I know people talk about weight when considering aluminum heads and intakes, but do they drive around , and are much more likekywith a 1/4 tank of gas or tell there passengers to get out before they perform? I know I don,t. If you go with the aluminum heads, and you can with your Star Wars Air Cleaner, make sure your cooling system is good, because aluminum heads warp real easy.
Bob,
When OEM first started using aluminum heads, there were several problems with them. Yes, they could warp if overheated, and if you weren't careful, you could strip threads on them especially spark plugs. That was then.
Today, the alloys used are vastly superior. I bought my TA heads in 2006. I first bolted them on my existing all iron engine. It was a 462, 9.4:1 compression with a KB118 cam, MT headers, and Quadrajet. Switch Pitch trans, 3.42 gears, and 2 1/2" exhaust. It ran a best of 13.22 @ 101 MPH in a car that weighed 4200 lbs. I bought the TA Stage1SE aluminum heads from Greg Gessler with his level 2 porting. They flowed 313/225 @ .550 lift. They were milled .040, and bolting them on increased compression to 10.4:1. With an Edelbrock Performer intake, the car went immediately into the mid 12's at 107 MPH. Added an SP1 single plane intake Holley 1000 DP carb and 3.73 gears. Car went a best of 12.11 at almost 112 MPH. By that time, I had also added a Gear Vendors overdrive for highway driving. Driving down to Cecil County Dragway in Maryland, a 3 hour trip(170 miles) for me, the car got 16-17 MPG with the Quadrajet. The Holley was always 1 1/2 - 2 tenths, and 2 MPH faster on the track, so I would just bolt it on and off at the track.
Around 2010, I commissioned Jim Weise of Tri Shield Performance to build me a shortblock. In 2011, I unbolted the aluminum heads, and SP1, and sent them to him for my new engine. The iron heads and Performer went back on, and I drove the car like that for a year while I waited for Jim to build and Dyno my new engine. While there, Jim did some additional porting to the TA heads, and they now flowed 334/250 @ .600 lift. Jim built me a zero deck motor with 10.5:1 compression, a hydraulic roller cam, and used the 1000DP car to Dyno test the motor. It made 602 HP/ 589 TQ, and idled at 800 in gear. In 2012, I swapped the motor in, and the car went mid 11's consistently on both carburetors. It was always faster with the Holley. By now, I had a full 3" X pipe exhaust with Magnaflow mufflers. It went a best of 11.54 @ 116 MPH at a race weight of 4100 lbs. The engine runs great on 93 pump gas, and despite the ethanol fuel, it still gets an easy 15 MPG on the highway. I can drive it anywhere, and it has great street manners.
My point is, I have had these heads on 2 different motors for 17 years. They have been nothing but reliable with zero problems. I have a 21 year old Griffin aluminum radiator, and the engine runs right at the 180* stat rating, no matter the outside temperature. Once at the track, I broke my fan belt on a run. I always immediately look at my gauges in the shut down after the beams. I looked down on that run and watched the gauge rounding 220*. By the time I got it on the return road, it was close to 240* as I shut it down. By the time I got towed to the pits, it was back to 180*. Put another belt on, and made 2-3 more runs. Didn't spill a drop of coolant, and drove the car home from Maryland. The aluminum heads today are very reliable. I change the plugs once a year, and always with the motor cold. I use NGK plugs exclusively. They have plated threads, so no anti seize is necessary. Never a problem. No one should be afraid to use the aluminum heads made today.