meanmachine
Member
- Joined
- Feb 9, 2002
Has anyone talked to Tom lately. I send my head to him . And I can't get a reply. It's been over a month. Makes me think he's screening calls.
Tom at champion heads
- Thread starter meanmachine
- Start date
I spoke with Tom yesterday evening. He's a busy man and could use a few clones of himself (couldn't we all), but he is still getting a lot of work done. A month or longer is not an abnormal amount of time to be waiting for a repair. A lot of times setups have to be tore down to perform repairs, or staff adjusted, which can be difficult to do during a production run.
meanmachine
Member
- Joined
- Feb 9, 2002
All I want to know is that he has received my heads and set the springs for 1.65 rockers. If anybody is in there anytime soon, check on them for me. The name is danny dean.
Boostdeznuts
TURBO PART WHORE
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2008
I usually catch him in the morning around 9-10am
meanmachine
Member
- Joined
- Feb 9, 2002
Ok. I'll try some more.
Mike T
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- May 3, 2013
Today I had a chance to visit Champion and meet Tom for the first time. A friend needed to pick up a couple of items and asked if I would like to ride along. After reading a couple of post here I wasn't sure what to expected but I can confirm that there were at least 4 guys working non stop in the machine shop and probably 6 or 8 sets of new aluminum heads on a rack next to one of the machinist closest to my view point. I also noticed several sets of used heads on racks that I would assume were in line to be repaired.
After taking a quick look around the shop we had a chance to speak with Tom (in between all of the phone calls he was attempting to answer) and he said that the move has been difficult in addition to being very busy right now. He did seem to be under a little stress but I can't imagine who wouldn't be with all that was going on in his shop.
After taking a quick look around the shop we had a chance to speak with Tom (in between all of the phone calls he was attempting to answer) and he said that the move has been difficult in addition to being very busy right now. He did seem to be under a little stress but I can't imagine who wouldn't be with all that was going on in his shop.
meanmachine
Member
- Joined
- Feb 9, 2002
I finally got ahold of Tom. He was supposed to call me back. ...... after lunch. At least I got to talk to him. He said I should of had my heads back a long time ago. Did I mention he was going to call me back after lunch. ...... he is busy I know. But then again I feel better about it. But still waiting.
psycho6cyl
Ponies Are For Lil Girls
- Joined
- Feb 11, 2005
problem is he says one thing does another. people dont mind vendors being busy but saying theyre gonna ship etc and never happen thats the problem
Turbo-Archie
Active Member
- Joined
- Oct 8, 2002
I think we are 8 months now waiting for heads and intake...
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psycho6cyl
Ponies Are For Lil Girls
- Joined
- Feb 11, 2005
im waiting one year plus for a credit. Lol. go with TA. more $ and maybe too much for goals but no headache. wish i would have
I had trouble getting him on the phone 12 years ago when i needed to talk to him. There never seemed to be a good time to call any time of the day. But i did finally get to talk to him about my concerns. Very nice guy,i'm glad i did business with him. No regrets at all.
Mike T
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- May 3, 2013
I'm curious as to what the typical wait time was on a set of heads from either TA or Champion. To anyone who has purchased a set in the past please share how long it took to get your heads.... this may help others make a decision.
I was told by a builder who has built many 8 and a few 7 second motors that you can't go wrong with either company as far as todays quality. So it may come down to wait time if you need them now.
I was told by a builder who has built many 8 and a few 7 second motors that you can't go wrong with either company as far as todays quality. So it may come down to wait time if you need them now.
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After I cracked my Champion heads and didn't want to deal with welding them, I called TA and spoke with Mike. I ordered the SE version along with their rockers. I ordered bare casting because I was installing different valves. I had the heads/rockers in whatever the shipping time was from AZ to NJ.
I put the Champion heads up for sale here and they sold.
Billy T.
gnxtc2@aol.com
I put the Champion heads up for sale here and they sold.
Billy T.
gnxtc2@aol.com
- Joined
- May 26, 2001
To answer your first question, the typical wait time on a set of TA heads is 3-4 weeks, possibly sooner in some cases. In my case, if I do not answer the phone, I try to answer my call-backs the same day!
We do not stock completed alum heads off-the-shelf as they almost always need to be finished to the individual customer's specs for springs, as well as the level of porting for the desired performance level.
I do try to have a set of SI heads semi-finished which means they have a Level I port work, and the desired valve springs/retainers can then be installed for the specific application. This level is good enough to take a GN into the 9's with the proper supporting mods.
I do agree with your second statement as both brands can be ported to the 1000+ HP level, however the stronger, heavier TA alum heads have a much better durability record, especially at that level.
Another factor to consider is that the TA alum heads are made for 14mm spark plugs rather than 10mm plugs, in new version of Champion's, so there is a wider selection spark plugs, especially race plugs are available in 14mm.
Turbo-Archie
Active Member
- Joined
- Oct 8, 2002
