I have an 89 maf 350 with 20k on the motor I'm gonna pull the intake to port and install a zz4 cam. While i'm there i'm gonna go ahead and pull the heads for some port work. I also have a set of 416's. which heads would be better to hog out.

 

You better not be hogging out any heads...that's not going to be any good for them. You want to port them...mainly that means just contouring stuff and smoothing everything out. I'm doing a set of 643's right now. It's taking awhile, and these are aluminum! But I'm using a round file that I ground in half on an electric drill, so nothing too specialized. I'll buy some carbide bits eventually.

Run the 416s, it'll raise compression quite a bit..

 

Wow, you're porting with an electric drill, with a file of all things in it, but warning others not to "hog out" heads? Yikes

 

when i said hogging i meant revoving of metal. I ported heads before i was just looking for some responces from people who have compaired these.

 

Its working fine so far... basically a slow die grinder with a slow-cutting bit. Works great, just time consuming....but cheap

 

i've always thought 305 heads on a 350 was a shady situation. yah more compression, but there are better ways to get more compression than bolting on a set of restrictive heads. if you want more compression with a head that doesnt suck, get the aluminum L98 heads, they dont flow huge numbers, but they keep flow velocity high for great midrange power and torque, thats why the ZZ4 crate motor makes 405 ft.lbs @ 3500 rpm. these heads work great with TPI intakes for obvious reasons, GM designed them to work with TPI.

or, depending on your budget, there are many other cylinder head options for your 350. you can go with AFR 190s, or vortec heads are a great swap as well. you can do a search and find more info, i am not a head expert.

 

1MeanZ, there are flowbench results on this site where a ported set of 416s flowed as well as a set of Vortec heads. Not everyone can afford coughing up $500 for a set of aluminum L98s. Then again, you can find a set of 416s for about $40.

 

Not to mention that stock for stock, the 081/416 castings flow as well as the iron L98 heads even with the L98s larger valves..

Okay, okay, so not "as well" but within 5cfm or so..

 

yah i know 305 heads were decent, but i didnt know that they would match the flow of a vortec head. i am still skeptical, and here is why. were the 305 heads ported by a total guru, or just gasket matched and cleaned by a hillbilly like myself? how repeatable are these results with a 305 head? also, what does a ported 305 head flow compared to a ported vortec head? and finally, does the ported 305 head actually make more average power than a vortec head? peak flow numbers may not tell the whole tale. i am not saying that porting a 305 head is a bad idea, i think it is an awesome idea, for a 305. there are so many 350 heads out there is just seems like there would be a better way than using 305 castings. i am interested in learning more on this, let the opinions fly.

 

Take a look at this...
https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...=416+flowbench

There are several flowbench results with ported 416s in that link. FBird88 has some experience, but he doesn't do this for a living or anything if thats what you mean.

You sound like you are convinced that if it came off a 305, it is garbage. Thats not neccessarily true. You are correct when you say that there are a ton of 350 heads out there though. The only problem is, how much $$$ do you need for a set. If you are on a budget, you can pretty much walk into any junkyard, and take home a set for $40. I got mine for free.

 

arent the 416's 58cc and the L98 64cc?

i had a set of 416's from my old L69, i had them cut for 1.90 but i sold them because 58cc + flat top pistons is too high compression for me and everday use. i went with L98's that have 1.9/1.6

 

And another....

https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...ht=port+polish


Yes, the L98s have a 64cc chamber, while the 416s have a 58cc chamber. Depending on your pistons, that may bring your compression up too high for street use. I brought them out to 63cc, which leaves me at 9.5 to 1 compression in my application. It really doesn't take much work to remove 5ccs. I was surprised when I did it.

 

by no means do i think that 305 parts are junk. hell, look at my sig, i am a huge 305 fan, i like being different.

i guess i was just thinkin that when it all comes down to it, the 305 heads may be cheaper, but it requires effort and money to get them to the level that vortecs, or aluminum L98 heads are at out of the box. porting iron heads is no walk in the park, it can be time consuming and a pain in the neck. i thought seriously about porting my stock iron 305 heads for my 305, but in the end i think it was worth the money to just save up and spend the extra money on a set of heads that flowed well to begin with. its like buying a honda and souping it up, when in the end for the similar money you could have bought a thirdgen and had a better car that was faster in the end anyway. i think a throughly ported set of 305 heads would be an ok choice for a 350, i just think that vortecs or 113 casting L98 heads are a better choice, because in the end there isnt really that much price difference. and when it comes to engines, cylinder heads are the last place to be goin cheap on because without good heads, forget horsepower. but if we all were convinced that one combo was the best, we would all have the same engine and the world would be a boring place now wouldn't it?

 

I don't really follow what you are saying. The vortecs, aluminum L98s, and a set of 305 heads will all require the same amount of work (so long as you are porting, not talking about leaving them how they are out of the box), and the same expenses in machine work. What are the typical expenses? Machining for screw in studs, enlarging spring pockets, triming valve guides for high lift cams, milling, and hot tanking the heads? They cost the same no matter what the type of head.

What was the initial cost for the L98s? $450 or so. The Vortecs? I guess around $300. How much can you get the 416s or 081s for? I can get quite a few sets of them for $30 a pari from my local junkyard. There is a significant difference in initial price.

Granted, this isn't necessarily the best route for everyone to take. But, so long as you are on a tight budget (like me), and you are willing to learn and put in some effort, you end up with very similar results for alot less money.

I've never worked on aluminum heads before, but the L98s would definitely be quicker and easier to work on than cast iron.

You can agree with me or disagree, everyone is entitled to their opinion. This is just how I see things.