Pro Comp Heads 190cc
 

I'm going to be trading a used t5 for some pro comp heads 2.02, 1.6, 190cc (installed but never used )
The only thing I know about heads is what I read... never actually installed any
this is just an opportunity that came up ...its pretty much these pro comps or leaving it stock

so questions?
1. good trade ?
2. what should i look for when i see them?
3. has anyone used these before straight from the box (no machining)?
4. will i need to modify or replace the pistons for clearance?


more questions to come im sure...

I've heard good and bad about pro-comp, but if the castings look clean and not rough, I think it's a good trade off cause used t-5's can be had for 250.00 to 300.00 easy where as aluminum heads even the less desirable name ones go for over 600.00 easy and then some:)

In the grand scheme of things the pro comp head is junk, but your giving him a fairly worthless trans that can be had anywhere for 2-300 dollars, so its ok. Watch for bad valvetrain geometry, valve jobs like a woodchuck did them, leaky hard to seal valve cover rails, and general cheap chinese issues. Have at it.

...not really sure what you mean ...could someone clear this up for me

^^^^to clear it up for you they suck and now turn around and sell them things and buy a better set...

are there any pics out there of a clean vs rough heads?

I have a set of them on my 347 as we speak. I haven't heard nothing but bad about them, but mine seem to work/run fine with them. Not that the car wouldn't benefit from a set of Trick Flows or AFR's or any brand name head. But if I had a junk tranny, and could better my engines output by 40 or 50 hp, yeah, I'd be all over it as long as the heads looked good. Just make sure all of the decks, intake and exhaust surfaces appear to be clean and square. Look at the valves and see if the are all in line with each other. If the owner has studs screwed into the head, make sure they are all inline with each other. I have seen 3 sets of Pro Comps for a BBC engine that had problems with the valves or stud holes not centered correctly when the machining was done. Like I said, I have a set and I love my results. All though I am not on the bandwagon like others you will hear from on hear. Do what makes you happy and what your wallet can afford.

I've got a set on my '89 coupe. I've got about 1k miles on them so far and I'm not all that impressed. Spent about an hour total cleaning up where they machined for the valve seats & chamfered the spark plug holes since they were too tight to get a spark plug socket in.

The cleanup was minor, the biggest issue I have with mine is the valve cover rail. The rail is tiny compared to the stock heads and the bolt holes are literally 1/16" away from the edge making it almost impossible to seal... almost.

I had to use a rubber impregnated cork gasket and get the gasket pushed in towards the valve train as much as possible while tightening and it worked. No leaks so far but still a pain.

The other minor issue was the fact the valve train is visibly off...I say minor issue for me, if I was drag racing this car or revving beyond the stock limiter I would trash these heads. One rocker arm sits slightly crooked or the valve is slightly crooked and on many of them the pushrod is very close to the guide plates compared to some of the others, none hit though. Doesn't help I used their brand rocker arms too. Those will be replaced soon.

Overall I'd say they're okay to get by with, but my car does run fine and hauls arse too so I can't complain too much for what I spent. If I could do it over I would have gone with something better.

These are the only pics I have and some are crappy quality.

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i2...01-08_2151.jpg

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i2...02-08_1351.jpg

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i2...05-08_1913.jpg

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i2...06-08_1809.jpg

thanks all for the info ..i think i'll go ahead ..at worst i sell them for $400-$500 (more than i can get for a used t5 on average) at best i bolt them on the way they are and get more power than i had stock

but please continue to tell me your experiences

even if they aren't the best, IMO for a t-5 trade it's worth it:)