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hot_rod
04-07-2001, 06:16 AM
Can anyone tell me if you can use aluminium heads in brackish/salt water. If not why?
And has any body ever set up a fresh water cooling system on a jet. If so how?

mister460
04-09-2001, 08:42 AM
Wouldn't do it myself. Salt is just tooo corrosive on aluminum. It'll turn the inside of your block and heads(coolant passages) black if it's iron but will probably eat alu. You can get almost the same performance out of ported cast iron heads. The only difference is heat dissipation. Aluminum heads can run a much higher compression cause they soak up the heat. But if you polish the chambers and piston crowns you can run pretty high ratios with cast iron. I have a 429 Ford with 11.5:1 comp. and it digests any gas out there. There are also plenty of aftermarket iron heads available. World Products makes excellent heads. As for the fresh water cooling system, use a water pump and a heat exchanger. Talk to any marine shop, they could hook you up. Then you could use alum heads and run whatever for compression. Hope I could help!

fat rat
04-09-2001, 09:30 AM
Hey Hot Rod, a very good friend of mine ran a set of ford blue thunder heads (i think thats what there're called, 1/2 chevy 1/2 ford) anyways he ran them for 5 years in brackish water never had a problem, we pulled them off last spring for inspection and the only sign of minor corrosion was on the outside where water splashed on them. But I will say this you got to thoroughly flush your motor after every use. I've been running Basset twisty headers for over 5 years now, and everyone told me they would not last more than 2 seasons and they would rust thorough because of the salt, well 5 years later they still look like new, Flush, Flush and more Flushing and I think you'll be fine. By the way I'm running aluminum heads this summer in brackish water....go for it!!!!

squirt
04-09-2001, 10:10 AM
Just a thought but the clip on guys run in salt water all the time and those outboards are all aluminum. I don't know if there is a dissimilar metals concern but I would agree with flush flush and flush some more.