ok for all the dodge guys on here that keeps telling the OP to go with cummins heads... this is sad, even i know that there are about to be new 12v heads released to the market very soon. i was just talking to them about it a couple weeks ago. LoL. :clap:
Now, i think it would be awesome to see a set of 7.3 heads hit the market, but i see something that keeps happening over and over on different parts that throw the price wayyyy up and out of reach. everyone keeps building these billet parts. you can have a 1000hp gasser(yes i went there. haha) with nothing of billet on it, but yet everyone thinks it's neccessary to have billet everything. its not neccessary. all that really matters is that the parts work as advertized and are strong(this doesn't mean they have to be billet). billet parts are awesome, but IMO the average guy can't afford all those parts which makes the demand that much less and prices stay way high. so for example lets look at Swamps new billet front cover that can hold a common rail setup, p-pump or HPOP on a 7.3. that kit will likely be over $10k. how many regular guys can afford $10k on a front cover and a pump? not me. now i don't think that the billet material would be needed for the front cover, but i haven't built any really high hp 7.3's either. i would bet tho if they had a way to make the cover from a different material to make it cheaper for them to make thus cheaper for us, the consumer, to buy then they would sell more of that part, thus more higher hp 7.3's appear.
same goes for rods IMO. You can get 4340 H beam or I beam rods for a 460 all day long for under $750 and they will hold gobs of power, but we do make more compression and stress on rods, but 7.3 rod prices are higher than a cats back..
i will continue to slowly build my 7.3, but i just build a complete 5.0 from top to bottom for what i could spend on a set of connecting rods, girdle, and pistons in a 7.3. that's pretty rediculous. wonder what i coulda done with a cummins for that same money. haha. i'm done with my rant now guys, sorry about that. LoL