<VV> New heads, an approach...

[Bruce Schug]

On Jul 12, 2009, at 3:41 PM, JVHRoberts at aol.com wrote:

>
> IT seems that adding an integral manifold would be not much more  
> work, but adding a bolt on manifold to use stock carbs or a stock  
> turbo setup would be a lot more work, plus add a failure point  
> absent in the stock design. It would definitely be 4-1s, like the  
> 140 heads. The turbo guys can either blank the extra mounting pads  
> off, or mill them off and weld the hole shut, or put a Welch plug in  
> there, etc.
>
> Adding enough 'meat' to mill off this manifold and add a Weber or  
> other setup would not be much more machine work over machining just  
> the mounting pads for such a manifold.
>
> Once the pattern is made, it's no extra anything to cast an integral  
> manifold. Furthermore, for the folks wanting a bolt on, the only  
> finish machine work is boring and facing the carb pads. Given the  
> complexity of an air cooled head like this, the manifold is no big  
> deal. And we're not giving up a thing for the hot rod guys.
>
> I get the feeling there's a GOOD market for a head that cools  
> better, makes more power, has a more detonation resistant combustion  
> chamber, etc., over stock, as in a FAR larger market than just the  
> guys who want to build an American Porsche engine.

You think so? (A GOOD market, that is) I agree; for $1,500 for a PAIR  
of heads, you could sell quite a few sets. But your price will be much  
more than that. By the time you get these on the market, and price  
them where they have to be, I think the market will be quite small.

Here's an example. What does it cost to get good, deep, oversize seats  
put in a 140 head? It must be $500 for a pair of heads, (I paid $280  
for mine in 1986) and they still have to be ground and lapped. $500 -  
how many guys do it when they build an engine? Some do, but not many.  
How many will spend the $$$$$ that these heads will cost? How much  
WILL they cost - not $1,500; closer to $3,000-4,000 a pair???

We've gone over this before on FastVairs. I think it's great that this  
is being seriously researched but, I think the market is very small at  
the price that will have to be charged for them. I hope I'm wrong.




Bruce

Bruce W. Schug
Treasurer & Membership Chairman
CORSA South Carolina
Greenville, SC
Stock Corvair Group
Performance Corvair Group
bwschug at charter.net

CORSA member since 1980

'67 Monza. "67AC140"