Thumper Performance E7 Heads : Who has them and how is the performance?

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I do not have these heads but they were a dstrong candidate when I first started looking at doing heads. I heard nothing but good and had it not been for having more money available to me I would have went with these. I believe alot of guys are running the thumper head/TMoss ported lower combo and maybe an FTI cam and making some nice numbers(track and Dyno). I would think a search would give a pretty good impression of what people think about them.
 
There are a ton of topics under this subject. Just search for thumper here in the 94-95 section. I still believe that putting money into ported stockers is a short term gain with a long term loss. That's just my opinion on ported stock heads in general. You can find decent used aluminum heads for around the same amount of money and lose 50lbs off of the nose of the car at the same time which is ALWAYS good, no matter what the car's purpose is.
 
...i just have a hard time finding a set of alum heads that are ready to go. if i buy a used set of heads, first place they go is the machine shop for peace of mind. after the machine shop bill and the cost of the heads, the options like thumper sound good to me. they are completely fresh, ready to go with new springs for a decent price.
 
A buddy of mine just picked up a brand new, still in the box set of trick flows for $900 shipped. There are deals out there if you have the time to look for them. I do understand where you are coming from but for the few hundred dollars difference between the thumpers and even a new set of aluminum heads I think you are better off saving for a just a bit longer and getting the aluminum. The flow will be good out of the box, you'll save weight, and they too can be ported if and when you ever feel the need. With any ported stocker you are going to be pretty much at the limit of their flow capability when you put them on, and even if they have a little more room to grow by the time you pull them off and have them re-done you are going to have over what you would have if you just bought a good set of aluminum heads from the get go. A long time ago I was in your same boat and lucky for me the people around showed me that putting any money into a stock head was not a wise decision on so many levels. If I can give you any advice, it would be to wait and get yourself a good set of aftermarket aluminum heads, in the end I truly believe you will be happier.
 
your bud got a good deal. you're right, they are out there. heres the thing tho. i have been scraping for almost 3 years now. my outlook is somewhat different than alot of other peoples. i agree with u: a aluminum head is a better choice. i have all the support mods at home, most in platic minus the heads. ive picked these parts up here and there for a while and got a good deal. ( tfs street heat, tfs 2000, bbk 70, prom 75 cali'ed, 24lb'ers, timing set, 190 pump, afpr, etc. )

its easy to say, well for a few more hundred dollars you have this.... , which is true and good point proven. but, i am trying to do a budget build. that few more hundred dollars could buy me the roller rockers and lifters i need. realistically, all i want is to make 270 - 290 rhp. the magic 300 would prob take alum's. i have a value of $2300 in parts but only paid about $1600 for them. budget build is what im looking at. dont get me wrong, the advice is appreciated. i just need to save where i can save. well worked irons can still make enough power to have fun with i think.
 
Your point makes sense fiveo. You can't be waiting forever to get x amount of dollars to have the best combo. Otherwise you will never get there. The budget has to end somewhere. KC has good points but I think a budget is a bdget..next thing, either the wife wants to kill you or your proj never gets done or you go into too much debt and it aint worth it. I would get the thumpers or a used set of gt40's more likely.
 
The way gas prices are going saving up even longer and being able to remove some weight off the car make make the wait worth every minute. I've been saving for a lot longer the 3 yrs so I know how you are feeling. I'm not even looking for the "magic 300" honestly I could careless how much it makes. With the power and weight saving advantage I'll willing to wait as long as it takes to have it happen.
To answer your Q those are good budget heads, but you can find ported gt40 heads for around the same price. .02
 
hell people with gt40/gt40p explorer engines are near the 300rwhp mark... so if thats all your looking for... y not??? Budget was a huge part of my build... i found an engine for $1200 wih headers/ energy suspension mounts and a bunch of parts... was suposed to be fresh rebuild but wasnt so i took the guy to court... and got $600 back... so now i have a set of nice trickflow heads/ bbk headers/ mounts/ and a b cam that i paid $600 and some of my time for... the cam i sold for $100 so now im out $500... so i think i got a good deal... just had the heads rebuilt for $300 and they look great... we are starting to put the engine together on sunday... There are deals to be found... just be careful... Its always good to "know" who your dealing with... poka helped me out big time by selling me his shortblock... just keep your eyes open... im sure you will find something... is it worth the extra $x00 for a nice head over ported ones... i think so... just rember... there is other small expenses that will add up quickly... gaskets/oil/etc. so keep that in mind as well
 
thanks for all the input guys. lots of people have lots of good things to say about mike and his thumper heads. that is definetly a option. i have also found another set of heads i am looking at : gt40s that have been ported, fresh valve job and clean up for $500 shipped. they have springs on them but the springs are used ( not sure about used springs...i hear they lose tension after a while ). the owner of the heads also owns a machine shop, which makes me feel better. he said if i wanted him to swap the springs for new, it would be another $150. im considering this option as well as the thumpers....

it just amazes me the thumpers still retain stock valve size and make more power than stock gt40s :shrug:
 
There are a ton of topics under this subject. Just search for thumper here in the 94-95 section. I still believe that putting money into ported stockers is a short term gain with a long term loss. That's just my opinion on ported stock heads in general. You can find decent used aluminum heads for around the same amount of money and lose 50lbs off of the nose of the car at the same time which is ALWAYS good, no matter what the car's purpose is.

