Dart Engine Intake Manifold Gasket Set
The Dart Machinery Story: From a Two-Car Garage to Racing Legend
Dart Machinery is one of those rare American success stories rooted entirely in passion. Founded in 1981 by Richard Maskin out of a two-car garage in Oak Park, Michigan, Dart grew from a modest operation — a desk, a telephone, and an obsession with horsepower — into what is widely recognized as the proven leader in aftermarket cylinder heads, intake manifolds, and engine blocks. Maskin's background as a competitive drag racer, with multiple NHRA Pro Stock world championships to his name, gave Dart an unusually direct connection between the racetrack and the manufacturing floor.
Dart's earliest products were aluminum Hemi cylinder heads purpose-built for Top Fuel and Funny Car competition. Those heads provided the power that ultimately broke drag racing's 300 mph barrier and produced the first 4.0-second Funny Car elapsed time — a legacy that set the tone for everything that followed. From that foundation, Dart expanded to cover small block and big block Chevy V8s with its celebrated Iron Eagle and Pro1 cylinder head lines, then broadened further into small block Ford, modern LS, Gen III Hemi, and even the Toyota 2JZ platform.
What Sets Dart Apart
The key to Dart's reputation is an end-to-end commitment to in-house manufacturing. All development, machining, and assembly take place at Dart's own facilities, allowing the company to maintain strict quality standards at every step. Dart uses premium materials such as 355-T6 aluminum, which offers significantly greater heat resistance and tensile strength than the more common 356 alloy. Proprietary "Speed Flow" technology and a computer-controlled wet flow bench help engineers optimize port geometry for real-world performance gains — not just bench numbers.
Dart's ongoing involvement in Pro Stock racing keeps the engineering team constantly exposed to the demands of high-output engine building. That hands-on feedback loop directly informs improvements across the entire product lineup, from high-performance engine blocks to fully assembled engine cylinder heads.
A Full Suite of Engine Components
Today, Dart's catalog spans a wide range of performance engine hardware. The engine block lineup includes cast iron and aluminum options across platforms such as big block Chevy, small block Chevy, small block Ford, GM LS, Gen III Hemi, and the landmark Iron Eagle 2JZ — the world's first aftermarket cast-iron Toyota 2JZ engine block. Builders looking for a ready-to-assemble foundation will find Dart's engine short blocks an efficient starting point for high-output builds.
On the top end, Dart offers an extensive range of engine cylinder heads and cylinder heads in both assembled and bare configurations, with options spanning race-only and street/strip applications. Combustion chambers can be matched to specific bore sizes, and CNC porting is available on select models. Rounding out the engine bay, Dart's engine valve covers — available in billet aluminum and fabricated aluminum with natural or black anodized finishes — deliver a finishing touch that matches the quality underneath.
Whether you are building a dedicated race engine or a high-output street motor, Dart Machinery's catalog represents decades of racing-validated engineering made accessible to builders at every level.
