BBC CHEVY 496-572 BRAVO 335 REC. PORT 335cc ALUMINUM HEADS ASSEMBLED BRAVO-274

Below are the actual flow numbers for the Bravo heads. These numbers are true and accurate. The testing methods we use are considered to be on the conservative side. Some choose to show flow numbers for their heads that have been done in a way that shows numbers that are misleading in our opinion. Rather than base a set of heads on flow numbers, you would be much better looking at the horse power numbers they make, providing the dyno numbers are true. We use the Bravo heads on most all of our bbc engines builds all the way up to the 572 engine. The horse power numbers they produce are exceptional as compared to any of the low to mid range priced heads on the market. We have yet to have one customer complain about these heads not making the power they expected or the build quality, and hardware used. 

Notice in the picture below the concaved face of the valves. You will only see this on high end valves. Most other valves are either flat faced or have a dimple in the center.  

The pictures below show our PBM valves installed in set of CNC’d combustion chamber heads. This is not actual combustion chamber of the PC heads. The pictures are to show you the valve face design.  

Pictured below on the left is the PBM competition valve, and the other pic. is of our conventional style valve. It was difficult to show the back-cut feature in the picture, but note that the valve on the left has a third radius cut.

We are now using the Competition Series PBM valves in all of our engines. These are considered a high end valve. These valves have an undercut and backcut feature.

The backcut feature reduces valve weight by an average of 12.5 grams per valve. This weight reduction of approx. 220 grams off the complete set of valves has a monumental effect on acceleration, deceleration, and valve train life. It may be difficult to understand how this works, but rest assured, this is a huge reduction. The valve spring compression and rebound action will remain stable for a much longer time running lighter weight valves, as well as reducing valve float. 

The backcut feature is not be mistaken for undercut. These valves have both features. Backcutting is an additional radius, but located on the head of the valve to increase the flow numbers and reduce valve weight. The flow increase is approx. 3-6 points on the flow bench, and possibly more, depending on the initial flow rate of the heads. 

According to one of our machinists who built Winston Cup engines for 15 years, the exhaust valves had an additional radius cut on the outermost edge that allowed a better escape of the exhaust gas. This cut on the exhaust valve is in addition to the back-cut feature. The competition series are made from a much higher temp alloy than most other stainless valves. There are at least three levels of stainless valves on the market, excluding those used in very high level racing such as pro-mod. The PBM competition series is compared to the highest level of those three. As a final note, backcutting a set of valves is said to improve flow in the low lift area, and this is most desirable on street rods. 

Below is a copy of one or more of our invoices from Engine Parts Warehouse showing a recent large order for our PBM valves. We have removed the price and our account number for privacy reasons. This is the best way we can prove to our customers that the valves we use in our cylinder heads are genuine PBM products. 

 Comp Cams retainers # 75740-16 and Comp Cams ID locators Part number: 4771-16

 

Assembly Procedure 

We hone all of the bronze valve guides with a ball berry flex hone to establish not only perfect clearance, but also a semi cross hatch finish for oil retention. We finish off with a natural bristle brush. The heads are then placed in our parts washer and cleaned with high pressure hot water, then pressure dried. Before installing the valves, we apply a heavy coat of engine assembly lube to the valve stems. The coating on the valve stems is essential to protect the bronze guides from gaulding on initial startup.    

Our next step is to set the spring pressure to a predetermined pressure using a spring height checking device, most suitable for street rod use. The springs we are using allow for a near perfect seat to nose ratio. Be warned that some sellers of aftermarket heads may not be checking the installed height when assembling the heads, and may not be setting them up to the correct pressures. We have a full scale machine shop with several very knowledgeable engine builders that know and fully understand how to properly assemble a set of heads. Combine the possibility of poor assembly methods with incorrect or low grade hardware, and it is easy to see how failures can result. 

