I had the valve covers off of the ol 350 and got the casting numbers.

462624
Date code of H163

I get from mortec that these are very common heads from 75-86. Are these crap "smog" heads or is there some hope for them.

Let me know if they can be ported out decently. Im going to be running an edlebrock performer RPM intake and performer 1406 carb 600cfm so nothing giant in performance terms. I am just interested in cruising around and having some decent torque. I'll also throw on some headers and an exhaust that flows well.

Im not looking for anything for the track just a daily driver that I can have some fun with on the weekends.

Later,
Wesdog

 

They are the worst of the worst.

There is no hope. The asteroid will surely impact the Earth if they are allowed to remain installed on your motor.

You'll get a helluvalot more bang for the buck by changing those out, than by un-bolting and re-bolting $600 worth of big shiny things up on top that everybody sees.

 

Thanks.. That was what I was worried about.

I work at an autoparts store and can get a 20% discount on whatever I want *(to a certain extent) so what should I do. I can order whatever I want from edlebrock or holley or whoever. I can get "stock" items like heads and the such from rebuilders so what is my best (and cheapest) option.

I already have the intake and carb and will be getting some headers soon. The engine is probably shot as #4 doesnt fire and the valvetrain looks good. The engine is .040 over and I think a ring cut loose so Im looking for a new motor. My neighbor has a 4 bolt main 350 that has not been bored and is like new condition. Im thinking about getting it from him (for almost nothing) and getting some machining done.

So.... Where do I go from here. I need to get the motor out and use the heads for trot lines... maybe I can catch some big cats in the river...

I may just get some afr 190's and put them on that 4 bolt. I will probably go the 383 route with the engine if I get it.

This isnt a nightmare for me. I have a 2000 GMC and a 2004 Grand Prix GTP comp G (love that supercharger) so I have transportation but Im really missing my 3rdgen. Its a beat up hunk of crap but I love it for some strange reason. I guess Ill just start with yanking the motor and taking it apart... maybe Ill have some good carnage pics of the rings.

Oh and I drained the oil and I had 10qts in my drain pain... I think it was about 5 quarts of gas.. it was really thin and smelled like fuel...

Wish me luck. I will probably start a thread and ask for advice on what I should do. Ill also be looking for some good deals so get to looking for bargains guys.

Wesdog

 

Sounds to me like a great idea would be to change the fuel pump, and check the cam for a flat lobe (common non-ignition cause of a dead cylinder).

If it's something like an old stock truck motor from the 70s or something like that, you could stick a set of some of the better 305 heads on it, and even that would an improvement over the 70s giant-chamber smoggers. 416 casting with 1.94" intake valves would be the setup to go for. Most any of the head rebuilders should be able to hook you up easily.

The way to go about modding a motor, is first to fix the broken stuff; then, identify the one part that most chokes it, and improve it; and then, that will expose the next most-limiting part, so identify and upgrade that one; and so on, until something breaks. Then fix that, and resume the upgrade process.

Spending wads of cash on those big shiny things only makes your car faster by making it lighter: specifically, the weight reduction will be centered on the driver's wallet. If you've got some 8.2:1 350 with smogger heads, a bad fuel pump, and a rolled cam lobe, that carb and intake isn't going to do diddly for it. It'll just set you that much farther behind on getting your car to where you REALLY want it to be.

 

The motor only has 6000 miles on it since rebuilt... It has a brand new fuel pump, new cam, new all that good stuff..

It started missing going around a corner I gave it a little gas and it just blew... the whole car started shaking and #4 quit firing. The rockers are all going up and down just like they should be so I dont think its the cam and the fuel pump isnt putting gas into the motor there its getting in there from the #4 cylinder.

When I got home the #4 plug was fouled so I put a new on in there and it got really bad sounding.. knocking around when the plug would spark and ignite the gas so I know Im getting fire and fuel.. just losing compression from somewhere and i had the valve cover off so I know its not up top anywhere, its got to be somewhere below the head thats causting the problem.. plus I have a "click or metal smacking/scratching metal sound" when I have it running.

The thing will start up and idle as smooth as can be except for that one cylinder.. and there is a puff of smoke out the exhaust thats blue/white.

Im gonna try to get the heads off this weekend and take a look.

 

I hate to say it, but it sounds like you have broken rings on that cylinder.
Or worse a piston has had a melt down.

 

I'm afraid I have to take exception to that statement. Most people neglect to see the full potential of those castings. They are among the heaviest head castings ever produced for SBCs, and, as such, have great potential.

