Memphis, Tennessee, has long been the cradle of the aftermarket performance industry, second only to Los Angeles. So, it should come as no surprise a legendary name like Racing Head Service (RHS) would have come of that Memphis racing spirit some 39 years ago.
RHS was the brainchild of our good friend, the late Ivars Smiltnieks, who founded the company with Bob Woodward and John McWhirter, and later, Scooter Brothers, to serve fellow racers. When the company began in 1967, it was a manufacturer of racing cylinder heads at a time when few others were in the business of making them. What's more, it began in Smiltnieks' garage in suburban Memphis. Through the years, RHS became a respected builder of everything from racing engines to turnkey race cars.
We like the crisp, clean,...
We like the crisp, clean, CNC machine work, which eliminates the potential for exhaust leaks. These exhaust ports are set up for two types of header flanges, which makes these heads versatile for different applications.
As RHS grew, it became a name successful NHRA and roundy-round racers came to for solutions-and power. It pioneered the crate engine in the '80s, delivering turnkey engine packages to satisfied customers. Ultimately, Smiltnieks became the sole owner of RHS when Woodward and McWhirter retired. Scooter Brothers moved on to Comp Cams.
Always innovative, RHS produced untold thousands of high-performance crate engines, cylinder heads, and other components for enthusiasts around the world. Smiltnieks passed away from a stroke many years ago, but the spirit he instilled in RHS never died. The same folks who bring us Comp Cams, FAST, TCI, ZEX Nitrous, Powerhouse Products, Pro Racing, and AETC Engine Technology have brought back RHS, along with an exciting crop of new Ford cylinder heads.
You might be tempted to ask what happened to RHS and why it's back today. A change of ownership and short-term change in priorities at the Comp Performance Group put RHS on the back burner beginning in the late '90s. RHS never ceased operations; it just went dormant. The Comp Performance Group in Memphis has been waiting for the right time to bring RHS back. It wasn't going to do it with a cookie-cutter selection of lame cylinder-head castings just to compete in the cylinder-head business. The Comp Performance Group has never done anything that way.
Think of the Comp Cams name and reputation for performance and you'll agree-RHS wasn't going to be anything less than exceptional. It would get back into the cylinder head business with well-thought-out products, and we're here to tell you all about it.
Today's RHS is an international undertaking between the Comp Performance Group in Memphis and Mike Morais of Southern Performance Ltd. (SPL) down under in New Zealand. This is the beauty of a global economy and an ever-shrinking planet. It brings great talent together from around the world, eager to create exceptional products. Morais has extensive casting and machining experience, which brings us an extraordinary lineup of cylinder heads for small-block Fords.
You don't even have to look...
You don't even have to look closely at these castings to see the kind of quality we're talking about. Even the rough sand-cast surfaces are extraordinarily smooth. Machined surfaces are hospital clean and smooth. Note the phosphor bronze valveguides for smooth operation and exacting tolerances at extreme temperatures.
Check out the casting and...
Check out the casting and machine work from another perspective, on top. These guys are all ready for screw-in studs and final assembly. Why mess with the expensive rework of factory cylinder-head castings when you can install RHS Pro Action heads right out of the box? One word of caution-Marvin McAfee of MCE Engines subscribes to a strict policy regardless of the product. "Trust, but verify..." he tells us. Never install anything right out of the box without inspection.
When we say "out of the box,"...
When we say "out of the box," this is what we're talking about. Ports are already machined and ready for use, which means no port work is required. Hardened exhaust valve seats make for durability with unleaded fuel. Valveguides don't interfere with flow because they're positioned below the casting surface. Intake port sizes are 180 cc, 200 cc, and 215 cc. Chamber sizes are 58 cc and 64 cc. Intake valve sizes are 2.020 and 2.080 inches. Exhaust valve size in all cases is 1.600 inches. The new Pro Action heads are compatible with all original equipment and aftermarket performance parts (intakes, exhaust, valve covers, and so on).