Ok, well i am realizing i am going to need new heads because the ones have have are too small. I was hoping to get a set of 1.94intake and 1.5 exhaust heads. I am going to be putting them on my 68 327. I was hoping to have the engine in my car for under or at $2000. Now, i spent my first $200 on the engine itself. I havent checked the cylinders yet but i am going to try to get the stripped bolts out tonight so i can take a look. I was thinking only to buy a new intake, a new cam, and then heads and i was hoping to jump about 100hp from my 220hp. I may need new pistons but i cant tell yet. Then the most espensive part as it seems is a whole exhaust system.

Anyway my main question is should i be looking at heads that are together with vavles, springs,etc... or should i buy bare heads and build them up. What should i be expecting to pay for heads and about how much to recondition.
The reason i am asking is because i have a guy ( a buddy of mine) who has a set of bare 327 heads and a few other head parts he want to sell me and i was wondering if it is worth it. I was thinking it wasnt but apom looking on ebay the heads that are complete go for about $275-$350 shipped and most guys say you should still get a vavle job. So how much am i going to be spending from either route?? thanks. I am going to take a look at the bare heads today, if you think i should go that route what should i offer him. I know they are camel hump heads with 1.94 and 1.50 vavles.

Vortec heads and Vortec intake.
Best value on the HP/$$.

If you only have $2000 dollars to spend, I would consider buying a new GM crate motor and you would have everything new. Camel Back heads were great in 1970, but they don't compare with todays modern heads. A good set of heads complete will cost around $800. If you can find a cheap set of camel backs that are complete and in good shape you might piece a motor together for $2000. Vortec heads may be a good option for you. You might want to look into those.

http://www.jegs.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?storeId=10001&catalogId=10002&catalogIdentifier=Jegs_Direct&categoryId=22627&parentCategoryId=10763

http://www.jegs.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?storeId=10001&catalogId=10002&catalogIdentifier=Jegs_Direct&categoryId=19715&parentCategoryId=10187

Vortec heads require an intake manifold and centerbolt valve covers.

http://www.sdpc2000.com/catalog/2172/SDPC-Vortec-Cylinder-Heads-and-Head-Kits.htm

Other good head packages :

http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?part=EDL%2D2098&N=700+4294925232+4294858290+115&autoview=sku

http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?part=TFS%2DK314%2D350%2D400&N=700+4294925232+4294858290+115&autoview=sku

Not only are the old 1.94 fuelie heads old because of the changes in head technology over the past 45 years, but they are 45 year old castings. The valve seats have probably sunk below the chamber floor from repeated valve jobs, they were never designed for unleaded fuel (hardened exhaust seats and Inconel exhaust valves), and may have cracked over time due to heating cycles. There is a reason your friend did not use those heads. Maybe you should think of a reason why you should too.

The only justification for using camel hump heads on a car today is to maintain the numbers matching aspect of the car and then they have to have the correct date codes (within 30 days of your car's build date). If you have $2K to spend on a rebuild, then you have to consider that you can not rebuild an engine for what it costs to buy a crate motor, which comes with a GM warranty.


Larger Dave

While I agree with the guys above, they are not operating on your budget.

Check around local machine shops, classifieds here, and even ebay.

You should be able to find a set of ready to run rebuilt 1.94" valve, 64cc chamber small block heads for around $400.

Again, with the budget you have to work with, don't be too fussy about casting numbers and fancy stuff. Fresh valve job, decent springs, and tight guides are all you need right now.

Call aerohead 317-862-0223. I bought a set of 65cc heads from them @ 5 yrs ago and I was very pleased. At the time they where $325 with bowl blending and stainless valves. Unfortunatly I just sold them last month.:clonk: Now there @ $400 pair complete no core charge 3/8" screw in studs 0.525" lift springs.www.aeroheadracing.com (http://www.aeroheadracing.com)

Last summer I rebuilt my 383 with right around your budget. The motor spun a bearing, and I cracked a rocker arm stud mounting hole thingy off one of the heads.

