Alright guys i was just wondering if i could use my heads on a 79 to early 80's truck engine. I was talking to the guy at the junk yard and he said that the bolts on one of them are slanted so it wouldn't bolt up right but then he said ii can buy head from a mag. and it will be fine. He really confused me somehow...but what kind of heads and intake could i use on that motor, because i still want to use the TPI unit...Thanks

 

I would think that the 79 truck heads would probably not fit, but if you were to put 86 or later heads on they should fit with out any problem, but then again the 86 TPI motor had the same old style heads then the 87 heads where they had the bolts on the top of the valve covers, I would go and get a set of 87 or older truck heads were as they should fit

 

What year heads & manifold ? Any 350 heads (except LT1 & LS1) will fit any 350 truck block. In 87 GM changed the angle of the two center bolts (except the L98 Vette) on each side of the intake manifold where it bolts to the head. The newer manifolds can be modded to fit the older heads fairly easily.

 

The question is bolting your current heads (I assume 305 and '87-later) to a '79-later 350 block - correct? The answer is, "no problem".

Except 305's have smaller chambers than 350's, so unless you use dished pistons (which a 350 truck engine most likely has) and a thick head gasket (which most gasket sets contain), your compression will be too high. The other issue is that 305 heads don't flow all that well on a 305, let alone a 350.

Your "used parts specialist" was right - aftermarket heads would be a good idea. Or, find some L98 heads (not too hard to do).

Again, assuming your current engine is '86-later, the other issue you'll face is the flexplate/flywheel. Up to '85, the rear main seals were two-piece, and used a different bolt pattern to the crank than '86-later. Just get one for a '82-'85 3rd gen, and it'll bolt to the 350 and work with all of the rest of your factory stuff.