• Simply by removing valves and pulling the rocker studs (or finishing what the valve train has already started) and placing them flat on the machined surface, they make excellent wheel chocks for all but the largest dually.
• Tie a disposable rope through the exhaust port and valve bowl, and you've created one of the most effective mud anchors available. If the rope is truly disposable, you can untie it from the boat rather than lift the head from the bottom.
• Placed flat and against a troublesome door, you'll have a stop that is suitable for any breeze up to a Katrina-like gale.
• They can be one of the most fearsome can crushers.
• For doing your 45-pound curls, they are excellent, so long as you can hold on.
• Their value as keel ballast in your sailboat is almost unmatched.
• They can also be valuable as practice pieces for performing port work, since you can work for days and never break through the casting.

As you can plainly see, those heads can be good to have. Many people simply fail to understand or acknowledge their real value.

 

BTW - When you drained that ten quarts of "oil" from the sump, did you notice any gray metal floating in the fluid? Than may be further evidence of a wiped lobe or home-made mushroom lifter.

If you're fortunate, you mave have only bent a valve and cracked a head. That would solve all your problems at once. That, and a new fuel pump that doesn't have a perforated diaphragm.

Unless you perform the work yourself, the 20% discount on parts may be a more modest way to get improved heads. '4416 castings can be made to flow, with 1.94 intakes, some port work, screwed studs, and decent springs, and all for a couple hundred bucks if you do the machining yourself. To pay someone to clean, port, install valves, and mill the heads may be cost prohibitive if you can get a pair of decent aftermarket heads with all that already done for only $500-600.

Got any photos of the right deck with no heads?

 

Dont have any photos yet... Its gonna be at least tomorrow if not the middle of next week before I can get any work done on it. I have had about 35 things come up that I need to do.

As soon as I get things apart Ill post some photos


I do need a new anchor for the boat.. maybe the heads will live a long life with me after all.

WesDog

 

This post is useless.. Just saw that I had 99 posts on the one above and couldnt let that stand.

So uh yeah.. 100 posts.. Eat that Vader and five7 muhaha.. You will never catch me.


Ok I promise Ill stay on topic from now on.

 

vader is on crack, as these 624 are the lightest gm made

RUN ! and FAST!

you do not want use these heads whatever you do, unless you dont want the engine, dont care about it

sofa is on the ball

this post is all over the map, lol

sound sliek your engine already died, probably from the 624 heads self destructing

do google search on that casting and youll find some `good` info on these heads(trout anchors)

heres one:
http://www.chevytalk.com/tech/engine/SBC_Heads.html

good luck

 

...

I wouldn't consider 46+ pounds with only valves and springs "light". '416s are right about 42 pounds when properly ported. That doesn't mean the '624 castings aren't thin in areas. Core shift is terrible in some of these examples, which may be why all the extra iron was poured - So the notorious core shift would still produce heads that the factory could use and not scrap. The examples I pulled off an L81 Corvette engine in favor of some ported '4416s were not "light", regardless of how weak they might have been. The heads that went back on were just a tad under 42 pounds, with screwed studs and collars. Granted, the '2624s had valve rotators, spring oil shields, and all the shiznit, and the replacements had SS valves without the ancillary crap, but that's a lot of extra iron.

The fact that I may be on crack is irrellevant (at least in this instance). My dealer agrees....

 

Ok guys here is the deal.. I work at autozone. I can order "stock" heads from our rebuilders for cheap plus a little discount. These are complete stock style stuff.. just rebuilt to stock specs.

After I get the heads off Im gonna make sure the block is ok and then get a set of heads if thats all I need.

I am also looking at the Melling CL-MTC-1 cough *performance* cough cam/lifter kit. I know you will all tell me what crap it is but comeon guys I can get the thing for like 45 bucks.. thats the cam, the lifters and the lube. You cant beat that for a quick dirty rebuild. When I look up heads by application it gives me casting numbers for those particular heads that I would be ordering. Ill probably order some with 64cc combustion chambers to have a little more compression and more power.

My neighbor is getting the 4bolt main block. Its never had anything done to it, its just sitting in a storage building... He mic'ed everything out on it and then never did anything. It had about 100,000 miles on it when it was taken out of the truck it was in and he owned it since new. The engine is basically perfect. He is the kind of guy that would do anything to help someone out. He has built hundreds of motors and said this one is rock solid. He is getting older and doesnt do much building anymore so he said I could have the block. He honed the cylinders and greased everything up and put it in a bag. He is giving it to me for nothing. I am planning on building a monster 383 with it. So the motor thats in there now is getting a crap rebuild just so I can go scoot around while Im fixing everything else.

Well I guess the good thing is that if I do something dumbass I have you guys to tell me how stupid it was and to laugh at me and make me feel better... And then to tell me what to do to fix it or get around what I funked up.

