If I purchased a set of the 440 source stealth aluminum heads do I need to notch the tops of the cylinders for valve clearance? Engine is a 383.
Thanks

No.
R.

but be sure to mock it up and check pushrod clearance

That and have them checked before you install them.Ive had mine on for 4 years.No problems so far.Rocky

Just follow the directions that come with them and you will be fine, no need to piss your hard earned $$ away to have them checked. They run fine outta the box!

As with any performance part its cheap insurance to have them checked.My shop charged me 220 bucks to install new seals as the ones they came with didnt work with my new springs.He provided the seals.Installed the springs new retainers and super locks.Checked all the clearances and height and coil bind.He also backcut the valves as he didnt like them and lapped them in.He even cleaned the ports a bit also.Not bad for under 250 bucks.Rocky

I guess your more anal tha others are. Mine have been on for over a year and 2500 miles with no problems. To each there own!!

I check every head before I use it. Bolt on out of the box is dangerous no matter who makes it. I have had more than one brand with either bad clearances,missing spring shims,a big chunk of casting flash ready to break off and end up in the oil pan,......the list goes on.
Its not being anal,its called proper engine building.
Just my
Keith

One of the things that always amazes me here on MOPARTS is the complete disregard for the possibility that items one purchases just might be as advertised and does not require that extensive of scrutiny and just might work. Whether or not it is done really is up to the individual. In my case...After exhaustive amounts of research on the 440 Heads, I went with them. And yes basically right out of the box. That is not to say that I did not inspect them myself at all. I happen to know a bit about this hobby and put those skills to use. These Heads come with some specific instructions and if followed will work just fine as a "Bolt and Go". To say that one is better off having them inspected by a mechanic is only as good as said mechanic's ability. I have seen quite a few that are not worth the pot to "P33" in when it comes to being a "Mechanic". So I rely on my acquired mechanical training and skills to do it myself. I can read and follow instructions. I am technically trained and can follow manuals and directives. And I can determine if there is a problem or not. In this case there was only one issue and that was the push rod clearencing that was required per 440 Source instructions. All of the rest of the components were spot on. The bottom line here is all I am saying is that for a "Bolt and Go" application, after following their instructions, along my abilities, I determined that they were OK and proceeded. There is no right way or wrong way to this. I guess in this case too, some things a better left unsaid....

I would recommend disassembling and checking or having a shop do it if you don't have the tools/know how.

I bought a pair around July. I took them apart to check them out. They came with comp 7 degree locks and retainers. Everything was pretty nice, and I hand lapped all of the valves. They produced a nice pattern with minimal lapping.

One of the valve faces looked like it was machined funny, but there was nothing wrong with it. I'm not sure how to explain it, but it just had a different look in the center of the face, almost like the machinist stopped, and then re-continued. It was nothing physically different, just cosmetic.

Two of the valves were a bit tough to pull out of the guides. The valve stems had decent clearance with the guides. I did not measure valvestem play, as there appeared to be none and my equipment wouldn't be accurate enough to measure .001 or whatever minimal amount there was. That being said they were not too tight, they felt perfect to me. I've run heads with MUCH tighter feeling guides that were fine (with my fingers crossed).

The reason that the two valves were tough to pull out of the guides: Aluminum shavings. A fair amount, not one or two shavings, but a collection that was enough to sort of fill in the recession for the lock on the stem by the time the valve was out

The shavings did not appear to cause any damage to the guides luckily (I sprayed a lot of oil and was cautious when they didn't want to come out).

Also, apparently not all off the shelf head gaskets work with these heads still. I had a pair of the fel pro blues that come in the re-gasket kits (4.41 inch bore) and they overhung into one combustion chamber on each head (I believe it was cylinders 3 and 6 (same chamber on both heads, would orientate as 3 or 6 depending on the bank you installed it on).

The ports looked nice, and looked like they had a little bit of cleanup work done after the fact by hand. Nothing drastic, but a little bit of work to clean them up in a few spots.

This is just an amateur, wanna be engine builders opinion. Have them checked or check them out yourself. Its not hard if you have a valve spring compressor, and summit has tools to check valve spring height for 50-60 bucks .I believe they have bench "C Clamp" style valve spring compressors for about the same price. The compressor is a nice investment to make.

Also, I think it goes without saying, but I had to clearance for 3/8 pushrods. A 5/16 checker pushrod I had was pretty close, but would have been ok.

I haven't CC'd the combustion chambers yet, the heads are still off (I've been building this engine for literally 5 months as money and time allows, and my next summit purchase is going to be a burette for CC combustion chambers. I will report those findings eventually.

If I purchased another set, I would still have them checked. Mine are from the second batch sold (had to wait as initial batch sold out quickly) and I had them checked at the machine shop along with all my engine parts. They found 5 valves with hair thin valve to seat contact area. I would not have believed them had I not seen it myself before I ok'd the 3 angle valve job. I would say that they were coming with marginal single angle valve jobs when I purchased mine early on. I'm glad I had them checked. Now if you add what I paid to have them redone and the cost of them then it puts you real close to a set of Eddy's made in USA......

not a sermon, just a thought.

For what its worth,I have seen more issues with Edelbrock heads than Stealth heads. I will be the first to admit that Im not the biggest engine builder around,and see more Edelbrock heads than any other. So it may be the fact that Ive seen more Edelbrock heads to see the problems.
This is why I said to inspect ANY head before installing. Just good procedure,but some guys throw rings and bearings in an engine and never check clearances. I wouldn't recommend that either but I have seen guys get away with it.

Keith

Thanks a lot Ron! I had to go back and change it you big bully.
I meant pickled herring !
Keith

There is a big difference between a Mechanic and a machinist.My machinist was a perfectionist.Ive turned wrenches as a pro for over 30 years.I still brought my stuff to him to do.Lots of stuff Id check but with a good shop Its cheap insurance.Yeah a lot of people jus buy and bolt on.Some get away with it some dont.My buddy bought a hi buck set of heads for his Camaro.Didnt check them and in less than 100 miles had lots of problems.Between bent push rods and having to replace guides he had a lot more than having a shop check them.Rocky

I visually inspected mine and bolted them on. But I agree, it's best to have them looked over. If I had someone convenient to me that I trusted, I would have had them checked, but I rolled the dice... So far so good after 3000 miles.