Ed,
No doubt there are better heads and I would rather build froma know brand. As we both know often times we assemble the part we are given....
Seldom do the guys with unlitmited budget show up at the door step and spend whatever it takes!
Robert,
Have I done that all too much. I agree and yes' 99 9/10 percent of my customers just don't have a budget to go racing but they want to and I do my best to help them to that.
I would much prefer to see a customer bring me an older but good set of quality heads to use than brand new pieces of junk with no port design in mind when they were cast in the first place. Actually far too often I even help them find heads used that are in a price range where they can afford them, rather than me put up with and see them trying to use foreign made junk cylinder heads.
I can make stuff run very well even limited budget stuff which even the big engines I do are as compared to what is the usual. SO if these is any capability in the parts, I feel I can find it.
I do not like big port heads that have ports large only for the purpose of advertising huge airflow numbers. I do not like pieces of cylinder heads breaking becuase the metal is impure and is junk material instead of a good old USA made Alloy, or because the casting quality control sucked and it turned out to be too thin in places we thought it was strong.
I hate with a passion to tell someone that their brand new right price imported heads will need $500 to $1,000 worth of repair work before we can even get started good with them. Like I said, some come through OK.If you see enough of them, you will not want to see anymore after you start finding problems caused by cheap manufacturing using inferrior alloy metal.
I know guys that have good luck with them so all are not trashy. Question is do people really want to buy something like that taking a gamble that theirs will be the good ones.
My opinion is, If you can only afford the cheaper head and it has to be aluminum, buy quality American heads that are used. Most everything I build in BB Chevy starts out with used heads. With SB Chevys The most expensive set of heads new I have ever been able to buy is $1,400 heads but I still end up making them run somehow. Now I have used some better SB heads but the customers already owned them from either a new source or a used source. I have been priviledged to be able to use some really good Used BB Heads though.
For what you are wanting, mu suggestion is to keep your eyes open for some good heads from Brodix, Dart, Airflow, Canfield etc, of the smaller version styles. Also about the best price you will buy a Canfield for is from Competition Products.
Others may disagree with me on this.
Ed