I'm curious..... What's the status of this project? Does anyone know when these heads will be available to us regular guys?
They are for any and every 350 Buick, regardless of build. If someone wants the heads on their bone stock sub 8:1 1980 Buick 350 then they should be able to. If a teenager is building a budget Buick (oxymoron, I know) hotrod, the heads should be at least semi affordable and ready to bolt on. The manifolds aren't that heavy. I'm sure they're heavier than headers, but I've never held a set in my hands.
And to clarify, I'm fine with the initial... 2800-3000 or whatever price for the ready to bolt on assembled heads themselves. What they cost is what they cost. I understand this is over a decade in the making, countless hours spent fine tuning, most of that time just waiting on machinery, people, or just that one minute detail that's halting everything. My issue is with the potential prerequisites required to run the heads. Headers, that's a given. They're stupidly expensive, but what can ya do. Aluminum intake, duh. Valve covers should fit regardless of what the heads turn out like, doubt TA wants to make a set of custom covers for each set of heads sold. I don't see anything wrong with the notion of having the heads be 100% true bolt on, remove iron heads, install aluminum heads. Done deal. No special parts needed, no $1000 shiny bits, nothing. If a guy wants to buy them, he can. Ain't nothin that says I can't build my '76 motor with 9:1 and AL heads, crower 3 retarded 4, stock rockers, headers, and tool around for awhile. Then once I get serious and have some money stored away, go full hog and make it 11.5:1 with a level 5 and just go nuts. I wouldn't want to be forced into buying something I don't want/need that costs 1/3 of the price of the item they rest upon when they perform the same function as the ones they replace. Adding to that, the mounting holes should all be there too. The 3 on the front and back, the two for the heater stove for the thermac air cleaner, etc. Even just the empty holes, I'd be fine with hand tapping the ones I need. The aluminum heads, so far, looks like a GREAT first step in cylinder heads for the 350. Maybe in a few years we'll have heads with those LS valves and changed valve angle for the guys who want to go that route. I imagine once these heads are in the hands of the customer, there will be a LOT of things that will be done with them. All it will take is time. And I have time, plenty of it. Just no money to spend on unnecessary parts.
No one has any idea. Fingers are crossed for a release this year, but maybe looking like next year. We never really know what goes on over there, only that they are the saving grace for Buick guys.
I probably had about that much into my last 350 build around the same time frame with very limited parts availability and I'd be surprised if that engine isn't still running quite well. I remember the big valve ported heads alone being pretty big $. Once the alum. heads are avail. that same $, adjusting for inflation, should build a much better engine.
I see where youre coming from but why spend the money on a performance head if thats all the engine is? its a waste of money at that point because you are not getting the potential of the head and could possibly make what little performace there is even worse because the head is wanting to flow way to much for what that engine is capable.you would be way better off working with what you have and keeping your iron heads. And I do agree with the budget thing but Buicks are not budget friendly engines, there is such a small market for them that they will never be as affordable as a LS or SBC. I built my engine right after senior year of high school and took me almost 2 years to build. it took me almost 3.5 months to be able to afford the roller rockers and roller cam. There would of been no way i could of built this engine on my teenager budget. just saying, if you want high performance parts be willing to pay the high performance price. hot rods arnt cheap, no matter what power plant is in them. I wrote this before reading your next post, I believe were on the same page.
It's been mentioned before, I'm sure, but here is my list of wants on the new heads: -Standard 3/8" valve stems with swirl polished valve heads, including back cut on both intake and exhaust valves. -Standard 1.94/1.60" street version, 2.02"/1.60" Race version valve sizes. -Raised valve cover rails to prevent requiring doubled up gaskets to clear rocker arms. -Standard Buick exhaust bolt pattern for use of headers or stick manifolds. -Standard Buick intake bolt pattern for use with stock intakes, or aftermarket. -No modifications required to run stock rocker arms, or aftermarket roller rocker setup. -Spring pads big enough to run larger, dual springs without clearance issues on the stem seals, or spring pads. -1/2" NPT port for water temp sender. -Tapped bolt holes on both ends for all accessories. -The option to order them with a "Race Port" on intake and exhaust. There.....that's my list.
What you could do is spend the $$ on a welder and make your own headers if you don't want to pony up for the pre-made bolt on ones! Why wait when they can be made that way from the start and still have the factory rockers work with them? If you bought bare heads the LS valves would be less expensive than the crappy Buick specific valves with the expensive hard to find stupid 11* locks and retainers! From the sounds of it all you want is an aluminum version of a factory head. You wouldn't gain anything that way and would actually lose performance because of the heat loss in the chamber. You would be better off sticking to cast iron until you build a better short block for better heads! You're sounding like a shill that doesn't want these heads to be successful! Like the TA sbb Stage 1 intake that the only thing it was good for is that its lighter than the factory one. It would be a HUGE waist of $$ to buy aluminum heads just for a weight savings! I can think of much less expensive ways to shed 50 to 60 lbs than spending $3k on factory copies of aluminum heads! If you want YOUR engine to be mild, stick with the cast iron heads and leave the performance aluminum heads to the big boys.
