Have the heads you are pulling port core molds from ported BEFORE you pull the molds. Use the best head available for a master. Then your core is a copy of the ported port. Well, minus 2% for aluminum shrinkage... So the whole idea is moot. I forgot about shrinkage. OK, start with a fresh block of wood... Rick
TA has the original Stage 2 V-6 head molds...intake ports are very similar to the 350, but the exhausts are way different. Of course then you would have the makings of a DART stage 2 head for a chevy. The prototype was adapted for a Chevy by welding stage 2 Buick V-6 heads together and then adapting the head bolt pattern. HM, maybe that is the place to start. Maybe Dart is adapting their head to bolt on the 350 Buick block.
SBB heads and Aliens, more in common than you'd think IF theres a major, or even not so major, manufacturer out there that plans to market aluminum heads for the SBB, why do they keep it a secret? So we spend our money porting iron heads and then can't afford their stuff? So we swap out the SBB for something you can get nice heads for? I'm planning on building an engine next year for my car. I'll buy SBB aluminum heads if they're out there. If not I'll be out of the market for a while. I'm not building engines for my car every year. If I knew they were coming and when, I might wait. This secrecy is BS :spank: It's not helping anyone. The longer they(mythical aluminum head seller) wait, the fewer they'll sell. If a decision was made to do the heads and they're in R&D, why not make it public knowledge. GS350's might even get a little more popular. This situation is starting to remind me of UFOs. It was interesting at first. There was a little evidence, some good, some bad, some hoaxes. After a while I grew tired of the same old stories. Now I won't listen to the crap. When someone has a little green(or whatever color) person, dead or alive, or something really conclusive I'll listen. So, does anyone have an explanation for the secrecy? I have one. There are no heads coming anytime soon because no one has the balls to take the supposed risk. Is there a clear glass tank at area 51 with dead aliens floating around in formadahyde? The truth is out there.
Easy, it's probably a job they are doing in their spare time as it is not large enough to make a primary priority. So they don't want people calling and asking "are they done yet?" every 3 days. Or they don't want armchair head builders calling every day with advice on how it should be done.
YUP!!! I don't want to name vendors or release results just for these reasons. I'm begging and pleading just to have some people even look in our direction. These people have also checked the buick boards and they are closely watching the interest in these projects. Have to say - it is on the weak side. Would you like to invest 200 - 300K to develope one of these pieces to sell less than 100? Hence the attempt to adapt existing designs or modify proceedures to buick application. Not an easy task but at least there are attempts being made.
i could see why someone hasnt build aluminum heads very expensive and and who knows how many will actually sell.the only thing i cant see why it hasnt been build is a single plane intake!!!almost every 350 guy here will buy one on the spot.i think a manufacturer should bring the 350 sp intake first and see how well it sells that should give an indication on the buick 350 market.a lot of guys here have pretty stout 350s they just need that intake.so in my opinion i think the 350 intake is a no brainer. o No: just my 2 cents
Thank you. I'm glad you agree with me. The lack of information is not secrecy but a lack of commitment from anyone to manufacture SBB heads. I got a tad upset the other day when I read in Jan '05 HMM pg. 74 that Model A and Model T owners have speed parts being manufactured today including aftermarket heads and intake. I'd have thought SBB speed parts would outsell Model A speed parts but I guess I'm wrong. The guy selling this stuff, Charlie Yapp said, "This is a business...It doesn't make a lot of money but it pays the mortgage." So, you can add the Model T and A to the list of cars that are easier to modify for speed than the small block powered Buicks. :blast: Buick350... This was done already. Twice. Mike from TA started his business on his 350 intake. When I bought my TA 350 intake, I bought it from Postons because TA wasn't even in business yet. Then Poston had one made. I wonder how many of these intakes are sold annually??
Andy I agree with what you are saying in principle. But remember, most of those ventures are probably done by older maybe semi-retired fellas as a labor of love. I will also venture a guess that there are as many Hi-perf model T's out there as there are high-perf Buick 350's. Many of us just don't realize how many of those guys are out there because they run in different circles than we V-8 guys do. Mike T's interest in this project, or even a single-plane intake is likely gauged on the 350 intake sales he sees.
