Kevin S.

I'm looking at installing some aluminum heads. I have seen some bare aluminum 210cc heads on ebay for cheap. My question is are they worth a damn? Say I buy some cheap heads for like 500 bucks on ebay then buy all the nice valvetrain parts and new valves for it. Is that a good idea or should I just pony up (pun intended) and get the nice heads for 900-1200 bucks?

My buddy that works at ford performance shop greatly recommended the edelbrock heads. I have heard though that even those heads are not something you wanna put on straight out of the box?

Either way i'm gonna have to have a machine shop look at them and pressure test them most likely

Next question - water pump - specifically running an electric water pump and keeping my heater core. Is this possible ?

I'm looking at running this water pump Ford 289-302-351W Small Block Electric Water Pump with Backing Plate - 35 GPM, Black Powder Coated

This pump looks like overkill but maybe not...
http://www.jegs.com/i/Meziere/680/WP...FYY_aQodpY4JOg

and this serp belt kit
Ford 302 Windsor Serpentine Pulley System Electric Water Pump

what do you guys/gals think?

I had really good luck with my electric water pump on my old sbc chevelle a couple years back.

I have a couple more questions but I can't think of them at the moment lol

Thanks all!

MRM331

My father swears by AFR. We've thrown a couple sets of their new Renegade heads on a few engines and they are pretty plug and play which for my father is pretty amazing. He is rarely happy with anything "out of the box".

I was looking into the electric water pump idea for a while as well and ultimately decided it was not worth the extra expense/cost/risk. If its worked for you in the past go for it though. I think the ones that have a dummy pulley on the front also included heat connections.

Good luck,

-Jason

Kevin S.

I have also heard great things about afr ! Looks like the price has come down since I last looked at them! So you guys have put on a set of the renegade heads straight out of the box with no issues?


I was looking at the "beast" pulley setup and I really like the idea of single belt and no belt going to the water pump ! I don't know clearance would be though on the Miata with the bigger radiator in the stock location...

I guess I could run an electric heater as well lol - now i'm just over complicating things lol

.boB

Never buy cheap parts. They're too expensive.

Lots of people have thought the same thing you're thinking. Buy some cheap heads, and the right bits, a little port work, and Boom! Cheap horsepower!

Never works that way, though. After all the money and work, you end up with heads that cost about the same and make less power than a pair of out of the box AFR's or Dart's.

IMO, buy the AFR's if you need every last bit of HP, and the rest of the engine can support it.

IMO, the best bang for the buck is Dart 195's. Good power right out of the box. Quality components throughout. Clean them up, bolt them on, and they're done.

Edelbrock are average. Quality parts, but not a lot of power. I've seen a few on the dyno, and I'm not impressed.

As for an electric water pump, I don't think they have the reliability of the old fashioned belt driven pump; they last forever. And if you do need a replacement, they're as close as your nearest autozone.

jrmotorsports55

For Fords, I'm a big fan of Trick Flow heads.

Regarding the cheap stuff, there is a reason it is cheap. I have heard horror stories of valve springs snapping and other issues.