Below is an excerpt from two of our Super Pro Street bbc 572 engines and solid roller cam ad that uses these Bravo heads. This can give you an idea of what these heads are capable of on a 572 bbc engine build, set up to run on 100 octane fuel, with a compression ratio of approx. 12.1:1 We have sold many engines with these heads. These heads, coupled with a single plane intake, have made up to 823 horse power at 6100-6200 rpm with the solid roller cam mentioned below. Further down are some of our pump gas combos using milder hyd. roller cams for all around street rod use. Your results will vary depending on the size and type cam you have, as well as the compression ratio and engine size. 

 

 

 

Part number: 11-000-9, Spec card # 48558

720/715 lift.

276/286 duration

112 lobe sep.

 Max power will be achieved at approx. 6200 rpm and will produce right at 822 hp.  

Engines using this cam with the Bravo heads should run a stall converter in the 3000-3500 rpm range. Final gearing when used in a car or sport truck could actually be in the 3.55 range or numerically higher. This cam would be most suitable in vehicles weighing no more than 3800 lbs. This cam does not develop a high rate of vacuum. 

 

Below are our dyno results on two of our 572 Super Pro Street engines using this cam. Your results may vary depending on carb choice. Dominator carbs will always out-do the 4150 style carbs in top end horse power. We also used our low cost Bravo bbc heads setup with our Comp solid roller springs, # 919. We also strongly recommend our Pro Sportsman .300 tall solid roller tie bar lifters # RL979. We offer these springs and lifters in our other listings. Do understand these dyno reports are examples of of what the Bravo heads are capable of with different cam and compression setups and various size engines. 

 

Version 1 of our 572 Super Pro Street engine.

This engine is available in three different configurations. All three will have the same cam and cyl. heads. The differences are outlined with each dyno report. Our highest hp version comes equipped with a single plane Profiler intake that requires a 1050 Dominator carb. This engine will produce approx. 868 hp, and requires race fuel. This engine had 30cc dome pistons in it, and comp. ratio was in the 12 to 1 range requiring race fuel. 

The potential of the 572 Super Pro Street engine is much greater than what you see above with a improved fuel delivery system. The Profiler intake and a Holley 1050 Dominator carb brought the HP numbers up to 868. This only increased the rpm by 200 over the regular setup. 6500 rpm making 868hp is very impressive to say the least. No additional drama brought to the engine other than a couple hundred rpm and about the use of a Dominator carb.

 

Official Dyno Results of our Super Pro Street 572 engine using this cam with a single plane intake, Bravo 335 rectangular port heads, Brawler 1050 carburetor, and MSD distributor.

 

 

Official Dyno Results of our Super Pro Street 572 engine using this cam with a single plane profiler intake, Bravo heads, Brawler 1050 carburetor, and MSD distributor.

Cam info:

This cam is our official cam choice in our Super Pro Street 572 bbc engine. It is the perfect size to offer the best balance of power. Considering that we made this power with our low cost Bravo heads makes this cam a perfect choice for a super pro street rod or mild drag car. It makes a great amount of overall power on bbc street rods.

This is an amazing cam in every respect. As you may know, there are many aspects to a cam’s profile besides lift, duration and lobe sep. and Comp Cams has produced an excellent cam that works very well in all bbc street rods. NOTE: the engine this cam was tested in runs on 100 octane, NOT pump gas. 

 

This recent testing we have done with our special grind cams has proven that the Bravo 335 heads have the ability to make huge horse power numbers with the use of streetable cams, and safe compression ratios for use with pump gas. We recommend checking out our BBC engine ads for the full story on what to expect from these heads. We now use the Bravo 335 heads on all of our 496/505 and 540/555 engines. The 496/505 street rod dyno results are amazing. 

Below is an excerpt from a couple of our bbc engines and one our most popular bbc cam ads that uses the Bravo heads. This can give you an idea of what these heads are capable of on a common bbc pump gas engine build, set up to run on pump gas, with a compression ratio of approx. 10.1:1 This cam has been very popular for us, and is perfect for most bbc builds. We have sold many engines with these heads. These heads coupled with a single plane intake have shown to make 762 horse power on a pump gas 572 at 5900 rpm with 10.2:1 compression ratio and 736 horse power at 5900 rpm on a pump gas 555 engine with 10.1:1 compression ratio, using a new special custom grind cam that is only 575 lift. We will soon be testing these engines with a one step up cam size to see what the max potential of these heads are. Check out the dyno reports below. 

