I don't put any stock in what magazines tell me. But it is arrogant to assume that everything they say is false, even if most of it is. But it is hard to argue with someone putting a set of heads on the flowbench and then shaving them to put them back on a flowbench solely for the purpose of seeing if there is any flow difference, and that happens to be the result of slightly less flow. Head manufacturers put a lot of time and thought and science into making heads, including the combustion chambers, it just seems lame to mess up all their good work by milling them and changing the design.
You are making 2 assumptions here...
1. That the flow data was not corrupted. It is extremely easy to fudge up flow data.
Were the heads placed on a 'cylinder'?
What diameter was the bore?
Radius inlets?
...
2. You are assuming that flow numbers are 'all important'
There is MUCH more to making power than flow numbers. Proper CR is one of those things. Squish is one of those things. Piston design is one of those things.
See what I'm getting at?
A motor must be looked at globally, not locally.
Flow numbers on a bench are only part of the story. Some would say they are a small part of the story.
I am not saying that EVERYTHING in the mags is false.
I am saying to look at the info, and evalutate its validity on your own.
I am not familiar with the article you are speaking about, but I have seen some pretty crappy 'Testing' done in the mags.
Step back and take a good hard look at how they came up with that data.
BTW-
Implying that I am 'arrogant' only proves that you do not know me.
I guess me and you differ on that, but that's cool
I would rather keep a stock mill, select a good piston, head and combustion chamber to match, and a custom cam to match the static compression and all the other variables.
I see what you are saying though.
Our opinions cetainly do differ
Also, I think you are focusing on a 'basic rebuild' (for lack of a better term), while I am thinking in terms of 'dream motor'
I am not about to design my short block around pushrod length, or limit my CR options in order to preserve the resale value of an intake manifold.
We are definitely discussing 2 very different scenarios
jason