If a company made a replacement head that looked like, weighed like, and offered the same level of performance as the OEM head, to the point where you could call it a reproduction head, use it. That way we would not have to rely on 40 year swap meet parts.
With regards to the Ford FE heads, they are all about the same. Some are a little better than others in their unported state, but none is hugely superior over the others (excluding Tunnel Ports and High Risers, which are'nt right for anything here anyway). They all require a lot of reworking to get even close to you BBC and Hemi guys. So it comes down to a casting number question. Is that head correct for that Year/Model Ford? It would be nice to be able to start with a less expensive casting, which you are going to pay to have heavily ported, rather than seeking out the more expensive Cobra Jet castings that the numbers guys are all after.
What we FE Ford guys need are Blocks that are'nt so thin that they are considered marginal at best, and still cost a fortune. I know, you only want to talk heads here. But consider this, once you start down this road, where will it stop? On the flipside, I am in favor of anything that keeps guys racin'. Nobody wants to be constantly spending money to fix broken parts. Lord knows Lane has paid his dues and then some.
Lastly, Ryan wrote:
Geee if fords dont have aluminum heads maybe you could build a chevy if you think thats such a great thing?? Last i recall all valid sources will tell you cast iron heads can and will make more power!
Are you serious? Last I checked aluminum was a lot lighter than cast iron.
Mike