The market for heads will likely be much bigger than the market for intakes. A 350 head can be used on any small block buick or rover with a fabricated intake and turned down 350 cam. Thinking it will be a 350 only application is not realistic. Wildcat engineering sells their bop215/rover3.5/4.0/4.6 performance heads for $3500 a pair. Gulp. If these 350 heads come in at $1500-1800, there are going to be a lot of rover stroker people using them. I can do a lot of custom cam and intake work for $1500. If an intake was cast for the bop/rover deck height, the market for this application would probably out sell the "350" market. In short order somebody with a cnc plasma cutter would produce spacers for the 300 (I can buy header flanges on ebay for $30...). What's left? The 340? Rick
I'm working on a sheet metal intake becuase I have the tools and materials at the shop. I was inspired by a custom single plane intake that was made a long time ago for circle track racing. I know this intake did well on a 500 hp buick 350 so that seems like a good place to start for runner length and size on my prototype. If they don't make parts for our motors then we'll have to get better tools and make our own. Attached is the inspiration to my project:
It's been awhile since I posted, but currently with my engine Jim is working on the problem is the lack of cfm's that the intake runners can handle. Jim mentioned to me when running the single plane which Sean showed, it could use the runner's ported alittle more for better airflow. So, I've been trying to get ahold of Sonny Seal about the adapter plates for a sb chevy single plane intake. Advantages of the aluminum heads is lighter weight, running more compression, and running more efficient valvetrain combinations for more power. I just hope the aluminum versions allow for better flow than a set of ported iron heads. The more individuals whom put the effort to make these engines go faster, the better the chance of getting these parts made.
shoot i WILL buy 350 alum heads regardless of whether or ot i have a 350 at the time... im even willing to donate a couple hundred dollars to help with the R&D... billmah52, PM me with who'd doing the work and i'll make a donation..... me, a 20 year old, willing to make a donaton, not even owning a 350 at the current time.... anyone else willing to make a donation? maybe have our donation, or a portion of, subtracted from the cost of the heads/ intake when the DO come out? :beer
Yeah I agree totaly, we need to show peope that these motors can make some good power. I'm looking to put a hot Buick 350 on the bottle into something really light and see if I can get some fast times and open some peoples/companies eyes! Hows your project going by the way? Without guys like you and Jim I would be using a BBB and not fabing parts for 350's. You and Bills examples have been an inspiration, and I know Bill used info you had learned in your build to help with his. We need to work together to get these 350's making power! I'm always cheering for the underdog and the Buick 350 is a dog with allot of potential. Cheers, Sean.
A set of BOP/Rover aftermarket Wildcat heads just went on the UK ebay for... $4631.95 US dollars. There were 24 bids, and the the heads were started at $1.70. These heads are simply V6 stage II heads with an extra cylinder (yep). Tell me there's no market for alloy Buick heads. The Wildcat heads really don't even flow that well, have poor fuel distribution, are well known to have porosity issues. Alloy Buick 350 heads and a matching intake and cam for the 3.7" bore Rover blocks probably doesn't sound like such a dumb idea after all. AFR (the best) heads go for one THIRD that price. Why am I using 41 year old heads again? http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Rover-V8-Wildcat-Ultimate-Cylinder-Heads- Complete_W0QQitemZ4590198341QQcategoryZ108792QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem Rick(wrench) Fire? Where's my gasoline?
I am going to be needing a open plentum intake next year. How are we doing on the intake? Any progress? Dan
I am coming along with my SBB 355 Blower/Intercooler motor :TU:, some alumium heads would be Nice :3gears: :beer
Make a cast-iron version for less? Well, would anybody entertain the idea of CAST-IRON cylinder heads for the SBB. Think about the Dart Iron Eagle or the GMPP Vortech Cylinder Chevy heads for example. A Buick version of such a head should accomodate .500 + valve lifts out of the box, have thicker decks, flow 270 cfm @ .500" lift on the intake side, and have room for porting up to around 300. Several board members have already ported 350 heads to perform beyond this level. It would be great to buy this out of the box, even in iron. My thought is that iron might be cheaper like it is in the rest of the performance world. The Cast-iron GM Vortech head has relatively small valves and a fairly sophisticated chamber design. It was designed to work on the 3.8" bore (sound familiar?) of the 305 and is now becoming appreciated as perhaps the best value in a Chevy SB head at only about $519. Would we be interested in a similar type of head for the Buick 350? Yes, I'd like to see a good Air-Gap style single plane also. Mike T. Covington, GA
HEY anything that will get me deep in the 11's naturally asperated and ssb iron, aluminum ,unubtainium is what we have currently
