mscaggs

Okay guys,

Some of you know about my wintertime project that involved me pulling the motor from my L-79 for paint and clean up, not to mention all the small details that go along with something like this.

Moving forward, I pulled the heads to not only clean but to change the head gaskets. I sent them over to the machine shop for a hot tank and I also replaced the valve seals while I was at it (had to anyway after the hot tank).

Now I have what might be a dumb rookie question, is there a left and right head? Before you ask, I do have the lifters, rockers, and push rod in order so they can go back in exactly the way they came out. I did not mark the heads (my bad) when I pulled them. Does it matter? There are different markings in the casting on each head. They both have the same casting number but towards the center there is a GM number.

Thanks for any help…

~Mike

Donny Brass

no, there is not a left and right head


and not the first time the question has been asked ")

mscaggs

That's what I thought but I thought it was worth asking. Thank you

DZAUTO

There's only one dumb question--------------------it's the one you DON'T ask!

Tom Parsons

larrywalk

It's hard to tell from the pictures, but are there two different types of valve spring retainers on your heads?

mscaggs

No, they are all the same. It is hard to tell from the picture...

65tripleblack

If someone has their heads marked "L" and "R", then you can rest assured that the motor they belong to is well blueprinted.

Pilot Dan

Since you are going to be reusing these parts, it would have been ideal to put them back in their exact location on the head they came off, but the most important thing is you marked the lifters and rockers so it should not be a problem. If you look closely at the head and block surfaces, you might find some small imperfection that would confirm which head came off which side originally. Otherwise don't loose sleep over it. Pilot Dan

Ironcross

Since the heads are all cleaned up I would suggest new springs and retainers as it may still have the rotators on the valves....also cut the guides down for camshaft clearances......then the heads will be set up for a better cam in the future if ever changed or replaced and its a relatively minor cost now

65tripleblack

I wouldn't spend any money on springs, valves, hardened seats, screw in studs/guide plates or any such upgrades unless you are going to change over to a more aggressive camshaft.

Send me the heads and I'll port them for you. Mine got flows upwards of 250/190 cfm @ .5" valve lift with 2.02/1.60 461's. Exhaust ports went close to 200 @ .6" lift. That is a modification that will gain you more torque across the entire rev range all by itself.

wenmaxjr

Then you could go this way and loose about 75 pounds too.

Wendell

65tripleblack

Nahhhhh.
Getting ALL the power out of a set of old heads gives you bragging rights. Besides.............it saves a lot of money if ya do them right.

If I'm not mistaken, my 461's weighed in at about 35 pounds each. I don't know how much an aluminum SBC head weighs, but if I was being generous and say it weighs 20 pounds, then that adds up to a total savings of 30 pounds.

VetteRed1965

Whats the "L" and the "R" on the top mean... JK

Port work can do wonders

wesmigletz

When I had my stroked 327 dyno'd, I tried three sets of heads, tested on the same dyno, over a two day period. A set of Dart 200 CC Pro 1 platinum aluminum heads were only worth 12 HP over my 1962 300 HP heads that had 2.02/1.60 valves and a little clean-up work.

robert miller

Mike car should look like new when you are done.. Good to get the spring pressure on all of them if using what came off of them. I put in new ARP head bolts on the new motor...

robert miller

I had to do this also and I am thinking lost more than that in weight..

MiguelsC2

And what might it cost to port my 461 2.02 - 1.60 valve heads to perform to the above specs?

65tripleblack

The port job I did on my heads was not a simple port job, in fact, it was taken even further than any race or competition mod that anyone would be willing to do on an old cast iron head. It takes a lot of time to measure wall thickness at every stage of the game, and to ensure that there is enough material left to continue. I would estimate that it took me more than the equivalent of a full 40 hour work week to achieve the results that I achieved. Without larger 2.05" inlet valves and/or offset rocker arms and relocation of the pushrods, I can't say that anyone I have heard of has actually achieved the flows that I got with a set of 461's, with flow bench results to prove it. Lip service, as we all know is cheap, but tested results speak for themselves.

A simple pocket port job will achieve flow gains equivalent to about 75% of the above, and can be done in a reasonable time period.

ghoastrider1

you dont have the factory " drilled for accy." heads. Some folks have drilled them on their own..which may make a difference in the right and left heads if they didnt drill both ends like the factory did. Otherwise, no diff.

wesmigletz

1962 327/300HP Heads