sbc junkyard head search.

[gwhiz]

so i am building a 350 for cheep and i mean cheep.so iam hiting the junkyard and swapmeet for a good set of heads. what are the best pre 86 production heads to look for? my goal is to find a set that is easily findable in junkyard.i am using my stash of parts to complete build and only need a good set of heads in which to clean up and mildy port.

 

[gwhiz]

i found info on casting numbers but they just tell me engine size or date codes. any advice on which ones to look for or to avoid.

 

[-83MONTESS-]

Why do they have to be 86 and older? I would look for some vortecs as they are the best factory cylinder head for the sbc IMO. There are adapters for converting the center valve cover bolts to the older perimeter style if that matters to you. Any head you get I would recomend taking it to a machine shop to have them look them over. May as well do it now instead of waiting and having to do it over.

 

[gwhiz]

the reason for pre 86 is i have an edelbrock intake ready to go and dont have money to get a vortec style intake right now. I got this fresh short block of a buddy that was selling off his projects .Iam using my 305 acessories but my heads are cracked and only have 300 dollars left to spend on this motor.

 

[othtim]

What I would do is sell your current intake manifold, and then buy the one you need. Also, 300 bucks should be enough money for a set of junkyard heads, gaskets, and an intake manifold (maybe a used one).

 

[RITTER]

You wouldn't get half the money you need, from selling your current intake, that you need to buy a carbureted vortec intake :idea:

 

[othtim]

You wouldn't get half the money you need, from selling your current intake, that you need to buy a carbureted vortec intake :idea:

I had two, one I picked up for 80 bucks and another I picked up for 60 bucks off our local kijiji. I'm sure you could sell one and buy one for less than 100 bux on kijiji. New, I'm not sure. Maybe not in your area, but around here there are always intake manifolds for cheap on kijiji. E-bay? maybe?

Also another thought. If you absolutely have to stay with old iron, you could use 305 heads like 416 heads to get your CR up on a low-comp smogger 350.

Or the camaro TPI heads (not sure on the casting number, they might even be centerbolt style, not sure, that's just me regurgitating info I read online).

 

[crotchss]

Or if you are brave enough buy a set of vortecs and drill them for the old style intakes. I've done it several times and have never ran into a problem. Most people just don't want to attempt drilling into a perfectly good set of heads. If you're against that a set of 441, 882, 993, or if you're lucky enough to find them 487 and 487X are some of the better flowing 76cc OEM heads. Only thing is with a flattop 350 your compression will only be around 8.5 - 9:1.

 

[gwhiz]

so i found a set of heads at machine shop that were never paid for they want 150 for them.they said they came off a 90 chevy truck 350 so they are center bolt ,throttle body heads. i will have to modify my intake but this keeps me in budget. will these directly bolt up with out modifications and will these flow alright?

 

[CHRIS.O]

In my opinion no they will not flow well. But flowing well and a 300 dollar budget cap really don't go together. A power goal would be a better place to start. If you are looking for 200hp they will do fine. Might even be able to squeeze 300hp out of them with a good cam, headers, and decent compression. But personally for any type of "performance" application they would be very low on the list for me. Good Luck.