Are these heads any good?

[Mike65 475]

I have an opportunity to purchase a pair of Ford Motorsport aluminum cylinder heads #- M-6049-X306 with 1.6 roller rockers & a hydraulic roller camshaft #- M-6250-B303 from a guy at work. He just purchased a M-6007-X302B crate engine & he wants to put better heads on it because he is going to run a supercharger. He offered the heads with the rockers, the push rods, & the cam for $900.00. I want to use them on my 87 5.0 that is going to go in my 69 Coupe. Does this seem like a good deal, & are these heads good for a weekend cruiser?. The Coupe is going to have a T-5 5spd, & has 3.50 rear gears. 

[Rsanter 152]

In general they are good heads from everything I know.

are they the best? Well the best at what? Flow? HP?....etc

from everything I know the Motorsport stuff is generally very good stuff but often overlooked as you can get stuff a little cheaper that may be a little better.

for the price...heads, rockers, and push rods. I don’t see how you could go wrong.

this sounds like new stuff that it seems to me you will be paying lightly used price for

 

bob

[MN69Grande 203]

OK here are my 2 cents.  I have almost this same setup from a Ford Crate engine.  Honestly the driving characteristics are nice.  The power comes in just right for most cruising and a bit of spirited driving I don't think it would be great on a track.

The heads are noisy and impossible to get quiet.  They use a pedestal mounted design where you pre-set the load on the rocker. You get them in spec by adding shims or grinding the pedestal down until the valve lash is with-in spec (checked with a feeler gauge).  Once in spec you are not supposed to add any additional torque to quiet them down.   The noise is a common complaint (I've seen people write that they think it sounds like sewing machines under the hood) if you search out on the web and it drives me a little crazy. 

If I were to do it over again the big change I would make is when I was selecting a crate engine I would have gone with the crate motor the had the Edelbrock top end setup over the GT-40x.  But that is me.  And it isn't worth the cost/effort to change for me now unless I'm going with a bigger cam and more wild heads.

Now price wise -

The heads on Summit go for $600
The Cam by itself is $200 with lifters and spider tray $425
The Rockers run $200 but are discontinued (M-6564-B351)
Push rods run what $100 (do these come with the deal?)

So assuming the lifters are included (though I don't know if I'd reuse lifers or push rods) the price new is ~1325.  Also I can't remember if push rod guides are needed (or if they are included in what is being sold here) so that could add to the price.  So the price is more than 30% discounted over new.  If that price is without lifters or you will need to replace the lifters you really aren't getting much of a discount to live with the risks of used parts.

How many miles are on the parts? Have they been independently inspected for wear by a good engine builder?

You'll get decent power for the money.  But you might be happier mix and matching new components.  Trick Flow has some really affordable heads ($660 on up) with stud mount rockers.  Edelbrock run more ($800 on up) but seem to be a popular option.

 

I don't know maybe other people like the Ped-Mount rockers, I think they are a pain and noisy.  Is the guys engine running now?  What do you think of the sound?

[1969_Mach1 333]

Those heads are pretty good for a 302.  The B303 cam is I think made by Crane and is a popular Ford Racing cam in 302 motors.  It seems to work pretty well and have good drivability.  I use Ford Racing's X303 cam, Ford Racing tie bar hyd. roller lifters, and matching valve springs in a 351W and have been happy with it.  Good drivability decent power, and nice not too radical idle.

Ford Racing parts are good quality and have been tested.  They are mainly for cars that see mostly street driving so are not overly radical.  I think that's partly why they are overlooked by many people. 

[Rsanter 152]

Above the price was mentioned at $600 for the heads. I think you need to look as I beliventhat those heads are $600 each so $1200 for the pair.

i was assuming they were $1000 a pair and the edelbrock heads are $950 a pair.

so I was basing my opinion on that and that it sounded like these were either new or have very low miles on them.

if this is the case I think it’s a fair deal. If they have a bunch of miles then I would just spend a little more and buy new

 

bob

[MN69Grande 203]

8 hours ago, Rsanter said:

Above the price was mentioned at $600 for the heads. I think you need to look as I beliventhat those heads are $600 each so $1200 for the pair.

i was assuming they were $1000 a pair and the edelbrock heads are $950 a pair.

so I was basing my opinion on that and that it sounded like these were either new or have very low miles on them.

if this is the case I think it’s a fair deal. If they have a bunch of miles then I would just spend a little more and buy new

 

bob

I've never purchased heads I didn't realize they were individual.  Mine came with the motor. Since that is the case - then money wise this is like 1/2 price.  Assuming everything is low miles and in good shape.

[1969_Mach1 333]

Ford Racing parts are good.  I use their stuff whenever that have what I am looking for.  I have their X303 cam, matching tie bar hyd. roller lifters and valve springs in my 351W.  Happy with them.  Good quality, not overkill, made for cars that see mostly street use and need good reliability.

[Vicfreg 771]

I have a Roller Cam 5.0 in my '68, and have a similar set up. I chose the GT-40 heads because I got a deal on them, and have the B-303 cam, which I really like.  It sounds great, and with my 3.73 rear, and a T-5Z, the car shifts and runs great.

I have heard the same comment about the adjustments on the "X" heads.  That is why I avoided them. But, the price point is really good.  So, might want to take a chance.  The GT 40 heads and rockers are easy to adjust, pretty old school

I also used a stock distributor and Duraspark box from a 1985 Mustang GT (the only carbureted version).  I am very happy with that.  Painless sells a harness that you use with a ballast resistor, so you can ditch the "pink" resistor wire, and use a nice factory ignition system.   

 

[Mike65 475]

Well it looks like a done deal on the heads & the cam. I should be picking them up next week. Next question for me to ponder is the engine needs a refresh, new rings, bearings, & seals. Do I leave the bottom end stock, or stroke it?. The car is only going to be used as a weekend cruiser.