I have a 1970's model 350 swapped into my 1991 Firebird. The engine is making 180 HP and 275 TQ, apparently its what they call a smogger motor. Im wondering what a good head to swap onto it would be? I just need a good cheap head that flows better. Apparently this was an old truck motor and im sure the stock heads arent to good. So i would just like to find a set of heads from a different stock car that will work on this engine and increase HP. I see a lot of ads for double hump heads or 882's and i just am not knowledgable enough on heads to know what a good one might be. I daily drive this car and what not so it will still need to be streetable. Thanks for your help.

Also would it be easier to just get some work done to the heads instead of swapping them out? Get a port and angle and what not from a local machine shop?

My budget for heads is under $500 and id like to put the car over the 200 HP mark.

Also, side question, if i swap in an LT1 can i keep my World Class T5 behind it wothout busting the trans up?

Thanks again

 

A budget that tight rules out pretty much everything good except for a Vortec. And, that then entails the purchase of a dedicated intake.

 

Exactly...

882 is quite likely what's on your motor now. Spend your money on that trash, and after you're all done, you'll have... exactly what you have now, except some weight reduction centered on the driver's wallet.

Double-humps were the "hot" factory heads of the 60s and early 70s. There are 2 basic versions, let's call them early and late. The early ones, from before 69, had no knowledge that in the future accessories would be bolted to the front of heads, and as such, lack the ability to support 69-up accessories that most of use would find hard to live without ... like .... an alternator. Furthermore since there's no metal to put holes into, you can't just drill the holes in them. Can't use those no matter how romantic "heads off of a 375 HP 327 from a Vette" ad copy sounds... AS IF, people with those cars are just taking perfectly good heads off and giving them away to beginner hot-rodders for a "deal". The late ones have the bolt holes and therefore will at least install into one of these cars. But all of them pre-date unleaded gas, and therefore lack the hardened valve seats, meaning that there's a significant chance that if you run them as-is on the street, at least one valve will eat the head casting material away around the seat and sink into the head.

It costs somewhere around $5 - 600 to properly prep old heads for serious street use, if you have to pay somebody to do it for you as will certainly be the case; if you don't even know which ones are which, it would be folly to attempt to do machine work on them yourself with $$tools$$ you don't even have yet and would have to buy. Therefore I'd advise against trying to do that, on a $500 budget; since it will also take about $2 - 300 in gaskets, fluids, and "oh no look at this"s and "might as wells" to install them.

You can find good used aftermarket ones all day long for the same general price, that will run circles around any of the old stockers.

Bottom line: either hunt down used aftermarket, or keep your $500 in your ppocket until you can put about another $1000 with it to buy new. Skip the stockers, they are not the right answer.

 

I figured i might as well just keep my money. I was throwing the idea around. Thanks guys. Im just gonna work on everything except the engine for now anyways. Haha. Suspension and rear end next hopefully. Also paint engine bay and engine while im changing the oil pan gasket. Maybe a wire tuck. idk. Thanks again.

 

Sofakingdom, when you post it's like hearing whispers from the gods.

You break things down to an awesome perspective that makes people say "Now that makes so much sense."

At least that's how I feel.

 

Well thanks for the good word!!

 

do you weld or know anyone? A DIY turbo setup can be had completed for 6-800$ and boosted tunes are available free that you could base your turbo selection and boost level on. Some basic tuning gear would be another 2-400 depending on complexity desired then add a wideband and you are set for the long road to glory. you could realistically count on that torque and midrange to hit 350 tq and id say 240+hp is doable on way streetable boost.

swapping heads on these cars is a pain.

Later a built smallblock underneath would breathe fire, but for now, boost would be the solution to your poor flowing heads

 

Ive seen a boosted motor get along with t5's but it had no LSD, and never ran slicks. He also tended to like comfy tourers, so probably the tires werent very aggressive in the first place. Additionally he ran a soft clutch which I presume took some of the beating off of the transmissions shoulders.

