These heads are still running strong. 383 stroker, 9.5 to 1 compression, voodoo roller cam 112 lsa and 6to1 roller rocker. Pulls 5500 rpm at peak hp and torque at 3800 in a 4x4. Way better than vortecs. Eric ported them milled and set them up.
I just checked my DNA heads and the machine work is right on the money. I haven’t cleaned up the ports or bowls yet but as far as I can see they are pretty good
Parts you blindly trust to be good to go from the manufacturer are exactly the ones that are going to prove you wrong in the end. Always check and correct.
I bought some of those exact china heads, a while back. In the end, I gave up and sent them back. Replaced them with AFR enforcer 195's lol. I can attest also, they are NOT the same at all. You will spend more money making the China junk usable than what it cost for the AFR heads that are bolt on and go.
Even if something (anything) is from the same factory as the US branded item, doesn't mean the quality is the same. When factories produce goods for a US specification, they have to meet those specs (within spec tolerances) or the brand will reject them. When that factory sends those same goods out the back door, they don't have to meet any specs, and probably are even measuring them.
According to shipping manifests the most of these Castings are coming from the EXACT same foundry as the AFR and others. This indicates that the primary difference is only the secondary process and casting quality.
I’m building a set of these heads right now. I’d disagree on the valve seats. I lapped in Elgin valves surprisingly quickly. They hold vacuum really well. I’d agree on the deck surface though, mine also have a bump in that area. Thanks for all the helpful vids!
Just for reference not disputing anything but this tidbit. We can feel as small as 10 to 40 microns. But .003 sounds about right for the difference of passes on aluminum. You gotta cut in one pass.
@@WeingartnerRacing Didn't mean "you" you in that statement. 😁 Just talking about procedure really. I run a 40x20 cnc and unless you have something extremely rigid machine and tool wise. You will get deflection and an uneven surface. I know you are aware of this, but some aren't.
I bought from Ebay heads that look exactly the same. I had all American parts put in and the heads surfaced before installing on a 383 SB. These heads are 202- 160 values and 68 CC combustion chambers. The heads went on a 383 using 6 inch Eagle connecting rods for my Chev 1988 1 ton for a work truck for towing a large boat and for a hunting truck so absolutely no racing hard uses.
Hey Eric you ever get a set of Proheader ls1 heads? They look and seem to flow like the Dart 205cc but they are 210. They use Qualcast valves which are supposed to be like OEM ok...
Hey Eric I really value your knowledge and have a question. I have an opportunity to get an almost new set of sbc flowtec 180 heads for dirt cheap. My question is...are they any good and if so do you think they be OK on a NA sbc 400 or better suited on 327 with a 144 B&M blower ? I have both engines and want to rebuild one to put in my 1972 c10 4x4 truck. Thanks
What do you think of the canfields for chevy. I have some 210cc cnc small block heads, and a set of 335 big block heads. Curious how they compare to other heads.
Do you have flow numbers for these heads?🙏🙏🙏 I just had almost the exact same work done to almost exact same set of heads only these are drilled for vortec intake. I just didn't have the extra money to pay for the Flow Testing. Thanks for the video!
How do we know what grade of aluminum it is? What I have seen on youtube foreign countries such as India they just use any scrap aluminum like old cast aluminum part. You have no idea what the metaluralze is.
Unless you have the correct tools to do it yourself. Really you are rolling the dice on stuff like this. One time they may be well done another time just garbage.
My question is how good are the material used in the head castings, guides, seats, etc? My experience having sourced things out of Asia (albeit 35+ years ago) is that you cannot (CANNOT) safely assume that two things that look alike truly are The people over there know how to cut costs on things, and they very commonly will do it on materials A set of patterns that will cast a part in good virgin A356 which is then heat treated to a T6, can also be used to cast parts out of recycled beer cans with whatever level of heat treat is considered cost-effective by them On top of that, a set of casting patterns that didn't meet a customer's spec might be used to make a part that looks similar, and is used to compete with them in the marketplace This isn't theory, this is stuff I've seen. Personal experience. Don't know if it's the case with these head castings, but it's just the kind of stuff to look out for in general... When you buy something sourced out of Asia, but you buy it from a reputable US-based seller, a lot of what you're paying for is QA
By the time you take it to someone to port you might as well buy the cnc heads or just AFR enforcers already finished! But I agree you just can't take Fleebay or scamazon heads and put parts on. They need to be checked by a machine shop that knows what they are doing to make them reliable! You spend 500 dollars on heads and then 4-600 on valves, seals, and valve job, machining and you are right up close to the cost of AFT enforcers!
