Hard Heads

The term hard head is characterized by two words: stubborn and practical. Stubborn, because whatever it is that's being described as a hard head, has a tendency to do things its own way. Practical, because that's the way it needs to be done, if it's going to get done correctly, or at all, for that matter. Don't take our word for it though, look it up. If you do, don't be surprised if you see a picture of our MAXPORT MAGNUM EQ performance cylinder heads somewhere nearby, as a concrete, make that, cast iron example of what it means to be a hard head. They're stubborn, because cylinder heads like these shouldn't perform as well as they do...but don't tell them that, they won't listen anyway. And practical, because they rely on making the most of what they have so you can get the most of what you want from your small block MOPAR: serious and reliable horsepower at an affordable price. In fact, if there's a better budget, performance head out there for a MOPAR MAGNUM or LA engine, we haven't found it. If you do, we want to hear about it, but know this: you need to find something that will suppport more than 500 horsepower, for less than $2000. Oh, and they have to be brand new, out of the box, and use all new parts. While you're at it, throw in CNC porting for good measure. Go ahead. We'll wait. In the meantime, let's talk a little more about what makes our MAXPORT MAGNUM EQs the stubborn and practical hard heads they are. And why they're good to have on your side when you're in a tight spot.

For starters, most performance heads on the market have ditched iron for aluminum, and for some good reasons. They're lighter, offer faster heat dissipation, which can allow for higher compression ratios, and often feature revised ports for imporved airflow over what comes out of the factory. All good stuff. The not so good: cost and, more recently, availability. Yes, there are aluminum heads to be had out there, but a recent Google search we did (at the time of this post) for a few different aluminum heads for small block MOPARS, showed them all out of stock. We're sure they'll be back in. We just don't know when. They don't seem to know either.

So, what about our MAXPORT MAGNUMS. First, we have plenty of them in stock and ready to ship. We also have more on the way, which we'll clean, inspect, CNC port and hand-finish, fit with all new parts, then put them on the shelf, ready to ship. "But they're iron", you say, and we just got done listing the benefits of aluminum. Right you are. And to be fair, we love aluminum heads; we recognize their advantages, but also know that they don't offer enough to make cast iron performance heads obsolete. In fact, cast iron heads still offer the same advantages they always have, things that make them the right choice for so many reasons and applications, namely cost, durability and excellent thermodynamics, aka: heat control. The cost advantage in this case, is obvious. One look at what we sell a pair of our fully CNC ported MAXPORT MAGNUMS for will show you that. Check your pricing here. Then there's durability, which cast iron is legendary for. Yes, modern aluminum heads are (mostly) made very well, but cast iron is a tried and true winner. Last, but not least, is heat control. While aluminum can allow for higher compression ratios due to its ability to shed heat, all things being equal, cast iron can make similar horsepower with lower compression because of how it controls the heat.

Of course, all things aren't equal: chamber configuration, port shape, size and cross sectional area; there's more, but you get it. Many times, the advantage here, also goes to more modern, aluminum cylinder heads. But innterestingly, it's these advantages that help make our MAXPORT MAGNUMS even more amazing. Plainly said, these heads flow better and make more horsepower than they should, better in many cases, than a lot of other performance heads on the market that cost hundreds and even thousands of dollars more. How? Because we refused to believe there wasn't a lot of untapped performance potential left in the as cast, iron MAGNUM heads. And we were right. Flowing around 200 cfm at full song out of the box, our MAXPORT MAGNUM EQs blow right past them on their way to more than 290 cfm at max lift. Even better is the airflow we picked up under and throughout the curve (go back and look at the flow chart in the pricing link we gave you), which helps deliver power you can feel and use everywhere in the powerband. And, truth be told, we also like doing more with less, and these heads demonstrate that perfectly by giving you more performance for less money, plus they give you guaranteed fit and an easy, bolt-on kick in the rear.

But, for all we've said about these heads, and for all there is to love about them, we know the proof is in the performance, so we proudly offer up this easy-peasy, basic 318 build. One of our SR engines (which are usually 360-based), this little 318 belted out 385 horsepower and 389 lb-ft. with little more than a stock build, one of our PIE engineered MAGNUM intakes, our MAXPORT MAGNUMM EQ heads, headers, and one of our mild, daily-driver friendly, SR Hydraulic roller cams, featuring these specs: duration @ .050: 216/224 lift: .506"/.506" 114 LSA.

Watch the video. Smile as the tiny 'teen belts out the numbers, then get in touch with us if you're in the market for perfomance you can actually afford. From complete engines and cylinder heads, to our engineered top-end kits, our hard-headed approach to making the most from "the least", helps you get the most from your MOPAR with the least amount of money.