04 heads have different valve guides and are ported and flow better.. (pics linked)
- Thread starter stevenscamaross
- Start date
Anyone know what the difference is in the valve guides? Are they using a different material now?
I noticed the heads in the pic have the blue paint on them. Is that what the paint means? And if so I wonder if thats what I have on mine, which has a build date of 4-03?:??:
As far as flowing those Characteristics are not fully the same since your talking asperated vs forced induction on a cobra remember that. Not saying it makes no differance but when your engine is under boost it does.
I don't think we'll ever really know what the blue paint means. Lots of "theories" have been brought up. I have blue paint on the replacement head (for the tick) on my car. I've given up on understanding the meaning of the blue paint!
Since I have a Sept 02 Cobra, engine built on 9-11-02. I will probably pay to have the passenger side head replaced when the drivers side head is replaced for the tick. Does anybody know if the new 04 head and the tick replacement head have the same part number. That is, is this a running production change where the new part number is used automatically when Ford runs out of the old number? Wouldn't that be great. A performance upgrade that some of us could get Ford to pay for!
From all reports the blue paint has no known significance. SVT and Ford either don't know or aren't saying. So I would doubt the paint relates in any way to the modified heads. I have the blue paint and my car was built in 01-03. Others with the blue paint have build dates even earlier.
:??:
You would be the first that I have heard of that would get both heads replaced at the expense of Ford.
Since the 04' Cobra has not been released yet, I will hold judgement. Also I want to see a side by side of the supposed 04' head and a 03' head. Something just doesn't sound right.
Cobra10thAniv, what I meant was that Ford pays for the drivers side, I pay for the passenger side and maybe the extra passenger side labor & gaskets. But Ford pays for the engine in and out labor. Still a great deal if the 04 heads are an actual improvement. Only time will tell.
If they replace the drivers side head for the tick with the "new" higher flowing head what happens when the left head flows more than the right head? Or is this head not being used for the tick fix?
If both sides aren't flow matched the engine will shake itself apart at high rpm's.
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