This recent testing we have done with our special grind Comp cams has proven that the Bravo 335 heads have the ability to make huge horse power numbers with the use of streetable cams, and safe compression ratios for use with pump gas. We recommend checking out our BBC engine ads for the full story on what to expect from these heads. We now use the Bravo 335 heads on all of our 496/505, 540/555 and our 572 bbc engines. The dyno results are amazing. 

254/260 duration

112 lobe sep.

This cam is our most popular choice for our street rod bbc engine builds.

Comp Cams ‘Xtreme Marine & Auto’ Step Nose Hydraulic Roller Camshafts.

Cam info:

This cam is one of our official cam choices in our line of bbc engines. It is the perfect size to offer the best balance of power while putting a relatively low amount of stress on the valve train. This profile is somewhat easy on the valve train, it makes a great amount of overall power on bbc street rods. This cam is suitable on 496 bbc engines or larger. It’s has a very aggressive nature in the 454 sized engines and would require around 11:1 or higher compression ratio, but becomes more manageable in the 496 or larger builds. Compression ratio in a 496 engine build would need to be 10.5:1 or higher to yield decent results. This cam would be considered outstanding in a 540 and up to a 572 street rod build. 10.2:1 compression ratio or more would be all that is needed to obtain great results on these engines in a street rod. 

This cam has a very unique profile. Our former cam used in our 555 engine was nearly identical in lift and duration and had a 110 lobe sep, and it made approx. 35 hp less on every combo we ran it on. Our new Comp cam is setup with a 112 lobe sep, yet still makes so much more power, and with the 112 lobe sep, creates a safer setup overall for the engine than a 110 lobe sep.

This is an amazing cam in every respect. As you may know, there are many aspects to a cam’s profile besides lift, duration and lobe sep. and Comp Cams has produced an excellent cam that works very well in all bbc street rods. We’re going to list below our actual dyno results on every size of bbc engine we have dynoed with this cam. We have used it in at least 600 bbc engines, from a 496 up to our 632 in the past couple years. Of the three Comp Cams we use, this is our most popular by far. 

We offer two more amazing Comp cam profiles that we’re very proud of. For those running the smaller bbc engines or lower than normal compression ratio, we recommend our cam one size down for improved low end response. If you’re building a 454/468 engine, this cam would be considered slightly aggressive, and would require compression ratio numbers in the low to mid 11’s to operate well. For those building a 496 or larger and want the very best mid to top end power available in a hydraulic roller without having to spend huge amounts of money to stabilize the valve train, then this cam is the perfect choice for you.

This cam will allow safe operation of the valve train without spending a huge amount of money on valve train components. It’s not going to give any problems in the long run if you’re running decent hardware and lifters. You must run a higher than normal grade lifter such as our Max Effort Series. This increased lift and duration will bring the spring pressures up on the nose somewhat high, and that’s desirable to maintain valve train stability.

Official Dyno Results on this cam in our 572 pump gas engine with a single plane intake and new Bravo 335 rectangular port heads. Compression ratio was 10.1:1 Cam used was our Comp 575/575 lift hyd. roller.

 

Official Dyno Results on this cam in our 540/555 pump gas engine with a single plane intake and new Bravo 335 rectangular port heads. Compression ratio was 10.1:1

 

 

A solid 45-50 horsepower gain over the Procomp 320 bbc heads, all things equal.

Actually all things were not equal. The New Bravo 335 heads have 123cc combustion chambers, versus the Procomps 119. The compression ratio of this engine was down a good notch, yet still made nearly 50 hp more over the Procomp heads.

 

 

 

Official Dyno report on our 496/505 engine with cam choice # 1 and a single plane intake, runs on pump gas.

674 hp with our new Bravo 335 heads is outstanding. This 496/505 engine only had approx. 9.85:1 compression ratio. Normally we run right at 10.3:1 Our hp numbers would have been higher for certain had we had the compression ratio in the higher zone. We fee this to be the perfect street rod head and cam combination for the popular 496 engine build, and will operate on pump gas with ease. We would like to see the compression on the 496 builds at 10.3:1 or more. We know the heads and cam are capable of producing more power had this particular engine had a bit more compression.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Official Dyno report on our 496 engine with cam choice 1, Bravo heads, and a single plane intake.

