CHI 4V heads report

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Joined
Aug 14, 2014
Messages
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Location
Madison, WI
My Car
1971 Mach 1 w/408C stroker
At the end of last year I got the bug of more horsepower. Who doesn't! I did a lot of research on cylinder heads and although I had mildly ported 4V heads I figure I can squeeze more power out of aluminum aftermarket heads plus the 50 lbs lighter weight was very appealing (https://www.chiheads.com.au/shop/heads/4v-ford-cleveland/). There was not much data out there about the CHI's 4V heads, but their 3Vs are top of the line. The advantage with the 4Vs is that I could use any manifold and/or headers since the port location is the same. So back in September I took the jump and bought me a pair. They finally arrived in November and had Billy Ray Morgan in California install the valves and springs. Based on CHI's recommendations I went with REV valves 2.19" and 1.65". Yes, the CHI 4Vs have a slightly smaller exhaust valves. I paired the valves with beehive springs. Maybe not needed for my application but it won't hurt. I got the PAC 1219X springs with a seat pressure of 145 lbs and a rate of 340 lbs/in.

The heads are obviously beautiful. Installation was as expected. Spent a good time measuring push rod length and settled with Trend 3/8" push rod with the 210 tip. The car immediately felt more responsive and with more power. Did the dyno at the HRPT with the same vendor that I did it two years ago with the worked 4V heads. I was blown away with the results, 472 HP and 507 torque. So that's an increase of about 68 horses and 80 lbs of torque with the new heads. I had mildly ported by Bluethunder at home which may have given me a little but I believe most of it is from the heads. Super happy with I estimate that my engine is making close to 550 at the crank.
You can see the attached dyno sheets. The different runs are with the exhaust cutoffs close and open. Obviously there is more power with the cutoff open but also notice there is a bump in torque. That's about 13 extra horses with the cutoffs open. My cutoffs as right after the extended 3" collector. I have a 8" collector extension. After that it goes down to 2.5" and then down to 2" after the muffler.

Dyno HRPT 2022 (RPM corrected).jpgDyno HRPT 2024 (200rpm off).jpg20240422_220528.jpg20240421_234330.jpg20240404_215232.jpg20240404_215224.jpg20240404_215205.jpg20240404_215109.jpg20240404_215102.jpg
 
Nice!
The CHI heads look to be a very good cylinder head.
I’d like to know your cam specs.
I also like the type of hydraulic roller lifter you are using. I’m sure the dog bone style is much quieter than the tie bar style.
Did you have any header issues with these heads?
 
Nice!
The CHI heads look to be a very good cylinder head.
I’d like to know your cam specs.
I also like the type of hydraulic roller lifter you are using. I’m sure the dog bone style is much quieter than the tie bar style.
Did you have any header issues with these heads?
I kept the same cam I had with the iron 4Vs. Here are the specs. This is a good cam except I think it could handle a bit more lift. These specs with .590s I think it would work great. Right now my vacuum is 11ish so you can expect it to go down with more lift.

Current CAM Card.jpg

My lifters are Gaterman hydraulic rollers and they use the dog bone bar. I took the picture before I installed it. At that point I was in the process of adding a spacer underneath and getting longer bolts with the idea to help open the area for the drain holes in the block. I have had these lifters for a few years and they have worked well so far. I haven't notice any issues with noise. Headers bolted in the same location as the stock irons.
 
Man that's impressive. It was between the CHI heads and the AFD for me. I went with the AFD but for no particular reason. I have never had mine on a dyno so I have nothing to compare as far as numbers go. What are you going to do with your iron heads?
 
Man that's impressive. It was between the CHI heads and the AFD for me. I went with the AFD but for no particular reason. I have never had mine on a dyno so I have nothing to compare as far as numbers go. What are you going to do with your iron heads?
I am keeping the irons for now. They are all assembled but will need new guides. That's another story for another day.
 
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