cast iron v.s aluminum heads

Anyone notice that he's talking about a street boss? I spent around 1800 for Aussi 2v close chamber and all the machine work. Not counting the work I did to make them fit the 302. Buy the Edelbrock 351c heads and E-boss intake, then you only have to sweat the pistons and rods.

 

Cant go wrong for the money. Anybody want some iron 302 4V heads???

 

dang what a deal. didnt even know they made those, and that cheap.





but for someone on a tight/non-existant budget, there's nothing wrong with iron heads if u get the right ones. go for '69/'70 castings, or the '87-up (E7TE) casting. take either set of heads, port match the heads to the gaskets, grind out the exhaust "hump" in the exhaust runners, upgrade springs to match your cam and you'll be set for the streets!

and like someone else mentioned, if u run older heads then just be sure to have hardened valve seats installed for today's gasoline

 

Thack-
How about doing a tech article on your Street Boss head setup so folks will know what is involved? I know there is a lot of tech info needed for it to work.

Many if not most here have no clue what a Street Boss is.

Thanks-

Seth

 

Iron heads

If you are looking for iron heads check this out. aeroheadracing.com. I can't say good or bad, I am not a customer.

 

A street Boss is a Windsor block with a Cleveland style head. I plan on doing one for my Maverick just because Ford should have built it that way. It is easy to build one. There are several Australian "clevo" heads that make awesome power. Jon Kaase typically uses the aussy CHI heads on his award winning Popular Hot Rodding Engine Masters engines so that tells you the power potential of these heads is outstanding. You can use a Boss block OR a standard 302 roller block. The pistons will have to be ordered to match the valve reliefs in a Cleveland head since the valves are canted. No big deal. All the stroker kits on the market for the 302 will work fine with the correct piston. Just tell them which head you are using when ordering. Trick Flow Specialties has released a new alloy Cleveland head that should flow real well and be affordable. Edelbrock has offered an alloy head for a street boss for years however; I doubt they flow as well as the TFS heads. Stay away from the 4V iron heads as the ports and valves are waaay too big for a street motor. The iron 2V heads will work but as others have said on the board, by the time you sink the $$ in them to make them flow, you will have spent enough money to buy a good alloy head. Headers are a challenge. An outfit in New England makes headers for it as does Total Performance in Mt. Clemons, MI. A 302 "Clevor" will fit between the shock towers and the fit is tight!

In regards to power, a good Cleveland head will make more power than a Windsor head all things being equal, but is not necessarily better for a street motor. A "Clevor" will also be heavier. The looks and sound of a Cleveland headed engine is what sets it apart. It WILL be more expensive to build a "clevor" powered Maverick than sticking with a Windsor head however; just see who's car people flock to when you pop the hood or rev the engine