Time to pull the engine out for the winter! Suggestions?

To refresh you on my story, I spun an oil pump rod while at the track this fall. After pressure testing the engine came out good (171-181PSI), I decided not to trash this engine and start over again... But, I do want to do some work to it over the winter!

This is what I have:
- 66 289 Block .030 over (~10.5 to 1 ~178psi) 306 CID
- 78 302 crank
- 66 289 Heads 54cc (Stage 1 ported, polished HD springs, etc...)
- Competition Roller Rockers
- 1405 600 cfm Edelbrock Carb
- Edelbrock RPM Performer Dual plane Intake
- Headman Headers
- Competition Cam (FS XE268H-10) "Extreme Energy" .512 L, 224/230 D
- TRW Pistons
- Professionally Blueprinted & Balanced
- RAD4 4 Speed Transmission
- 3.00 rear gears
- Stage 2 Centerforce clutch & pressure plate
- Spintech Pro-Street Mufflers
- Custom 2 1/2" dual Exhaust

I have conferred with many people and feel that my heads are my biggest bottleneck at this point! So I am trying to decide on going with he AFR 185cc or the TFS Twisted Wedge heads. I have heard good and bad about both and read most of the posts were about how some people like one or the other! I just want to make sure there is not another head out there in the same price range that I should be considering?

Also, while I have this beast apart (AGAIN) any other performance mod I should consider? I can't say that money is no object but I have been pretty good at saving over the summer! But my goal with this car is not earth shattering:
* Less than 13 second 1/4 mile (14.44 Current best run with stock tires, Traction is a big issue!)
* Reliable
* Gets me to car shows and back
* Fun to drive

So with those in mind, does anyone have any suggestions?

My MII:
IMG_6717.jpg

Video of MII at high idle and then low idle... Has a bit of a lope to it:
http://www.hampys.com/MII/MII_2.wmv

Thanks ahead of time for your Feedback!
 
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i dont remember your previous thread, why are you rebuilding?
did you not install a new oil pump drive and see if it runs?
if you did and it runs good, are you looking to shed 1 second off your times..
if your in the 14.5 range with 13 in stock tires and the original suspension
i would say its not the engine, but rather some suspension needed
drag tires, gears with locker , trac bars,frame connectors and so on...
 
Yes, the SBF heads suck for serious performance. I'm running the TFS track-heat heads with O-rings. I drilled and tapped the 7/16" factory head bolt holes in the block to 1/2", so a set of ARP 1/2" 351W head bolts could be used. Between the o-ringed heads/gaskets, and the upgraded 1/2" bolts, it's a lot less likely for a compression leak to form. I would suggest doing the same thing to your 302 while you have it apart. (As far as I know, all modern aftermarket heads use the larger 1/2" holes anyway)

The TFS twisted wedge style head uses canted valves, something similar to the BOSS 302 design, so a specific piston with canted valve reliefs is required, otherwise, the valves may hit the pistons. The Twisted Wedge heads will perform better than a non-canted head with similar sized ports and valves, since angling the valves allows for better airflow. I installed JE ultralight pistons designed for use with TFS heads, as they are(at least they were when I ordered the parts) the lightest and strongest pistons on the market. You could get your current pistons cut for canted valves, but it would remove a lot of material in areas that werent designed to be used for valve reliefs, which weakens the face of the slug and also drops compression.
The AFR heads use the factory valve orientation, so special pistons arent required, which makes them an easier and probably cheaper, choice. I'm not sure if you'd need to cut the valve reliefs with those TRW pistons you mentioned, the clearance would need to be checked.

I would probably suggest going with AFR heads, with whatever matching camshaft they recommend and a 650 race demon carb. That would avoid having to change the pistons, and if you're lucky, you might not even need to have the reliefs cut.
A bone stock 302 HO, including the stock roller cam, made 400hp on the dyno with AFR heads on it. Here's the article: http://www.carcraft.com/techarticles/116_0307_ford/

Your little 306 will make big power with that setup. It'll want to rev insanely, so make sure you balance the whole spinning deal.
 
