dart heads
dart heads With a stock bottom end 599 lift custom grind cam and ls6 intake are dart 225 heads to much? Im an old school smallblock guy delving into new territory thanks.
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Joined: Feb 2004
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From: Lexington, KY
I have those heads and my advice would be to go with something else. They have potential when ported (for bigger cubes), but there are much better choices nowadays for a stock bottom end. Check out some of the TSP offerings. I am considering swapping mine out when I have the funds to do so.
I agree. I had the Dart 205's, they were nice heads and I bought them when they first came out when they were $1,200. Now they are more and I would look elsewhere. I replaced mine with AFR's.
I am running Dart 225s as cast on a 408 and put down a little over 500 rwhp and about 480 tq.... My cam is a 625 lift and the head flow gets a little crappy in the high 500s. I am looking forward to "freshening up" my short block and will open up these heads at the same time. I have no problem with them at all.
dart castings to have work done to for a 408 are a great head to use. LME hand ported a set then make 550whp NA on a 408 local. With a fast78, and 1 5/8 headers. And it was a nitrouse motor (~400 in 2 kits) Some of stock guild and seat work might not be top notch out of the box, but there a really good casting to have somone put some TLC into.
why would you replace them with AFRs??
why would you replace them with AFRs??
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Everything I've ever heard about dart heads says "they need TLC", "good when worked over," or "need touched up."
I'm no stranger to spending money, but who buys BRAND NEW heads that have that kind of reputation? I buy something I want to go throw it on right away.
Buying them from someone else second hand, I completely understand: send them off to get checked up, and rebuilt if needed.
Unless you have a hard-on for darts, or you're getting a good deal from the local gearhead, I'd look elsewhere IMHO.
That kind of money I'd look into ported 243s from TEA or TSP.
I'm no stranger to spending money, but who buys BRAND NEW heads that have that kind of reputation? I buy something I want to go throw it on right away.
Buying them from someone else second hand, I completely understand: send them off to get checked up, and rebuilt if needed.
Unless you have a hard-on for darts, or you're getting a good deal from the local gearhead, I'd look elsewhere IMHO.
That kind of money I'd look into ported 243s from TEA or TSP.
Anything "as cast" needs work, that's why you buy them that way, to tailor them to your application. If you are a cheap basterd then you buy "as cast" heads and bitch about it when they aren't perfect.
You are comparing them to ported applications that have already been worked over. It's not exactly apples and oranges. Dart sells CNC'd built heads as well but you have to pay for them.
You are comparing them to ported applications that have already been worked over. It's not exactly apples and oranges. Dart sells CNC'd built heads as well but you have to pay for them.
"As Cast" still doesn't account for some of the other issues such as too much valve guide clearance, non centered valves, etc. Their QC is not where it was when I bought mine (mine were one of the first sets released for the LS1) and with the current cost not that far from a CNC head, why would one go with the Darts.
Every casting naturally has pros and cons, and as Higgs pointed out the as-cast heads aren't going to be as consistent as decent to high end CNC work. Not to say they won't work, but it is just the nature of the beast. Obviously, the Dart has the potential to run well, and if people already own them we've got a couple programs for them. At the same time, for the $ it is difficult to beat what we can manage with a 243/799 if your goals are in the 450-500rwhp range. For the OP, the Dart's may represent a fair value, but a ported GM head can be tough to beat for the $ vs. power vs. longevity. 
