Robby12

people say the old smog 882 heads are boat anchors but they seem to flow pretty good for having a 151cc intake port looks like with a lot of port work they could be a good little heads for the price.they are pretty close to the dart iron eagle heads im sure with port work they could be all most as good there flow numbers are really close to the l98 heads and they look like they could out flow the l98 heads with bigger valves and some poet and polish work

camaronewbie

It's not the flow that makes them boat anchors, it's the huge 76cc combustion chambers - for performance you want a higher compression ratio (882's are like 8:1, where most "performace" heads are 9:1 or 10:1).

But, the standard 1970's 350 SBC with 882 heads was rated at 290hp I believe, so we're still talking better hp than a stock 3rd gen motor overall (if that 290hp is correct).

AlkyIROC

It's not so much that the 882 castings are boat anchors, it's that the 882 casting actually has 2 different castings. The better of the 2 has a single middle exhaust port going to the exhaust crossover. The poor 882 casting has both middle exhaust ports going to the exhaust crossover. This casting is more common and because of the thin casting, is more prone to cracking.

Just about any factory casting can be opened up to make if flow better but how much metal is in the casting will determine how much better it can be. Aftermarket castings will usually flow the same or better than a factory casting but will have a lot more metal in the casting making them less likely to crack and offer more performance potential with bigger valves and even more port work than a factory casting ever will.

Guest

To be sure we've been fair to both sides of the debate, check out this mild 350 using 882s, then ported 882s, ending up at 364 HP.
http://www.superchevy.com/technical/...ons/index.html

Robby12

For the combination of parts they used and a mostly stock motor 364hp is a respectable number i must say

midias

I am currently running 882 heads till I break down and install my new vortec heads. I have a T5 with a 1979 350 30 over and a mild 490 lift cam with a RPM performer manifold and edelbrock carb. The heads have new springs and full roller rockers. It seems fairly fast but high end is not so good. The previous owner said it could turn a high 13.9-14.1 no problem. Low end power is good and driveability is awesome.

I have heard good things about this company they sell 882s rebuilt with 2.02 valves

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/PERFO...Q5fAccessories

Robby12

The 882 heads have a bad rap for some reason i have 3 sets of the early casting 882s and not one of them has a crack
Im having my machinist do me up a set with
1.94/2.02 swirl polished valves
THICK WALL GUIDES
lunati valve spring kit
lunati retainers,locks
viton valve seals
And a mild port work
and a 268h comp cam with full 1.6 ratio roller rockers
and i expect to be in the 350-400 hp range with these heads on my .60 over 70 350 4 bolt main with flat tops and .015 shimmed head gaskets

Guest

I've driven a mild 355 with flat-tops, ported 882s, mystery cam, 2200 stall, and 3.73:1 gears. It felt okay from 2100-5500 rpm, but it just would not pull 5600. And there was no rev-limiting device of any sort. In neutral, it would turn 6000.
But it wasn't my problem.
I scored a used pair of the good Vortecs at the salvage yard, and a 5.3L LM7, so I'm not gonna be playing with 882s
It will be cool if one of you can trap 110 mph in the 1/4 mile, just to show that 400 HP is possible.

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

I built and worked with COUNTLESS motors with those heads back in the late 70s and early 80s. Not one — NOT EVEN ONE — ever ran up to the expectations of either the owner or myself. EVERY ONE was a disappointment. Even the ones that made good power, usually from the "pop-up" pistons, had other problems; usually, IMPOSSIBLE to keep from spark-knocking, and generally all-around "lazy" feeling because the timing had to be backed off so far. So what would end up is, the CAR would be sluggish and unexciting around town, tend to overheat, and all the classic half-baked hot-rod crap we've all seen; would pull somewhat OK from 3500 or so to maybe 5000; and that was it. A couple of the people who had them thought they ran "good", until they junked them and put something else (usually double-humps, at that time) on their car; then they COULD NOT BELIEVE how crippled those crappy heads had been making their $$$motors$$$$.

This is one of those cases where flow #s aren't everything. In fact they're almost NOTHING in terms of evaluating whether that casting is any good or not. They're just ONE PIECE of the package tha tmakes a head "good". No other feature about them is worth a crap.

It got to the point where I would accumulate them outside my shop; and from time to time, PAY SOMEBODY to come haul them off. Not only would I not pay for them; not only would I not accept them for free; the ONLY WAY I would accept a pair was to get paid enough to take them, that I could profitably pay somebody else to take them away.

Sometime when I'm not in such a great mood I'll tell you what I REALLY think of them.

