540 WITH MERLIN HEADS AND HOWARDS CRANK AND RODS? ANY GOOD??

[SPEEDNEEDS1]

I HAVE RECENTLY BOUGHT A 540 WITH A DART BLOCK, HOWARDS PRO SERIES CRANK, HOWARDE ULTIMATE DUTY RODS, DIAMOND 14.8 PISTONS, MERLIN III AS-CAST HEADS WITH MERLIN X INTAKE AS-CAST, .850-.820 CAMSHAFT, 1150 APD ALKY. CARB.

ANY IDEAS IF THESE HEADS ARE ANY GOOD IN AS-CAST FORM, THEIR WEBSITE SAYS OVER 800HP AS-CAST.

I HAVE NEVER RAN THE HOWARDS STUFF, IT ALL LOOKS GREAT, BUT LOOKS CAN BE DECIVEING AT TIMES......... ANY INPUT ON THIS WOULD BE A HELP.

COMBO IS GOING IN A FRONT SUSPENDED DRAGSTER WIITH A 6000 STALL CONVERTER. EST. 1/8 E.T. I AM HOPING FOR 4.80'S-4.90'S

[zipper06]

Howards has some good stuff in their pro series, i don't know anything about the Merlin heads but if it will make 800 HP, 4.80's/490's is definately in the ball park.

JMO

Zip.

[SPEEDNEEDS1]

THANKS, THATS ABOUT WHAT I THOUGHT. I HAVE DONE A LITTLE RESEARCH AND HAMMERTIME RECOMENDED THAT I PUT THE 454-R INTAKE ON.

[hammertime]

I HAVE RECENTLY BOUGHT A 540 WITH A DART BLOCK, HOWARDS PRO SERIES CRANK, HOWARDE ULTIMATE DUTY RODS, DIAMOND 14.8 PISTONS, MERLIN III AS-CAST HEADS WITH MERLIN X INTAKE AS-CAST, .850-.820 CAMSHAFT, 1150 APD ALKY. CARB.

ANY IDEAS IF THESE HEADS ARE ANY GOOD IN AS-CAST FORM, THEIR WEBSITE SAYS OVER 800HP AS-CAST.

I HAVE NEVER RAN THE HOWARDS STUFF, IT ALL LOOKS GREAT, BUT LOOKS CAN BE DECIVEING AT TIMES......... ANY INPUT ON THIS WOULD BE A HELP.

COMBO IS GOING IN A FRONT SUSPENDED DRAGSTER WIITH A 6000 STALL CONVERTER. EST. 1/8 E.T. I AM HOPING FOR 4.80'S-4.90'S


You'll have no problem getting to that et.

[coolracing]

x2 with Zip on the howards products! We ran them heads back in the day on a 540 they worked well with the combo we had, Your combo has little higher compression, a slightly different camshaft and we were running a team G intake. Motor was in a 3400lb chevelle, its best pass was a 10.10

[TheRabbit]

I had a set of World Products heads on my 548. They did make 868hp, but they were ported to the max by Race Flow Development (Flowed 400cfm) I had a Profiler intake on the motor.

[SPEEDNEEDS1]

I think that I will go on and put the 454-R on the motor with a carb, then put the injection on later.

[coolracing]

I think that I will go on and put the 454-R on the motor


Good Intake!

[SPEEDNEEDS1]

I have ran the 454-R many times on several different engines and rthey all ran well, but the Merlin X is a new design and the same brand as the heads so I thought that the Merlin would better than the 454-R.

[roadkill2]

I have ran the 454-R many times on several different engines and rthey all ran well, but the Merlin X is a new design and the same brand as the heads so I thought that the Merlin would better than the 454-R.

Stay with a matched set . . Heads and intake . . best place to start, anyway . .