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Aluminum head
https://slantsix.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=48347
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Author:  Aluminum Six [ Sat Mar 31, 2012 6:32 pm ]
Post subject:  Aluminum head

Guys

I know this topic is like a bad penny,
But still, I live for hopeless causes. And I do weird or unconventional stuff with mixed results. Tried slicing a junk aluminum block down to 170 deck high, epic fail.

All been said I'm hated by some people on this board and liked by others. But what I'm not a die hard about is bleeding Mopar. Oh, don't scream, Chrysler has good stuff, but I'm from a different generation.

I have found that out west some folks are heavily monied and on eBay there are idiots with lots of money. I bought a Thickstun intake manifold foundry fresh for a Chevrolet 235/261 with rochester B patterns and heat riser size for 235 Fenton split headers with heat riser ( yeah, they did once make the rear one bolt up with the intake... Seems like I'm the only person who has a pair.)
Point is it is foundry fresh and called a 'dogbone' has fins and a thickstun logo. Problem is thickstun sold the design in the 40's to tattersfield who changed things up. Either way these were im the times of the babbited 216, not
The 235/261. So someone out west made a clay cast of the older thickstun and modified it then cast it out of aluminum. Sell for about $250 on eBay about 1-2 times a year. Same seller. How much difficulty would it take to make a soft mold of the slant six's head or heads depending.... And then pour aluminum into the clay cast to make an aluminum head? Or is it just monies...

Author:  ceej [ Sat Mar 31, 2012 6:44 pm ]
Post subject: 

I think the last number I heard was $3000 each.

The billet aluminum machined head prices were higher.

You'd probably be able to sell five of them. Assuming one was out and about at the strip and performing.

There are probably 7 more people that would buy one if the design was different in some way. There is little agreement on what that head should be configured as.

There is virtually no percentage in making a copy of one of the existing aluminum heads. It won't flow any better than an iron one, and the weight savings isn't going to be worth a hill of beans on a time slip. At least not 3000 clams worth. What are we talking? A tenth of a second max?

So there you have it. Twelve people on the planet would buy one if it was a wedge, a hemi, cross flow, not cross flow, pushrod, overhead cam, w/cooling, w/o cooling jacket, two valves per cylinder, four valves per cylinder design.

That's what your up against. Starting out with an aluminum block is for the masochist as far as most are concerned. Sure, it saves weight, but your not going to keep a head gasket on it at the track, and certainly not with any serious adders. Doc has some ideas about that, but I'm not holding my breath that one of them is going to survive more than a couple seasons.

2¢

CJ

Author:  emsvitil [ Sat Mar 31, 2012 8:09 pm ]
Post subject: 

Due to shrinkage, the mold for an item needs to be bigger than the actual item........

So unless you want a scale model of the head, you're screwed..

Author:  CNC-Dude [ Sat Mar 31, 2012 8:20 pm ]
Post subject: 

What a lot of people don't realize about pattern making is that the pattern is anywhere between 2-3% larger in all dimensions than the finished part you are making, or approx. 5/32" per foot for aluminum. So if you took that intake for instance and made an impression in clay and then had it cast, it would be smaller than the part you made the impression with, and would likely not fit because of the shrinkage that occurs when the molten aluminum cools. So for a part that is 2' long in length when cast, the pattern will need to be 2' and 5/16" long to allow for the shrinkage. All other dims. are also proportionally enlarged as well to compensate.

Author:  ceej [ Sun Apr 01, 2012 12:34 am ]
Post subject: 

Hey guys, I'm all for it. Build it and I'll be on if you have something usefull.

Just spent the evening fitting Linda's engine for a blower. I have the blower. I have the technology. Don't tell her whats going on! :D

CJ

Author:  Fopar [ Sun Apr 01, 2012 8:13 am ]
Post subject: 

Ceej she isn't going to like you messing around with HER Dart. :shock: :lol:

Richard

Author:  Rug_Trucker [ Sun Apr 01, 2012 9:55 am ]
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Be nice guys. I like Aluminum Six's posts here.

It would be really nice if someone could build and design a tougher alloy block.

Author:  slantzilla [ Sun Apr 01, 2012 11:08 am ]
Post subject: 

Quote:
Be nice guys. I like Aluminum Six's posts here.

It would be really nice if someone could build and design a tougher alloy block.
We are being nice. :lol:

Why? The market is so small for aluminum heads and blocks that no one could ever turn a profit on it, or even come anywhere near recouping development costs. Not too many of us have the coin laying around to waste on a project with no chance of return.

As has been said about a bazillion times before, you can't get 4 people to agree about what you need to build. Besides, 95% of the people crying about aluminum blocks and heads don't have 2 nickels to rub together to start with. Great target market, huh?

I have a vague clue about how much Howard spent to build 1 head. Not too many people have the stones to cough up that amount for a race head.

Rug, you've been here a long time. Haven't you noticed yet that this horse is dead?

Author:  SlantSixDan [ Sun Apr 01, 2012 11:16 am ]
Post subject: 

Image

Author:  Rug_Trucker [ Sun Apr 01, 2012 6:10 pm ]
Post subject: 

There was a guy in Nashville talking about building a billet head. He built a Jeep motor for his racer instead.

Author:  wvenable [ Sun Apr 01, 2012 6:26 pm ]
Post subject: 

If I remember he was runnin' a bait and switch kinda deal.

Author:  kesteb [ Sun Apr 01, 2012 6:40 pm ]
Post subject: 

Classic Inlines seem to be able to sell an aluminum head for the Ford 200/250 engines for a reasonable price.

Put the market is different, there is no other alternative for those engines except for increasing rare cast iron heads from Australia and/or Argentina.

Author:  olafla [ Sun Apr 01, 2012 10:35 pm ]
Post subject: 

...or, unless you want a stock-looking head, you could go completely bananas and make your own personal solution...

Image

Image

Image

Author:  1974duster kev [ Mon Apr 02, 2012 10:09 am ]
Post subject: 

Anyone ever see that hemi head run?

Kev

Author:  SlantSixDan [ Mon Apr 02, 2012 10:58 am ]
Post subject: 

IIRC it is an elaborate hoax.

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