I would put the lol smilie on that but I'm not that much of a jerk. That is THE EXACT SAME MOTOR, part # for part #, that I unwillingly built people who wouldn't listen and got disappointed anyway, including that very cam when it came out. Before that it would typically be yerbasic 230°/.480" BracketMaster type of a deal, or one of the ones that's in the same series as the "RPM" cam (that one would REALLY build a steaming turd). I'd STRONGLY suggest re-thinking that while you still can.

AlkyIROC

Oooh. That's as bad as hearing that someone has an RV cam in their hopped up car.

Guest

The one I drove, I would guess it was a Crane HMV272. 216/228-112@107, 454/480. The guy who owned that car really loved Crane cams. It also had headers and a Holley 300-36 intake manifold.

Robby12

I don't think i will have a single problem getting 350-400hp out of this combo

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

Dyno it and let us know.

Sonix

iTrader: (1)

Robby - out of curiosity, what are you paying for the work to the 882 castings?
What are vortecs, or used aftermarket heads going for these days? Are you saving *much*?

Most people here agree that 882's and 993's and 624's are the WORST. Some people say they aren't that bad. Those who say they aren't that bad (Robby?), can you tell me which SBC heads are WORSE? That's the keypoint. You can build your engine to make ~300HP, and say that it's ok, but how much BETTER could it have been for a slight bit more $$$. Or the same $$ (ie 416 heads for example).
Eg - I had a set of 416 heads from my 305, and 993 heads from my 350. I cannibalized my 993 heads (practiced porting on, stole 1.94 valves from), and used the 416 heads on my 350. It's pretty good, but not quite aftermarket head territory.

midias

If you ha ve not yet spent the money on the heads this is a great deal

http://sdparts.com/category/sdpc-vor...-and-head-kits

Guest

My pair of salvaged Vortecs was less than $100. You don't find that deal every day, but they can be had for much less than the $600 that GM gets for a new pair.
Mine need a valve job on the exhaust seats, at a minimum, but even so, I'm way ahead of using any other production head, none of which perform as well. And most of which will need more machining.
No, I am lift-limited, mine check in at 0.485" clearance. But rather than pay the machine shop to cut them for more lift, which is effectively putting money into the heads, I have 2 cheaper options. The cheapest is a "lift rule" cam, as Comp has lots of lobes, in hydraulic, solid, and hydraulic roller, with lifts under 0.450", and more with lifts under 0.480".
Or I can invest some money in a guide cutting tool, some of which also cut the seats for larger springs, and have my money in a tool I can rent to my friends.
What I'm doing, you can do. And I say you should.
Yes, the 882s I sampled did seem slightly better than okay. But how would that combo feel with better heads? We'll have to imagine, but all the evidence indicates the same thing.
You want 400 HP on a budget? You might do it with 882s and a big cam. But you can do better on the same budget.
But I understand. You wanting to make something of your 882s really isn't any different than everyone who wants to build the 305 rather than get a 350. It's the exact same mindset.

Robby12

Well my 882 heads are free my buddy's at the machine shop owe me so i gave them the 882 heads to do up,Im not on that much of a budget i just got my my parts today

MSDPro-Billet Distributor
Blaster 2 Coil
Coil Bracket
MSD 6 AL Ignition Box
Superconductor 8.5 Spark Plug Wires
Flex a lite dual 14 inch fans
Electric water pump

and i have some more parts coming form summit this Friday the list goes on

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

Tell us how you like it when you get done.

Post a dyno run.

Meantime, read this, especially the 2nd paragraph, before you post that dyno sheet and analyze it for us.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_dissonance

Just, when the time comes, be honest with yourself, and with us. That's all we can ask, is honesty, free from monkey-spank. That's all I give out, and what I hope for, but rarely receive, in return.

Robby12

Once i get it running hopefully Friday night, im going to esta safty park Sunday afternoon, then off to the chassis dyno Monday after work,Just got my 200r4 back form the tyranny shop putting it in tomorrow morning

Guest

The tyranny shop? That's my new sig, just as soon as I can figure out how to make one.

DeathStarr89

iTrader: (1)

I got 230 WHP and 320 WTQ out of 882's on a 350 with a XR 270HR cam, Torker 1 intake and a 750 carb with longtubes/TD's through a TH400.

That's right around 300 HP and 400 TQ. Not bad but it never performed like i wanted it to.

I do have the actual dyno sheet, i'll post it up if i can find it.

Robby12

docs trans repair

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

That's awesome!! I LOVE that!!!

Sometimes I think that's where I am too. Just gettin my dose.