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Re: Anyone have problem with Edelbrock heads?
[Re: mistress]
#1266772
07/15/12 12:04 PM
07/15/12 12:04 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 15,439
Val-haul-ass... eventually
BradH
Taking time off to work on my car
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Taking time off to work on my car
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 15,439
Val-haul-ass... eventually
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Quote:
I sent mine to Dave Hughes and he repaired the head and built a new center rocker tower, it looked better than new...
Was Hughes' repair done by re-welding a new post, or by machining the original post down and adding bolt-down stands like the OP?
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Re: Anyone have problem with Edelbrock heads?
[Re: BradH]
#1266774
07/15/12 01:00 PM
07/15/12 01:00 PM
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 176
South Bend, Indiana
mistress
member
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member
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 176
South Bend, Indiana
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Quote:
Quote:
I sent mine to Dave Hughes and he repaired the head and built a new center rocker tower, it looked better than new...
Was Hughes' repair done by re-welding a new post, or by machining the original post down and adding bolt-down stands like the OP?
he welded area back up and machined it to original design. i kept the old piece that was broke off.
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Re: Anyone have problem with Edelbrock heads?
[Re: 451Mopar]
#1266776
07/15/12 02:22 PM
07/15/12 02:22 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 15,439
Val-haul-ass... eventually
BradH
Taking time off to work on my car
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Taking time off to work on my car
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 15,439
Val-haul-ass... eventually
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Quote:
... closed pressure is 275#... open... just over 700#... 3/8"x0.089" wall pushrods.
Also wanted to mention that everything I've seen and heard re: pushrods these days is that yours aren't beefy enough for that much spring pressure / RPM / aggressive lobes.
It probably has nothing to do w/ breaking the shaft pedestals, but could definitely have an impact on valve train longevity. I think most engine builders I deal with would be suggesting at least .120" walls in a 3/8" diam. pushrod.
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Re: Anyone have problem with Edelbrock heads?
[Re: BradH]
#1266777
07/15/12 02:23 PM
07/15/12 02:23 PM
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Joined: May 2008
Posts: 5,399
Aurora, Colorado
451Mopar
OP
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OP
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Joined: May 2008
Posts: 5,399
Aurora, Colorado
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I think part of the problem is the center stand has the least amount of material around the heli-coil, and it does not stand up the the high spring pressures. Stud or longer bolt won't help the problem because the there is nothing to grip onto below the heli-coil. It seems the other stands are OK, because the heli-coil is much deeper into the head (below the oil hole) on the middle stands, and the outer stands, it is located in a thicker cast section also.
I would recommend removing the center heli-coil, and installing a new one deeper in the head below the machined sides of the center stand. When I installed the Time-Sert I drilled 1-1/2" below the machined area and did not run into anything (like a water jacket.)
Here is a pic of the Time-Sert kit. The kit comes with drill, countersink, tap, installation tool, and 10 of the 1/2" long steel inserts. I think the kit was a bit pricy, around $60? The two 3/4" long stainless inserts at the lower right corner is what I used. They are about $1 each.
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Re: Anyone have problem with Edelbrock heads?
[Re: 451Mopar]
#1266778
07/15/12 02:27 PM
07/15/12 02:27 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 15,439
Val-haul-ass... eventually
BradH
Taking time off to work on my car
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Taking time off to work on my car
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 15,439
Val-haul-ass... eventually
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My concerns about breaking those center pedestals increased x 10 after reading through this thread. Sounds like there's some additional work to do before the heads go on the engine. Thanks.
Last edited by BradH; 07/15/12 02:40 PM.
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Re: Anyone have problem with Edelbrock heads?
[Re: BradH]
#1266780
07/15/12 02:37 PM
07/15/12 02:37 PM
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Joined: May 2008
Posts: 5,399
Aurora, Colorado
451Mopar
OP
master
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OP
master
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 5,399
Aurora, Colorado
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Quote:
Quote:
... closed pressure is 275#... open... just over 700#... 3/8"x0.089" wall pushrods.
Also wanted to mention that everything I've seen and heard re: pushrods these days is that yours aren't beefy enough for that much spring pressure / RPM / aggressive lobes.
It probably has nothing to do w/ breaking the shaft pedestals, but could definitely have an impact on valve train longevity. I think most engine builders I deal with would be suggesting at least .120" walls in a 3/8" diam. pushrod.
The pushrods seem OK I have not bent one, but they may be flexing? I was thinking of going to the 0.120 wall pushrods.
Since I have the engine out, I am thinking of having deeper valve reliefs put in the pistons, re-balance it, and get a slightly larger cam like I originally planed. I went to a smaller cam when I noticed I would run into P-V clearance problems with the bigger cam.
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Re: Anyone have problem with Edelbrock heads?
[Re: BradH]
#1266782
07/17/12 05:48 PM
07/17/12 05:48 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 15,439
Val-haul-ass... eventually
BradH
Taking time off to work on my car
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Taking time off to work on my car
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 15,439
Val-haul-ass... eventually
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And a dumb question: Are both of the people who've posted having this problem running the Max Wedge version of the Victor head, or just the OP? I'm curious because I was just looking over Edelbrock's online catalog (http://www.edelbrock.com/zmags/automotive.shtml) and noticed that on page 147 the pictures show the center pedestal being machined noticeably narrower on the MW version than on the standard Victor. EDIT: Now I'm not sure what the deal is... found some pics of a standard Victor w/ the same narrower center pedestal as the catalog MW Victor shows. Different manufacturing runs, perhaps? 
Last edited by BradH; 07/17/12 06:09 PM.
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Re: Anyone have problem with Edelbrock heads?
[Re: Jeremiah]
#1266786
07/18/12 04:49 PM
07/18/12 04:49 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 15,439
Val-haul-ass... eventually
BradH
Taking time off to work on my car
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Taking time off to work on my car
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 15,439
Val-haul-ass... eventually
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Quote:
I talked to a technician at Edelbrock and he stated that they have not seen many failures of this type...
I noticed you said "many", rather than "any". That tells me they've seen enough to know it's an issue... 
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Re: Anyone have problem with Edelbrock heads?
[Re: BradH]
#1266789
07/20/12 01:37 AM
07/20/12 01:37 AM
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Joined: May 2008
Posts: 5,399
Aurora, Colorado
451Mopar
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Joined: May 2008
Posts: 5,399
Aurora, Colorado
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Quote:
Quote:
... I think the right thing to do would be moving the helicoil farther down in the hole where there is more meat.
After checking over two sets of the standard Victors last night that both have the same narrow center pedestal, I'm of the same opinion that the heli-coil location is the issue.
Is the Time-Sert kit shown above a legit DIY deal, or should I work w/ a local machine shop to ensure this isn't botched up? I've installed plenty of heli-coils before, but this job looks to be a little different since it involves drilling much deeper than the existing heli-coil, etc.
If your head is not broken, If you could spin the heli-coil down another 1/2" or so, I think it would be OK, but the insert tang may have been broken off at the factory, so you may have to remove the old one before installing another one deeper. The time-sert is nice, but the top has a step in it that you countersink for. It works great if you have broken the stand and milled the surface flat, but with the stock stand, I would not make the hole larger in diameter because the stand is pretty narrow.
The time-sert can be done by hand like a heli-coil, but a drill press will ensure the hole you drill is perpendicular to the deck, and in-line with the other rocker shaft hold down fasteners.
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Did you ever get yours mocked up,yet? 
