If you are going to design/redesign a head or piston, this is the book to read to start with.

http://www.ricardo.com/ricardoStore/product.asp?P_ID=149

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green 85 300SD 200K miles "Das Schlepper Frog" With a OM603 TBO360 turbo ( To be intercooled someday )( Kalifornistani emissons )
white 79 300SD 200K'ish miles "Farfegnugen" (RIP - cracked crank)
desert storm primer 63 T-bird "The Undead" (long term hibernation)

http://ecomodder.com/forum/fe-graphs/sig692a.png

that to keep it so it can use stock parts is best. you may be able to improve flow a bit cause the iron is stronger than al and will allow thinner sections, but folks wont want to buy all new parts when their head goes bad and they buy yours.

tom w

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Very interesting idea! However I'd be concerned with the differences in engineering an aluminium head versus an iron head. Also cost to create a pattern for that head could add quite a bit of zeros to your cost to reproduce the head.

I'm not really sure if, from the standpoint of physics, replacing the head with an iron one would be a good idea. Or rather, if you did, you might have to redesign the whole shebang ... in which case you might as well just get a CDI. If the 603 was designed to sport an aluminum head, then replacing it with an iron head would alter the heat dissipation within the engine.
It just seems to me that if you want an iron head, what's wrong with a 617? And if you want a 603, what's wrong with a redesigned aluminum head that's a little closer to the way the engine was originally designed?

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1987 300D, arctic white/palomino--314,000 miles
1978 240D 4-speed, Euro Delivery, light ivory/bamboo--370,000 miles
2005 Jeep Liberty CRD Limited, light khaki/slate--140,000 miles
2018 Chevy Cruze diesel, 6-speed manual, satin steel metallic/kalahari--19,000 miles
1982 Peugeot 505 diesel, 4-speed manual, blue/blue, 130,000 miles
1995 S320, black/parchment--34,000 miles (Dad's car)

I agree that the thermodynamic properties are different between iron and alum, but that is the point of this approach, take for example the following concerns:

Iron and Alum have different expansion and contraction characteristics, mixing the two to form a solid assembly is not the BEST approach, invariably this leads to many head gasket failures and warped-cracked heads. If you want the most reliable design, stick with same materials, iron/iron or all aluminum.

Another issue that I am concerned about is the extra performance potential. Given that I would like to add a larger turbo and modified IP, EGTs are my number one concern. I have an IC installed, but without a much bigger unit I will reach the limit of what I can do without destroying the OE head. Even the Finns have had issues with head cracking and they run massive ICs and well...are in Findland...I'm in south Florida where our average cold day is much warmer than their average hot day.

So although the redesigned OE aluminum heads are better than the #14, by how much??? can they withstand higher but normal operating EGT's? I think that the thermodynamic differences in the materials is still an issue. An Iron/Iron combo would not suffer much in this regard and could withstand alot more punishment and higher compression.

In essence the goal is to marry the best of both worlds, the reliability and robust nature of the 617 with the extra power, smoothness and no valve adjustment of the 603

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Stable Mates:
1987 300TD 310K mi (Hans)
2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee OM642 165k mi (Benzrokee)

I don't know if you were really serious about making a new head, but in case you were, do something like this.

http://www.coatesengine.com/csrv.html

http://www.coatesengine.com/eGallery/pages/6cylmerc.htm

You'll get a lot of buyers. I'll bet money on that.

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green 85 300SD 200K miles "Das Schlepper Frog" With a OM603 TBO360 turbo ( To be intercooled someday )( Kalifornistani emissons )
white 79 300SD 200K'ish miles "Farfegnugen" (RIP - cracked crank)
desert storm primer 63 T-bird "The Undead" (long term hibernation)

http://ecomodder.com/forum/fe-graphs/sig692a.png

And a nice big lawsuit from Coates!

What?

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I'm not a doctor, but I'll have a look.

'85 300SD 245k
'87 300SDL 251k
'90 300SEL 326k

Six others from BMW, GM, and Ford.

Liberty will not descend to a people; a people must raise themselves to liberty.[/IMG]

A lawsuit for patent infringement....

Great. What exciting news that we had to have a thread dig for!

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I'm not a doctor, but I'll have a look.

'85 300SD 245k
'87 300SDL 251k
'90 300SEL 326k

Six others from BMW, GM, and Ford.

Liberty will not descend to a people; a people must raise themselves to liberty.[/IMG]

this is crazy

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-justin

1987 300TD, 1987 300TD
2008 R32, 2000 Passat Wagon

The tooling cost to cast an iron head would be staggering!

But hey, Id love to see aftermarket version available. I can even help with the CAD model using the CMM we have at www.GruvenParts.com.

But you should really get a ballpark tooling estimate before you go much further.

As for lawsuits from MB, unless they have patented the design of the head, you have nothng to worry about. And if they have, change a few dimensions. But check tooling 1st! It would be a casting, not forging.

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Paul
Benz-less
I need an SDL !

what if this iron head is not as good as you speculate... just because you think its good doesn't mean it is..

just putting it out there

when chevy redesigned their heads for the vortec series of engines. they totally changed the flow characteristics of the intake ports. if similar improvements could be made to the 603 or even the 617 moving to the casting could really sell. especially to the fins themselves. they LOVE to superhorsepower their motors. having a high flow solid head may make sense to them. I don't see it being a selling point to the average 603 owner.
now if you could make an all ALUMINUM block to replace the 603 iron one, THAT may sell well...

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John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 560SL convertible
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
2005 Dodge Sprinter 2500 158"WB
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!

I'd pay more for a good aluminum one than for an iron one.

If the castings are flawed, fix the flaw. Flawed iron castings exist also.

I've spent much of my career in casting/forging/etc. metals and plastics, there are more ways to do it wrong than right. Get the design and process right and you can have an excellent aluminum-alloy head, do it wrong and it doesn't matter if it's made of iron or nonobtainium it'll fail.

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Gone to the dark side

- Jeff