http://www.madnessmotorworks.com/mad...cylinder-head/

what are opinions on this head ? That's a dang good price for it. Core charge or not.

 

Hey big question guys ! Can we use head studs and have no interference issues placing on the head while the engine is in the car ? I dont think there would be but just making sure as I would wanna do arp head studs..

 

Put the head on the block using the dowels to locate it. Then put the studs through the head. You'll need to do it this way regardless of what you use to clamp the head down, unless you want to loosen the supercharger; as the intercooler inlet horn is in the way of the intake manifold. Watch user modmini "head gasket replacement" on youtube for a clear explanation. (If a picture is worth 1000 words, then a video is worth a million.)

Make sure you chase the threads in the block, You should be able to spin the studs in with your fingers with no resistance. Only turn until they gently bottom, no tighter.

Also, lube the block side of the stud with a little grease or oil. This is to prevent them from rusting in the block. The special ARP grease goes between the nut flange & the washer, & the nut threads; nowhere else.

 

Porting an R53 head without putting bigger valves in — intake & exhaust — almost defeats the purpose.

It's deceptive marketing. By the time you put bigger valves in, buy their cam, & ARP studs, you're at $2700.00.

 

ok..what I was reading was similar but I though it said put the studs in befor the head and check for something with them and water jacket ?? But I thought it said out them in 1st because they specifically helped enable perfect placement and non movement of the headgasket...but rite now I dont need to get into specifics. Ille dig more in depth once I have a head in hand.. as of now i got the money put away and and hoping to buy it the 1st.

 

How so ? So your saying porting out the head and still using stock valves and even a stock cam would produce no gains ? Maybe true on a 100% stock setup but thats far from me.I agree with what your saying its not a worthwhile dollar to hp mod exp when you get top end brands BUT im doing it with used parts to save all i can and high end parts where its most important imo.dollar wise i will be coming in less than half that price so if all goes well I'm very happy to pay it because if I could, I'd have spent that 2700$ for that nice setup the day I got my car.
And my car is at the point, if I want more power. This is the only route. I have pretty much all bolt ons now already.

 

I'm not saying you won't get anything without big valves, but you may be a bit disappointed. The valves on an R53 motor are small; the exhausts are exceptionally small (I can't figure out what the engineers were thinking). Most of the gain in flow (on any motor) occurs in the bowl just below the head of the valve, not in the throat of the runner. When you put in a larger seat — & a corresponding valve — you can open the bowl up. Have a look at my thread where I show my head — which I ported myself — with custom larger valves & seats (again, a picture is worth 1000 words). But to really take advantage of the increased flow, you have to rev the motor higher, In order to do that, you need a cam with more duration. These things work in concert with each other. That's why I said it almost defeats the purpose. A bit of hyperbole? Maybe, but you get the point.

Where are you located? If you're anywhere near So Cal, come drive my car. You'll get an idea of what these motors are capable of, whilst still remaining docile enough to drive on the street.

 

The dowels locate both the gasket & the head, the bolts (or studs) only clamp it down,

 

Soooo can anyone help verify that this car DID come with a ported head ? Here's a pic of the numbered plaq if that helps!
it does have the intercooler cover,intake and exhaust .

 

If it has the red dot on the head (intake side, right by the cam chain tower) then it is a factory ported head.

 

Ow I didn't know that, thanks for the tip.

 

In many cases the red paint might be worn off and hard to see,
like these 2 examples:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad-2006-a.html

&

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...kage-deal.html

Exhaust port size should tell you definitely though.

 

Hard to see in some of the above pictures, but it will also have another number stamped above the casting number (which is above the red dot). If the head was ever in the machine shop for a valve job, the red paint is likely gone; as most shops bead blast aluminum heads.

I still maintain my previous position. A true JCW head certainly has some collector value over a stock head, but the performance isn't much; & is nothing you can't do at home in 20 minutes with a die grinder. All they did was open up the exhaust throat a LITTLE bit. No bowl work was done by the factory; & that (meaning bowl work) is where you get you big gains in flow.

 

thanks for all the info so far guys its very much appreciated !
feel free to chime in anything you feel is relevant.
Unfortunately the jcw may be my ONLY option now due to finances taking a hit..what ever , that's life..i set aside money though thankfully for it but I was hoping to possibly get something better or atleast the jcw head and a good cam.
I'm now to where idc if its a jcw head..im not getting the valve cover or anything like that so who cares if i port it more now so thats probably the route I'm going. Can only do what I can afford but atleast the jcw porting on it will be a good start .