Wouldnt a big cam be easier on a transmission than a torquier cam that hit harder, all other things being equal?

 

Well since he's running low compression heads and probably dished pistons, would it be a horrible idea to throw some 416/081s on them? The valves will be smaller than ideal, obviously, but it might not be an awful idea...

I figure 083's wouldnt be bad, but I kind of feel like the compression would still be really low.

 

What intake are you running? What current head casting? The problem is your entire combo is less than ideal so there's not going to be an ideal budget answer for any decent return. Couple that with trans when stock won't tolerate any spirited driving or high hp applications. I'm assuming you're running a carb? If so a decent used Performer RPM intake or a set of cheap used headers should be considered before heads and would net you a little bump. Would be cheaper and easier than jumping straight to heads also. Those old original iron dual planes are hella restrictive as are the log manifolds.

 

If you do have 882 heads and all you want is over 200 hp toss a mild cam in with some new springs on the heads and a decent manifold you will get there no problem. I ran 882 heads for a while and they made ok power nothing crazy but good enough until I could afford new heads.

If you really want some new heads i hear a lot of good things about these guys for rebuilt stockers.

Personally I would just get a decent cam and save for a set of vortec heads.

http://stores.ebay.com/J-and-C-Cylinder-Head-Exchange

 

I have an Edelbrock 650 CFM Carburetor. MSD Distributor and Superstock wires. Headers and 3 inch edelbrock air filter.

 

Toss a decent cam in and some new springs and lifters and you will be over 200 hp

But first pull your valve cover and see what heads you have.

 

Ah, sorry, missed your sig. The performer manifold is nothing more than an aluminum factory replacement dual plane and net's nothing more than looks and weight reduction. Sell it and get an RPM. Out of the box MSD likes to put the heaviest advance springs on. Carb's are usually rich also and could be jetted down. You might have more than you think in your existing combo.

I disagree with a cam just yet. What to increase lift or extend the powerband? Lift increase much beyond stock is going to require new springs only to suck air through a restrictive intake. Again if your replacing springs your back at point A with head work. What about some 1.6 roller rockers? Lift and duration increase and far less labor intensive.

Increase duration and your going to need a matched intake. See where I'm going. Any change is going to require a total package to be worthwhile. Why tear your entire engine apart unless your ready to do it right.

At least with a good tune, rockers and intake you will be well staged for some good aftermarket heads when the budget allows.

 

I did not notice he only had a regular performer. Grab a Performer RPM a decent cam with that manifold and carb and 882 heads with some good springs will put you over 200 no prob. First you really need to pull a valve cover and see what heads you have.

I had no problems using a xe274 with my 882 heads with decent springs an edelbrock RPM performer and an edelbrock 600cfm carb. Ran great a ton of low end pulled hard.

 

I had a friend in HS with 2 El Camino's. Both had identical 350's except one had a 260ish cam and the other had a 280 comp cam. Both on stock truck heads. The smaller cam'd car pulled harder and would leave the larger cam car every time. It's all due to the larger duration extending the pwr band beyond the efficient range of the crappy heads. Food for thought.

 

yeah if ur set up like a stock vehicle, with stock gears and heads stay towards a torque bias with ur cam. if u want a big cam u need gears and headflow or ur just gonna hate it. My first v8 got a 286 duration cam at 8.8:1 compression.

then i needed a 3.42 rear gear

then i needed a loose converter.

then i swapped on earlier heads to boost cr

then i put in a 264 duration cam and it kicks all. lesson? BUILD A TURBO.

 

I would look for a used set of vortecs and a used intake. just my .02!

 

Another thought if you want some decent power but nto a lot of case you can save for a set of world products SR heads. My friend has some on his mild 350 and they are great for low end.

Then again I love my vortecs.

 

smog motors can be cured of the no ***** blues by:flat top pistons,a good cam,and a little port work