Re: [Chevelle-list] Issues w/ aftermarket heads

[Clint Hooper]

This isn't the first time I've heard of this one.  That's the reason I ended up with a pair of GM Performance Bowtie alum heads on the 468" in my 68. We ran Sampson 1 7/8" intermediates on the car without fitment issues. Custom BBC heads aren't cheap but it gets worse when one has to spend almost that much again on custom headers. Clint Hooper H&H Custom,owner 1969 El Camino ProTourer 2001 H-D FLHR custom bagger http://dalesplace.com/misc/friends/clint/clint_hooper.htm ----- Original Message ----- From: Herb Lumpp As most of you know, I bought a set of AFR heads for my Elky.  I've recently confirmed some info regarding aftermarket aluminum heads you should be award of before purchasing...   In the quest for higher flow numbers, the aftermarket head manufacturers are altering their castings.  What this means is that not only are the exhaust ports and spark plug holes relocated, but the majority of available heads are wider than a factory head.  This might not sound like a big deal until you try to get headers that will fit the heads and your car.   Not too long ago I bought a set of Stahl headers and much to my grief, once bolted to the heads, I wasn't able to get a socket on 3 of the passenger side plugs.  Since the engine wasn't in the car, I have no idea wether or not the headers would have fit the chassis.  Thankfully Stahl let me return them for a refund.  Now Stahl is in the process of building another set using their second design with an adjustable jig and one of my AFR heads for accurate dimensions.  Needless to say, these new headers won't be cheap.   After talking with Jere Stahl and Ed Henneman (Headers by ED) they both confirmed that the head manufacturers are avoiding this topic.  The head manufacturers aren't the end users so they keep changing the castings and "forget" to mention to potential customers there may be a problem fitting headers.  I guess if you're building a completely handcrafted race car, a set of one-off headers isn't a problem.  However, if you're building a car using a factory chassis, header fit becomes an issue.   For those of you with crate 502 engines that have Chevy aluminum heads, were there any problems fitting headers? Herb Lumpp http://users.adelphia.net/~hlump/index.htm