681 hp with our new Bravo heads is outstanding. Notice this engine has our popular 575 lift hyd. roller cam in it also. These heads are outstanding.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Official dyno report on our 496 engine with cam choice .575/.575, Bravo heads, our new Brawler carburetor, and a single plane intake.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Official dyno report on our 572 engine with cam choice #2, Bravo heads, our new Brawler carburetor, and a dual plane intake.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NOW READ THIS AMAZING DYNO REPORT ON OUR NEWEST PRO-STREET 572 ENGINE, RUNNING ON PUMP GAS. YES I DID SAY PUMP GAS AND MAKING 830hp @6400 RPM. THIS IS ABSOLUTLY THE BEST RESULTS WE HAVE EVER SEEN OUT OF THESE HEADS, CONSIDERING IT WAS DONE ON A STREET ROD ENGINE WITH 10.7 to 1 COMPRESSION RATIO. 14.5cc DOME PISTONS, 123cc BRAVO HEADS. HYD. ROLLER CAM WITH SOLID ROLLER LIFTERS, (HYBRID VALVE TRAIN)

 

 

Below are our dyno results on our newest version of the 572 Pro Street engine. Your results may vary depending on carb choice. We will be testing this engine with various carbs to obtain the best results. We found the Holley Ultra XP 950 to be an amazing carb for this engine. Considering it’s only 950cfm and made 830hp on this engine tells us that it’s about as good as it gets. We will continue testing with other carbs. The Holley Ultra XP is rather expensive but it is top of the line. Our next test will be with Quickfuels’s top of the line Q series carb, and then were going to try a custom built Pro-Systems carb. Last but not least will be the low cost Quickfuel Brawler carb. These carbs are about $350.00 less in cost but if we can achieve close to our target HP numbers, then it may be worth considering. Many factors are to be considered when selecting a carb, but the Holley appears to be a great choice on this high level engine. 

 

 

 

Official Dyno Results on this engine in our NEWEST 572 pump gas PRO STREET engine with a single plane intake, Bravo 335 rectangular port heads, Holley Ultra XP 950cfm carburetor, and MSD distributor. We have also ugraded the intake manifold to the Holley Track Warrior Intake with the 4150 flange. This engine also has a one step bigger cam with more lift and duration.

 

 

Below is our former Pro Street 572 Engine. The difference in this engine and the improved HP version above is the cam, and intake. Compression ratio remained the same. 10.7 to 1 Let it be understood that the former setup will have better drivability on the street. and is more suitible for very heavy cars and sport trucks, or vehicles that will be driven more than normal.

 

VERY IMPORTANT-Head bolt recommendation.

The BRAVO and our AFR BBC heads require the use of ARP 135-3607 Head bolts only. They are far superior to virtually any of the other common head bolts on the market. They have specially designed extra thick head bolt washers, and extended reach head bolts. Using stock length head bolts will not allow the use of the extra thick special washers required, as the OE bolts have a limited amount of thread on them. Not using the ARP head bolts may cause serious damage due to the fact they will gouge into the aluminum surface of the head and not only can this cause a possible break-through into the runner section of the head, especially in the center cylinders, the torque readings are often very inaccurate due to the drag created as the bolt head gouges into the aluminum surface. There are many other critical reasons not to use stock or most any of the other off brand head bolts with these heads, too many to mention, but rest assured the problems associated with can be very damaging. We will soon be doing to video to demonstrate the reasons and importance of using the ARP head bolts recommended in this ad. We do offer the correct AFR head bolts in our other listings for the ARP 135-3607 head bolts.

Guide plate recommendation.

