Which Way Should He Head?

T_: I'm putting a 350ci with a B&M 144ci super charger in my '64. My question is about the heads I should use. I can get a good deal on a set of rebuilt heads with 1.94/1.50 valves for $175. To put 2.02/1.60 in, the cost would run me up around $400 about the same as if I mail ordered them. Is there a huge difference in HP or would the extra money be better spent on some porting. The car is mainly going to be used on the street.

S_: Some folks claim that with a supercharger, bad ports and small valves won't hurt power. You won't hear that from me. Consider this: you've got this giant pump trying to blow through small valves. That pump will jam more fuel/air into your cylinders than the engine could take in without the pump. Your performance will still be better than if you didn't have the big pump. But how do you expect all the resulting exhaust to get out? You'll need tons of exhaust lift and duration to blow the cylinder down. Drivability suffers. Get the best heads that you can afford before you spend money on other parts. At a minimum, I'd be looking for a pair of 1.94/1.60 big chamber heads as used on the 400 and others. Big chamber drops compression for use with 'charger, and you still get cheap heads with big exhaust valves.

BT: Go for the 2.02 valves at a minimum. I don't care what they say, the heads make all your power (well, of course the blower helps a lot, too). I put on a cheap pair of Dart II heads and picked up a full second in the 1/4 mile.

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