I'm with you except for the "standard 3/8" valve stems", why would you want heavy clunky 3/8" valves in a performance head? The BBB performance heads don't even use that size! Besides if the heads are setup with the standard sbc or LS valves, there will be a much better selection for valves, retainers and locks that will cost less and that you can probably get in Canada without the international shipping charges or having to drive 8 hours and still have to pay import taxes. IIRC TA Mike already said that the heads will come standard with 1.94"/1.60" with the capability to go a maximum of 2.05"in. and 1.60" ex. valves. And except for "-No modifications required to run stock rocker arms, or aftermarket roller rocker setup." I would be fine with offset square instead of round plastic retainers to slightly move the rocker over if need to be slightly relocated, if you want to run stock rockers. Or different rocker spacers for the aftermarket ones. Those 2 simple cheap mods wouldn't break the bank.
In my opinion the only reason the Buick 350 is not a budget engine is because too many guys build Chevy for too long unfortunately you're not going to change past time. I 've heard it too many times, I went Chevy cause it was cheap, or it was easy. I'm sorry if I Ever go way from the Buick 350 in my regal it's gonna be a Ford or a newer hemi going next. At car craft Nationals back in 2014 in St paul, mn. I made me sick seeing 85% (that's what it seemed like) of the cars had Chevy engines from a 1970 charger to at that time a 2 yr old Mustang. If there was more diverse engine swaps done. More parts would be cheaper for a lot of brands. It's like this if you own a company you make parts for Buick, Chevy, Ford and Dodge. If more you have car websites, magazines , etc. Pushing Chevy more, which one are you going to make more parts for? It facts.. it business, it's about $$$ and the one that make the most your going to push the most and the ones you don't push the prices will go up because of less demand. I know I'm way off topic here but, it came in when taking about affordable and budget builds. I dont like the ls because it's Chevy and over bragged up. There are other good engines to use. Again sorry for getting off topic I'll go back to shadowing over the comments and hope I have the money to buy the heads when the time comes. Josh
Yes we are expensive it is the price for being different. This motor is special I just know it and when these heads hit it we are going to be surprised I run less than a 100 shot of nitrous and knock off 1 1/2 seconds easily. gsjohnny runs low 9's at a buck forty in that rail blowing the heck out of it. Sonny Seal went low 11's and I know he spent a boat load of money doing it One thing I noticed is the Ford and Chevy guys don't know how to react about these Buicks I think we should go a little past street on these heads. The door is opening get ready. $ too bad we must pay, having fun.
That is not what I said or implied at all. I want the heads. I'm ready to pay for the heads. All I want is for them to bolt on the damn engine like any other cylinder head ever made for any other engine without needing 1500 dollars worth of unnecessary extras. I know the LS valves will work with stock rockers, it was the talk of changing the valve angles which would make the stock rockers not work that I was talking about. If I want a mild engine, I'll just put my 7.8:1 350 back together and toss my SP out on the curb. I'm doing up the shortblock on the '76 engine to be 10:1 with these heads, crower level 3 retarded 4* (or a level 4 if the lift isn't too much for stock rockers), all blueprinted and balanced. Maybe a 100 shot of nitrous. Who knows. All I know is I want the aluminum heads as much as everyone else does, but not to make 900hp. Just to have a good cruiser that has the potential if I want, to make big power. Nothing says I cant stick the heads on my 7.8:1 motor and then change other parts as needed/wanted.
Im still assembling my short block, sloooooowly, life events come first If these heads come out before August, I could still put 'em on
Sometimes there are other reasons for buying heads. We bought SE heads for the 455 that went in the MG-Roadmaster, not because of the performance potential, not even especially because of the weight reduction (though that was important) but because the shorter ports meant we could put an exhaust on it in the space available. Of course that was a special case but worth mentioning I think. Sadly, I do not think we will ever see a 350 SBB in an MGB, even with the alloy heads. Due to the deck height, the 455 fits with the exact same mods so why would you? But that doesn't stop me from following this thread, primarily because there is probably a set of TA-Rover heads in my future and some of the development work on the 350 heads may bleed across. Maybe not, couldn't say really. After all I think the Rover heads were based on the V6 heads which from all reports seem to be very good. What I really wonder about is the port sizing and flow. Did TA get all they could out of the R heads? Somehow I doubt it because Rover engines have smaller ports than 300/340 iron heads. Which brings up a good point. If you build the head to an existing production standard, whether you're talking about port sizing, valve stem size, valve angle, chamber type, rocker shaft type, or something else you may have no choice but to nerf your product. That's going to make somebody complain because you didn't take it all the way. I think we can all relate to that. But, how many of those maximum effort heads are you going to sell and is it going to be enough to pay the costs? Pretty impossible to be everything to everybody. It is a business you know, it has to be profitable. None of us are in the position to do the math on that one and TA is resorting to a fair amount of guesswork in the projected sales numbers too. You can only gamble so much on that kind of a deal. Jim
The valve angles and spacing CAN be moved while still being able to retain the same rockers. A matter of fact, if the valves are moved closer to the centerline of the cylinder without changing the angle it is more likely that a new rocker design would be necessary. By moving the angle TA can keep the valve tips in the factory location with the only difference being is that they will be ever so slightly tilted towards the rocker shafts. Seeing how the rocker shafts pivot on a round shaft, the rockers won't even be able to tell the difference. Without moving the valves closer to the centerline of the cylinder or spreading them out slightly, all they would be is copies of the factory heads with around the same performance potential.
