Hemi heads

Why are all hemi heads so expensive? No matter who makes them and for what brand engine.  But namely the kasse boss 9. for example 340cc 18 bolt TFS  A heads $2800 per pair. P51's: $2700 pr.; SR 71's: $3000 pr.  Boss 9: $4350 pr. ; A441 $3000 each bare list goes on and on. There isn't that much more metal in them. I'm pretty sure i'm not the only one who would buy a set if the price was a little closer to that of a wedge head so the supply and demand theory doesn't really explain it.

With all that said I do give jon a solid A+ for effort in giving us something that is at least obtainable to the average guy.

Used A heads are probly the best buy out there and for new heads P51s aren't far behind.

A few years back someone had Carrol Carter quote IHRA prostock hemi heads and intake at $28,000 out the door, ready to bolt on.
The head castings and guides and seats would be $10,000 by themselves.

I assume the one off races stuff is expensive because of the raw material costs and the amount of labor needed to whittle down a big block of aluminum. When it comes to cast heads (any cast parts) I have never understood it either. After the initial investment of molds is done it boils down to cost per unit. The more units you make the the lower the cost of the mold gets per unit. I can understand if they are rare low volume parts then the cost per unit would be high but damn it man, everyone I know would like a set of Boss 9 heads so make a shit ton and lower the cost per unit and more people will buy them.

stanger68 wrote:Why are all hemi heads so expensive? No matter who makes them and for what brand engine.  But namely the kasse boss 9. for example 340cc 18 bolt TFS  A heads $2800 per pair. P51's: $2700 pr.; SR 71's: $3000 pr.  Boss 9: $4350 pr. ; A441 $3000 each bare list goes on and on. There isn't that much more metal in them. I'm pretty sure i'm not the only one who would buy a set if the price was a little closer to that of a wedge head so the supply and demand theory doesn't really explain it.

With all that said I do give jon a solid A+ for effort in giving us something that is at least obtainable to the average guy.

The simple "supply and demand" principle of capitalism.

Because they are more scarce and not many ... covering the cost of making them becomes more to the end user.

Lower quantity means the pattern and development cost must be amortized by higher price per head. Also the hemi heads have higher pattern and machining costs due to more complex cores, compound valve angles, larger head size, etc.

Last time I checked the TM Boss 9 heads were $3900 set bare.

How about looking at the complexity of the casting ( cha ching) and the additional amount of machining time. Time is money.

XEngr wrote:Lower quantity means the pattern and development cost must be amortized by higher price per head.  Also the hemi heads have higher pattern and machining costs due to more complex cores, compound valve angles, larger head size, etc.

Last time I checked the TM Boss 9 heads were $3900 set bare.

Yes, that's delivered C&C ported.

That alone is worth $$, Some don't get it

XEngr wrote:Lower quantity means the pattern and development cost must be amortized by higher price per head.  Also the hemi heads have higher pattern and machining costs due to more complex cores, compound valve angles, larger head size, etc.

Last time I checked the TM Boss 9 heads were $3900 set bare.

gt350hr wrote:   How about looking at the complexity of the casting ( cha ching) and the additional amount of machining time. Time is money.

What is so complex about the casting? Don’t all BBF heads have compound valve angles? I’m not bitching. I’m just asking. I estimate commercial and industrial construction projects for a living so I know a thing or 2 about cost and markup. Maybe my ignorance is I’ve never had a boss head in my hand. It just doesn’t seem like there’s any more work to produce a Boss 9 head versus a TFS A head. When I built my 557 I would’ve easily chosen the Kaase boss 9 head over the TFS A head had the price been the same.

As far as the Boss-to-A-head price comparo, or Edelbrock comparison or whatever: Those heads are (or have been) cast at least 1000 pieces at a time, and possibly thousands at a time in some cases, which dramatically reduces costs aaaall the way down the manufacturing line.  As much as you want a set of Boss heads for cheap, a cylinder head manufacturer is not going to sell 500 sets or more Boss 429 heads in a year and recoup the initial investment, let alone turn a profit. There simply is not that kind of demand for them I don't care what anyone says.

But damn they are cool

Are the TM Boss heads American made?, or are they the Ebay Chinese knock-off's that have hit the market?

BBFTorino wrote:Are the TM Boss heads American made?, or are they the Ebay Chinese knock-off's that have hit the market?

Tod Miller's heads are made in America.