I don’t buy from DNA, literally buy from the casting facility for AFR/dart/summit. DNA does their own machine work, so no, this isnt Chinas fault, it’s DNA’s fault.
Ahhh these heads are machined in china. If you buy the AFR enforcers they are also completely machined in china not America. That’s how they come from them. To my knowledge they don’t sell them unmachined. If you are saying you get them that way that is the first I have ever heard of.
Eric could give an in depth answer and I'd like to hear his thoughts but in my experience to your question........no not really. By the time you buy the good parts and then pay the machine shop to do all the work to get the heads up to a level I'm satisfied with, I end up spending anywhere from $1000 to $1500 on top of what the heads cost initially. Personally I avoid the Chinese heads and prefer to spend extra upfront for AFR, Brodix, or Trickflow. Even then I still have them looked over for valve job and valve guide clearances and spring pressures before I run them on an engine.
Here I was thinking about a minute in that, well these are probably better for a beater than open chamber 882 heads. Then you showed the surface defect. UGGGHHHH
Ya, once you buy them, send them out to get all good parts installed, a valve job, surface the head how can it be any cheaper than buying AFR enforcers, ect?
Shit I got a set of AFR RACE 210’s That was worse than that out of the box!!! Sent back to get them fixed and they wasn’t much better after they worked on the!! I would post pictures if it let me! $2300 set of head that still need work done before they can get installed!!!
They never speak about the "good" parts that still come crappy out of the box, only the parts that save you 30%, 50%, 70% are worth crapping on. Gatekeeping at it's best.
Pro Maxx is just down the road from me, I believe they’re cast in China but all the machine work and assembly is done here in Northeast Alabama. They look really nice IMO I had some Patriot heads years ago done by the same place just different owner, I was very happy with them.
Does any manufacturer of an old-style head (used, but good casting) provide a good foundation to have your professional touches added? Similar train of thought, albeit with a different approach. Thanks 🙏
It'd machinists like you that people should stay away from. You can take those cheap heads and have them worked and still be in for less than half that what AFR or Dart heads will cost you. Not everyone has the deep pockets to shell out 2k on high dollar heads. Those heads are clearly not the best heads but you can easily get 500 hp out of them and 80% of people, that's enough for their weekend cruiser.
So pointing out obvious flaws is the wrong thing to do? You are right bolt them on and have a head gasket leak and valves not seal at least you made 400hp. I promise after rework they are more expensive than the afr enforcers.
@@WeingartnerRacing Yes, pointing out anything obvious is a waste of time and insulting to others since you are saying they arent smart enough to know obvious things. Oh God, the corner didnt clean up...whatever would the world do without that info? What do you care what others do or dont do? Almost as if you are payed to talk down on certain heads. I really dont give a shit, just wondering why you do.
"okay so extra 40 ft lbs on that corner got it" 😂
😂😂😂
These heads are still running strong. 383 stroker, 9.5 to 1 compression, voodoo roller cam 112 lsa and 6to1 roller rocker. Pulls 5500 rpm at peak hp and torque at 3800 in a 4x4. Way better than vortecs. Eric ported them milled and set them up.
I just checked my DNA heads and the machine work is right on the money. I haven’t cleaned up the ports or bowls yet but as far as I can see they are pretty good
Those heads are mine. They flow great. Just got it running yesterday and so far it's all good.
@@maxhames499 So your DNA heads still working good?
Are you going to post flow numbers after you do your work? I would like to see it. And what valves you would recommend for them?
As always, THANK YOU for the expert information.
Keep the great videos coming, brother!
Man your port work is freaking amazing
I can second this… Got the SBF version from eBay and had to redo everything including decking!
Buy nice or buy twice.
Parts you blindly trust to be good to go from the manufacturer are exactly the ones that are going to prove you wrong in the end.
Always check and correct.
I bought some of those exact china heads, a while back. In the end, I gave up and sent them back. Replaced them with AFR enforcer 195's lol. I can attest also, they are NOT the same at all. You will spend more money making the China junk usable than what it cost for the AFR heads that are bolt on and go.
What's up with the dots on the deck surface?