So I get lots of motors to build and make go kaboom.. woohoo.

WesDog

 

Ok here is what happened.

I was going around a couple of corners (25-35mph ones) and got out of the last one and gave the car some gas. I heard some knocking... a very slight ticking sound in the motor. I had heard this before when the engine lugged a little and knew to either get off or give it the gas.. well I must have not done either fast enough because all of a sudden the car started missing and shaking back and forth like there were sumo wrestlers on either side trying to rock it over.

I knew there was nothing I could do so I drove home about 10 miles and then pulled the plugs. Number 4 was coverd with oil and the gap was completly bridged. Some of the other cylinders plugs were a little fouled but not bad.

Oh btw this engine had 6000 miles on it since it had been rebuilt.

Well I have had the valve covers off and it all looks good. I changed the oil and there was 5qts of fuel mixed in with the oil. I confirmed it by emptying the oil filter and then setting it ablaze which it burned quite well...

The valves are all working from the way the rockers look when Its running. I have replaced the coil,cap,rotor,wires, and plugs. Im getting good strong fire at the plug.

I have an edelbrock 1406 carb with the original computer control distributor, I know this isnt ideal but its what I have.

I am down to 3 choices of what may be wrong.

1. Head Gasket is blown.. I dont know how this would allow fuel to get into the oil but its possible I suppose.

2. Head is cracked.

3. Piston ring is broken which has funked the block.

If its in the head or gasket I can fix that no problem. Someone posted it might be the fuel pump.. well its under warranty and so I took it off and put a new one on tonight. Oh BTW I freaking hate puttin on manual fuel pumps with that freaking pump rod ( i replaced the rod also)

If its the rings the engine is toast.. it was already .040 over.

I promise Ill get the heads off in the next week and post some pics off the digicam.. Im already in the process of getting a 4 bolt main 350 block but Im hoping to get this one going to drive while IM restoring it and making it better than new... inside and out.

I know you guys have all the answers so lets see em... and if anyone in central arkansas has a free 350 or 383 lying around let me know... Ill take it and put it to good use in front of my 700R.

WesDog

Oh btw I can get a good set of heads at work for around 300 bucks... just stock replacement heads.. complete and ready to bolt on... and I can get just about any casting I want from our rebuilders..

At least there are some advantages of working at AutoZone. Or I can get a Recon Signature series 383 with 400hp and 425 ft lb of torque for about 2800.. thats with new dart heads and a scat steel crank... I couldnt build one for that... and it comes with a dyno tin...

 

472-546 cast # for 206.99 each

472-650 cast # for same price and

126-441 cast # for same price

Not sure which ones are good but they are for a 70 corvette with a 350.. I figured that would be a good place to start for a "factory" performance head.

I have a co-worker that can port a head and make it go zoom.. and he will do it for nothing. He said he could even make the smoggers flow pretty well.


I know I could get a good set of aftermarket heads for 800 but the wife will more likely give the ok for 400 than for 800... you guys understand that right?

Toss me some casting numbers that I can get at az rebuilders and ill see if I can track down a price and availability on it.

 

Check prices on heads for an '88 Corvette. All 'vettes had the aluminum 083 casting head by '88, and these heads are great factory heads. Aluminum, so you'll drop 60lbs off the front of the car, and gain a ton of airflow.

The other nice thing about the aluminum Corvette heads is that they are drilled for the older style intake manifolds (such as the one that you have).

 

ok Ill take a look at that.. as long as it will work with my edelbrock performer rpm manifold... thats all I really care about.. I dont want to have to toss away the parts I already have.. I want to use them for a while.

 

RECON CYLINDER HEAD for a 1989 CHEVROLET CORVETTE

CAST #1128-8113

Unit Price: $322.99
Core Value*: $275.00
Part No.: 1-8365
Weight: 50.0 lbs.

Thats for 1... I would be better off just getting a set of AFR, or Dart heads for the price of the stock vette heads there..

For 2 heads that 646.. and for about 1000 I could have a great set of aftermarket heads... Im just looking for some decent workable cast iron heads...

Im a broke azz ****.. no money to spend on the car.. I just like workin on it.. Its fun kind of my hobby.

Wes

 

Those can't be the right heads, unless stock replacements are iron for some reason. 50lbs is way too much for a single head of aluminum. That's the weight of a stock iron head. Those heads are good heads though.

If I were you, I wouldn't even spend that kind of money on heads if you're just doing this to get by. Just pick up a cheap pair of 305 heads off an 82-86 car. I think '86 uses the old bolt style for the intake manifold. They will give you smaller chambers as well (58cc) so your compression should be decent, and they flow well, especially when ported.