Aluminum verses Cast Iron Heads

[My3window]

I'm been giving some thought to replacing my 1934 cast iron heads with aluminum heads to dress-up my engine a bit. I was wondering if anyone has encountered disadvantages running aluminum rather that cast iron heads?

[Jason in TX]

The feeling of frustration when the aluminum gets dirty. Cast iron you can deal with it better!

On a more serious note.. I was excited to get a set of cyclone heads for my 1940. A couple days before the big show, I pull my cast iron heads, only to realize that stock, the studs are all different lengths on a cast iron head. I didn't think of that before.

They cyclone needs all long studs like the top row. Great. Not looking forward to pulling about 40 studs out, possibly breaking them, and putting in new studs.

[Tom's36coupe]

I really love my Edelbrock heads, although the Offenhauser models look cool too. Speaking of cool, my motor seems to run better and cooler with the aluminum heads as well. In my opinion it just makes the motor really stand out.

[David J]

No , Remember to use hardened washers with the aluminum heads & on your 34 the studs are the same cast - aluminum .

Originally Posted by My3window

I'm been giving some thought to replacing my 1934 cast iron heads with aluminum heads to dress-up my engine a bit. I was wondering if anyone has encountered disadvantages running aluminum rather that cast iron heads?

[19Fordy]

Disadvatages; High cost, electrolysis, keeping them clean, high cost of polishing them. Advatages: look cool, increased heat dissapation, lighter in weight. But, I read somewhere that polishing alum heads actually reduces heat dissipation of alum heads.Here's a lot of info and opinions re: pros and cons.
http://www.google.com/search?sourcei...aluminum+heads

[jimTN]

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Original Ford alum heads are bad to corrode because of the casting composition. Several years ago someone out on the left coast made up a batch of new ones with current state of the art alumn. Believe there was a write up in the EV8 mag about them at the time. Every now an then I see a set of the new batch up for sale, might be something to consider.

[My3window]

Thanks to all who responded. I've been a member now for a couple weeks and every question I've asked has been addressed.

[Binx]

Either satisfy enthusiasts. When they see finned aluminum they say "Ooooo". When they see stock they say "Ahhhh". The flathead is a crowd-pleaser either way. Make it look the way you want.

Lonnie

[Bassman/NZ]

Personally, I prefer painted heads with chrome acorn nuts, which just shows that everyone is different. Be aware that it may or may not be a simple operation to change heads. You'll need a set of long head studs from Speedway, Spadaro or most any supplier, and you'll need to check the clearance over your pistons. On a stock, undecked engine you may or may not have to mill the heads, and you may or may not have to do a little unshrouding work around the valves, although this is probably unlikely. There are also a multitude of heads out there, Edelbrock (script and block lettering), Offy, Cyclone, MCF, Sharp, Navarro, FlatAttack and more. Used, there are dozens of brands, but most are spendy if they're in good condition.

[blucar]

When the engine in my '36 Ford (59AB) was first built in 1954 I put Offy heads to match the Offy intake on it... Within a couple of years I had trouble with leaking head gaskets.. I blew a head gasket in the middle of the night in the Nevada desert.. fortunately head gaskets were easy to come by in 1955 so a shade tree repair got the car going and back to Vegas, where a more perminate repair was made..
By 1958 the heads were so badly eaten up from electrolysis they were discarded in favor of modified stock heads..
I am considering having the engine freshened up, it has not been touched except for general maintenance since 1959. I might consider a new set of Offy heads, but then again the chrome acorn nut covers look pretty good..
In lieu of painting the engine red when it is freshened up, I think I will paint it the correct '36 Ford dark green..

[19Fordy]

Go with alum. heads and chrome acorn nuts as in photo. Also, instead of using OFFY, you might want to use a head that flows more water.

[Walt Dupont--Me.]

