Which heads...?

[offroadking208]

Without getting into too much detail yet, im looking for a set of heads. 4V heads. i have acquired an all aluminum block, bored .020 over, and apparently forged (havent torn into it yet). and i got it for an absolute steal. so im wondering which heads will work best but not break the bank (99/01 Cobra heads, 96-98 Cobra heads, etc). the block is from a 96 Lincoln Mark VIII. Thanks as always fellas

[Zack]

Anything 99+

[DJCV]

I don't mean to hi-jack the thread, but I am also interested in new heads.

I've read good things about Twisted Wedge from TFS and just wonder what they or any aftermarket heads do to negatively impact driveability on a DD...?

[FordNut]

Best heads are '04. The early '03 heads may or may not have gotten replaced on the assembly line with the updated cooling for cylinders 7 & 8. Only way I know of that you can tell is look for a blue mark on the valve cover before the engine is disassembled. Even if the cooling is upgraded, it still has the low sprk plug thread count. The '04 heads have all of the updates.

[offroadking208]

Best heads are '04. The early '03 heads may or may not have gotten replaced on the assembly line with the updated cooling for cylinders 7 & 8. Only way I know of that you can tell is look for a blue mark on the valve cover before the engine is disassembled. Even if the cooling is upgraded, it still has the low sprk plug thread count. The '04 heads have all of the updates.

awesome! thanks for the help guys. now one more question: if the motor i have is forged, it should have no problem dealing with boost, correct? and if it turns out that it doesn't have forged internals, will it be able to cope with boost, or would that be a mistake?

[justbob]

Non forged internals will net you safely 420 to the wheels. Tuned right 450-480 on 93 with your ears allways open and your eyes on the AFR guage. 525 if you commit to 100 octane.

[ImpalaSlayer]

makes me want to get some 04 heads

[offroadking208]

Non forged internals will net you safely 420 to the wheels. Tuned right 450-480 on 93 with your ears allways open and your eyes on the AFR guage. 525 if you commit to 100 octane.

450 would be fantastic. and i live like an hour away from Blue Oval Chips, so i dont think tuning would be a problem. even if it's forged i'd be happy with 450 :) i was originally thinking about a Tork Tech kit, but after it was all said and done with, i think i'd be looking at more ($$$ wise) than i would by doing a 4V swap. everyone be warned: once the mod bug bites you, its impossible to stop!!! :burnout:

[justbob]

Just remember, one false move at that power level, or one bad tank of gas eguals BOOM. I never crank my radio when I play around. Better safe than sorry.

[offroadking208]

Just remember, one false move at that power level, or one bad tank of gas eguals BOOM. I never crank my radio when I play around. Better safe than sorry.

+1, even N/A i dont blast the radio when i go WOT. for reasons of KA-BOOM and i like hearing my car ;)

[ImpalaSlayer]

+1, even N/A i dont blast the radio when i go WOT. for reasons of KA-BOOM and i like hearing my car ;)
mines always cranked and i can hear the exhaust just fine :D

[massacre]

Only way I know of that you can tell is look for a blue mark on the valve cover before the engine is disassembled.

There are many threads on the 'net concerning this ^^^ and the blue mark on the valley side of the head is not a positive indicator of the updated heads.
The blue spray paint was used within the factory for identification purposes, and has nothing to do with that.
I personally have seen the blue mark on the older heads.
Just FYI.....

[FordNut]

There are many threads on the 'net concerning this ^^^ and the blue mark on the valley side of the head is not a positive indicator of the updated heads.
The blue spray paint was used within the factory for identification purposes, and has nothing to do with that.
I personally have seen the blue mark on the older heads.
Just FYI.....

Just wondering how you can tell the difference between the old castings and the newer ones?

I've had several of these engines apart and never seen any marks in the valley or on the heads themselves, most of them have a blue mark (paint or paint pen like junkyards use to ID parts) on the driver's valve cover near the area of the brake booster. The mark usually looks like a check mark or a V shape. I've never seen any with spray paint markings.

[Zack]

You can run 30psi with 4 thread heads. Just install the spark plugs correctly.

[FordNut]

You can run 30psi with 4 thread heads. Just install the spark plugs correctly.

Yep. I think he asked about the BEST heads. If I found a set of '03 heads and a set of '04 heads at the same price and in the same condition I would go for the '04 heads.

[Zack]

Yep. I think he asked about the BEST heads. If I found a set of '03 heads and a set of '04 heads at the same price and in the same condition I would go for the '04 heads.

Most definitely

[massacre]

Just wondering how you can tell the difference between the old castings and the newer ones?

I've had several of these engines apart


The only way to tell for sure AFAIK is to count the spark plug threads.

I've had many Terminator motors apart, some have the blue spray paint on the head and some don't.....

[FordNut]

The only way to tell for sure AFAIK is to count the spark plug threads.

I've had many Terminator motors apart, some have the blue spray paint on the head and some don't.....

But there are two different versions with the 4 thread count. The early ones (which weren't supposed to get out of the factory but supposedly some of them slipped out) and the later ones (which have revised cooling passages in the castings). Nobody has ever indicated to me how you could tell them apart besides the blue paint mark on the valve cover.

[RacerX]

I was thinking of the thread count. I have the 9 thread count on the Mach 1 heads I'm porting right now. Those are the 04's with the improved cooling, correct?

[FordNut]

Yes, all of the 9 thread count heads have the latest greatest of everything.

[RacerX]

Nice. Got them for a song, no dance. Any other recommendations to the heads while apart? Such as champhering any passages, etc.? 30k on em.

[dohc324ci]

^^Check valve guides and lash adjusters (a few had play). Make sure you dont depress the lash adjusters like MMR (possibly 115k on them though) did you wont like the sound it makes when it collapses....http://s920.photobucket.com/albums/ad43/dohc324ci/?action=view&current=IMG_0072.flv&newest=1

This has been linked before (referenced everywhere) I am sure but more info on the 4V heads:http://www.moddedmustangs.com/forums/4v-svt/51445-4v-head-info.html

[FordNut]

One unconventional thing I did was had the oil drainback holes drilled out to the same size as the ones in the block. Probably no benefit, but since I was having them totally built up I figured why not.