ProComp Heads, intake, roller rockers kit. Any good??

[GLENN 70]

After those, edelbrock rpm heads not E series . F the pro comp stuff .

[mattstruck]

AFR & Trickflow are what you want on a Windsor.

Worth getting out of the states or reasonable locally? If so who do you guys recommend?

[GLENN 70]

Check out your speed shops in vic ,or rocket industries nsw .Go buy just parts mag as well .Really come down to what you are after ,performance wise and the rest of your engine and running gear .You do one thing you have to do other things to match .

[lukep6470]

There is someone on the bay selling Ford motorsport "Z" series heads in AUS for around $1300 complete.  Probably cheaper than importing Pro Comp.

[shaunp]

There is someone on the bay selling Ford motorsport "Z" series heads in AUS for around $1300 complete.  Probably cheaper than importing Pro Comp.

You get some entry level AFRs for $1600-$1700. From Rocket I reckon. They will be better than the Z heads.

[lukep6470]

Or you could do what I did and buy fully CNC ported assembled Brodix 5.0 heads from Keith Craft for $1800 landed.

I was just showing there are other options out there other than Pro Comp for around the same money as Pro Comp.

[mattstruck]

Ok, so which are the best for a 289?
Who makes the best quality?
Just want a fun reliable mild street engine which goes well (possible 347 stroker later on) which sounds good. RELIABLE being the key word here!

[lukep6470]

The more exotic heads generally work better for 347+CI.  You won't be able to get a set of heads that will work on both combinations without porting for the 347. 

For a mild 289 I would think a rebuilt set of cast iron GT40 (Not GT40p) heads would do the trick. 

Otherwise the Edelbrock E street heads probably aren't over the top.  They will drop your compression though.  The original heads have an approx 56cc combustion chamber.

[Frank70]

These look like good value :

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Ford-289-302-351-Windsor-Edelbrock-E-Street-Cylinder-Heads-ED5025-/400381204731?pt=AU_Car_Parts_Accessories&hash=item5d389458fb

60cc chambers, so they won't drop your compression too much ...

Cheers,
Frank.

[GLENN 70]

EDELBROCK E  street heads are ok but not if your chasing HP .

[shaunp]

Ok, so which are the best for a 289?
Who makes the best quality?
Just want a fun reliable mild street engine which goes well (possible 347 stroker later on) which sounds good. RELIABLE being the key word here!

165 AFRs are a great head for a  quick street 302/289, 185 for a 347.

[shaunp]

EDELBROCK E  street heads are ok but not if your chasing HP .

Stock replacements Glen I reckon, similar to gt40 heads.

[HEVEN67]

DID SOMEONE MENTION PROJUNK!
Quality Parts + Wise combination + Experienced assembler = Happy Camper
LUVHEv

[flatchat]

 "E street heads" you will need to replace valves , springs, and rocker studs with something of reputable quality --and the warranty card says 5500  RPM  - MAX!
Those components are on a par with procomp.
Good luck with that --and don't ask me how I know 

[mattstruck]

What about these heads?

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/AFR-Part-1402-SBF-CNC-165cc-Renegade-20-deg-Street-Head-Emission-Legal-58cc140-/170925841302?pt=AU_Car_Parts_Accessories&hash=item27cbf95b96

The business??

[Blue Oval]

They are good heads and yet there are plenty other good options.

What you need to do before you buy any heads is work out..

1. What size engine is this going to be ?  Because the same set of heads isn't going to work for a 289 and then change into a 347. It's not only port flow and valve size but also combustion chamber size.
Those AFR 165 heads will give a 289 around 9.2 :1 comp. Not ideal for a performance engine. It'll be hard to find great heads for a 289 as they just don't make many combustion chambers small enough to get the compression up high enough.
Bolt the same heads on a 347 and you have 11.1:1 compression. Vastly different.

2. You need to know what cam you are going to run as the valve events will have an effect on compression and therefore determine the combustion chamber size of the heads.

3. After knowing the cam then the diff gears/stall converter all must be matched.

4. The you need to match the ignition curve and carburettor etc.

There's lots to it. If you want it to go really well and do all the other stuff you expect like not ping and have vacuum, be driveable etc etc you have to do the homework.
Or, you can just get a set of heads someone says are the ducks guts,bolt 'em on and wonder why the car doesn't go well. Afterall they said they were great heads ;-)
Just my .02 worth.

Success is the combination of parts, not how good a single part is.

[mattstruck]

^^ good post. I know you are right!

[shaunp]

When you build a 289, you need to make sure you fit flat pistons, from new only A & K codes had flat tops to get max. compression, but you still may need to face the heads to get the comp you want. AFR use 2 different exhuast valves to alter the chamber size. The valve heads are thicker for the 58cc head, chamber is actually the same. The overal comp will depend on deck height of the block, type of piston and overbore size ect. In real terms a set of 165 AFRs on 289 that is 30 over had the deck hieght checked and faced will getting up toward hi 9's 10:1 without taken anything of the heads, but the face on AFRs is quite thick, no trouble to take a cut off them. If you went to a 347 later 165 heads are not optimum, but they are not that bad either, they out flow simlar Edlebrocks that get bolted  on a 347s all the time, and consider that they are way better than what a factory 351 windsor had from new, so it's still going go alright, just not as good as a set of 185's up high, having said we would not talking mega HP differeance here, in a street format. Likly about 20-30 hp in a street packages at around 6000rpm, depend a lot on the cam and rev range
I guess it comes down to what you want out of it. As long as you get the comp around 10 it will be fine, and may not need 98 fuel, due the alloy heads chamber design and the ability to get the heat away from the chamber better than the iron heads. Dynamic compression will depend on the cam. If you put them on a 347 later and want to drop the compression a bit you just change the exhaust  valves. The exhaust flow is pretty much the same on 165/185. As is the intake at low lift. The 165's run out of flow  at,a bit over 500Thou lift while  the 185s keep flowing up to 600 thou, so this is something you need to consider when choosing a cam. no point running a cam with more then 550 lift if the head flow ends around here, it's only the duration that's working then.
The 185 use 2.02" inlet valve and bigger port to get the extra flow, the inlets are 100thou bigger then the 165 heads

[pegasus]

I've got Dart Pro 1 ally heads on my 347, they are 195cc, have been well ported and milled to 55cc Chambers, the engine made 480hp and 417ft/lb [torque] on the dyno, at the flywheel. A really good head at about $800.00 each. And the head work was $800.00, for the pair.

[shaunp]

Dart stuff is good kit, but I reckon they do better SBC stuff then SBF, non the less 480 in a pony is a very quick car, much quicker than any new Falcon or HSV holden. Enjoy! I've used Dart in a few chevs I like it. I reckon the best reasonably priced heads for windsors are AFR & trickflow.