been doing a lot of research on the heads. I was going to do a cam only but i don't like how loud my lifters are. I will not put stock heads back on my car lmao, i just can't, so i really like the fact of getting 30-40 whp with stock heads so i can tell my buddies i still have stock heads and only a cam. Ill be running the tick sns stage 2 for the ls2, "231/235". Anyways my question is, i already have my tsp 650 springs with seals, retainers and seats. Would they allow me to send them the springs i already have and install everything? Or will i have to use their in house springs? I think i read that they keep stock valves so i wouldn't need to buy new ones correct? If i did my math right roughly 800$? Any help much appreciated.

 

Just e-mail Phil at AI and ask. Their ported 241's are a great choice.

 

Get the HCR option to weld the chambers. You can run as much compression you want with no PTV issues, and the chambers are able to be altered significantly to be a lot more efficient/fast burn. Well worth the couple hundred bucks!

Jason

 

ok, thanks guys I'm not really wanting to spend too much. Now i have even more of a problem. I just got offered some 799's for 380$ stock take offs. Should i do that and send to AI?

 

Up to you. Phil told me the 226cc port design on 799's/317's/243's would be an 8-12hp increase over the HCR heads at the level my combo was. I didn't see the need to spend more.

Jason

 

alright thanks, i just emailed them.

 

i dont no if you will have any lick with email but he does respond to text messages

 

What's next, morse code, smoke signals, carrier pigeons.....what a shame that such an expert artist hides SO much from John Q. Customer...

 

Well the porting alone with nothing else is $995, so not sure how you'd get it down to $800.

Their springs are an extra $200 or so on top of that.

 

Yup...

 

I emailed AI about a set of Dart cnc, website shows 1895. He came back and quoted $2295.

Since then I purchased a set of Trick Flow CNC 225, out the door $2430.

$400 more than the website posted price told me to RUN!

 

What was the source of the discrepancy? Spring package upgrade?

The $1895 number is Lunati Duals with steel retainers the $2295 is Manley Nextek springs with Titanium retainers.

Look elsewhere at the price difference between those products.
Did you send them cam specs they deemed a spring upgrade necessary with or did you not send them specs so they covered their rear and offered you the top of the line?

 

I had the opposite with TEA, never got an email back, but they're just a phone call away and answered all my questions about my second hand set of heads. If I had money I'd have a set of 220's or 215's on my car.

 

The only present descrepancy was in their advertised website price vs. quoted.

The quote was for the BTR spring package, should have stated that initially.

AI did have my cam specs.

 

My business does not accept texts and sometimes email inquiries end up in SPAM. AI maybe similar. Nothing wrong and plenty of good from an old fashioned telephone call.
But then I read recently that 80% of Millennials are uncomfortable speaking on the telephone and prefer texting or emailing. Can it be true?

 

Phil had e-mailed me to let me know the price of the AI Dart/RHS heads did go up considerably. I got my set without springs for $1,698.46 out the door.

 

Well I will let you know how a set of 205's turn out hand ported. I bought a bare set along with Ferrera 6000 valves, had a set of BTR springs that came with a cam kit.

These went to my buddy who owns a machine shop and will hand port them at the advice from the manufacturer.

They will be installed on the original LS1 that will be a 383 nitrous grudge car in the next few months.

The 418 build will get the trick flows.

Just as a side note to anyone about porting a set of stock heads. By the time your done buying springs and CNC work you come very close to aftermarket cylinder head pricing.

To the OP

I wouldn't be surprised if you bought a set of Dart 205 heads, valves, springs, valve job. You will have a max of $1500 and make as much or more power vs the 241 head cnc'd.

We have made serious BBC power with Darts and still do so weekly.

 

Agreed

Let me talk to someone vs. Text or email.

I'm 38 so that excludes me from the millennium babies.

 

AI is a small operation and Phil does all the machine work himself as it's difficult to find good help nowadays in this business. This is why he keeps his phone off and mainly communicates via text or email. He will schedule a time for a phone call if need be, and in my experience it was a 45min call in the evening going over everything.

I'm a "millennial" too but much prefer talking instead of texting (with everything backed up in writing via email). That said Phil has ways been helpful and usually returns emails within a couple days. One thing to keep in mind with him though is he always makes current or repeat customers top priority.

Hope his helps. I may sound like an AI Kool-Aid drinker but am just a happy customer. Phil is the real deal and a stand up guy once you've dealt with him. He just doesn't have the time to be as "chatty" as others.

Jason

 

To make the 241s come close to the 243s/799s, you need to do their high compression program. You will spend another $200 for that. Given you can get about $100 for your 241s and 799s have been coming down in price to $300-$350, price becomes about even. If you ever have to take them off and sell them, they will be easier to sell too.

Just buy 799s on ebay and ship them right to AI and do it the right way the first time.

I had awesome results with their 799 program. Would go with them again in a heart beat. They do take a couple days to get back to you, but that is only because they are a small operation. If they expanded, they'd have to pay more people to do the communication aspect = higher prices. This is why they can give you such high quality for under $1k. All the other head companies charge at least a few hundred more for their CNC programs.