Stocker Cylinder Heads....

[Wade_Owens]

The head rules arent what's in the rulebook. Several engine builders have been told 1 thing and the tech officials something else. Tech's interpretations of the gray areas can be different and judgement calls vary from division to division.

There is a big difference between a stock head and a Stock Eliminator legal head. The legal bowl cut drastically changes the appearance, and its not mentioned in the rules.

CYLINDER HEADS
Must be correct casting number for year and horsepower claimed,
per NHRA Technical Bulletins or NHRA accepted. Porting,
polishing, welding, epoxying and acid-porting prohibited.
Combustion-chamber modifications prohibited. Cylinder heads are
additionally restricted in that they must retain original-size valves at
original angles +/- 1 degree and must be able to hold original
cylinder-head volume per NHRA Specifications. Runner volumes
may not exceed the current Super Stock cylinder-head volumes as
listed on www.NHRARacer.com. Regardless of the poured volume
measurement, any modifications to intake or exhaust runners
prohibited. Any evidence of modifications from the original castings
will be grounds for disqualifications as determined by NHRA in
NHRA’s sole and absolute discretion. Any aftermarket steel valve
permitted, must retain stock head and stem diameters. Only
engines OEM-equipped with sodium-filled valves may use sodiumfilled
replacement valves. Titanium prohibited. Hardened keepers
permitted. Lash caps prohibited. Valve-diameter tolerance: +.005-
inch or -.015-inch from NHRA Specs. The following are prohibited:
spark-plug adapters; cylinder-head studs; any grinding in ports or
combustion chambers; removal of any flashings; sandblasting or
any other modification to cylinder head; any film coating of intake
and exhaust runners; any film coating of combustion chamber.
Runners and combustion chamber must retain OEM appearance.
Final acceptance as determined by NHRA in NHRA’s sole and
absolute discretion. Intake side of head may not be cut into any part
of valve cover bolt holes. Heat riser passage may be blocked from
intake manifold side of cylinder head. Blocking passage down in
valve pocket prohibited. The following are permitted: polylocks, jam
nuts, screw-in larger-diameter rocker studs or pinned studs, bronzewall
valve guides. Valve spring umbrellas optional. Cylinder head
may have all of the seats replaced. Any valve job permitted,Oringing
prohibited. Exhaust plates prohibited.

We need the rulebook updated and clarified, please.

Wade

[Tony Janes]

The rule book is not going to get changed. It simply come down to a judgement call by the person doing the tear down.

[Larry Fulton]

And this is why the 'Class' is nothing like it's 'original' intent.

[Run to Rund]

Well contoured replacement valve seats are the rich man's pocket porting.

[Bobby Zlatkin]

I heard something over the weekend that really got my attention as I never really thought of it that way.

"You don't read the rulebook to see what you can't do. You read it to see what you can do."

[Greg Hill]

We need consistency from one division to another. What we don't need is one tech person's " I don't like the way this looks".

[John Duzac]

What is Wade talking about? Did something happen resently with his heads? Tech should be uniform from one division to another. If I run in division 4 and check out legal, and show up at division 3 with the same engine, it should check out legal as well. Provided the heads cc correctly, etc.

[Lew Silverman]

Originally Posted by Wade_Owens

The head rules arent what's in the rulebook. Several engine builders have been told 1 thing and the tech officials something else. Tech's interpretations of the gray areas can be different and judgement calls vary from division to division.

There is a big difference between a stock head and a Stock Eliminator legal head. The legal bowl cut drastically changes the appearance, and its not mentioned in the rules.