They are real BOSS architecture using Boss 429 production type rocker arms.

the cool factor is a big part of the boss heads,but just like anything else it takes cubic dollars to make it fast.low production numbers keeps cost high,and you have to buy the valve covers,$700 plus,the intake$ 700 plus,and rockers ,$1600 plus.so it adds up.for the money,it looks like the sr-71 heads will do very well.1 boss engine is never enough!

They sure do make some power! Johnny Pluchino has been killing it in PDRA Outlaw 632 with B-441's and he was runner up in the last NHRA Mountain Motor Pro Stock race with C-441's.

yes they do,mine 912 @7000 on pump gas.557,kaase heads. i am going to post on engine tech

stanger68 wrote:Why are all hemi heads so expensive? No matter who makes them and for what brand engine.  But namely the kasse boss 9. for example 340cc 18 bolt TFS  A heads $2800 per pair. P51's: $2700 pr.; SR 71's: $3000 pr.  Boss 9: $4350 pr. ; A441 $3000 each bare list goes on and on. There isn't that much more metal in them. I'm pretty sure i'm not the only one who would buy a set if the price was a little closer to that of a wedge head so the supply and demand theory doesn't really explain it.

With all that said I do give jon a solid A+ for effort in giving us something that is at least obtainable to the average guy.

Just looking at the cost of castings... A Boss head costs nearly double what an SR-71 head costs. Machine time is again nearly double what an SR-71 has. This alone makes the ready use castings more expensive. Then add in shipping costs, Boss castings are heavier and done in smaller production runs so the shipping costs per piece are more expensive. The same math and same logic will go into Race Hemi castings as well.

Carbguy wrote:

stanger68 wrote:Why are all hemi heads so expensive? No matter who makes them and for what brand engine.  But namely the kasse boss 9. for example 340cc 18 bolt TFS  A heads $2800 per pair. P51's: $2700 pr.; SR 71's: $3000 pr.  Boss 9: $4350 pr. ; A441 $3000 each bare list goes on and on. There isn't that much more metal in them. I'm pretty sure i'm not the only one who would buy a set if the price was a little closer to that of a wedge head so the supply and demand theory doesn't really explain it.

With all that said I do give jon a solid A+ for effort in giving us something that is at least obtainable to the average guy.

Just looking at the cost of castings...  A Boss head costs nearly double what an SR-71 head costs.  Machine time is again nearly double what an SR-71 has.  This alone makes the ready use castings more expensive.  Then add in shipping costs, Boss castings are heavier and done in smaller production runs so the shipping costs per piece are more expensive.  The same math and same logic will go into Race Hemi castings as well.  

Isn’t the new 5.0 a Hemi? You can buy a whole crate engine for 5 grand.

The coyote again is an example of scale of production but instead of thousands we're talking 100's of thousands including versions used in pickups.

stanger68 wrote:

Carbguy wrote:

stanger68 wrote:Why are all hemi heads so expensive? No matter who makes them and for what brand engine.  But namely the kasse boss 9. for example 340cc 18 bolt TFS  A heads $2800 per pair. P51's: $2700 pr.; SR 71's: $3000 pr.  Boss 9: $4350 pr. ; A441 $3000 each bare list goes on and on. There isn't that much more metal in them. I'm pretty sure i'm not the only one who would buy a set if the price was a little closer to that of a wedge head so the supply and demand theory doesn't really explain it.

With all that said I do give jon a solid A+ for effort in giving us something that is at least obtainable to the average guy.

Just looking at the cost of castings...  A Boss head costs nearly double what an SR-71 head costs.  Machine time is again nearly double what an SR-71 has.  This alone makes the ready use castings more expensive.  Then add in shipping costs, Boss castings are heavier and done in smaller production runs so the shipping costs per piece are more expensive.  The same math and same logic will go into Race Hemi castings as well.  

Isn’t the new 5.0 a Hemi? You can buy a whole crate engine for 5 grand.

I don't think I would call it a Hemi it's a DOHC 4Valve V-8!! 

BBFTorino wrote:Are the TM Boss heads American made?, or are they the Ebay Chinese knock-off's that have hit the market?

T.M. heads are made in America

....

BOSS 429 wrote:

BBFTorino wrote:Are the TM Boss heads American made?, or are they the Ebay Chinese knock-off's that have hit the market?

T.M. heads are made in America

I am glad to know that, because the Chinese copy and rip off everything!