it actually had a ton of snap before the heads went south. im not the first owner so im not entirely sure what all was done internally if anything to the engine, there was something said about it being .10 over cause it was a hotshot haul truck in its previous life. im not sure about all that but I know I could run with cobras and camaros all day long. now this happened and civics are starting to give me trouble.

as for the upgrade path im gonna stick with my superchips for now the rest of that money is for some rockers, 52mm tb, valve covers and a double roller timing chain. would be a shame to have all that done just to bend a valve due to a loose tchain.

I think sometime in the future i'll get a cam and an sct at the same time and perhaps an e-fan, several people claim to have big gains from all three.

 

it still has a lot of snap I just destroyed an ss silverado by like 3 car lengths we lined up twice, and I didn't even get a good start the first time but both times all he saw was tail lights. god I cant wait till I get those parts in...but I might need lots and lots of new tires

 

If you can swing it, Get the eddy's, use their head gaskets and you'll be gold. Better flow out of the box than the iron rams, a bump in the compression ratio, included springs good to .580 lift for your cam, and a stronger 3/8" stud rocker mount. Better weight distribution on the truck doesn't hurt either.

I don't believe the BS about dissimilar metals. Were that a problem, racers would have discovered it years ago. They are the kings of heat cycling.

 

I would like to get a set of AL heads but im too cheap to spend that much. I can take the extra money left over from a set of iron heads and make up the performance difference with another upgrade.

 

Actually if you go to the Hughes website and compare the OOTB Iron Rams to the OOTB Edelbrocks, they are vey close, but the Iron Ram flows better, escpecially where it counts in the .100-.400 inch area, where, even a high lift cam spends most of it's time. Given that you probably wouldn't see a difference in power. The higher compression would be good for power, but not so hot for detonation, given that these aren't quench engines from the factory. The dissimilar metal issue does have validity, this was the issue with the 1st gen neons, but with the proper gasket, namely Multi Layer Steel (MLS) it becomes a non issue.

 

Racers did discover it years ago.Thats why they use head STUDS.Not a real good comparison of a motor that runs 12 seconds at a time to a motor thats turns in 100k.Thats what the argument was about,durability.MLS gaskets have their own issues.Cold leaks,RA finish,and the deck better be spotless and gouge free.I can only imagine how many heads edelbrock has sold because they look fast.Cant compete with that logic. I would rather have a stock appearing motor that turns out 350 hp than a flashy motor that puts out 300,but thats just me.Iron rams all the way.

 

I actually may not be doing any mods whatsoever now. some c***sucker pulled out in front of the guy in front of me trying to cross 4 lanes of traffic at a busy intersection. the guy in front of me had just pulled out and was going maybe 30 and he barely missed the guy cutting lanes while I was doing the 55 limit with a minivan full of kids next to me. the light was green and I didn't know he was stopped cause of that truck. I hit the brakes and started to slide on the wet road, and had to choose between making a mini cooper into a micro cooper that was in the turn lane, hit the van with kids in it and put them into the intersection, or hit the truck that had stopped who luckly had a tow hitch. well I chose the tow hitch and now my bumper is screwed and my turn signal is busted. his truck wasn't hurt and he didn't even want my info cause he knew I couldn't help it.

but now im in the market for a new bumper if anyone has one in pretty good shape. good news is that's all that's damaged, the frame is fine, the brackets are still straight, and the fenders and hood are untouched.

i'll probably get some ebay headlights to replace those so if anyone wants a passenger headlight assembly its yours as soon as I get it replaced.

 

I have a set of turn signal housings

 

I had stated this same exact thing as you. That train of thought / mentality was founded around old school thought. Al was new, it was poorly cast, thin, recycled and was in some cases, just poorly designed. Couple that with the use of standard gaskets and you've got head gasket failures and warped heads.

This is where that stemmed from. Now, with the advent of new gasket material along with new designs in gasket design that allow movement without shearing the gasket, it's not common like it was a long time ago.

I was skeptical on running Eds on my truck too. Same comments that others made here- I made. Same thing- based on my knowledge of what I learned in the past.

I had spoken to several engineers as well as several engine builders who work on classic cars to Indy cars and, who have been building engines for 45 years and all said that it's not an issue now like it was in the past so long as you choose your gaskets wisely.

 

I appreciate the offer but I noticed that my headlight was aimed down too and I checked it and the adjustment tabs are broke off so I'm just ordered two new one piece assemblies along with a new bumper and trim.