We strongly recommend the use of the Dart/Comp adjustable guide plates with these heads, or with any BBC aluminum heads for that matter. These guide plates will allow better rocker tip alignment due to the fact they are fully adjustable. We use them on every set of BBC heads we install on our engines, including the Dart Platinum Pro-1’s, and AFR heads. The rocker tip may end up offset to one side more than is acceptable when using fixed guide plates, and the Dart adjustable guide plates allow a much greater amount of correction. The variances in stud position to valve guide alignment vary on all brands of heads. The rockers could also contribute to this issue, as the trunnion or rocker body could have variance. By having proper rocker tip alignment, you are distributing the pressure on the valve tip evenly. This not only reduces uneven valve tip wear, but also prevents undue stress on the valve guides in the heads. The part number for these guide plates is 27001230-8 See our other listings for these items. 

Pushrod recommendation.

Do not use stock GM pushrods with these heads.

The spring pressures on aftermarket heads are somewhat higher than on OE heads. Combine this with the larger lift and duration cams often used, and stock pushrods may flex or permanently bend. They will most likely be the wrong length. The stock pushrods are usually made from a mild 1810 steel that has been heat treated. Under high rpm, they will usually flex and cause a loss of lift, resulting in a power loss. The engine will usually run erratically when pushrods are flexing. The Spintron valve train dyno proves that inadequate pushrods will flex to a great degree as engine rpm increases. Pushrod length must be determined with a pushrod length checking device. We have a variety of sizes in our other listings. Should you purchase a set of pushrods from us and find that the length is not suitable, you may return them, and we will send out the size you request. We also offer pushrod length checking devices.

Some GM pushrods have a welded ball on them, and they stand a greater chance of breaking off with the use of larger than stock cams and increased spring pressure. We offer high quality USA made, Howards brand pushrods made from 4310 chromoly. They are superior to any stock pushrod. Our prices on them are the best you will find.

You will see many low cost pushrods on the market, but these are totally unsuitable for use with these heads for the many reasons mentioned above, and they are not guide plate compatible. These pushrods will cause problems when used on a high performance setup.

IMPORTANT NOTE CONCERNING ROCKER ARM STUDS.

If you have been a regular shopper with us, you will have noticed we do offer some knock-off products that are made off-shore. We do also sell many products made in the USA. We have always been very particular as to the quality and workmanship of such products, while considering the cost. We scrutinize our products very carefully and refuse to sell products that simply don’t meet our standards.  We have now eliminated another of the low cost knock-off products from our line. The low cost imported rocker arm studs have shown numerous problems unlike those in the past. We have looked at several others on the market, and still find many issues with them that are not acceptable.

Many of the studs had run-out in the shaft of up to an eighth of an inch. This caused major problems with rocker alignment, and depending where the position was when the stud tightened up, would determine the direction of the rocker misalignment. If the warped stud was facing toward or opposite the valve, then the roller tip would would not be centered to the valve tip. This would then create a loss of lift and cause increased wear on the valve tip.

If the warped stud tightened up in a side to side position, then this would allow the rocker tip to be cocked on the valve tip. This would then side load the valve tip with undue pressure, creating a serious wear problem on the side of the valve tip and create excessive wear on the valve guides in the heads. This also side loaded the rocker trunnion and front roller, creating an excessive wear issue in the roller rockers.

We also found a difference in the tread pitch and depth compared to the ARP studs. The rocker studs in an engine are under a tremendous upwards pull and improper thread design may cause the studs to pull out of the head. The ARP studs screw into the heads with a very precise fit and feel.

After thoroughly comparing the ARP studs and several off shore models, I am convinced that we will never offer the off shore studs again, regardless of the price difference. They were never as bad in the past as what we’re seeing now. This run-out was most likely caused by improper heat treating methods.  

We are aware of only one other rocker arm stud besides ARP on the market of decent quality, and that’s from the GM Performance division, and it’s fair to say they are most likely supplied to GM by ARP under private label. 

We have rejected many products that are outright junk and would cause serious issues in your engine only to see other sellers offering those same exact products. It’s all about learning where to draw the line.

The correct ARP rocker stud part number to use with these heads is #100-7101. See our other listings for these parts. 

Studs and guide plates are NOT included. Other sellers may include these items but rest assured, they are usually not suitable for these heads. We use nothing but the Dart/Comp adjustable guide plates and ARP rocker studs when we build an engine using these heads, as they allow for perfect alignment of your rockers. See our other listings for a full selection of accessories. 

