Need an opinion on Prop Comp heads.

[64 f100]

For some time now, I have been seeing these Pro Comp heads advertised for about half of what you can by Edelbrocks. Just wondering if anyone has ran these and if these were any good. Cheap isn't always bad, but most of the time I'm suspicious. I can get some new ones that are bare for 290 plus shipping. Any comments?

Rich

[Toyz]

I am assuming you are referring to the Windsor heads. People running them who have purchased the bare heads and utilized quality components seem satisfied. I feel they are a reasonable choice at that price. I believe they are now sold under a different brand name. Make sure the chamber volume matches your needs. On the 385 engines, they had advertised 72/75 cc. chambers when in actuality they proved to be closer to 95 cc.
Paul

[LM14]

You will get exactly what you paid for.

I have seen them with guide problems (wrong size with bad clearances, offset from CL of valve seat), casting porosity problems and the assembled ones have junk springs and valves. I know of one set that cost almost twice the price of AFR heads once they had quality valves, springs, retainers and corrective seat/guide work. He refused to give up on them and wanted to prove they worked. The engine was down on power on the dyno and a switch to off the shelf Edelbrock heads picked up over 50 HP with no work done to them.

I have seen 2 sets of Chevy heads that the retainers were soft and the keepers pulled thru the retainer within the first 500 miles.

There are a lot of good heads out there. Spend the money up front and be done with it.

JMO,
SPark

[MeZapU]

Buy them bare and build them up. The china stuff is cheap for a reason. Using something that does not move like a intake manifold is one thing, but valvetrain parts really need to use the highest quality metals as they cycle several hundred million times in that application.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmVVoUT7Di0

[64 f100]

After reading what was said here and elsewhere, I am most likely going to pass on the heads. Just looking for a cheap alternative to and picking up some horsepower from rebuilding stock heads. Rebuilding two stock 69 blocks and it's costly to install hardened seats in the heads. Not looking for more horsepower but thought it would e nice to pick up some horsepower if it didn't cost any more than rebuilding the stock heads. Ran across another interesting set of new N351 motorsport heads for sale at a reasonable price but the extra cost of having the specific rockers and exhaust headers put those a little to expensive for what I'm doing. Although, these heads sure look interesting. Wonder how these work out in reality?

Rich

[LM14]

The "N" head only has a 10* valve angle. You can run a pretty wild cam with no intake valve notch in the piston, the exhaust usually requires a small notch.

They make great power and you can run a larger tube header with the exhaust bolt pattern. Most good header builders will build an "N" or "Dart" flange for the same money, they just don't advertise them. "N" an "Dart" are slightly different so most use a slotted bolt pattern. Exhaust ports are in the same location, bolt pattern is just a touch different.

You do need the offset rockers and they normally run a 5.140 long valve. The longer valve usually takes a longer push rod to keep the rocker geometry correct.

Not a bad head at all but probably a waste of money on a street engine.

SPark

[64 f100]

Spark, I have two 351w with Edelbrock heads and more than likely that is also a waste of money also. Got a chance to pick up a set of the n heads for 600 with the valves. Good price in my opinion , almost offsets the cost of the other parts needed. Any idea on how the on what difference is in performance?

Rich

[LM14]

We never ran the N heads because of the offset rockers needed. Everything else we had was a straight up rocker and didn't want to increase inventory and spare parts in the trailer.

The N head in theory should make more HP than the same CC 20* head like a Windsor Jr with bigger valves added. If you get over 12:1, the N head is a crack candidate.

There are also early and late N castings. Most of the early ones had cracking issues. That was solved after the first couple years with a change of foundry and a slight re-design.

No idea on the HP, I know NASCAR sportsman engines make good power with them and they require then to be used I a few NASCAR classes. My old Late Model engine builder ran N heads on everything with iron heads because they made better power than a Windsor Jr or Sr head, didn't need valve notches in most cases and the 5.140 valve was easier to get.

SPark

SPark

[Greg D]

AFR heads are pretty much the way to go.
Yea you will fork over $1600 but they give a 100 HP increase on a roller 5.0 with NO other mods.
This was dyno proven by one of the magazines (I can't find the article right now).
Pretty tough to pick up that much HP for that kind of cash aside from a power adder.

[charliemccraney]

100hp with only a head change seems too good to be true. Is that on a stock 5.0 or one that was already modified and factory heads were possibly limiting the potential of the other parts?