CYLINDER HEADS
Must be correct casting number for year and horsepower claimed,
per NHRA Technical Bulletins or NHRA accepted. Porting,
polishing, welding, epoxying and acid-porting prohibited.
Combustion-chamber modifications prohibited. Cylinder heads are
additionally restricted in that they must retain original-size valves at
original angles +/- 1 degree and must be able to hold original
cylinder-head volume per NHRA Specifications. Runner volumes
may not exceed the current Super Stock cylinder-head volumes as
listed on www.NHRARacer.com. Regardless of the poured volume
measurement, any modifications to intake or exhaust runners
prohibited. Any evidence of modifications from the original castings
will be grounds for disqualifications as determined by NHRA in
NHRA’s sole and absolute discretion. Any aftermarket steel valve
permitted, must retain stock head and stem diameters. Only
engines OEM-equipped with sodium-filled valves may use sodium filled
replacement valves. Titanium prohibited. Hardened keepers
permitted. Lash caps prohibited. Valve-diameter tolerance: +.005-
inch or -.015-inch from NHRA Specs. The following are prohibited:
spark-plug adapters; cylinder-head studs; any grinding in ports or
combustion chambers; removal of any flashing's; sandblasting or
any other modification to cylinder head; any film coating of intake
and exhaust runners; any film coating of combustion chamber.
Runners and combustion chamber must retain OEM appearance.
Final acceptance as determined by NHRA in NHRA’s sole and
absolute discretion. Intake side of head may not be cut into any part
of valve cover bolt holes. Heat riser passage may be blocked from
intake manifold side of cylinder head. Blocking passage down in
valve pocket prohibited. The following are permitted: polylocks, jam
nuts, screw-in larger-diameter rocker studs or pinned studs, bronzewall
valve guides. Valve spring umbrellas optional. Cylinder head
may have all of the seats replaced. Any valve job permitted,O-ringing
prohibited. Exhaust plates prohibited.

We need the rulebook updated and clarified, please.

Wade

"Integrity is doing the right thing even when no one is looking".

The rules are pretty specific - "Any evidence of modifications from the original castings will be grounds for disqualifications as determined by NHRA in NHRA’s sole and absolute discretion." "Regardless of the poured volume measurement, any modifications to intake or exhaust runners prohibited."

That is the "standard". When that rule is not enforced it establishes a new "standard".

So we are left with a quandary - there are more than a few who have "bent the rules" to their own advantage and have gotten away with it and the rest of us who read the rules and abide by them. Are the rules unenforceable? Maybe. And if so, do we need a new "anything-goes-rule" so everyone gets to play on a level field? What other choices do we have?

Lew

[ss wannabee]

Don't like the mention of aluminum...unless it was OEM-equipped....Just my .02.....
Yeah, I know we have the "replacements" today and all that...but across the board?

Jim, no disrespect to you and your operation...you've done well over the years and your hard work shows it....

But I've always felt if a certain combo had pieces that were tough to find or too much $$$$...you either hung in there or "bailed-out" and did something else....

Guess an argument could be made that some guys have the aluminum and some don't...hope I'm not starting something! And as far as easier to work on....yes...BUT????

A move like that...IMHO...would further "tarnish" the term "STOCK"...

I'm getting out here as the Family is taking me out for Breakfast....Would somebody out there please tell Ed O'Brien "Happy Fathers' Day!"

And a 'Happy Fathers' Day' to you gentlemen as well.........LET'S fix this BEFORE it's broke....FOR GOOD!!!!!!!!

[X-TECH MAN]

As much as I didnt want to post again I was talked into this response by a few. Many of you know who I am and how many years I spent with IHRA but only 2 years with NHRA back in the rarly 70's. NHRA "WILL NOT" ever change their inspection process until many of the current honchos go away. I sat down with Len Imbrigno (remember him) approx 12 years ago at the PRI show in Indy to talk about this very subject. I had samples and told all, plus showed all and who and which shops was doing what from my time working with IHRA and the US Class Nationals for Alex D. The meeting which was approved by both NHRA and IHRA at that time the meeting went no place. It was a waste of my time. I opened Len's eyes and he passed on the info to Calif. but it wasnt to long after this meeting that he left NHRA. He tried hard but to no avail to get the porting, acid and media blasting stopped which has gone on for many many years. Todays racer and engine shops that use these type parts have no morals. The want to win and be the "Big Dog" at everyone elses expense. This is exactly why S/S is allowed ported heads today. I saw my first set of bogus heads on a North Carolina Camaro back in 1983 or 1984 when I had taken a break from tech duties to enjoy life. Its been going on a very long time. I returned to IHRA and tried to stop ported heads without any luck. The game playing continued so I gave up. Why bother? The rules are to general and people with the money are all law suit crazy and it scared NHRA and IHRA. The problem is not with the tech guys in NHRA nor IHRA. The problem is with NHRA its self and the lack of desire to enforce the rule they already have. Most of the tech people have "been there and done that" as they say and they know what they are looking at but their hands are tied most of the time. Cut the head off the "snake" and it will die. I still consider the tech guys I have met and know my friends and hope this post is not taken in the wrong way. All I can say to Wade is lots of luck !