Jones Head - Racers Only

[TILBURG]

Originally Posted by Erik Jones

Tilburg,

Hopefully i can clear up some of the issues with this whole deal. NHRA actually has a pretty strict guideline on their accepted products. I have been working on making parts and getting them approved and on the list for about 2 years. I have Pistons and now Cylinder Heads along with other parts like rockers, carb plates etc.. that i designed to fix specific problem. All of the NHRA accepted products have to be available to the general public and that is exactly what i have done. Anyone can buy my accepted products directly as stated on my web site.

With that being said i followed the same procedure as any of the companies on the list and waited my turn. I have heard for years that we need a smaller casting to start with so that is what i did. This is a fully machined head with seats and guides installed (in the approved location) just like the 4 other approved SBC heads on the list except i eliminated the "bogus welding" so any racer could start with the exact same platform as everyone else without the cost. In my opinion this levels the ball field. NHRA knows exactly who casts the heads because that is the first requirement on the letter that gets submitted. This is no different that the FE Pro Port casting that we have had for years.

Erik,
Im not here to say you did anything wrong in you acceptance process with NHRA. Don't think you did. I felt like you with all the welding BS that is needed it would have been nice if they took a core they already have approved and just made the ports Smaller. Which would cut costs and free up time in small shops which is where most of these things are produced. And when something blows up it don't take 6 months to get back on the track. BUT as it was brought up to me you do that anyone can do it. Edelbrock might as well just sell you a ported head. Put that way I guess it's better to maybe rethink my thoughts on that. I wish you the very best on your endeavor and I'm sure it will be fast stuff as your stuff is. Like I said earlier if this is what the racers want feed it to them. I'm out. Only thing I did miss who owns the casting

[Larry Fulton]

I wonder, If these heads that Eric wants to produce for SS, were made and sold by an Edelbrock, or another manufacture, would there be such an uproar?

SS & "STOCK" are both so far removed and advanced from the original intent of the rules already, I can't help but think that these castings wouldn't save you a couple of bucks in the long run.

Just my opinion.

[Jeff Dona SS3269]

Do these heads come with the seats and guides installed from the manufacturer or is this done at your shop Eric? Jeff Dona ss 3269

[Erik Jones]

Originally Posted by Jeff Dona SS3269

Do these heads come with the seats and guides installed from the manufacturer or is this done at your shop Eric? Jeff Dona ss 3269

Jeff

The castings are delivered to me in raw form. I machine the cylinder head to meet exactly what i sent to NHRA. There are 3 machining operations that cover the 3 cylinder heads i submitted, 283 thru 327 (small seat dia), 327 thru 400 (large seat dia) and LT1 (large seat,center bolt cover and water holes).

I will be posting a picture later of the valve bowl with seats installed to show how moving the seat and guide location would require welding just like it does on the 4 other replacement castings.

[Erik Jones]

Joey, John, Sean

You guys have some good points and let me try to explain those.

"Controlling the Casting or Manipulation of the castings"
Its not as easy as it sounds, when i started this whole deal it was a big eye opener... I thought the foundries could "just add material and make me a head". Any time you want to move or add material it requires a mold to do so and they are expensive to do this. The process of casting a head is very expensive. This casting has everything it needs to prep a current day super stock head to legal specs with no welding....I have no need to "Hand scrape or manipulate the casting". It is available to everyone to use in the same form.

"Moving guide locations"
The heads are sold with seats and guides installed and it would require the same amount of work and welding to move them as it would for the 4 other heads on the list. You still need to remove the seats and guides, weld them up (including the valve bowl) do your offset and re install the seats/guides. Same process as you would do for any cylinder head.

"Bogus welding"
I meant this in the form of external welding. All welding inside the ports is legal, external is not.

"Cost"
To prep a set of current day heads for Super Stock you will have a min of $7500 in them and can be as high as 14K. If you start with a casting like the FE Pro Port head from Edelbrock you eliminate about 2K in welding...This was the whole point of doing this when they submitted that head 8 years ago. Another side to this is if you destroy a head it is way easier to take a new casting, run a cnc program thru it, cut the valve job and flat mill it and be done.

In my opinion, the combos that have a replacement head right now make it unfair to those who don't... now everyone has the same part to start with and it is up to the head porter and engine builder to make a better piece instead of having a better part to start with.

[SS734]

Originally Posted by Erik Jones

Joey, John, Sean

You guys have some good points and let me try to explain those.

"Controlling the Casting or Manipulation of the castings"
Its not as easy as it sounds, when i started this whole deal it was a big eye opener... I thought the foundries could "just add material and make me a head". Any time you want to move or add material it requires a mold to do so and they are expensive to do this. The process of casting a head is very expensive. This casting has everything it needs to prep a current day super stock head to legal specs with no welding....I have no need to "Hand scrape or manipulate the casting". It is available to everyone to use in the same form.

"Moving guide locations"
The heads are sold with seats and guides installed and it would require the same amount of work and welding to move them as it would for the 4 other heads on the list. You still need to remove the seats and guides, weld them up (including the valve bowl) do your offset and re install the seats/guides. Same process as you would do for any cylinder head.

"Bogus welding"
I meant this in the form of external welding. All welding inside the ports is legal, external is not.

"Cost"
To prep a set of current day heads for Super Stock you will have a min of $7500 in them and can be as high as 14K. If you start with a casting like the FE Pro Port head from Edelbrock you eliminate about 2K in welding...This was the whole point of doing this when they submitted that head 8 years ago. Another side to this is if you destroy a head it is way easier to take a new casting, run a cnc program thru it, cut the valve job and flat mill it and be done.

In my opinion, the combos that have a replacement head right now make it unfair to those who don't... now everyone has the same part to start with and it is up to the head porter and engine builder to make a better piece instead of having a better part to start with.

What is the Edelbrock casting number you are refering to regarding the accepted "FE pro-port head"?


Rich Pinoski SS734

[SS734]

I see it now Edelbrock 61857

[Ronterrell]

First off I would like to thank Mr. Jones, I consider him an innovator in our sport and along with that comes controversy. If the heads listed in his website are approved by the NHRA and meet OEM Specs when finished, along with a HP. Penalty for the replacement heads, what’s the problem?

As for me I will welcome to new Heads, as I have experienced water leaks on every pair of heads I have purchased. The porter heads would be a cheaper alternative.

Ron Terrell
SS-3215