I agree ... and ... You can look at what others have done with this method
which will back up this kind of thinking :nice:

Hey ... I went down this road myself :)
but
After going just a short way .....
I quickly saw the results were not gonna produce what I had in mind :bang:

A buddy of mine just picked up a brand new, still in the box set of trick flows for $900 shipped. There are deals out there if you have the time to look for them. I do understand where you are coming from but for the few hundred dollars difference between the thumpers and even a new set of aluminum heads I think you are better off saving for a just a bit longer and getting the aluminum. The flow will be good out of the box, you'll save weight, and they too can be ported if and when you ever feel the need. With any ported stocker you are going to be pretty much at the limit of their flow capability when you put them on, and even if they have a little more room to grow by the time you pull them off and have them re-done you are going to have over what you would have if you just bought a good set of aluminum heads from the get go. A long time ago I was in your same boat and lucky for me the people around showed me that putting any money into a stock head was not a wise decision on so many levels. If I can give you any advice, it would be to wait and get yourself a good set of aftermarket aluminum heads, in the end I truly believe you will be happier.

I agree once more :D

Your point makes sense fiveo. You can't be waiting forever to get x amount of dollars to have the best combo. Otherwise you will never get there. The budget has to end somewhere. KC has good points but I think a budget is a bdget..next thing, either the wife wants to kill you or your proj never gets done or you go into too much debt and it aint worth it. I would get the thumpers or a used set of gt40's more likely.

I disagree ... and ... I do so ... VERY ... much so :)

Not a personal thing directed at Keith in any way :nono:

Quality ... The Best ... Top Notch ... Things that deliver MAXIMUM efficiency ...

Well ... Almost Always ... They are gonna cost you more

Here is one time ... Delayed Gratification ... Is A Wise Thing :nice:

If you wanna do up a nice sbf combo

Heads are so important :Word:

And most of the budget oem iron heads are so inefficient :bang:

Don't scrimp on heads or cam :nono:

To me all the other parts are bolt on ;)
and
You can upgrade them as budget allows :D

hell people with gt40/gt40p explorer engines are near the 300rwhp mark... so if thats all your looking for... y not??? Budget was a huge part of my build... i found an engine for $1200 wih headers/ energy suspension mounts and a bunch of parts... was suposed to be fresh rebuild but wasnt so i took the guy to court... and got $600 back... so now i have a set of nice trickflow heads/ bbk headers/ mounts/ and a b cam that i paid $600 and some of my time for... the cam i sold for $100 so now im out $500... so i think i got a good deal... just had the heads rebuilt for $300 and they look great... we are starting to put the engine together on sunday... There are deals to be found... just be careful... Its always good to "know" who your dealing with... poka helped me out big time by selling me his shortblock... just keep your eyes open... im sure you will find something... is it worth the extra $x00 for a nice head over ported ones... i think so... just rember... there is other small expenses that will add up quickly... gaskets/oil/etc. so keep that in mind as well

Adam makes a lot of good points :nice:
but
I'll keep saying it over and over :)

300 to the wheels is not the only thing to consider :nono:

It's about what else you got that goes along with that 300 peak value :Word:
or
As some like to call it ... Power Under The Curve ;)

It is VERY rare to see a budget NA oem iron head based combo put up
a torque curve that does much until mid rpm

I can also say those few that do ........

They had aftermarket intakes, cams, custom tunes
and
Other things that ... IMHO ... most budget minded peeps ...........

Can't or Won't take advantage of ;)

Grady
 
Your point makes sense fiveo. You can't be waiting forever to get x amount of dollars to have the best combo. Otherwise you will never get there. The budget has to end somewhere. KC has good points but I think a budget is a bdget..next thing, either the wife wants to kill you or your proj never gets done or you go into too much debt and it aint worth it. I would get the thumpers or a used set of gt40's more likely.


thanks :nice:
 
I know this looks like I'm bashing budget combos here :shrug:

I am not :nono:

I just get tired of seeing things :crazy:
that make me believe are misleading peeps :bang:

Things like 1/4 mile times as a measurement of success with these combos

Please ... You can take the same Stang and have 6 peeps of all different
kinds of 1/4 mile driving experience take a pass down the 1320 and
you'll see time differences of a second or more :Word:

Another thing about using 1/4 mile values is .........

