Jr, I am an obstinate cheap bastard but the way you broke it down it finally makes sense> I was just SOOO hoping that someone would have a set of Brock heads and a cam laying around, waiting to sell it to me for the price of a cheesburger. You are right, even 200 dollar heads will need parts (200 bucks) and machine work (100) and other stuff......

The Patriot Performers win this time.........mawoohahahah!!!!

Now that Ive decided what head I want, its time to look for cam.......then time to look for money.

 

Is Patriot a Chinese company?

 

Dunno. If its a quality issue, please chime in. If its a 'Made in USA' thing, Im not concerned. (buy American doesnt mean much nowadays and its US run Unions that have helped run our manufacturing base into the ground.) Trust me, Im on the forward edge of trying to preserve this country......but buying US made products doesnt amount to squat anymore. Just my .02

 

I haven't heard anything bad about Patriot Performance, and I plan on that exact set of Vortecs for my car this spring.

I don't mean to sound like a Patriot Performance leg humper, it seems like I bring their name up in every post, lol. Just for the price and quality it's hard to beat it.

I agree with you too, Scott. Most American made products cost twice what a foreign made product does, and anymore (depending on what the product is), the difference is negligible. For example, on my Jeep I did a transfer case swap a little while back. I had to buy new seals, and typically all I use are National/Federal Mogul seals. Well for the front case seal it was $15 for the National, and $6 for a "Master Pro" brand. I looked at them, and honestly the Master Pro seemed to be made quite a bit better, and at almost 1/3 the cost, I said WTH and went with it. Been about a year and she's holding fine.

 

I gave up the day I started reading 'Made in Mexico with American and Chinese Parts' on the sides of boxes......GM plants in Mexico, Styer bought out Chrysler, KIA has production plants here in the US.....everything now is a mismatch of parts from everywhere.

 

http://speedtalk.com/forum/viewtopic...hlight=patriot

http://speedtalk.com/forum/viewtopic...triot&start=15

reaction to the heads seem mixed

 

Wow, those pictures are terrible. There's no way that their product can be that bad. Must be some bad assemblies that got thrown in, with how big of company Patriot Performance is, and how much Jegs backs them, there's no way all of their heads look like that.

 

I tell ya, Ive been researching heads for over a month now. My intention was to get a set of performance heads and maybe a cam, and add 30-40 horsepower. Thus far Ive learned that there is a dizzying array of heads (but all seem to be broken down as either 1.94 or 2.20 intake valves) and that any way I do this its going to set me back at least 800 bucks. I do not want to tear the engine down and bolt ob a head that wont give me the performance I want, but I dont have the money for a set of real performers. So.... somebody here just needs to either give me a thousand dollars or a nice set of heads.

Cmon 350, I know you have a set.......

 

300 bucks will be cutting it REAL close....I just scored a set of used Vortecs for 175, but I would be a fool to not have them 'gone over' by a shop, and thats gonna run at least another 100-200. I REALLY want to just slap them on but I would kill myself if I found out after all that work that there was a problem.

My suggestion is to cruise craigslist daily....It took me a month and a half of searching.

 

changed my vortec heads and got a decent 35 hp jump in the car. hope to go for higher upgrades soon. saving a bit of a cash on the side for this.