pro maxx head options

[mygasser]

i've been looking on the pro maxx website at heads for my planned 390 build. it'll be a mostly street driven deal in a light weight 58 rambler gasser, exploder rear with 3.73 gears and a 5 speed manual trans. i have a summit hydraulic roller cam, hyperutectic 360 flat top pistons, a jay brown intake adapter and a weiand 351c tunnel ram with 2 390 holley carbs.
so my question is do i opt for the maxx 170 head https://promaxxperformance.com/product/maxx-170-ford-fe/ or is it worth spending the extra 1k ish for the shocker 200 head https://promaxxperformance.com/product/shocker-200-ford-fe/ ?
it is possible i'll build a 2nd 390/445 so the parts listed (except pistons and 390 holleys) would be swapped onto that.
any thoughts?
neil.

[blykins]

Your budget is your budget, but if I were going to spend a couple grand on a set of heads, I'd save up my lunch money and get the better performing head.

FWIW though, Keith Craft hasn't been in business for several years now.  Not sure who is doing any port work for ProMaxx but their advertisement is not accurate.

If you're willing to pay $3100 for a cylinder head, I'd look incredibly hard and long at a $3048 pair of Trick Flow heads.  They are not Chinese copies of Edelbrock heads and come with parts that are well-respected in the industry, such as CHE valve guides, PAC valve springs, etc. 

[Stangman1]

I agree with Brent. Your combo probably doesn’t call for the bigger pro Maxx head anyway. But getting Trickflow or the BBMs would benifit you in the long run.

[My427stang]

I agree too, and no matter what, 360-390 does not need a 200 cc port.  Stay fast and smooth

[mygasser]

thanks all and kind of what i expected to be honest so i'll stick to plan b with the 170cc maxx heads. ''plan b'' you say, yes i asked here about the speedmaster heads but was directed to the pro maxx for not a lot more money which is fine with me.
thanks again, neil.

[e philpott]

Promaxx has better hardware than Speedmaster, I think it was Lance that took over Kieth Kraft when Kieth retired that made the CNC program for Promaxx, I'm pretty sure it was but anyway the 170's are decent budget head

[My427stang]

Promaxx has better hardware than Speedmaster, I think it was Lance that took over Kieth Kraft when Kieth retired that made the CNC program for Promaxx, I'm pretty sure it was but anyway the 170's are decent budget head

Lance did take over the business, but the doors were padlocked years ago and not much got out of there.  I'd have to guess someone shared/sold the CnC programming, or Promaxx has some legal protection to owning the porting and it's being done elsewhere, but where, who knows.

I have not seen a Promaxx head to comment on quality

[e philpott]

Those heads have been available for years with the CNC port too. Promaxx does machining in house so I imagine they bought the program, I have had two sets of SB Chevy castings, the local machine shop liked them and said night and day better than Speedmaster, Ive never had Speedmaster but the Promaxx were really nice and looked nice too, Winegart does there SBC Shocker program

[DuckRyder]

what is an actual set of edelbrocks? 400ish more?

I can understand cast off shore stuff to an extent and 400 bucks is 400 bucks, but if they truly are copies of edelbrock heads (and if brent and ross say they are i believe it) ive got a bit of a problem with that and would spend the extra.

It's wrong when a company spends time and money to develop a quality product and then it is copied by someone and they get under cut on pricing.

And of course now ive been down a rabbit hole on Craft Racing Engines... and wow...

[frnkeore]

They are NOT Edelbrock copies.

It's easy to tell, just look at the picture of the combustion chamber.

[blykins]

That head is the "Stevens" head from quite a while back, which was a direct copy of Edelbrock.  Things progress and things change (the Edelbrock doesn't flow 290 cfm either), but the premise is still the same. 

[My427stang]

Agree

I don't see a lot of difference either.  The pictures aren't perfect, the bottom edge looks different, but I think it's the picture.  Imagine the Edel on the bottom rolled slightly toward you so you can't see the intake face.  Even if I wasn't in the original Stevens discussion, it looks pretty copied to me.

[e philpott]

They are Steven Sun heads, not Stevenson heads, his castings are top shelf now, LS blocks, BB Chevy blocks, SB chevy blocks are all top notch, Chad Spiers does his CNC program on the Chevy stuff and Chad is one of the top head porters in this country

[My427stang]

No idea who Stevenson is, but "Carefully Engineered Engine Parts Manufacturing Co., Ltd." Is the guy Brent and I have been talking about, Steven Sun

Some true statements: 
1 - way back he was asking all of us for recommended improvements, looks like he may have listened to whoever helped
2 - I won't buy Chinese AFR Enforcers either, and they are gone through by AFR with AFR components.  In fact, turned down a very nice person with a set of chinese heads wanting to do a 427 Twin Turbo street 427.  The project, car and person were all cool too. Hopefully a repeat customer never asks me to use them.
3 - There is no international world police, but if someone in Idaho copied that Edelbrock head, they'd be sued silly, it's a shame an ocean in between allows it.
4 - Intellectual property and Chinese, one google search.

I 100% will leave it at that and won't fight anyone, I know Jay does not like political issues, but if they showed up with Jays castings and intake without paying for it, this forum would freak out.

I do understand there are budget limits and never want anyone to be forced into poverty for enjoyment, no finger pointing

[frnkeore]

This always drives me crazy!!!

You guys fight Chinese stuff, left and right, when it suits you BUT, embrace Chinese made Molnar rods when you build engines.

Molnar copied the long standing Carrillo rod design and had them made in China, yet you make excuses for using them and NOT using US made Carrillo or Oliver.

China is China!

BTW, who's combustion chamber did Edelbrock copy? The chamber in the Pro Maxx head looks much like the C3AE -C in the Ford Denver heads.