Ratheads

More Big Block Chevy Power With Trick Flow BBC R-Series Heads

Outfitted with the right combination of hardware, a big block Chevy has the potential to make silly amounts of power—the kind that pulls up stumps, shreds tires, and turns ring gears into scrap iron.

Trick Flow Specialties knows all about the right hardware. Virtually every Mustang racer-boy worth his slicks has had a pair of Trick Flow High Port, Twisted Wedge, or R-Series aluminum cylinder heads on his Five-Oh or 351 Windsor at one time or another.

Trick Flow has cemented its reputation with more go-fast stuff—Twisted Wedge and R-Series heads for small Chevy, heads and intakes for 429/460 big block Fords, EFI intake manifolds and for 5.0s and 351Ws, plus stroker engine kits, cams, rocker arms, pistons, and other pieces of performance wonderfulness.

As you probably surmised, Trick Flow also makes aluminum cylinder heads for big block Chevys, ranging from street-oriented oval port castings to the subject of our little expose, the BBC R-Series.

Inside The BBC R-Series

Like any good race-oriented big block Chevy head, the BBC R-Series has a rectangular port design biased to midrange and high-rpm power production. That means big holes that move lots of air—122cc combustion chambers, 2.25 or 2.30 inch intake and 1.88 inch exhaust valves, and a choice of 320cc, 340cc, or 360cc intake ports.

The R-Series head comes with a choice of dual valve springs. All heads are available with a 1.530 inch spring for mechanical flat tappet and hydraulic roller cams or a 1.550 inch spring for use with mechanical roller cams, both good up to .700 inch lift. The R-Series 340 and 360 heads also have a 1.640 inch spring option for mechanical roller cams up to .800 inch lift. All three springs can be upgraded with titanium retainers.

Other features include 137cc exhaust ports raised .300 inch from stock, a three-angle competition valve job, and manganese bronze valve guides. Trick Flow will even assemble the heads for you, complete with valves, springs, retainers, 10 degree machined locks, rocker studs, and guideplates.

Naturally, we wanted to know what kind of power to expect from the BBC R-Series. Trick Flow did too, and had dyno man Ron Greczanik build a 540 cubic inch stroker with a pair of 320cc heads with 2.25 inch intake valves and 1.530 inch springs. He then dynoed the engine on the company’s Superflow pump, running 92 octane pump gas.

The numbers generated were quite healthy—672.6 peak horsepower at 5,900 rpm and 640.7 ft.-lbs. peak torque at 4,700 rpm. Typical of big cubic inch engines, torque output was impressive across the board, not dropping below 500 ft.-lbs. up to 6,000 rpm. Horsepower was clearly biased to the upper rpm ranges; the engine didn’t surpass the 500 mark until 4,400 rpm, and passed 600 at 5,100 rpm.

Do these big Chevy heads live up to the reputation of Trick Flow’s R-Series legend? The numbers certainly seem to confirm it, and there is potential to make even more. Some port and polish work on the 320cc heads will put you awfully close to 700 horsepower. Drop a pair of the 340cc or 360cc BBC R-Series heads on the 540 and add a little more cam, and you’ll be pushing 750 horsepower easy. Sounds like a big yes to us.

TFS-41400001
Trick Flow BBC R-Series 320 Cylinder Heads
2.25" Valves, 1.530" Valve Springs, Assembled, Pair

TFS-41400002
Trick Flow BBC R-Series 320 Cylinder Heads
2.25" Valves, 1.550" Valve Springs, Assembled, Pair

TFS-41400003
Trick Flow BBC R-Series 320 Cylinder Heads
2.30" Valves, 1.530" Valve Springs, Assembled, Pair

TFS-41400004
Trick Flow BBC R-Series 340 Cylinder Heads
2.25" Valves, 1.530" Valve Springs, Assembled, Pair

TFS-41400005
Trick Flow BBC R-Series 340 Cylinder Heads
2.25" Valves, 1.550" Valve Springs, Assembled, Pair

TFS-41400006
Trick Flow BBC R-Series
340 Cylinder Heads, 2.30" Valves, 1.550" Valve Springs, Assembled, Pair

TFS-4140T005
Trick Flow BBC R-Series 340 Cylinder Heads
2.25" Valves, 1.530" Valve Springs With Titanium Retainers, Assembled, Pair

TFS-4140T006
Trick Flow BBC R-Series 340 Cylinder Heads
2.30" Valves, 1.530" Valve Springs With Titanium Retainers, Assembled, Pair

TFS-4140T805
Trick Flow BBC R-Series 340 Cylinder Heads
2.25" Valves, 1.640" Valve Springs With Titanium Retainers, Assembled, Pair

TFS-4140T806
Trick Flow BBC R-Series 340 Cylinder Heads
2.30" Valves, 1.640" Valve Springs With Titanium Retainers, Assembled, Pair

TFS-41400007
Trick Flow BBC R-Series 360 Cylinder Heads
2.30" Valves, 1.530" Valve Springs, Assembled, Pair

TFS-41400008
Trick Flow BBC R-Series 360 Cylinder Heads
2.30" Valves, 1.550" Valve Springs, Assembled, Pair

TFS-4140T008
Trick Flow BBC R-Series 360 Cylinder Heads
2.30" Valves, 1.550" Valve Springs With Titanium Retainers, Assembled, Pair

TFS-4140T808
Trick Flow BBC R-Series 360 Cylinder Heads
2.30" Valves, 1.640" Valve Springs With Titanium Retainers, Assembled, Pair

TFS-4141B320
Trick Flow BBC R-Series 320 Cylinder Heads
Bare Casting, Each

TFS-4141B340
Trick Flow BBC R-Series 340 Cylinder Heads
Bare Casting, Each

TFS-4141B360
Trick Flow BBC R-Series 360 Cylinder Heads
Bare Casting, Each