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Edelbrock/RAIV/SD Heads
Pontiac V8 Edelbrock/RAIV/SD Heads
Taller Head, Taller Spring — Edelbrock/RAIV/SD Heads for Pontiac V8s
Edelbrock, Ram Air IV and Super Duty heads use a taller valve than a common cast iron Pontiac casting, which means a taller installed height and a completely different spring list. Most of what is here is specified around 1.800", and a spring built for a 1.600" cast iron head will not make its rated pressure in one of these.
Butler stocks Comp Cams duals and beehives, Edelbrock Sure Seat flat tappet and hydraulic roller springs, PAC beehives, and Butler's own DHP duals, plus complete Butler spring kits with Comp retainers, Comp locks, Viton valve stem seals and shims.
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More About Edelbrock/RAIV/SD Heads
1. Why These Heads Need Their Own Spring
The valves in these castings are longer than the common cast iron pieces, so the spring sits taller on the seat.
| The working height | nearly everything in this group is rated at a 1.800" installed height rather than the 1.600" used on stock cast iron heads. That is the dividing line between the two spring lists. |
| Outer diameters | springs here run roughly 1.430" to 1.489" OD, sized for the seat area in an Edelbrock or Ram Air IV style head. |
| Check your own head | installed height still has to be measured after the valve job. The 1.800" figure is where the spring is rated, not a promise about your particular casting. |
2. Flat Tappet Springs
| Comp Cams dual | a 1.430" dual at 120 lbs at 1.780" and 280 lbs at 1.250", with coil bind at 1.150". |
| Butler DHP dual | a 1.440" dual at 115 lbs at 1.825" and 265 lbs at 1.275", coil bind 1.010", .760" inner ID. Butler lists it as a replacement for the Comp 986 spring. |
| Edelbrock Sure Seat | a single spring, 1.460" outside diameter, with a 1.130" coil bind height, sold as a set of sixteen. |
| Butler spring kit | the flat tappet kit for Edelbrock aluminum heads is built around a Comp 1.430" dual at 132 lbs at 1.750" and 280 lbs at 1.250" with 1.150" coil bind, and adds Comp retainers, Comp locks, Viton valve stem seals with install tool and an assortment of shims. |
3. Hydraulic Roller Springs
| Comp Cams dual | a 1.489" dual at 165 lbs at 1.800" and 385 lbs at 1.200", coil bind 1.110". |
| Edelbrock Sure Seat dual | 1.460" OD, 150 psi at a 1.800" installed height, 1.150" coil bind, set of sixteen. Butler also builds a spring kit around this spring for Edelbrock aluminum heads. |
| Butler DHP dual | a 1.440" dual at 175 lbs at 1.800" and 400 lbs at 1.150", coil bind 1.050", good for up to .650" lift depending on install height. Butler lists it as a replacement for the Edelbrock 5845 spring, and it requires the matching Comp locator and retainer to hit those numbers. |
4. The Beehive Option
Beehive springs taper toward the top so they can use a smaller, lighter retainer.
| What you gain | PAC describes reduced mass at the top of the spring and from the smaller retainer, reduced seat pressures, increased lobe acceleration rate, extended rpm range and enhanced valvetrain stability. |
| The PAC spring | an ovate wire beehive with a 1.800" install height, 145 lbs at installed height, 358 lbs open at 1.175", a recommended valve lift of .625", a 340 lbs per inch rate and 1.100" max coil bind. |
| Comp beehive | 160 lbs at 1.800" and 420 lbs at 1.150", coil bind at 1.100". |
| Do not improvise the hardware | beehives take a specific retainer and a specific locator. PAC calls out the matching Comp retainer and the Comp beehive locator by part number, and Butler stocks both. A standard dual-spring retainer will not work. |
5. What To Order With The Springs
| Retainers, locks and locators | every spring here has a retainer it was rated with, and the beehives and some duals also call for a locator. Match the set instead of mixing. |
| Seals and shims | the Butler spring kits bundle Viton valve stem seals with the install tool and a shim assortment, which is what you need to dial installed height in after a valve job. |
| Retainer-to-seal clearance | taller installed heights and .650" lift leave less room than you think. Check it at full lift before the heads go on. |
Tell us the head casting, the cam and the lift you are running and we will match the spring, retainer, locator and lock as one package rated at the height your heads actually measure.
Not sure what your Pontiac needs?
Call our tech team at 866-762-7527. Tell us your engine, heads, car, and power goal, and we will put the parts together as one combination that works.