Edelborck's Performace Heads - All Hail The Victor - Tech

With both heads side by side (Victor on the left; RPM on the right), let's look at the pushrod hole placement between them. Edelbrock has moved the intake pushrod closer to the head bolt in order to get a straighter shot down the intake runner for the air/fuel mixture. The RPM head will re-use your existing rocker assemblies; the Victor head requires an offset intake rocker, but still uses a standard exhaust rocker. These are definitely race-oriented cylinder heads.

This is the stock pushrod location of the RPM head. Notice the amount of pushrod encroachment into the intake runner. This is the Achilles heel of big Mopar wedge head design-it just gets in the way of making a big intake port. The RPM is intended for a different purpose (i.e., stock replacement with great improvements).

On the other hand, the Victor head has the intake pushrod moved closer to the head bolt than the RPM. This allows for less pushrod encroachment into the intake runner. We can now make the runner straighter and wider, and provide more airflow and greater port volume. This just requires us to run an offset intake rocker, around .550-inch from stock. Offset intake rockers are available from several rocker suppliers.

Look at the shape of the intake runners of both heads (RPM on left; Victor on right). The RPM head, while a tremendous power producer, still has to conform to Mopar factory design parameters, while the Victor does not. Edelbrock has maintained a standard port location, so existing Edelbrock Victor 440 and Victor 383 intake manifolds fit these heads on both RB and B series engines. The Victor clearly has the straighter, larger runners with lots of material for further porting and polishing, and thus exploration into uncharted horsepower territory.

This picture speaks volumes about the differences between the RPM head on the left and the Victor on the right. Believe it or not, the Victor head is a bolt-on head to your Mopar big-block. Don't let its larger size scare you. Both heads have thick deck surfaces to resist warping and to allow for resurfacing without compromising the strength and integrity of the heads. We set the heads' sections on a 45-degree set of welding magnets to illustrate what the heads would look like on an engine.

This section of the RPM head shows the improvements over the factory iron head-the raised roof and greater short side radius on the floor running down to the valve. it's just a bigger runner overall. How can we forget the 2.14-inch intake valve? It's a great street head and a good, moderate-speed race head. Concessions do have to be made to stay within the factory type bolt-on arena.

Now things get big. here is the Victor intake runner with its raised-roof port (.650 inch) from the stock location, with a 2.200-inch-diameter intake valve. Notice the long, sweeping curves of the port roof and port floor. Compared to the RPM's flatter roof, the raised roof of the Victor allows for a straighter shot of air/fuel down into the cylinders. Every bit as important as the raised roof is the raised floor with its broader, gently curving, short side radius. lengthening the valve .400-inch over stock length allows us to use monstrously big race cams to utilize the airflow potential these heads are capable of. According to Edelbrock, they flow 325 cfm at 28 inches of H2O at .700-inch lift.

Once again, the 45-degree magnets help us show what the heads would look like bolted on an engine. The RPM head (right) and the Victor (left) illustrate the differences the exhaust ports have, which incidentally are the same as the intake port differences.

The RPM exhaust port is a great improvement over the stock factory iron. Big Mopar Wedges have never been known for giant exhaust ports or enough of a short side radius. Edelbrock has done a great job in improving that exhaust port. Bigger exhaust valves (1.81-inch diameter) help, but we are still leaving power on the table by using the stock exhaust port location. great for a street machine ground pounder, but we want more!

On the Victor exhaust port, Edelbrock raised the exhaust port .250-inch over stock. With a greater short side radius, the exhaust runner becomes far more efficient and better able to expel the exhaust gasses quickly. Remember, tight curves hurt airflow. The exhaust valve remains the same at 1.81-inch diameter, but by raising the port, the airflow increases due to its more efficient shape. According to Edelbrock, that's 226 cfm at 28 inches of H2O at .700-inch lift. Several exhaust header companies, such as tti, make headers that fit the raised exhaust heads.

Edelbrock has even kept the standard 15-degree valve angle, so your standard-type big Mopar Wedge valve covers will fit. The Victor head is fully capable of Max Wedge port sizes and big power applications. They even machined the accessory bolt holes in the ends for alternators and such.

This is all that is left from our journey into the land of the Victor 440 head. While it's a shame to cut apart perfectly good cylinder heads, it's the only way to truly show the differences between the RPM and Victor 440. The Victor 440 head will take the racetracks by storm and leave many a dumbfounded brand-X guy and blue oval boy in the dust. These heads are for the serious builder and racer who will take the time to set them up correctly. Edelbrock only sells the Victor 440 as a bare head or with valves. No springs or hardware are included. So the next time you are building your big Mopar Wedge and want to make serious power, the Edelbrock Victor 440 heads may be for you. Hail the Victor!