Here's what the power curves...
Here's what the power curves looked like when we compared the Edelbrock heads (blue lines) with the TA Performance Stage 1 SE aluminum heads (red lines), both with the TA-413 cam and SPX intake.
Edelbrock Vs. TA Performance Heads
While TA offers a number of cylinder heads for serious Buicks, this test involves the company's most basic aluminum heads, the Stage 1 SE. The big claim to fame on these is that they look totally stock with all the factory contours, unlike the Edelbrocks with their flat-machined ends. Paint the TA heads and they could pass for OE equipment. They also use the factory-style shaft-rocker setup rather than the Chevy rockers. TA claims that no additional parts are required when swapping these heads onto a running engine, though we found that not to be entirely true: The rocker pedestals are 0.100 inch taller than the stock heads, requiring longer pushrods.
The TA heads also run a little harder than the Edelbrocks, delivering slight power gains above 3,600 rpm that grow to more significant improvement above 4,500 rpm. Peak to peak, the TA heads gain 7 lb-ft and 12 hp. The biggest separation is past the point of peak horsepower; at 6,000 rpm, the TA heads are better by 25 hp. This is an indicator that, given an even larger camshaft that would generate more rpm, the TA heads would be the better choice. Looking at the average from 2,200 to 6,000 rpm, the Edelbrocks make 482 lb-ft and 378 hp to the TA heads' 489 lb-ft and 385 hp.
With the TA heads, we had the best-yet peak numbers of 527 lb-ft at 4,500 rpm and 513 hp at 5,600. But what about money? The TA heads sell for $2,450 a pair, which is $555 more than Summit gets for the Edelbrocks. Both heads need custom pushrods, so there is no difference there. If you already have a stock shaft-rocker setup, then you can reuse it with your TA heads, whereas the Edelbrocks will require the purchase of a Chevy rocker set, which could quickly eat up more than half of the cost savings unless you go with stock Chevy stamped-steel rockers and jamb nuts. If you need new rockers, then the TA heads can use the far less expensive replacement stock parts, but if you opt for roller rockers, then the shaft-rocker setup is significantly more costly than the Chevy rockers used on the Edelbrock heads. So your decision needs to come down to your rocker needs, the rpm range of your camshaft, and your desire for stock appearance of the TA heads.
The results with the TA-413...
The results with the TA-413 cam and the dual-plane Edelbrock B4B intake also show the TA heads (red lines) to outpower the Edelbrocks (blue lines) at high rpm.
B4B Intake
Next, we compared the Edelbrock and TA heads using the TA-413 cam and the B4B dual-plane intake. The results were similar to what we saw with the single-plane, with the TA heads outrunning the Edelbrocks at points above 4,500 rpm. The Edelbrock-headed test produced 532 lb-ft at 3,700 to 3,800 rpm and 473 hp at 5,400 to 5,500. The TA heads delivered 534 lb-ft at 3,700 and 487 hp at 5,600 rpm.