I refer to these as just a bear cast head since they still need a good port job and machine work to be actually any good
Even if something (anything) is from the same factory as the US branded item, doesn't mean the quality is the same. When factories produce goods for a US specification, they have to meet those specs (within spec tolerances) or the brand will reject them. When that factory sends those same goods out the back door, they don't have to meet any specs, and probably are even measuring them.
Absolutely. In fact the ones that are rejected are often the ones that end up being sold out the back door.
It's a good idea to use the green self wicking loctite on the seats on the cheap online heads so they seal and so they don't fall out.😯
According to shipping manifests the most of these Castings are coming from the EXACT same foundry as the AFR and others. This indicates that the primary difference is only the secondary process and casting quality.
I’m building a set of these heads right now. I’d disagree on the valve seats. I lapped in Elgin valves surprisingly quickly. They hold vacuum really well. I’d agree on the deck surface though, mine also have a bump in that area. Thanks for all the helpful vids!
Damn are they pulling the heads off the mill before they finish the cut?? 😅
Just for reference not disputing anything but this tidbit. We can feel as small as 10 to 40 microns. But .003 sounds about right for the difference of passes on aluminum. You gotta cut in one pass.
A piece of hair is .003. My machine can take as little as .001 a pass. That’s usually how I start.
@@WeingartnerRacing Didn't mean "you" you in that statement. 😁 Just talking about procedure really. I run a 40x20 cnc and unless you have something extremely rigid machine and tool wise. You will get deflection and an uneven surface. I know you are aware of this, but some aren't.
I bought from Ebay heads that look exactly the same.
I had all American parts put in and the heads surfaced before installing on a 383 SB.
These heads are 202- 160 values and 68 CC combustion chambers.
The heads went on a 383 using 6 inch Eagle connecting rods for my Chev 1988 1 ton for a work truck for towing a large boat and for a hunting truck so absolutely no racing hard uses.
May be less expensive up front, but you end up paying in the end fixing the short comings.
Hey Eric you ever get a set of Proheader ls1 heads? They look and seem to flow like the Dart 205cc but they are 210. They use Qualcast valves which are supposed to be like OEM ok...
Who TF buys knock off heads and sends them in for $1000 in machine work??
Thank you Eric!
Hey Eric I really value your knowledge and have a question. I have an opportunity to get an almost new set of sbc flowtec 180 heads for dirt cheap. My question is...are they any good and if so do you think they be OK on a NA sbc 400 or better suited on 327 with a 144 B&M blower ? I have both engines and want to rebuild one to put in my 1972 c10 4x4 truck. Thanks
What do you think of the canfields for chevy. I have some 210cc cnc small block heads, and a set of 335 big block heads. Curious how they compare to other heads.
Do you have flow numbers for these heads?🙏🙏🙏 I just had almost the exact same work done to almost exact same set of heads only these are drilled for vortec intake. I just didn't have the extra money to pay for the Flow Testing. Thanks for the video!
You can go back and look at the video of the Assault Racing Head its virtually the same head.
Your the best, Eric !
Yeah the morbid pushrod machining is usually just the start 😊
You should do a video on...laughing at lappers. Too many people have the wrong "impressions".
How can that happen during manufacturing? 2 heads exactly the same... I'm not a machinist but I don't see how that could happen consistently.
The think the cutter back fed at the end or beginning depending on how they set it up.
How do we know what grade of aluminum it is? What I have seen on youtube foreign countries such as India they just use any scrap aluminum like old cast aluminum part. You have no idea what the metaluralze is.
Wow, by the time you have them surfaced, valve job and everything else. You should have just bought a set of AFR's or whatever.
Yep. The cheap enforcers look similar but are better and don’t have these problems.
Exactly!
Unless you have the correct tools to do it yourself. Really you are rolling the dice on stuff like this. One time they may be well done another time just garbage.
Seems like the eBay and Amazon stuff is going to be seconds, thirds that we're not up to known brand company standards.
My question is how good are the material used in the head castings, guides, seats, etc?
My experience having sourced things out of Asia (albeit 35+ years ago) is that you cannot (CANNOT) safely assume that two things that look alike truly are
The people over there know how to cut costs on things, and they very commonly will do it on materials
A set of patterns that will cast a part in good virgin A356 which is then heat treated to a T6, can also be used to cast parts out of recycled beer cans with whatever level of heat treat is considered cost-effective by them
On top of that, a set of casting patterns that didn't meet a customer's spec might be used to make a part that looks similar, and is used to compete with them in the marketplace
This isn't theory, this is stuff I've seen. Personal experience.
