TA Performance rover head roll call

V8WEDG · July 01, 2012, 09:26:27 PM

So I put down my deposit on a set of these heads last month and was wondering who else has as well since supposedly they will be done very soon.
Include how you ordered them and the engine setup they will be going on.

I ordered mine fully assembled with the 1.94" intake and 1.6" exhaust valves and stud mounted 1.6 ratio aluminum roller rockers.
They will be going on a 1996 rover 4.6 block bored and stroked with 96mm tophat sleeves childs & albert forged rods and je forged pistons.
Camshaft has not been selected but suggestions welcome.
I want to go as radical as I can for hyd flat tappet.

Looking forward to your responses and seeing what these heads can do in n/a applications!

-Robert

roverman · July 02, 2012, 11:37:10 AM

Robert, You mention a stroker crank. Forged I hope. With the power potential of these heads, cast crank durability is dubious. TA port the heads ? A cast cam will also be suspect, since the base circle is so small, for these engines,(heavier valve train). Even a mild build should produce over 400hp. Your car will likely need plentiful upgrades to properly utilize that power. I have been waiting since mid March, for my heads. Good Luck, roverman.

V8WEDG · July 02, 2012, 08:03:21 PM

roverman,

No, I was planning on offset grinding the stock 4.6 crank to 2.0".
I've never heard of any issues with the stock cranks, everything I have read says they are plenty strong, including the discussions I have found here on the forum:
http://forum.britishv8.org/read.php?6,13306

I am not getting the heads ported at all, just fully assembled. My original HP goal was 300whp. I figure I will exceed this no problem since the unported TA head flow numbers are still better than anything else ever available no matter how worked over, save maybe Wildcat heads.

This is a street car, not a drag or track car, so I have been upgrading lots of stuff (suspension, wheels&tires, brakes, 4 point cross-braced rollbar, etc) but will retain the stock LT77 trans and stock rear end for now. I figure I'll deal with them if/when I break them. Besides, I already have a spare rear end and two spare LT77s.

so if a cast cam won't cut it, what do you suggest and where to get it?

You also didn't mention in your post how you ordered your heads and the engine build you will be putting them on.

-Robert

roverman · July 03, 2012, 11:19:34 AM

Cast cam, for your build should be adequate. RPM and spring pressure will be determining factor. for cast use. May want to consider,"composite lifters",(this section). I ordered my bare heads in Jan. ? I shall port and flow. Likely Ti valves with 2.02 int. or 2.05". Possibly 3.9" bore(LS3), more room for larger valves. Texas mile/TR 8 assault car. Lenco and 9" ford. "Maxton nose".Cheers, roverman.

roverman · July 10, 2012, 12:06:37 PM

TA bare heads should arrive this week. Yea ! Now, how-bout an intake manifold ? roverman.

V8WEDG · July 10, 2012, 02:20:15 PM

That's great roverman! looking forward to seeing what you can do with them!

Are roverman and I really the only ones on the forum that has put a deposit down on TA heads?
According to TA I was either the 20th or 23rd person to put a deposit down.
Where are the other 20+ people who put a deposit down?

-Robert

roverman · July 10, 2012, 05:21:10 PM

Robert, It appears "most" others consider these a "secret weapon " ? Bare heads have NO valve seat angles, bowl/chamber or port blending. 26.6 lbs. w.o. guides or int. seats. 1nt. port is 1.95 sq. in and exh. is 1.15 sq. in. Cheers, roverman.

RobertE · July 10, 2012, 09:20:47 PM

What type of horsepower might one expect to make on a 4.8/4.9 Rover V8 w/ mild cam? I Just interested to see how they perform in comparison to other options.

roverman · July 10, 2012, 09:58:40 PM

Robert, that is a wide open question. Using these heads provides many unkowns such as what intake manifold ? I suppose something like a Harcourt might be matched to an un-ported TA,(intake port measures 1.118" x 1.878", same as a 64' gasket).While the floor of the intake port is raised approx. .3" over stock, this compares to 1.2" height with the stage II V6 head. IMHO, a lot of performance has been left behind, by not mimicing the V6 head. I don't see the point of using a mild cam with a, made for racing head. The flip side of this is, the basic int. and exh. port volumes are quite conservative. I can see the volumes being increased by 30-40%, without getting too thin,(a lot of porting). To sort of answer, an extremely mild build should net over 1hp/inch. This head weighs over 27lbs "empty" ! Don't consider it to save weight, but to make serious hp. At least at this point, I consider the TA head a better value, for making hp over the Merlin. Onward, roverman.