I picked up a set of World sportsman II heads from these guys:

http://www.competitionproducts.com/prodinfo.asp?number=1115B


I really recommend picking up something along these lines. Heads are the one engine part that can be customized a lot. They can be upgraded as you upgrade your engine for a fairly decent price. If you EVER plan on upgrading this engine, just get a good set of heads now. In a few years I plan on taking these off, getting them shaved, ported, polished etc.

I picked up a cam with matched springs. I bought a set of baseline valves from a local parts store. I brought all this into a builder and had him setup the heads for a total of around $300 more (parts + labor). So basically 900 for a very nice set of heads, that will be with me for future projects.


For comparision here are approximate prices.

Scat Crank - $250 off ebay.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/New-Scat-9000-Series-Crank-383-Chevy-sb-Free-Shipping_W0QQitemZ180023556162QQihZ008QQcategoryZ3 3616QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Rods - $200 Eagle
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Eagle-5-70-I-beam-Rods-SBC-Chevy-350-383-400-sir_W0QQitemZ280025769023QQihZ018QQcategoryZ33617Q QrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Pistons - $200 Speed pro
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Speed-Pro-275-Dome-Pistons-sb-sbc-Chevy-Chevrolet-350_W0QQitemZ180024640822QQihZ008QQcategoryZ33623Q QrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Rings - $50, speed pro

Cam - $125

Basically a rotating assembly for right around - $1700. Add an intake, pushrods, lifters, etc. for a total of right around $2000.

ya i really cant afford new heads. They are just to much for my 16 year old self. I am debating if i should keep the motor or not because im not sure if it would be cheaper to find a 327 with better heads etc.... or if it would be worth getting my 327 up to 325 hp. i really wont know what i want to do untill i get my heads off and take a look at the cylinder walls and see if they need to be bored. If they dont than that is that much less i have to spend. keep in mind i still need a good paint job, and then all the new parts.

So basically if i got a set of good used heads, i would be able to get vavle job done for about $300-$400?

I would really like to spend $600 or more on a set of new heads but i cant afford that. Im just trying to figure out my options. I dont want to go crate because i really wanted to build my own motor. But with the price of the stuff you guys want me to get i dont think i will be able to build my 327 with only $2000. More like $4000.

Ryan, the world is full of shops that rebuild and sell heads, complete and ready to run, for up to $400, thats not a valve job, it's a set of heads ready to bolt on. See the post above. That link is one of the rebuilders.

Check the classifieds here too. When I was checking heads a few years ago, there were scads of them.

Ryan's 67,If you are looking for a good set of stock Chevy Hi Po heads I have a set with your name all over them.They are a set of numbers matching 70 SS 350-300 hp heads with the 194-150 valves.they are the 186 double humps and assy holes in the end of the head.I bought the heads for $100.00 to rebuild to put on my 68 327-275 hp Camaro,I took them to a machine shop and had them cleaned magged pressure tested to make sure they were alright,then I replaced all the intake valves,valve seals, 1 exaust guide and valve ,street screw in studs,a 3 angle valve job,the springs were checked and the guy said they were hi po springs anyway with good retainers and surfaced the heads a small amount to make sure of a good head gasket seal,the guy said the heads were first rate.The heads are the large intake runner type that came on the 69 302 Z/28-the 70 LT1 350-360hp Z/28 and the 69and 70 350-300hp SS,I have a web site Chevytech.com and they say that these are large ports and will out flow the 340292 Turbo heads with 202 valves that are used for off road racing.The numbers on the heads are 3827186,, date D-28_0 GM 54,,next head is 3827186 date D-27-0 GM55,I had them researched and they are 70 SS 350-300hp.I paid $366.00 to have them redone and $100.00 that I paid for them,they are painted POR-15 engine enamel and I will take $500.00 for them you pick them up.Anybody else that is interested in a numbers matching set of 350-300 hp SS 70 Camaro heads for a correct restoration let me Know.You can reach me on this site by bdcole_51 Thanks Camaro BOB PS I forgot to menton that I have all good rocker arms and the balls and nuts for them,they are ready to bolt on.