FAQs: Cylinder Heads

1. Why do Brzezinski Racing Products heads cost more than the heads found in the performance warehouses?

The simple answer is the heads are not the same.   

Compare the long term avantages of heads from Brzezinski Racing Products

The choice is yours. If you want to own a winning set of heads built specifically for your application that will add 20 to 40 housepower and will last for several years, our heads are the way to go.

Simply put... "If you can find a better set of heads... buy them."

Here are more details on why Brzezinski Heads are better:

A. All of our heads are pressure tested. Now you might ask, “Why do brand new heads have to be pressure tested?”. The answer is because 16% of the brand new castings we have tested over the past 3 years leak right out of the box. This holds true for all the manufactures. So, we pressure test the heads before we work on them so you do not get a leaker.

B. All of our heads have the valve guides honed for proper clearance with a Sunnen diamond valve guide honing system. Most of the heads come from the factory with the guide clearance a bit too tight. After the guides are honed, our heads receive a Serdi performance, flow bench developed valve job. Investing 2 to 3 hours honing guides and a performance valve job is simply not done to the “warehouse heads”. The warehouse heads are simply taken out of the box and put together.

C. Most of our heads are machined for spring locators or spring cups. Also, the valve length is adjusted so the tip of the stems are within .020” for better rocker arm geometry.

D. We install Ferrea 5000 or 6000 series valves in our flat tappet cam heads and the Ferrea Competition Plus series valves in the roller cam heads. For better air flow, the valves are machined and backcut. What we like about the Ferrea valve is that they have a much thicker margin that will last for several valve jobs. Other valves, especially the lower price ones, have a thin -- about .050”- margin that will not last as long and do not flow as well.  We have taken apart many sets of the "warehouse heads" and found that the valves are not even heat treated.  Non-heat treated valves are fine for a street motor but not a race engine.

E. We install the best brand name parts like Manley guide plates and valve spring locators, ARP rocker studs, Crane or Isky spring, CV Products retainers and locks. Listed on your receipt are the part numbers for all the components installed in your heads. What this means to you is that you can get replacement parts anywhere.

The choice is yours. If you want to own a winning set of heads built specifically for your application that will add 20 to 40 housepower and will last for several years, our heads are the way to go.

2. Will the modifications to my heads such as the “UnderCover Porting” or “Acid Porting” get noticed?

Upon a visual inspection of our modified ports with the valves installed it is not possible to notice the modifications. In order for our alterations to be noticed the inspection procedure must be very tough, perhaps with gauges or volume checks of the ports, and carried out by a person that really knows what their are doing.

We have performed these types of modifications to plenty of classes where the person putting the engine together couldn't even tell if the heads have been modified.

3. Which head is best for my class?

There is not one best head for all the different applications. What will work well on a 3,100 pound street stock with a cast iron intake and 2 barrel will not work well on a 2,400 pound late model with an aluminum intake and 4 barrel?

To accurately recommend a head for your particular application we go through a 15 to 20 question check list to better understand your combination, rules and performance needs. This takes 10 to 15 minutes over the telephone.

With over 1,000 race tracks in the country, with as many sets of ever-changing rules, the need to totally understand your rules is essential. Sure this does take a little time but isn't having the correct combination worth the extra effort?

For your convenience, we have a Cylinder Head Design Form that you can fill out online.

4. Will Brzezinski rework my new or used heads?

Yes, we’ll be happy to modify your heads. About 40% of our cylinder head work is on used or customer supplied heads. Remember that our CNC programs are designed for new heads that have not been surfaced. For that reason, we are somewhat limited to the amount of CNC work we can perform on heads that have been surfaced. However, we can hand port heads that have been either flat cut or angle milled.

5. Does Brzezinski modify heads other than small-block Chevy?

Yes, we rework and/or port a variety of head types, mostly cast-iron, but we have modified plenty of sets of aluminum heads as well.

The “UnderCover” type of modifications are the most frequently requested modifications for small-block Chevy heads as well as Ford small-block, W-2, Pinto, big-block Chevy and others.

6. Do you do your own CNC machining “In House”?

Yes, currently we have 3 CNC machining centers. Having our own machining centers allows us to control the delivery and quality of the heads. Also, it strengthens program development for other types of heads.