Aluminum Head Info Help

[FearNoFish]

I'm trying to trace the origin of the cylinder head I have. It was sold to me as a Hesco head but Hesco says probably not. The casting on the passenger side says BMI and has a stamp on it of 2 2 72. The front of the head is stamped 2860 with hand stamps and also has a 72 stamped on it.

Benny @ Hesco says if it was theirs it would have a five digit "build number" stamped on the valve cover gasket surface at the front. He also said that the original castings done five years ago were spread out to several builders.

Does anyone have any information that might help me track this?

FNF

 

[gradon]

From what I've gathered online, Patriot Performance made aluminum heads before Hesco did, and then when Hesco's came on the scene, Patriot bowed out of the alu game(maybe someone bought the tooling/rights and modified it a bit?).

 

[Talyn]

I've heard a while ago that Bramer Machine Inc was making an aluminum head. Maybe that is what BMI stands for. They are in Michigan.. might want to give them a call.

 

[FearNoFish]

GOOD WORK TALYN!!!!

I just called Bramer Machine Inc. (they now go by another name but came up in a google search). They told me they were the original manufacturer and sold the tooling to Hesco about 4 years ago. I find it interesting that Bennie from Hesco didn't divulge that. I guess they are trying protect their exclusiveness and high pricing. Anyway, it apears that it is the same head all in all.

Thanks again for your help Sherlock,

FNF

 

[Talyn]

I always thought that Patriot Performance was the original designer of Hesco's Aluminum head. I heard about the BMI head around the same time (2004 maybe?) Patriot was selling theirs and always though that BMI was selling a different head from the one Patriot was selling. Hesco has a lot of "secrets" that they won't tell you.

I'll give you $400 for the head if you don't want it. hehe

 

[FearNoFish]

The guys at BMI seemed knowledgable and on the up & up but who knows. I probably never get the strait scoop about that. The boss that has BMI cast into it is the same boss that HESCO is cast on their head but that might just be a convieniant location for everyone. At least I know were this one came from.

It's interesting that you would be interested in the head. Everyone I talk to about it thinks it a waste of money and for $2K it probably is but I am only into this one for about a third of that. I think they are envious! When I put that on my stroker alongside my Kenne Bell supercharger and Borla header it will be awsome.

FNF

 

[austinaubinoe]

WOW man, stroked, charged, alum head and headers!

WHERE IS THE WRITE UP??

 

[5-90]

Writeup? I would mind a batch of detailed pictures of the head (and if you get it flowed, I'd like a copy of that report as well. No-one has been willing to give me a copy of one as of yet...)

 

[FearNoFish]

It will be my first attempt at doing it, but I will try my best to start a write-up with pictures and provide all the tech info that comes my way. Be patient, it will be a couple of weeks before I really get into it. I just picked up the supercharger this week from a guy who took it off his wrangler because he dropped a hemi into it.

FNF

 

[Talyn]

It's interesting that you would be interested in the head. Everyone I talk to about it thinks it a waste of money and for $2K it probably is but I am only into this one for about a third of that. I think they are envious! When I put that on my stroker alongside my Kenne Bell supercharger and Borla header it will be awsome.

Unless you are doing an all out maximum effort race engine a $2000 aluminum head would be a waste of money as you would never see the advantage on the road and that $2000 can be put elsewhere. However, if one was about to get a hold of it a lot cheaper, like you did, there is no reason not to use it. It is lighter, and it does provide some benefit if prepared correctly. Oh yeah.. I almost forgot that you can pull the lifters without removing the head. And using a modern MLS gasket there is very little issue of the dissimilar metals in the lock and head causing an issue.

 

[FearNoFish]

Thanks again Talyn. Your comments are informative as well as appropriate and appreciated.

FNF

 

[5-90]

One thing I still can't help but wonder - several years ago (FEB2002-ish, I think,) we were kicking around ideas for a "clean sheet of paper" cylinder head on the Yahoo! Strokers mailing list. Once we'd finally decided what we would have wanted to see; I put everything together, did a summary, bound it, and dropped it all with Russ Flagle at Indy Cylinder Heads (I was going back to visit family anyhow, so I would have been only an hour away from Indy. And had other reasons to go there anyhow.)

This aluminum head came about shortly after - I first saw notice of it at HESCO, but also saw it from Patriot Performance at the same time.

So, I'm naturally curious about this - how uch of a role did we on the old Strokers list have to do with developing this head after all (my only complaint is that I would have wanted it to still be iron...) Just about all of the features we kicked around seem to have been incorporated in the head.

If you want a list of what pictures I'd appreciate, PM me and I'll crank one up for you. I have yet to see one of these heads "in the flesh," as it were, so I'm still up in the air. I'm also very interested in flowbench results, if you go to have the head flowed (but don't do it especial for me - flowbench time does tend to cost a few bucks!)

 

[5-90]

One thing I still can't help but wonder - several years ago (FEB2002-ish, I think,) we were kicking around ideas for a "clean sheet of paper" cylinder head on the Yahoo! Strokers mailing list. Once we'd finally decided what we would have wanted to see; I put everything together, did a summary, bound it, and dropped it all with Russ Flagle at Indy Cylinder Heads (I was going back to visit family anyhow, so I would have been only an hour away from Indy. And had other reasons to go there anyhow.)

This aluminum head came about shortly after - I first saw notice of it at HESCO, but also saw it from Patriot Performance at the same time.

So, I'm naturally curious about this - how uch of a role did we on the old Strokers list have to do with developing this head after all (my only complaint is that I would have wanted it to still be iron...) Just about all of the features we kicked around seem to have been incorporated in the head.

If you want a list of what pictures I'd appreciate, PM me and I'll crank one up for you. I have yet to see one of these heads "in the flesh," as it were, so I'm still up in the air. I'm also very interested in flowbench results, if you go to have the head flowed (but don't do it especial for me - flowbench time does tend to cost a few bucks!)

 

[FearNoFish]

Here is the data on the head.

Intake Valve: 1.9"
Intake Port Volume: 138cc
Retainer Material: Steel
Chamber Volume:59.6cc
Exhaust Valve: 1.55"
Exhaust Port Volume: 76.4cc

Head Flow Data @28"

Lift-Intake/Exhaust
.100 74.5/55.4
.200 134/92.8
.3 183.3/116.8
.4 226.5/131.2
.5 255/142.4

Thanks to the previous owner - Rob Patterson and McCabe Motorsports.

I don't have the info available right now to compare this with a stock head.

FNF

 

[Talyn]

Dino has some specs on head flows http://www.jeep4.0performance.4mg.com/tech_specs.html Don't know where they came from, but they are at 25" and I don't know how one would convert.

 

[pajeepman]

You should polish that head to a mirror like shine so you gets a few more "BLING" ponies out of your engine.:laugh: Sounds like quite and engine you got going on there.