So I'm looking through my Summit catalogue-- there's so many different ****ing brand's of intake & exhaust valves. Is there really that much difference between everything? The bill for the heads and cam is about $1600 right now without the valves. I'm already over budget. How much of a difference is there between all these different types of valves? Manley has "Budget Performance" and "Race Flo" valves in the size I need (1.940 intake and 1.500 exhaust 11/32" stem diameter). Is there a huge difference between the two? Help!

Valves are going in World Products S/R Torquer 305 heads with a Crane 2030 PowerMax cam and 1.5 Gold Roller-Rockers (matched with Crane's valve springs, lifters and timing chain/cam gear assmebly). Engine: 305 Chevy, TPI with 3" catback, cat and headers. A chip looks like it's going to be monetarily out of reach for the moment.

Next mods after this will probably be a 3.73 rear, sub-frame connectors and a strut tower brace. But that'll be next year.

 

Yes there is a major difference. The "budget performance" ones have straight stems; the "Race-Flo" ones have undercut stems. It's probably a good 5% difference in flow in good heads.

Don't cheap out now..... get the better ones, they should be just about $200 for the complete set. Comp and others have similar ones, for similar prices; you can mix & match intakes & exhausts from different mfrs to get the price down.

 

The Race Flo valves are $76.00 for sets of 8; so it's $144.00 for the complete set of intake & exhaust valves (one per cylinder in our cars, right? I hope I'm not that mechanically retarded). The total tag for the complete valve train and head package looks to be about $1748 and some change.

The assembled World heads came with Manley street flow valves... I stopped by Crane cams today and they were leery about the spring weiht at top dead center when the valves were open. The tech I talked to said it looked like the weight would be too high (the came needs 265 ATDC according to the card) and he said it looked like it would be too high, and the motor wouldn't want to rev at all if that were the case; so I'm just ordering the heads bare casting and getting all the matched valve train parts to get the most dependable I can get I suppose. That's why I'm wondering over the valves. Summit doesn't carry the street flow valves in the 305 sizes, so the Race Flo were the next on the list that had the right sizes.

Anyways, thanks for the words; I'll probably go with the Race Flow valves.

 

That would be the thing to do.

Valves come in sets of 8; but it's 8 intakes, and 8 exhausts, not 4 of each in a set. The intakes are the cheaper ones which is the price you have. The exhausts are probably closer to $100.

Yeah, this is not a cheap hobby, but it can be lots of fun when you get it all dialed in. Good luck!!

 

Summit has a set of 8 Race Flo 1.940" intake valves for $76.00 and a set of 8 Race Flo 1.500" exhaust valves for $76.00. I didn't mean to say they came in set's of 4; they sell them packaged as intake only and exhaust only, they don't seem to have them mixed together. Thanks for the help!

 

If you want some cheap undercut valves check out Powerhouse at www.enginekits.com

only $39.99 for 8