 

Man you are just going to be let down unless you buy a legit BVH. Sometimes talking with people who are so dead set on something can be frustrating. Save your money. Stop the doom and gloom about how it may never happen and just save some coin. IF it takes a year and you get enough to get the only imho head worth it (RMW JESUS HEAD) then just wait a year. ITs funny how people will always claim they dont have the money to do it right or worthwhile but they have the money to do it twice the wrong or disappointing way. Otherwise just dont buy a bvh. Like I said before if money is not there save or just move on. I would never install that head as its just not worth my time for what it gives out. Only way I would ever install a JCW head was if it was 500 or under and I needed to do major service on the car. Like head gasket blew or rebuilding motor so head is off anyway type of thing. I cant stress how disappointed you will be when you drive it for the first time. Does it have more power yes marginally though and honestly you could get the same power from other things that are less invasive. Like for 700 bucks you can get a Aquamist kit run some M1 and enjoy stupid cool intake temps that give you power from just that keeping **** cooler. To top that off I am in eau claire and I have a brand new 54 gallon drum of VP M1 I would sell for 100 bucks as I went e85 and no use for it sold the aquamist stuck with the meth.

In the end my opion and as a local mind you.....get the Aquamist setup. Better bang for buck and you will love it and enjoy it more than a mild ported jcw head that offer trival power upgrade for work and money involved.

"I have spoken" "This is the way!"

 

I hear ya..BUT I am only able to get what I can afford unfortunately and if all I can afford is just a head and fully port it my self , well ille be happy as its better than what I have now. Trust me I totally agree on the bvh and power buuut I pretty sure that ones well out my price range, I got like 6-900 MAX to get a head with because ille still need everything else like a better cam, hg, studs ect ect ect..anyone wanna donate a head to my cause and ille donate 500$ to you or who or what ever in return..?..

 

i don’t have a jcw head but i do a have a S head for sale, but i think we should talk privately if your seriously interested

 

thx for the offer but if i got a stock head it would have to be a complete fresh rebuild,new valves ect,decked and like 300$ only,then all that's left for me to do would be port it..otherwise it wouldnt be worth it.

 

I've listened to your guys advice , yes a jcw head was offered to me at a great price but it's best I just get something I won't have to port,rebuilt and then have checked and then purchase a cam too to match how much I ported it Soooooo I'm hoping to be purchasing a thumper tpr2 head complete with a ns1 cam.. Cam may not be aggressive as I wanted but this setup is and has been proven to be a great combo and even good for daily driver which I will always require my car to be able to do.
you guys now think I'm off into a better direction , I feel like this might be a dream come true. When I get that head n cam im camping out in the garage a night and gonna snuggle it for awhile , lol. I always always wanted to do this mod to this car from day one of bringing it home n watching what they're capable of online. I never dreamed that it might have actually been a possibility none less in just over a year of owning the car.. I contribute most of my success I've had with my car to you guys and im thankful we have such a cool strong community amongst us..
if anybody is willing to help me to the install in willing to pay you or give you old head and cam, drive to your place even ( can do it in my garage idc) , could clean and detail your car while your doing mine or i prefer to help as I know a decent amount just not enough to do this by my self and I wanna learn. I live rite next to Milwaukee and don't mind a halfs day drive to have this done. I really prefer a miniac who's had previous experience with this.. I don't trust a random online shadetree mechanic ( like me,lol).

 

Why Thumper....if its purely price sell something to get some more cash

 

For the price and the gains per dollar. This is the best route for me,a complete setup I made an offer on I could afford and the seller accepted it.
I know meth is a great option also and it's something I may consider in the future but for rite now I want head and cam 1st. I have been done all corresponding mods to get the best out of the head and cam when I get them and they're finally a possibility.

 

has nothing to do with meth. I just wont put parts on my own car or touch them for that matter if I dont beleive in the constiancy and quality of them. Good luck. again your not gonna be happy here. Good luck Adam.

 

you have my expectations too high.im spending a bit more than I wanted to but I am getting something better than I expected, you feel me?.. and honestly could my car on its current setup fully utilize the few better heads ? I feel like for my combo and goals this is a good head. From my reading the cam isn't anything to brag about but its still better than stock. I'm actually pleased with my cars performance now that I worked put a few bugs and got it running PERFECTLY. So any more power from this point on will just make my smile every time I drive that much larger because to me, even as it sits, this cars a blast to me.
I've never really had much in life and up until just a few years ago I was living check to check dollar to dollar and have worked my way into a spot where I could better enjoy what life has to offer . Even now I don't have much but the nice things i do have that my wife and i worked for ,I'm thankful so much for even the smallest. Meeting my wife and starting a family changed my whole life for the better and its only continuing to improve as we continue to improve also.
I truly appreciate your guys help though when ever I ask..never any snobby ******** comments or flaming ( though Idc about that, I can take the heat).

 

Ok..i been researching headgaskets and I find that there's 2x thicknesses to choose from, .65 and .95.. which one is preferred and what is the oem thickness ?? Also I read stay away from felpro but what about mls or victor rienz ?? I would prefer to buy as complete as of gasket kit as possibly too so im not having to chase down individual gaskets..

 

Any tips on headgaskets or answer to my above question, I BOUGHT THE HEAD AND CAM AND THEYRE ON THE WAY !