 351W as well, I don't know. Nothing else I'm aware of really comes that close. There may be an exotic or obscure aluminum block 5.7L V8 that weighs less but as most would be OHC I doubt it. Even if it exists it is probably prohibitively expensive to fit, next to impossible to find, and horrendous in terms of maintenance.

    Jim
     
  13. 300sbb_overkill

    300sbb_overkill WWG1WGA. MAGA

    Let me put it this way, no other parts store I have ever seen TA heads for sale at. The ones you mentioned are more of service stores than a parts selling store like Competition Components is.



    Derek
     
  14. Fox's Den

    Fox's Den 355Xrs

    No one here has no reason now to build a 350 Buick motor.

    You have TA rods, TA SP intake or DP if you like, Heads just around the corner.

    Forged pistons are there

    I even got my crank from them when I built my motor.

    They have a nice front cover with adjustable pressure reg. if you like.

    I bought a deep sump oil pan with baffles and a large pickup to go with it.

    I bought a SFI flex plate from TA.

    No reason at all, so stop typing and get wrenching.

    TA has what you need, all you have to do is call.

    TA alum intake and heads = almost 100 lbs off the motor that = 1/10th in the 1/4. Not much you say, that is a fender off the line.

    Everything they have is not on their website, most of it is in their book which can be downloaded. There are a bunch of parts in it.

    So hunt them down and buy some parts, I am tired of you being out my back window....for the past 20 years. :3gears:
     
  15. Dano

    Dano Platinum Level Contributor

    My last 350 build in the mid 90's ran 13.0 and it was just the basics. KB C118 cam, T/A intake, Hooker Headers, 2-1/2" exh., 10.5 static CR w/.030 Hypereurectic pistons, shotpeened '73 rods, ported heads, balanced, M-21, 3.73's.

    They are great engines. We had very little to work with back then and very little information. I can't wait to build another one!
     
  16. Mark Demko

    Mark Demko Well-Known Member

    X2 Stop theorizing, start wrenching, go to the track, get results, THEN come back and ask "how can I go faster"
    That's what I did, and with the help of this board, I reduced my ET by a full second!
    Plus it was/is FUN:Brow:
     
  17. Gary Farmer

    Gary Farmer "The Paradigm Shifter"

    A friendly reminder that it was all this 'theorizing' that made your improved track results and the information on this thread possible in the first place...not to mention all the engineering that goes into creating the parts you all bolt together using your 'wrenches', so show some respect.

    Why bother researching, calculating, and talking about R&D when you can just throw money at it only to come back to the boards and ask the geniuses here what you did wrong...only to see near stock, all iron engine cars going faster than yours.

    Someone had to say it.

    :rolleyes:

    Ok, cool is back. :bglasses:
     
  18. Jim Blackwood

    Jim Blackwood Well-Known Member

    Thank you Gary, guess I'm "No one" since a 350 won't fit. But hey, I agree with the sentiment at least.

    Jim
     
  19. stk3171

    stk3171 Well-Known Member

    only real wrenching will get real results! keep up the good work and giving posters something to type about.

    Dan
     
  20. gmcgruther

    gmcgruther Well-Known Member


    That's what I call Jenny Craig weight lose.
     

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