Monty

Be the Corvetteforum hero (guinea pig?) and buy these baby's on ebay! ;)

Arao SBC 32v B2 Cylinger heads:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/aw-cg...444106&r=0&t=0

Lohkay

lol at 4000$ I'll pass. :)

45ACP

4000 to start I see. Sure is better than the 5000+ listed on the web site.

Correct me if I am wrong, but wouldn't 3500 or so get you a premium set of 2 valve heads? 500 more for the (claimed) benefit of extra breathing capacity . . . hmmmm . . . THIS price could perhaps be justified. ---> As mentioned elsewhere, they need a 3rd party (Hib Halverson comes to mind) to do a build with these things. I know I would read it with great interest.


[Modified by 45ACP, 3:51 PM 11/9/2001]

Monty

The thing I am curious about is that it appears that Arao is selling these heads on eBay themselves. Why would a manufacturer sell their product on eBay at a $1200 discount, when their website is still selling them at the higher price. There is no mention of them being used or anything.

45ACP

Yeah, that's what it looks like to me, too.

71coupe

Probably because of the current market dive. They may be trying to avoid a lay off or something.

bill mcdonald

I got an email from them a few weeks ago (I guess I signed up).
After decoding the mess of computer code crap they sent out, the email said they were letting the heads go at $1100.00 off.

I remember dominion had 3 stages of heads. 3500 for stage 1, 4-5K something for stage 2. Stage 3 was $5500.00
Dominion was in the same area as these guys so I think they are the same people.

I have considered these heads, (I like where the spark plugs are) but rumor has it the valves/springs are a joke.

I have I have only heard of one guy who has them, that was a 396 supercharged F body. he said he had some problems, but he has not really ran the car. I remember the one dyno run made some decent numbers but it was not tuned or finished. That was the last I heard about it, I still see him post over there, but seems he is always playing around with the car more then he is driving it/finishing it. I think he goes by the name of "unstable bob" on the F-body forums.

Monty

I've pretty much heard the same thing. I've only heard of a couple of people who have used them, but it's always been second hand information. It's always similar to your experience, someone bought them but never quite finished it.

I'd love to actually hear from someone who has bought these things, and finished their motor. Judging by the performance Arao/Dominion claims, they should perform very well. With the way info travels on the internet, if there was anyone out there using them, and achieving extraordinary results, I would think we would've heard about it by now.

Monty

Well, ironically, I just received an email about them. Don't know if this guy is affiliated with Arao:

Date: Fri, 09 Nov 2001 17:06:08 -0800
From: "daveb" <highrs@pacbell.net> | Block Address | Add to Address Book
Subject: arao engineerings 32 valve heads
To: monty_williams@yahoo.com




i have just registered so i am not able to respond to the chat forum yet . but i noticed alot of people interested in seeing dyno sheets on arao's heads . they have recently just posted: http://www.araoengineering.com/dnochrts/dyno_sheets.htm

thanks,
dave


I looked at the site, and the results are impressive indeed.

So who's gonna step up to the plate!

dtorc4

I thought that as soon as you register (given you have rec'd your pword) that you can post/reply... hmmm... :confused:

Anyway, if I could get a sponsor (maybe the Corvetteforum??? :D ) I would be more than happy to put these heads on my car. I am in the process of researching the right 383 for my car anyway...

Any thought, suggestions, donations??? :D
:cheers:

bowtie racing

If those dyno results are real i will get one set of those heads!! Getting 7500 rpms with small hyd.roller cam sounds too good to me. But i really HOPE so,couse then we have recipe for allout max performance street engine!

CarbedC4

alright if we can get 60 people to donate 50 bucks a piece, ill sell my afrs ($1000) plus the donations ($3000) and be the test mule for you guys. Its such a hard thing being the tester but someones got to do it (im doing it for you guys! really i am..ehhe)

I wanna get 650 flywheel and a nice smooth 900 on the bottle on a street car. Wouldnt that make for a 8 sec street car? ill stick corvetteforum stickers all over it...ehhehehe

korvetkeith

I'll give ya a dollar Carbed, cuz I'm a poor student.

The Green Rocket

This is one of those things that everyone who sees it wants to hear good things about - it just plain looks bitchin! That aside, I have not yet seen good credible results anywhere, at any track. I liked these heads so much that I had contacted the company (back when they were known as Dominion), what I received in return was more like a press release than anything else.

When I take a look at Arao's current website I am struck by the following: one of their first feature vehicles is a wicked looking mid '50's Chevy pickup truck. They show a dyno chart for the same vehicle with impressive numbers. But it is what they list for equipment that strikes some discord with the truck they are showing pictures of: they list a Performer Rpm manifold, but the picture clearly shows a Super Victor type of manifold. They list a 750 carb, but the picture clearly shows a Dominator - before you point out to me that there is a 750 cfm Dominator (I already know that), let me point out to you that to make the power that they show at that rpm, you would certainly need at least a 1050 Dominator for airflow.

Man, as much as I like the way these things look, I'm not sure that they stack up in the real world. In the end it may just be the cost factor for the power gained. Or maybe it is just that they lack the many years of development that the Chevy 2 valve heads have. One thing that would be tough to give up for many engine builders is that the Arao heads do not have the quench area that 2 valve heads do. I think that they will end up being like the Boss 429 Ford hemi heads - misunderstood for years, until someone finally puts their finger on what it takes to make them run.

Think about it, at this point the Dominion/Arao heads have been around for at least four years - and they remain mythical beasts that almost no one has seen in person.

Thomas

P.S. but if they ever get things sorted out I want a set!

Monty

I like that: "the Dominion/Arao heads have been around for at least four years - and they remain mythical beasts that almost no one has seen in person."

My feeling exactly. I would think by now at least one of the magazines would have done a buildup using them or at least featured a car that has used them. We all know the alot of the articles in the magazines are nothing more the promo's for the paying advertisers anyway - why don't one of the magazines do a feature on one of Arao's cars/trucks they depict on their website.

45ACP

Well, I just checked, they did not sell.

They have re-listed them and are now available for bid here -
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/aw-cg...item=598248889

Damn, would I love to see the results of a real world build up with these things . . .

QuickVet

man would i love to have those :yesnod:

RHILL

I wonder if they make them that would fit a LS1? :cheers: :cheers: