Okay... Here is another brain-dead newbie question: Since it is possible to furnace-braze parts of heads together, as demonstrated by the small-block head conversions, would it be possible/desireable to saw three small blocks out of the head and and braze into place a new casting which includes longer radius port bends, individual ports, and more optimized port shapes?
For reliability and sealing, it might be better to mill out the top of the head and leave the head floor and valve seats, and just replace the ports and valve guides. It seems like such a replacement port casting would be relatively easy to develop as the casting would be open at the sides, and so not need elaborate self-supporting cores. Obviously, the new port walls could be left somewhat thicker to allow for porting without hitting the water jacket.
It would be much easier to take sections from several different aluminum heads and just Tig(heliarc) them, than trying to furnace braze cast iron heads, and probably a lot cheaper. Thats what Leo did with his engines, and seems to have had good results from those heads instead of cast iron....plus, I dont think there are any cast iron heads that would provide that much of an improvement over a professionally ported siamese head with "lumps". I've done many "lump" siamese heads that had the intake ports flow over 330 CFM, its doubtful that even the best Dart or World Products cast iron head could even be made to flow close to 300 CFM. Very few aluminum heads can even do it either. Very few people have ever had a really good "lump" head to truly know and see their potential.