A Stang setup for maximum 1/4 mile efficiency in all areas EXCEPT the motor
and
If driven by a really good driver with lots of 1/4 mile experience

Well ... The Honest Truth is .......
That VERY same Stang could be a Bow Wow Dog on the street :(

Now ... If your idea of fast is ... A low et
Things like I'm saying here will make no difference to you at all

But ... I know most people will say it like this :)

When on the street ... I wanna feel something happen
when
I mash the skinny pedal from a cruise

Most peeps don't want ONLY a go fast experience of maximum take off
or
WOT screaming rpm when leaving a stop light

I say we build these combos mostly for the street
and
PART of that experience has to do with ........

Not only good low end torque
but
A bit of an extended high end as well

Just said all that to try and show ......
the budget stuff can do just so much in those areas

Again ... Not Bashing :nono:
but
Saying to keep expectations realistic here :)

Grady
 
i feel my expectations are very realistic. a mild iron headed hci combo should have great potential of making 270ish whp with the proper supporting parts.


now my turn: im not bashing either :nono: but it seems every thread i post that has anything to do with iron heads, is crushed by aluminum head benefit talk. here is the cut and dry of it as i see it. iron heads are good. aluminum heads are better. iron heads can make good power. aluminum heads can make more power. typically ALUMINUM HEADS COST MORE. this thread did not ask a comparison or contrast of iron to aluminum. simply asked input on the thumper e7s. i am trying to do a budget HCI. to me, budget is save where you can so you can put the money that you saved into the other parts you need.

please dont take me wrong on this and think i am being rude, i mean no harm. i also do not want to discourage anyone from posting because you guys help is very much appreciated. :flag:
 
I have a set of Thumpers E7s and the work done to the heads was BEAUTIFUL. I have a set of 1.7 rollers on a stock cam and the power is very nice. My set up has a lot of top end power and decent low end. I am very pleased with the work and dealing with Thumper couldn't have been any better. Very nice guy to work with. With that being said, I wish I had taken the time to find a set of cheap GT-40s and had those worked on instead of having the stock heads done just to have room to expand. The Thumper E7s flow enough to support power to 12 secs so for my build it's plenty. I toyed with the idea of going alum. or some other cast iron head but for my build and needs, a stock ported head fit.
 
I have a set of Thumpers E7s and the work done to the heads was BEAUTIFUL. I have a set of 1.7 rollers on a stock cam and the power is very nice. My set up has a lot of top end power and decent low end. I am very pleased with the work and dealing with Thumper couldn't have been any better. Very nice guy to work with. With that being said, I wish I had taken the time to find a set of cheap GT-40s and had those worked on instead of having the stock heads done just to have room to expand. The Thumper E7s flow enough to support power to 12 secs so for my build it's plenty. I toyed with the idea of going alum. or some other cast iron head but for my build and needs, a stock ported head fit.

awesome. thanks :nice:

dealing with a good company makes things easier
 
Thumper ported my gt40's and the work is great. I think it may be hard to get 300rwhp out of the E7s without a lot of work on the combo, anything is possible but hp was not my goal...fun was.

For the money I think they are a well done fresh ready to go head. Thumper and anyone running them wil not say they are alum. head killers but an improvement and will give a box stock iron gt40 head a run for the money. To me I see it as...the guy who likes to see what stock stuff can get. It is not a bad bang for the buck at all.

I have been fighting my combo with several stupid issues and I am going SUPER slow with since it is a toy. I did make some good power this summer on a dyno and have been making more and more power every change/tweec/fine tuning the combo I do.
 
i feel my expectations are very realistic. a mild iron headed hci combo should have great potential of making 270ish whp with the proper supporting parts.


now my turn: im not bashing either :nono: but it seems every thread i post that has anything to do with iron heads, is crushed by aluminum head benefit talk. here is the cut and dry of it as i see it. iron heads are good. aluminum heads are better. iron heads can make good power. aluminum heads can make more power. typically ALUMINUM HEADS COST MORE. this thread did not ask a comparison or contrast of iron to aluminum. simply asked input on the thumper e7s. i am trying to do a budget HCI. to me, budget is save where you can so you can put the money that you saved into the other parts you need.

please dont take me wrong on this and think i am being rude, i mean no harm. i also do not want to discourage anyone from posting because you guys help is very much appreciated. :flag:

It looks to me you have a grasp on what is real here :nice:

I certainly don't see the things you are saying here as being offensive or
anything like that :nono:

You have most likely seen these examples before ... but ... if it can help you in
any way ... here is what others have done with various iron heads

Grady

iron_only.jpg