| Gude Performance - Gude Head
"Everyone loves Gude head." I know you've seen it in the Bullfrog Performance ads before. If you're wondering what it's referring to, it's not a sexual innuendo, you sickos. Gude Performance, founded by Bill Gude, is a manufacturer of racing engine components. From turbo kits to ECUs-you name it, they've probably modified it in some way. Gude prides itself on the amount of power they can derive from their head package which consists of a ported and polished head, a hand ported intake manifold, a 61mm throttle body, and beefy cams. Come on, bolt-ons are cool when you first get your car, but there comes a time when you gotta lose the training pants and jump into some boxer shorts. I was pretty interested in this head package even though it was for a Honda, so I tried to take a break from my online dating games and set up a time to get this install shot for you readers. After having Mike from Gude call me and fill up my voicemail box repeatedly, we finally decided to meet up at Sun Service Auto to get this head package smacked up, licked, and rubbed down. I even brought our FNG Roel, aka Ro-Ro, along to sit in the hot sun with me for seven hours. (Luckily, Bill told us his life story to keep us entertained.-RFC) A key point to remember when performing such an install is that the engine must be cooled down before starting on the work. So try not to drive up to the shop 10 minutes before the install is scheduled, like our donor car did, or you'll have a very unhappy mechanic. And would you really want someone unhappy just moments before they were about to tear your motor apart? Yeah, I didn't think so.
The Low DownMSRP: $1,695, plus $500 core charge if you don't send old stuff back to GudePros: Comes complete with almost everythingCons: You'll need to spend another couple hundred dollars on new gaskets, seals, and O-rings Install Difficulty: Professional Verdict: If you have 6 hours for the install, it will be worth your while