We are glad to offer many great low cost items, as well as the high end products, but will always give careful consideration to quality, functionality, and overall value.

IMPORTANT NOTE, MUST READ!

We have noticed several sellers offering these heads with a one size fits all valve springs for dual use on hydraulic flat tappet and hydraulic roller cams. We are sure this is not the proper way to setup the heads. 

If they have this one size fits all setup somewhere in the middle spring pressure values of what is required for a hyd. flat tappet and a hyd roller cam, then it would be too much for the hydr. flat tappet cam, and create a wear issue. Putting too much pressure on flat tappet cams is a sure way to kill the cam. If these middle of the road springs were used on a hyd. roller cam, then the spring pressure would be too low. Valve float and its damaging effects, along with a loss of performance are sure to occur. 

We use the correct spring for your setup and it is never the same on a hyd. flat tappet as it would be on a hyd. roller cam. As mentioned above, the spring requirements between a roller cam and flat tappet cam are dramatically different. Even the odd ball solid flat tappet cam has its own unique setup depending on the lift. The one size fits all hardware claims also to work on these cams. We know of several sellers offering this insane setup to unsuspecting buyers, and it’s not the proper way to set up a set of heads. We would not even consider using a spring setup like this, and believe me, the simplicity of it is appealing.

I’m sure many of you have noticed there are 2 high performance engine builders in Kingsport, TN with similar names, leading to a great amount of confusion. 

We are Skip White Performance, NOT White Performance and Machine.

Due to the name similarity, many customers looking for us online inadvertently find them, thinking we are the same company. Definitely not…there is no connection between the two companies. We don’t have a problem with free enterprise (competition). However, when the competition builds their foundation on such things as a name similarity and their supposedly long history of being in business, then we think it’s about time we set the record straight.

We have owned White Performance since 2003, with the exception of the machine shop, which was owned by Fred White at the time. He continued to operate the machine shop and build engines for us while we continued selling online under the eBay user ID of skipwhite and the eBay store name of whiteperformance1.

Due to their limited production capability and many disagreements about the engine and head building process as well as workmanship, we opted to open a full scale machine shop of our own a few years later. Fred White began competing against us even though our contract had a non-compete clause in it.

As our business grew, we opened a second, much larger warehouse and machine shop around 2011, located on Brookside Ln. in Kingsport TN. By putting heart and soul in this company, we have become the number one street rod engine builder in the nation. 

Fred sold his shop to an investor in 2016 and the new owners continue to reap the benefits from this confusion between the two shops. This investor lacked any knowledge of this industry. They continue to use the White Performance & Machine name. Contrary to what is posted on their website, Fred White is no longer associated with the company in any way. Their main spiel in advertising is, “In business since 1979,” when in fact, we purchased the White Performance company in 2003, with the exception of the machine shop. 

All in all, we have been in this business going on 17+ years. Skip White’s passion has been owning and building street rods for 47 years on a personal level. The knowledge he has gained over time has allowed him to venture into this business and succeed to a very high level. 

The great pretenders continue capitalizing on our success due to the name similarity, but have been degrading our reputation. We have been getting calls nearly on a daily basis from people that now realize there are two shops in this town with very similar names. Customers complain of serious problems in getting their orders in a timely manner from them. They think they purchased their cylinder heads from us. Due to the confusion, there is an increasing amount of negative feedback that is affecting our name within the street rod community, when in fact we have a near perfect reputation in this industry. We have an “A+” rating with the Better Business Bureau and we have maintained the A+ rating for many years. 

FAST FORWARD TO PRESENT DAY…We have become the largest street rod engine builder in the nation. Our engines, rotating assemblies, and cylinder heads are built to very high standards and shipped to our customers in a timely manner. We are a premier seller on eBay with a positive feedback score of well over 206,000 and growing, as compared to our competitor’s score of approximately 24,000.

Our engines are custom-built to our customers’ specifications and are shipped in approx. 2-5 weeks, perhaps sooner, depending on the season. Our rotating assemblies usually ship out in about one week or less, and our heads ship in about a week or less.