not sure where to post this... so mods, move it if need be

ok, so i havent been on here in a while, i have a 98 z28 and mainly came here to sell my old stock parts....

i started taking a class were i had to buy and engine to rebuild... i choose a sbc (naturally)

so the casting number on the block is 3970010, the heads are 333882.... im looking to do a complete rebuild, new rings, bearings, cam bearings, gaskets, oil pump, timing chain
with this, id like to put a small/ moderate cam, lifters and springs to get as close to 300hp as possible for as cheap as possible... i found a cam thats in my price range 0.454 int./0.480 exh. lift

so my question is: will this cam work in my engine? too much lift for the heads? id also like to mill these heads to get the ccs down, will this limit the amount of lift i can have? the cam i listed is the biggest id put in the motor as well

 

Not sure you'll see 300hp with those heads, they are smog heads from the 70's and are not much for power. My 350 has a set on them, I have dome-tops to help CR, but not close to 300hp.

 

Those heads are the worst of the worst. There's absolutely nothing you could do to improve them that would be worth the effort.

 

ive be reading mixed things about them... they seem to flow good for a smogger sbc head but are 76cc which i plan to mill the heads to try and get a 68 or less cc combustion chambers

im not looking to make a powerhouse of an engine, id just like to see 300bhp out of my first rebuild without going broke... (150 for engine, 55 for springs, 75 for lifters and cam, 150 for rebuild kit)

i can also get a set of heads for free from a 90 suburban 350 2bolt main.... not sure of the casting # but from what i found they seem to be torque monsters to 3500rpm then nothin'

 

Even if you could mill that much off, which you almost certainly can't, it wouldn't be worth the cost.

 

milling is free... i have all tooling and maching required to do any work... since its a 78cc combustion chamber, wouldn't only like .030-.045 be enough to get me around 9.5-10:1 comp?

 

Even at free, it's not worth the cost. Seriously, they're that bad. Those are low-flow, low-compression, lightweight castings that love to crack at the slightest excuse even before you start cutting material off them.

 

Check with PBM they have some low cost heads ready to bolt on that are a big inprovement over 882 heads.

 

looked and couldnt find anything under $300... all said and done i want this motor to have, as stated, as close to 300bhp as possible, and my budget is ~400

... i have the chance to get free heads off of a 1990 suburban 350 2bolt main, but thats all the info i have on them... everything i could find said they were truck heads and cant make power above 3500rpm

 

If you have some good junkyards near you, look for some 80-86 305 heads. Casting # 14014416 are supposed to be pretty decent for stock heads and they take porting well. Since they are a 305 head you do need to measure your bores and pistons carefully so you don't end up with an extremely high compression ratio. They have a 58cc chamber on them. I used them on my 350 build and another member on here has a thread with pics on porting them.

As for the heads off the 90 Sub, I don't believe they will bolt up easily to an older style intake manifold. I believe the angle of the 4 inner manifold-to-head bolts is different on those heads. Also, those engines were only rated at something 200HP. I have a 94 GMC K1500 which has the same basic engine as that 90 Sub.

 

Get them, 1990 truck heads are not as good as Vortec heads but are way better than 882. I have built several of these truck engines with flat tops that ran well. A good three angle valve job, with the cam listed above you should hit 300 with no problem. The center intake bolt holes will strait not canted like the others requiring a different intake or you can elongate the holes your self. Drill can be used but if you have access to a mill you can make them look nice. Just make sure to put sealant on the bolts and a bead of sealant around the bolt holes to keep oil splash down.

 

better than the 882s even in the higher rpms? i know these are good truck heads, but i dont want to build it for a truck, i want it to perform up to 4500+ with a nice choppy idle

 

ANYTHING is better than the 882 heads. If you do use the truck heads, have fun tightening the center bolts. PO of my truck did the same thing to it as was suggested above, and while it does work if you are careful in sealing the intake manifold to the heads, those center bolts are a BITCH to get to. At least they are on my TBI intake. If you're using a carb intake, it might better, but I don't see it.

 

Good luck because when you cheap out on stuff other things will go wrong...

heads suck = get new ones

haha

I have a set but they will cost ya...