Aluminum Heads?

[80Chevy4x4]

Has anyone used aluminum heads? I have been thinking about it but not real sure about them. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[LTZ C20]

I've been using a set of Dart heads for awhile now. Have about 15,000 miles on them. No issues what so ever. I love them, there are lots of benefits to aluminum heads.

[Irish_Alley]

how much do they cost? whats your plans?

[LTZ C20]

The ones I have were about $1,100 for the pair.

[bd]

Has anyone used aluminum heads? I have been thinking about it but not real sure about them. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

What are you wanting to accomplish?  How will the vehicle be used?

[80Chevy4x4]

Mine is just a weekend driver....want to get the motor running a little better and get a cam with a a thumping idle....the heads i have now are from a 1986 and the valves were smaller...it is hard finding older heads.

[bd]

A good place to start... read through the subsequent threads and links for a basic orientation on what you are getting into from others experiences.  Before committing to changes, remember, trucks are heavy.  Because of their relatively high weight and brick-like aerodynamics, street trucks need their greatest torque development at lower RPM (below 3,000), just to get them rolling.  Power adders such as high flowing heads and "lopey" camshafts favor increases in power at increasingly higher RPM.  Installing a "lopey" camshaft may inspire bragging rights for a lightweight car that can grab RPM quickly, but will prove a disappointment to accelerating a heavy, square pig from a standstill.  By the time RPM climbs into the power peak of the engine, the truck's aerodynamics will be spoiling a huge wind brake.  So, be realistic about the purpose of the vehicle and the potential to make a lead sled scream when you select the camshaft.  The camshaft choice will dictate everything else about the engine, including the selection of heads, manifolds, compression, gearing, etc. 

Essentially, cylinder filling (volumetric efficiency) determines the torque development of an engine.  The primary concern for a truck is to improve cylinder filling at low to moderate RPM where it is most beneficial.  With that goal in mind, high velocity heads will produce greater cylinder filling at low RPM than heads with large flow numbers at high RPM.  So, more important than aluminum versus iron heads is cylinder filling throughout the appropriate engine RPM range to produce maximum usable torque development, hence acceleration, for the specific application at a cost that is acceptable.

help with heads
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Finding the right camshaft: Camshaft Profiling - Performance Profiling
What cam?
Lunati cam and Pro Comp head discussion
Let's talk timing
Ignition Timing for First-Generation GM V-8 Engines

[SinisterC10]

To the OP

What is your power goals for your engine? A set of iron vortec heads are good to 370ish out of the box if the rest of your engine combo is up to par. The only drawback is if you want to run a cam with more than .475" lift you need to do a spring swap. Do a spring swap and do a light port job on the heads and you can be up around 400hp.

With that said, I run 195cc AFR Race series aluminum heads on my roller cam 383 stroker. I have them milled down to 60cc for ideal quench and compression for the street and the track. With a spring swap and titanium retainers done to the heads to accept my Roller Cam, my heads were around $2500. My engine is closet to 550hp/tq

[Rattler12]

Aluminum heads will allow you to run from a half point to a whole point higher compression ratio without detonation due to their capacity to dissipate heat....that and they are a lot lighter than cast heads........for a truck that's about the only advantage......like BD said  lumpy cams and high velocity heads are a detriment to a square body pick up truck

[Stewart G Griffin]

i heard they are less prone to cracking than iron and if they do crack they are much easier to repair than iron heads.

Also, much lighter than iron.

[80Chevy4x4]

I found some camel hump heads i am re working and gonna install 

[morrow07]

http://www.hotrod.com/articles/small-block-chevy-double-hump-head-returns-tensema16/

Brand new aluminium camel humps

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[80Chevy4x4]

Looks like I am gonna be spending some money