2muchtime said:
i dont remember your previous thread, why are you rebuilding?
did you not install a new oil pump drive and see if it runs?
if you did and it runs good, are you looking to shed 1 second off your times..
if your in the 14.5 range with 13 in stock tires and the original suspension
i would say its not the engine, but rather some suspension needed
drag tires, gears with locker , trac bars,frame connectors and so on...
2muchtime, I 100% agree with you that I could probably replace the oil pump and go but since it is going to be parked for 4 months, I figured I might as well have some fun with it! :) I wanted to change all the bearings anyway!

And I also agree that Suspension and Gears are needed but the only problem is that I have never really worked much in either area... So I guess I was kind of putting it off :) But while I have the beast apart, I might as well look into these area's as well!

I have been doing research on the tires and wheels that will work best. I am still in the process though.

I purchased a new rear-end gear (3.80 I think) but it is still just sitting in my shop. It was not Posi but for $30 I could not pass it up incase I shelled mine!

I knew that one guy used to sell MII specific Frame connectors and Traction Bars, but I do not see him on eBay now... Anyone know what happened to him?

Any ideas on gearing for my setup? I am thinking about running either:
Hoosier 17030 P275/55D-14
Mickey T. MIC7034 G60-14 - 255/60-14
BFG Comp TA HR4 255/60/14
BFG Radial T/A Tire P265/50R14

- or -
255/60/15 if I go with the 15" wheel

I am pretty much an engine guy so it is hard for me to dabble in the other areas, but hey, you don't learn if you don't try!

Thanks again for all your assistance,
Chad
 
Blue Thunder said:
The TFS twisted wedge style head uses canted valves, something similar to the BOSS 302 design, so a specific piston with canted valve reliefs is required, otherwise, the valves may hit the pistons.
Hmm... This is exactly why I wanted to go with the Twisted Wedge heads? Everywhere I read, said that the TFS you could use even stock pistons with no relief but the AFR 185cc heads had to have deep relief’s? Now I am really confused :)

I do have deep relief’s in my pistons so either way it should not be an issue... And while I am tearing it down, I might buy new pistons and swap them with another 302 I am building. In fact I might do the same with the Comp Cam so I am get the one that exactly matches up with the heads I want to get.

I will have to so some more research on the relief’s but the 1/2 head bolts would be easy enough to do! Good Idea! But pound for pound both the TFS and the AFR's are good heads right? Just he AFR's cost a bit more "BUT" are already ported from the factory!

Thanks for your feedback Blue Thunder, I know you do this for a living so I very much respect your opinion,
Chad
 
Addicted_2_II said:
Hmm... This is exactly why I wanted to go with the Twisted Wedge heads? Everywhere I read, said that the TFS you could use even stock pistons with no relief but the AFR 185cc heads had to have deep relief’s? Now I am really confused :)

I do have deep relief’s in my pistons so either way it should not be an issue... And while I am tearing it down, I might buy new pistons and swap them with another 302 I am building. In fact I might do the same with the Comp Cam so I am get the one that exactly matches up with the heads I want to get.

I will have to so some more research on the relief’s but the 1/2 head bolts would be easy enough to do! Good Idea! But pound for pound both the TFS and the AFR's are good heads right? Just he AFR's cost a bit more "BUT" are already ported from the factory!

Thanks for your feedback Blue Thunder, I know you do this for a living so I very much respect your opinion,
Chad

The problem with running pistons with reliefs cut for standard valve configuration isnt in the depth of the reliefs, but rather in the *angle* that the valves will approach the pistons. A canted valve head means the valves are leaning this way and that(I forget how many degrees, 12, maybe?) So if you use a standard type piston, the canted valves will contact the piston in an area close to, but not exactly where the reliefs are cut. And if you cut those pistons for canted valves, as I mentioned, you will be removing material from a thin area, not intended to be used for machining a valve relief. The TFS valves are 2.02 x 1.6, whereas the 165cc AFR heads use 1.94 x 1.6 valves, meaning the AFR 165s can likely be used in your motor without cutting the reliefs at all. (They mention that in the article I linked) But of course, you should always check the clearance, anyway.
I would say TFS and AFR are good companies, though there were some issues with the TFS heads I bought. I've heard from many sources that AFR is a higher quality product, but I have no personal experience with them.
On a side note; TFS is so cheap because their foundry was purchased fairly recently by Summit Racing. That's why the price of the Twisted Wedge heads dropped all of a sudden in the catalog. TFS makes pistons, cranks, etc, too, not just heads.