RobertE · July 11, 2012, 10:54:21 PM

Thanks for the reply Art - I also completely agree on the Merlin heads - very underwhelming for the price.

roverman · July 11, 2012, 11:18:27 PM

What I don't get, Why build a head,(TA), theoretically a "race" head, and make it more like a Merlin than a Stage II Buick V6 head ? That early 80's design flows 340 cfm + with straight- forward porting. With skilled porting, the Merlin does well for it's limited port volumes. Unported, it's a waste of $'s compared to a 64' head. Why would you cast a RACE head with the same size intake ports as a 64' head , with volume potential increase of 30-40% and a 3.6" wide chamber ? Anyone have some answers ? Onward, roverman.

minorv8 · July 12, 2012, 06:32:39 AM

Art, do you mean that TA heads resemble Merlins more than V6 heads ?

Merlins have not really been quite the heads I anticipated. OK, when I bought them the price was not that bad. I paid almost the same amount when I did my previous Rover heads with new valves, springs, x hrs of porting and all the machining. Merlins were better than my home ported heads but not that much. At that time TA heads were just a rumour. I was in contact with TA last fall but they could not give any specific schedule.so I have simply waited what is going to happen.

My engine is now a pretty docile 300 hp 4,6 litre package in a 2000 lb car so it does not really need extra power. But it would be nice anyway... Especially if my stroker plan will happen in near future.

Do you know how many pairs they are having for sale ?

roverman · July 12, 2012, 11:19:35 AM

Jukka and clan, My understanding is , they make about 20 pairs per run. Nothing on shelf. You put down approx. 2/3 deposit and WAIT ! They ship whenever, like Real Steel. They will swallow 2.02" and 1.6" valves, if you have the bore to clear. Need porting 30-40% larger, for max flow. To be continued, roverman.

V8WEDG · July 12, 2012, 02:33:02 PM

TA told me the current run was either 22 or 25 pairs, and there were three pairs left before I put down my deposit. So there were supposedly two pairs left in the current run, but that was a month ago.
Don't ask me why the person I talked to at TA didn't know the exact number of head sets in the current run, maybe it's the same reason why I was never contacted by TA once they finally started taking deposits, despite the fact that I had been on their preorder list for almost a year. If it weren't for me catching one of roverman's offhand comments about getting TA heads soon I probably would have missed out on this run. Thanks roverman!

roverman · July 12, 2012, 04:09:42 PM

You can get similar service from Real Steal, except for the greater distance. I suggest you thoroughly flush the coolant passages, in the heads(TA). Mine had masking tape over the deck transfer ports, to hold all the aluminum CHIPS inside ! This points to not having healthy competition, in the market place. Onward, roverman.

BlownMGB-V8 · July 13, 2012, 10:20:28 AM

Yeah, but you get them babies done and you'll Be healthy competition! Let us know how the porting goes.

BTW, TA does offer a CNC porting service and considering the amount of material to be removed that would probably be a good value. (And probably explains the conservative port sizes.) Very likely ypu could get a port configuration identical to their CNC ported V6 heads and my guess is that very little manual porting would then be needed to get maximum flow out of those ports. Sure, it runs the cost up a little but I'd say it is something worth considering. They seem to be very successful with the BBB and V6 heads.

Jim

roverman · July 13, 2012, 01:49:19 PM

Except....their intake port is not configured for an "offset" rocker, their seats are not compatible for titanium valves or a 2.02" intake. The popuplar "OZ" rumor, as told by Mike, is 300 cfm and 600 hp. This makes for good sales pitch, but little else. I plan to let the flow bench render the facts. Had I found anyone willing/capable to EB weld stage II buick heads together, I wouldn't need these heads. Cheers, roverman.

minorv8 · September 27, 2012, 12:55:11 AM

Any updates ?

roverman · September 27, 2012, 10:59:54 AM

Jukka and clan, I have (1) more aluminum valve seat to make/install,(flowbench only). David Vizard has agreed to port/develop (1) cylinder. This is possible, thanks to Dan Jones. I have been distracted by cranshaft woes. After having my rover crank for six months, I was informed by Scat, a sbf raw forging would not work. They are willing to make a billet crank for "exactly" the same price as "Marine Crankshaft",(this forum). I am moving towards making my own single plane crank. Race motor, simpler design, with enhanced performance. Onward, roverman.

hoffbug · November 22, 2012, 03:40:55 AM

Has anyone actually gotten a pair of these yet?

roverman · November 22, 2012, 12:04:46 PM

Yes, Where does the time go ? I got my pair back in July. They were "looked at" by Dr. J's./ Brice said "raise the intake roof and floor .50", run .75" valve lift, and your good to go" ! I didn't like either of the free suggestions. I will likely be sending (1) head to David Vizard, to flow develop (1) cylinder. I can then match his work, on the other (7) cylinders,(flow bench). I allowed myself to be distracted with billet cam and forged/billet crank developement., for the rover V8. I had skilled drawings of the desired rover cranks made, (single and cross-plane). I am negotiating for (10) billet cranks. Happy Thansgiving All...roverman.