Oval Port Small Block Cylinder Heads - Little Package, Big Hero

Brodix's All New Small-Block Oval Port 229

From the January, 2010 issue of Chevy High Performance

By Henry De Los Santos

Photography by Henry D

Cylinder head technology is an ever-growing evolution and these days, conventional 23 degree heads have never been better. Some say the incredible advancement comes from the needs of drag racers, who subject themselves into stringent classes requiring conventional heads. This may or may not be true, but whatever the case, cylinder heads are significantly better from what was available in the past.

If you recall, back in our February '09 issue ("CHP Insider," pg. 48), Jeff Brotherton gave us the inside scoop on a fresh set of small-block oval port heads that were set to be revealed later in the year. That time is now and there was no way we weren't going to follow up with Brodix to showcase their latest offering.

When we questioned Jeff about the oval port design, he noted that Brodix utilizes them because of their flow characteristics in almost every head they build. While this is true for their big-block production line, they wanted to evaluate how it would apply for the small-blocks. Jeff went on to say: "An oval port maintains a uniform shape throughout the head, from the port entrance all the way to the bowl." If you think about it, this smooth transition ultimately keeps the airflow constant, but not only that; he went on to elaborate that the constant flow also improves velocity. Simply put, this equates to more power, assuming you can take advantage of the greater flow.

For now, we're going to highlight some of the details of this big hero. We should mention that as much as we like the big flow, we can certainly appreciate its universal application with its conventional 23 degree construction. You get the high-flow characteristics of a race head, but you're not limited to a shaft-mount system, giving you the option to use standard roller rockers, intake manifolds, and valve covers.

The next time you see these heads, we'll have them resting on top of a stout 434ci short-block and see just how much steam we can make. If you want our educated guess, we think 700 hp isn't out of the question.