LeMans Pete

I was planning on going with the Dart Iron Eagles from Summit, and was wondering if its a good idea to get them assembled or not?

Also wondering if the stock L-82 aluminum valve covers will fit these without a problem. Will be using standard size roller rockers.

And lastly, should I buy angled spark plugs if I'm planning on using headers?

mbeeman350

I coundn't get my LT1 alum valve covers to fit on my Trick flow or Pro Comp heads using full size roller rockers. If you are not changing cams I would buy the heads assembled. Check the left specs on the heads and compare to your cam.
Someone else will chime in on the angle plugs and header fitment to be sure. I have angle plug heads and I running ram horns. But the last time I checked most headers will fit. I do know the shorty and block hugger type headers will not fit angle plugs.

LeMans Pete

I probably shoulda mentioned I'll just be using roller tips. From what I've heard these allow stock valve covers to fit. I know some people get really intense about rocker arms, I was just going to use the summit steel stamped roller tips.

I've heard some people say they haven't had a problem with full rollers on stock covers. I'll probably call summit tomorrow about the covers fitting the darts, but I can be impatient and wanted to know now

I was planning on using Hooker Comp headers.

dath

I have the Dart Iron Eagle heads with straight plug holes and Dynomax headers with no clearance issues. I believe that the straight holes should work for other headers as well, but you'd want to double check. . .

427Hotrod

The advantage of buying them unassembled is that you get to make sure what quality parts are in them. Lots of cheap stuff is used even from the big guys. If you want to make sure what valves, springs and retainers and clearances are there..do it yourself. Plus it's great if you want to do some cleanup porting in the bowls and portmatching to intake etc. And if you have a real sharp guy to do valvejob properly..you can gain good power over out of the box stuff.


JIM

mbeeman350

If you run roller tips you will be fine. To run full rollers on stock covers the baffles have to go and use a thick gasket. I tried this and I had oil leaking out and around the gromlets.

63mako

If you buy pre assembled heads check them anyway. My engine builder tore them down right out of the box. I said AFR's are the best, why tear them down? He said he always tears them down, cleans them and blows them out, and checks clearances, spring pressures, height and coil bind. I thought it was overkill but didn't argue. My AFR Race ported 195's had .001 clearance on the intake guides. He said if I would have run them with that small of clearance I would have stuck a valve before it hit operating temp. Glad he checked!

L88Plus

The only heads my local shop runs right out of the box are Brodix. Dart stuff is good as long as they were assembled by Dart, not some yokel buying bare heads and assembling them with cheap valves, springs, etc. Anybody else, I'd buy 'em bare and assemble with my choice of valves, springs, etc. that match the cam and intended use.

GrandSportC3

I'd buy them bare as most of those heads come with El-Cheapo .550 lift single springs for flat tapped cams.. If you are running a roller, most of the springs that come with the assembled heads are worthless and you'd have to change them anyways..

sweethence

I got the brodix IK 180 assembled, the main reason was time to replace. I did the swap on a saturday, and have been running them daily for about a month and they are great. I may not have done this with another vendor, stock covers fit just fine, and roller tips fit under stock covers with no issues

cheers


tim

LeMans Pete

Thats a good point grandsport. Do any of you assemble your own heads? I'm trying to do as much as possible just to learn, and I feel like I'm going to be employing a machine shop for about 80% of this project now.

Thanks for the heads up on the stock covers, I like that original look

sweethence

Be carefull with waht GS says, he runs Biggg inch high lift motors

What application are you planning, street? strip? raod racing?


I have doen my own head work and it is pretty straight forward, if you want to do it your self to learn that go for it

GrandSportC3

So far, I haven't done it myself but I had the machine shop use springs of my choice.. I just recently completed my first engine rebuild myself. I used heads that came with good springs already, so there was no need to change them. However, in the future if I'll build my next engine, I will assemble the heads myself. However, I will have the bowls blended before I'll assemble the heads..

GrandSportC3

True.. However, good springs are a good insurance for your engine.. I rather spend a little bit more on springs and have them last longer.. I used to have .550 lift springs on my old pump gas 383 and I broke 2 of them...

sweethence

what cam were you running and what application ?

racing or street? I am just curious, I an running the .550 springs on my brodix heads, but I am using my car as a DD/ hiwgway machine I wind it up going down the highway, but nothin serios

GrandSportC3

I was running a solid flat tapped cam with 238/248 degrees .050 duration and .525/.540 lift. Drove about 15k miles with that engine and about 50 - 60 drag strip passes.. The springs broke after about 10000 miles.. The compression on that engine was 9.8 : 1

Those .550 lift springs are often refered to as Z28 - springs..

sweethence

got it, i think Im safe

GrandSportC3

If you are running more or less stock performance, you are safe.. However, what is the purpose to buy aftermarket heads just to put a cam into the engine that won't take advantage of the additional flow?

guitarcrazy02

How about GM Performance Vortec Heads? Any need to tear those down before install?

This may be a dumb question, but can you re-use your stock rocker arms in a set of new heads if the heads don't come with any? Is that a dumb idea? If so, what kind of rockers are good for about a 400 horse street motor?

sweethence

Oh ill be upgrading the cam allright, But what I meant was it wont see the same kind of strip usage you used, ill be doing more of the power tour raod trip kinda driving, but time will tell if i break it ill just fix it, not the first set of heads ive had to do, wont be the last

thanks for the Info my man

drive it like you stole it