Don't know if it's the case with these head castings, but it's just the kind of stuff to look out for in general...
When you buy something sourced out of Asia, but you buy it from a reputable US-based seller, a lot of what you're paying for is QA
These must have been made on a Friday 😂
By the time you take it to someone to port you might as well buy the cnc heads or just AFR enforcers already finished! But I agree you just can't take Fleebay or scamazon heads and put parts on. They need to be checked by a machine shop that knows what they are doing to make them reliable! You spend 500 dollars on heads and then 4-600 on valves, seals, and valve job, machining and you are right up close to the cost of AFT enforcers!
What do you charge to fix an eBay head?
I don’t buy from DNA, literally buy from the casting facility for AFR/dart/summit. DNA does their own machine work, so no, this isnt Chinas fault, it’s DNA’s fault.
Ahhh these heads are machined in china. If you buy the AFR enforcers they are also completely machined in china not America. That’s how they come from them. To my knowledge they don’t sell them unmachined. If you are saying you get them that way that is the first I have ever heard of.
On Chinese casting I recommend pro Max better valve job and machine work and still cheaper
Does the cost of the out back machine work outweigh the upfront cost savings?
To me, that's a great point to have a clear answer on .
Eric could give an in depth answer and I'd like to hear his thoughts but in my experience to your question........no not really. By the time you buy the good parts and then pay the machine shop to do all the work to get the heads up to a level I'm satisfied with, I end up spending anywhere from $1000 to $1500 on top of what the heads cost initially. Personally I avoid the Chinese heads and prefer to spend extra upfront for AFR, Brodix, or Trickflow. Even then I still have them looked over for valve job and valve guide clearances and spring pressures before I run them on an engine.
After machining they are usually the same or higher than good aftermarket heads.
Right on
So any heads from Amazon are all bad without question? Seems like a terribly moronic claim from someone with a vested interest.
I have no vested interests. Just giving facts.
Here I was thinking about a minute in that, well these are probably better for a beater than open chamber 882 heads. Then you showed the surface defect. UGGGHHHH
Ya, once you buy them, send them out to get all good parts installed, a valve job, surface the head how can it be any cheaper than buying AFR enforcers, ect?
Shit I got a set of AFR RACE 210’s
That was worse than that out of the box!!!
Sent back to get them fixed and they wasn’t much better after they worked on the!!
I would post pictures if it let me!
$2300 set of head that still need work done before they can get installed!!!
They never speak about the "good" parts that still come crappy out of the box, only the parts that save you 30%, 50%, 70% are worth crapping on.
Gatekeeping at it's best.
i'd say generally you put good parts in and they work fine for the average hot rodder. you just got unlucky
Ive personally have never used a Import casting but I am very Intrested in Pro Maxx
Pro Maxx is just down the road from me, I believe they’re cast in China but all the machine work and assembly is done here in Northeast Alabama. They look really nice IMO I had some Patriot heads years ago done by the same place just different owner, I was very happy with them.
You get what you pay for !
Great job, Eric
Pointing out what happened with cheap heads, everyone wants cheap heads but not cheap performances
You can have both
Glad I got the good stuff. Thank you
I've seen heads like that. Lol
Does any manufacturer of an old-style head (used, but good casting) provide a good foundation to have your professional touches added? Similar train of thought, albeit with a different approach. Thanks 🙏
I tried a pair of power products JUNK!
I tried a set of procomp heads on my first bbc build...don't waste your money or time
Just stay away from everything Chinese.
So all heads then? They are all at minimum cast in China, genius.
It'd machinists like you that people should stay away from. You can take those cheap heads and have them worked and still be in for less than half that what AFR or Dart heads will cost you. Not everyone has the deep pockets to shell out 2k on high dollar heads.
Those heads are clearly not the best heads but you can easily get 500 hp out of them and 80% of people, that's enough for their weekend cruiser.
So pointing out obvious flaws is the wrong thing to do? You are right bolt them on and have a head gasket leak and valves not seal at least you made 400hp. I promise after rework they are more expensive than the afr enforcers.
@@WeingartnerRacing Yes, pointing out anything obvious is a waste of time and insulting to others since you are saying they arent smart enough to know obvious things. Oh God, the corner didnt clean up...whatever would the world do without that info? What do you care what others do or dont do? Almost as if you are payed to talk down on certain heads. I really dont give a shit, just wondering why you do.
@@aheadofthecurve2352ok. Warning people is the wrong thing to do. Got it thank you.