Awesome. One step closer. For giggles you should toss on a set of stock irons for a hp comparison on the same engine.
For anyone who can’t get that link to open go here and scroll down to videos and you will see a running buick 350 with alum heads: https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=107026505985420&ref=content_filter
That's a bit unproven don't you think. There seems to be more views on that video then there are participants in this thread. Keeping the information just solely here is a bad marketing move. Just saying... But yes, I get it not all like Facebook but reality says the majority is there. The Buick 400-430-455, fast rides (mainly Buick guys), GS, turbo v6, Buick swap meet and the like FB pages. are active...
73k almost 74k views here is the same 150 people coming back again and again. I've probably been to this thread 100 times without ever posting until now.
Wouldn't it be nice to see that here instead of having to be part of Facebook to see it? Some of us do not want to be part of that. How about showing here so we can all see it Why is this such a secret.
Guy, I'm not a big fan of Facebook either, probably for reasons other than your own, but, hopefully no one minds if I show it here,
Yup, that is the legitimate concern with any "thread view" on all of social media.. The better argument is this: V8 Buick is an open source outlet.. you don't have to register to view the information. That facebook group is a closed deal. You cannot even view the info without registration, and most Buick folks do not know it exists. If you consider the percentages.. I think we can agree that what, maybe 1 in 20 Buick guys are 350 customers.. I can say that based on my business.. just 6% of the 105 Buick motors I have built since I started numbering them in 2003, were 350's So 6 guys out of a hundred, are serious buyers, roughly.. That Facebook group has 2720 members.. at 6% with serious interest, your talking an audience of 160ish guys.. V8 Buick has 42,230 or so members, so that 6% is well over 2500 folks.. Or nearly the entire size of the facebook group. But that is still not the best argument.. The real argument is how facebook is implemented.. it's a glorified chat room, there is no way to really keep information available to future users. Give it a day, it will scroll out of sight.. as soon as folks stop talking about it. No structure, just individual pages, and you have to jump thru a bunch of hoops to keep the info current on those pages. You have to feature it on your page, and even then, there is only so many "stickies" you can do in that format before it becomes confusing and cluttered. A thread on V8 Buick, is easily visible to everyone, member or not, at any time, and will be there forever, for any vendor in good standing. V8 Buick is constantly in the the top two or three google search responses, for any Buick V8 related topic. In fact, usually number 1, with multiple threads on the topic. I suspect it was just easier for Michael to upload it to Facebook. There is no other logical reason to put it there. I too would love to see a comprehensive comparison dyno test, with ported irons and these ported alumiums. TA has not done this in the past, mainly because they were building products for the 455 market I believe, with it's legions of followers.. Ok maybe not legions, we are talking Buicks here.. but a lot of potential customers.. with money to spend. There are two types of 350 guys.. the diehards, with a soft spot for an engine that has more than a few challenges, and the guys who have them in the car because they were the least expensive option. Would have put a big block in, but did not want to spend the money..nothing wrong with the last group, it just the way it is.. I think that those of us in the business are going to find out that we need some serious data to sell these heads to 350 guys in big numbers. If it is even possible, you have to convince folks that you can buy these heads, for x dollars and build them for x dollars, to get x performance... And since we all know that the SBB will never out power it's bigger brother, that X number for the 350 in cost vs HP produced is going to have to be considerably less than what it takes to build a 455 based combo. Or to put it more clear, if the 350 and the 455 cost the same to build, but produce considerable different power for the same dollar spent, then 350 sales will hurt. Your down to just selling to the diehards. And considering the percentages, it will be a long time before one of the few professional shops left out there, build such a motor and do the test, and they may never do the comparison. Someone else doing comparison tests with their money, to promote your products, is a rare gift to vendors. JW
