308 super power dome head

53_hornet

I’m still a little green to the world of Hudson . I just ran across an Alcoa super power dome head . Does this truly help or is it another one of those “ performance “ parts that really don’t make a notable difference ... other than the cool factor .

iceblade10

The aluminum heads had more compression, so gave a very slight bump in power.  They're also much lighter.  There was also a cool factor in play, I'm sure, because back in those days aluminum was a sort of "exotic" material like carbon fibre would be today.

Some guys love the aluminum heads and have no problems, but it seems to be the general consensus that they are more trouble than they are worth.  If you want similar performance with dependability, you can bolt a 262 head right on a 308, and the smaller combustion chambers might net you 4 more horsepower.  That's how the engine in my Hornet is set up.  It's also how they built some of the race engines back in the day.  (I think the 7X motor even has a 232 head on the 308, but I'm not certain)

SuperDave

They make great wall art!  My first Hudson was a 51 Hornet with an aluminum head.  musta been back in 72-73. Drove to Miami from Melbourne,('bout 165miles) Met with members of "THE". (The "other club". ) They all asked me if i had head gasket problems.. i said "why"???  On the way home I found out  why.. blew the gasket. Jack Clifford said they would have been been fine if they were 3 inches thick instead of 2".  I have one on the "Wall of shame" on my barn. Looks cool.

Geoff

I agree!  I have a 262 alloy head here. It may have been fine if inhibitor had been used in the water, but the internal corrosion is such that at one point there is only about 1.5mm between the water jacket and the combustion chamber.  Just a blown gasket waiting to happen!   Unfortunately our forebears gave no thought to our needs 60 years on!

Ol racer

FYI
 Im almost reluctant to mention that I have an aluminum head on every motor with & without studs and a few milled, but I use the Best Permbomd gaskets primarily aluminum for the weight reduction and appearance..... Back in the day the poor quality antifreeze, and often pure alcohol was used, but that eroded the aluminum so need to find one that is still pretty good.,
A 262 head is a good power choice since the combustion chamber appears slightly smaller than the last aluminum head that I compared.

Browniepetersen

OK, here is my take....  If you are building "all original" and want that "cool" factor go all aluminum.  Head and Twin H.  But if you want that additional power; you need to look into "Close Tolerance Machining."  Most of the street performance 308's are pushing 220 plus hp and can be daily drivers.  Next time you go to a show and someone says they have a "Beyond 7X engine" question them about the machine work they did.  This is the real "Cool" factor....

Lance

Browniepetersen said:

OK, here is my take....  If you are building "all original" and want that "cool" factor go all aluminum.  Head and Twin H.  But if you want that additional power; you need to look into "Close Tolerance Machining."  Most of the street performance 308's are pushing 220 plus hp and can be daily drivers.  Next time you go to a show and someone says they have a "Beyond 7X engine" question them about the machine work they did.  This is the real "Cool" factor....

Brownie, May I add to what you have already said?  I agree with you but there is another factor. People think that if they modify their 308 to a '7X' package that they have made a virtual racecar. Wrong.  A real  7X package included steering, suspension,rear end, engine and fuel tank modifications. THAT is a 7X car .

Kdancy

Lance, what is the difference in steering?

Browniepetersen

Good point Lance...  By the way, I have the aluminum head and Twin-H Manifold on my shop display engine and all steel on my car.