Originally Posted by blucar

When the engine in my '36 Ford (59AB) was first built in 1954 I put Offy heads to match the Offy intake on it... Within a couple of years I had trouble with leaking head gaskets.. I blew a head gasket in the middle of the night in the Nevada desert.. fortunately head gaskets were easy to come by in 1955 so a shade tree repair got the car going and back to Vegas, where a more perminate repair was made..
By 1958 the heads were so badly eaten up from electrolysis they were discarded in favor of modified stock heads..
I am considering having the engine freshened up, it has not been touched except for general maintenance since 1959. I might consider a new set of Offy heads, but then again the chrome acorn nut covers look pretty good..
In lieu of painting the engine red when it is freshened up, I think I will paint it the correct '36 Ford dark green..

What were you useing besides water in you engine when you heads became all corroided back in 1958? Walt

[Tom's36coupe]

19Fordy, Love your Motor city flathead heads! Sure wish they were still around to buy. I already had bought my Edelbrock heads when I saw them for the first time. I heard that Mark Kirby and his group are getting closer to having the new aluminum Flathead motor ready for production. They have one running in a car and its a real beast, tons of tourque and very strong. Long live the Flathead!

[dixiejak]

FYI, Aluminum is one of the greatest scavengers of electrolosis from steel. The only scavenger greater than aluminum, is magnesium, which sacrifices itself ultimately into a powder and then disappears, once it is used up by electrolosis, as used in magnesium anodes on the hulls of ships below the water line. So this should give one pause to ever want to use two dissimilar metals such as steel and aluminum or steel and magnesium next to each other, without some sort of barrier to fend off the process of electrolisis being completed between the two. Years ago, in high school in 1944, my buddy and I had just rebuilt a 36 Ford flathead and as we were filling the radiator up with water just before starting it up, water started coming out of the carburetor. This was our teachable moment on using aluminum heads, which I believe were used by Henry for a couple of years around 35 and 36. dixiejak

[sturgis 39]

The older hoodlums in my neighborhood painted their flatheads red and used chrome acorn nuts. I still like this combination. John Klambach was one of the neighborhood hoodlums. He died recently. He got married when he was a senior in high school. He worked straight nights in the mine and went to college during the day. He got kicked out of high school for smoking in the boys room. He had all kinds of jalopies and built one for his sister. He had an old Indian or Harley. He then started racing 250 Ducati and Greeve Motorcycles. He had trophies all over the house. He kept the neighborhood interesting. He was real successful in his career. Multi Millionaire.

He had a red and black 36 Ford four door for a jalopy at one time. It was abandoned out in the woods. It sat in the woods for 30 years. I would think of him every time I saw the car. It disappeared about 12 years ago.

[fortyfords]

I'm curious, tons of cars come with aluminum heads these days and run hundreds of thousands of miles for decades and the aluminum heads are like new inside when ever I got to see one apart. Personally, I can't see a problem either way you choose to go. I ran a green painted iron headflatty with chrome acorns nuts but loved the aluminum head flatties as much. I know the aluminum heads aren't cheap though. good luck

[len]

Whats the best head gasket to use under aluminum heads? copper or composition.

[blucar]

Walt Dupont, et.all.... I lived in the inter mountain west, mainly Idaho in the early 50's when I had aluminum heads on my engine, it was my general practice to run anti-freeze year round in engines. When I moved to Southern Nevada and then Los Angeles, anti-freeze was not required so I used water with 'soluble oil' added as a rust inhibutor.
In the '50-60's none of us were smart enough to know anything about the problems of electrolysis. I believe that the quality of the aluminum and the coolant, was most likely not up to the standards of today.
Yes... My use of soluble oil probably hastened the demise of my Offy heads, but then how was I to know.... Hind sight is 20/20
When aluminum water pumps and/or engines started appearing in the mid 1960's, Buick and Olds small V8's being some of the first, many people had a lot of trouble with them because of the general habit of using water in the cooling systems...

[sturgis 39]

I think Speedway and other suppliers sell cathodic protection. They provide a sacrificial anode that is eaten up first. New cars probably use them too.

[jkeesey]

New cars do not use the sacrificial anodes because the alluminum alloy used does not corrode like the old alloy. When henry started running alluminum heads it was a new concept and his alloy formula was not built to last. My grandfather and his buddies that professionally raced these cars told me stories about when they had to change a head they would just take a hammer to it and break it apart because the studs were corroded to the head and when they were that bad it wasn't worth trying to save.