Mid 12's, buy a set of reconditioned Indy heads for $500. They come with new Stainless 2.02 / 1.60 valves, bronze guides, springs, seals, locks, retainers. Take them apart, pocket port and gasket match them, and that should put you in the mid 12 range on the cheap.
Still the best suggestion for the $ and what the OP wants to accomplish.
Maybe, maybe not.
IMO, it would depend on if you can do the post-purchase work yourself(or have a friend who can do it really cheap), or if you're going to have to pay another shop to disassemble the heads, do the porting, clean and check everything, and put them back together.
From what ive seen, the valve jobs from Aerohead can be pretty "iffy".
If someone brings me a set of heads to work on, and they want them back assembled and "ready to run", and the valve job sucks....... For me to be the last shop to work on them, if I'm putting them together to run, they're going to get "fixed".
I can see where someone could
easily spend another $400-500 on some rebuilt Aerohead heads if they bring them to another shop for some porting and a look over.
If you can do the additional work yourself, and aren't too fussy about the valve job, then I agree that starting with some rebuilt Aeroheads is probably the least expensive way to get there.
