I'm no marketing expert,but I don't really get how guys pay close to $200 bucks for a pretty alloy rocker cover that's warped beyond .200" at the gasket face and has no baffles,and needs further detailing...then spend more coin on modifying it to actually work as well as the old tin cover.... To me there is an opportunity to make something at a decent cost that would have a better chance of selling. Other manufacturers have done covers but if you can compete in the sub $200 bracket you would have a bit of interest. Slant six guys will complain about paying too much for a super six intake,a proven part that will actually work,but then buy a shiny cover thats sub standard and tolerate it.....if you can figure that out you have the game all sorted,good luck!
With the head I recall many many years ago a company in Australia called Repco made an aftermarket head for a locally produced 6 cylinder GM product , it came with its own distinctive rocker cover,it made the product very pleasant on the eye and immediately identifiable to many envious onlookers. The reason I mention this is perhaps build the head with a unique valve cover,throw on a catchy cool name and perhaps the bling/ brag value will do the final sell with some people,as well as the performance gains of course.
I wish you every success,it would be great to see the head get up,but perhaps get someone involved that knows how to develop a port/ runner design and decide on the optimal height to raise the ports,most aftermarket head manufacturers offer a variety of runner volumes and valve sizes for a good reason,deciding on what runner design for a single head would be a challenge,you really need to get it right .

The issue is not simply bolting on the new head and being a rocket ride. With more flow you need more RPM, so now you need aluminum rods at least. More RPM will also take years off the life of your stock 85# crankshaft, so here comes a billet. All that weight swinging around in there has your block Twerking like Miley Cyrus, so off to find someone who will fab a girdle.

Aluminum has a cooling effect on the chambers, so now we need more squeeze, $600ish for a set of good pistons, another $200 for a good ring set.

More flow above .500" means your camshaft is now good for beating squirrels, so another couple hun for a new stick. Uh-oh, solid lifters don't like the new profile, so another few hunnert for some Hemi rollers and pushtubes. Stock rockers won't cut it anymore either, break out another $600ish for some good rollers.

RPM and a billet roller cam now mean that the stock oil pump is a paperweight. Might as well dry sump it. Toss out another $1-2K.

Now the tried and true Clifford intake is not much more than a coffee table curio. Wallet gonna be smarting from a sheet metal intake and injectors. With that fancy aluminum lump a carb just will not do.

Ooopsie, now your $700 ceramic coated Hooker headers are acting more like tampons than headers. Kiss another $1000 bye bye for a decent custom set.

Now you have a running motor in your car, but wait, it won't leave the starting line. It feels like the brakes are on. Time to send the converter out to get it loosened up, and hope you don't drive through it when you get it back in.

Now, we can leave like gangbusters, but the thing just won't run in the back half. Time to pull another $500 out of your azz for a gear change. Hope we get it right the first time.

The $3500 for the shiny head is the easy part, no?



no, I am not mad at anyone. It is just the fact that, every 3 months or so like clockwork, someone comes up with the great idea that we need an aluminum head. For a street car it would be a waste of time and money. For a race car it is just one piece of the puzzle. To make a head that would not exceed what our expert head porters can do with an iron head would be foolish. Even on a super-double-throw-down high zoot ported head you will be hard pressed to spend $2000. That won't even get you in the show for an alloy unported.

The intention of this post is merely to educate people as to what you will get in to when going to a super flowing head.

You want to lose 35# off your car, call Jenny Craig.

In all seriousness, if you think I'm full of $#!+ on the motor build, just look at the thread on Howard's billet head and see what his shortblock looks like. He didn't do that just because it's easy or cheap.

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Official Cookie and Mater Tormentor.

I just noticed that a grand total of 6 people voted on the poll. There is your customer base for your $60Kish investment.

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Official Cookie and Mater Tormentor.

Yes, but that's (6) people wanting a crossflow style head. To offer a more traditional styled Slant head will probably garner much more interest.
Your also right about the start up cost costs from scratch, many people don't realize how much is involved when they ask or offer such a "loaded" question about such an undertaking. Since most if not all of the others that in the past would have had to pay a products development company to design the head, and then pay upfront the casting costs and finally the machining costs, it does add up to a pricey venture.
I on the other hand have probably the biggest advantage over anyone else that has ever considered or offered this type of product before, and quite simply its this. I already manufacture (2) inline oriented race heads currently, and I own the foundry that can cast them, and I also have all the most modern 3D solid modeling software and CAD/CAM manufacturing software to design, prototype and create the patterns to cast one. So with those big ticket items being taken out of the start-up equation, it really only leaves the cost of materials as being my only out of pocket expense to have a finish part in hand, and a little bit of time.

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There's no such thing as too much cam....only not enough engine!

Someone just needs to start buying repop heads and giving them port jobs with enginebuilder valves. Guarantee a good flow, a proper price, and the customers will come. Whats with everyone getting fancy with billet, alloy, blah blah blah...

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1965 Plymouth Belvedere II Turbo Project - SOLD
2002 Subaru OBS
1995 Lexus LS400 Race Car

What I think is needed is a head that you can port without worrying about hitting cooling passages and a modern (quench-style) combustion chambers with a 0 decked block/pistons.

Can be aluminum or iron (aluminum for aluminum blocks, iron for iron blocks ??? )

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Ed
64 Valiant 225 / 904 / 42:1 manual steering / 9" drum brakes

Classic Inline sells a aluminum head for the 200/250 Ford with a price point of around $1100. What would your price point be?

There are already at least half a dozen guys who will do just that.

CNC-Dude, the stage is yours.

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Official Cookie and Mater Tormentor.

Classic's current price is $1350 for a bare unmachined head and $1750 for an assembled head ready to bolt on. But looking at what Lou had gotten quotes on in a previous discussion of $3000, I really haven't thought about it to be honest. But I'd say it could be closer to what Classic is charging.

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There's no such thing as too much cam....only not enough engine!

I'm up for the challenge, at least i'll have one for myself if nobody else is interested.

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There's no such thing as too much cam....only not enough engine!

Ready to see where this goes. No cross flow needed, just some more meat in the pocket and runner area, higher too.

Zilla is correct, when you start making alot of power every thing else can and will go wrong.

Will

Wayne was busy building his own alloy head yesterday. He was nice enough to send me a spy photo. He said he will build one for anyone for $1500 cash money.

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Official Cookie and Mater Tormentor.

I think we all better wait for Scott's head.

Besides I'm not at all sure that is Wayne's. If that was Wayne's wouldn'nt it have been totally torn apart and in pieces?

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2 Mopars come with Spark plug tubes. One is a world class, racing machine. The other is a 426 CI. boat anchor!

12.70 @ 104.6

That's why the valve cover is on it Rick. Gotta hide what's missing.

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Official Cookie and Mater Tormentor.

Red Light Rick strikes again! Rick the photo in Zilla's big paws is my prototype "stock head" hence the stock valve cover tested for fitment. I have been working with a couple of aluminum experts, Mr. Reynolds and Mr. Wrap who have been in the biz since 1919 and are based in Zilla's own Illinoisey.

My race head is still in the planning stages and I have aquired help from a company called P.B. & R. Progressive Billet Resouces. They have been around since 1844 and are based in Milwaukee.

Rick this is the second aluminum head to come from the Hoosier state. Sounds like you PA guys should get with the program! Enough of this TALK I have important work to do!

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66 Lil' Red Piggie Valiant (Mater Crusher) - Thanks Zilla!!!!! 72 Demon (Number 1 Son's)