Making Aluminum Heads Legal for all SuperStockers

[69ss/rs]

Mark Callanan, did you not read the original post; I said SuperStock, not Stock. I can tell you don't own a SuperStocker or you would know what I am talking about. If the manufacturers still produced these heads I wouldn't have a problem, but they don't. If you have and older combo the head supplies are getting limited along with the quality, and if NHRA doesn't address this issue soon than there won't be any older motor combos out there any more. So as you put it stepping up isn't the problem. Mopar is the only one that has stepped up by producing new old stock for the Hemi.

[Ernie Neal]

Definately no to the aluminum head suggestion. I don't where you get the cheap to repair thing. I had to get all my seats replaced with a better material for the seats were being beat into the aluminum. Ernie

[PONTIAC'S REVENGE]

Good question!

As I understand it, and it was true in our case, that the aluminum heads are only considered as a replacement when the heads are extremely rare and almost unattainable. To purchase a set of Pontiac hypo heads, for example, your looking at $3k-$4k for castings that more than likely have been welded or leak, if you can find them at all. I bought 3 sets before I could even start porting and it took 4 years to find them!!! The "don't go chrome it" car collector guys are all over that stuff making it very difficult to run your favorite combo.

I cant think of any logical reason to open it up to plentiful heads that you can still find readily attainable and affordable.

As a business owner I think NHRA should move this direction in certain cases on a strick individual basis. It took Lynn several years to get ours approved, but if you have a legitimate case and are persistent NHRA will listen.

As all these combos start getting older, I'd hate to see some of the older hypo cars disappear because the manufacturer is oob or unwilling to participate. Hats off to you guys that happen to have a manufacturer that willing to participate. Its way easier for NHRA to deal with an aftermarket company that's a potential sponsor. The big three are too busy trying to survive against all imports and the epa

Stacy McCarty
GTAA PONTIAC'S REVENGE

[Mike Keener]

Personally I don't see any problem with begining a blend of approved aluminum heads into the mix in SS as long as racers wishing to run their current iron headed combo's can run off their status quo index and HP factors. In other words if you want to run your 327-275 Chevy with iron heads- you can. If you elect to run the aluminum replacement head at a new HP factor that's fine as well.

What we don't want or need is being forced to build new heads to be competitive because of any rule change. This way everybody wins and the "have your cake and eat it too" theory is alive and well.

There are already plenty of classes where an aluminum head and a cast iron head combo already exist so in reality much of the system I speak of is already taking place. And, let's face it, sooner or later alumminum and cast iron replacement heads will have to be accepted for the very reasons Stacy pointed out in his thread.

I can certainly understand the reluctance of any racer not wishing to pour the cost to prep a set of competitive SS heads into a pair of 30 year old castings never knowing how long they will hold up.

Mike Keener