Hopefully not a cracked block....

[1979C20]

Okay started digging in today. All i have left is pull the valve cover, loosen the rockers, pull pushrods, pull head bolts, pull temp sensor, then pull the head. It took me about 30 or 40 minutes to get this done but i had to stop to pick my girlfriend up from work. So, ill finish taking it apart tonight or tomorrow.

[1979C20]

Aaaaaaaarighty then. I jumped on into my engine bay tonight. Pulled my powersteering pump off, valve cover, and all the head bolts. popped the head off and flipped it over. The gasket was in fact blown.






So I grabbed a peanut grinder with an abrasive pad and started cleaning up the head to put the new gasket on. And where the gasket was blown, I found this.




The block doesnt look too bad. The number 5 piston is SHINY!!! I guess it was burning a very small amount of water. Theres a small amount of surface rust where the gasket was missing.


Better look at the piston, kinda.


So now I think I'm going to pursue the path of Vortech Heads and Intake.

[big bear]

not bad man...looking good. keep up the progress

[78 Chevyrado]

That one blew real good!   Keep the pics a comin man!

[Grim 82]

I think you found the problem. What casting are those heads?

[1979C20]

Ill check the casting as soon as i get home for ya, grim. Theyre the stock 79 350 heads.

[1979C20]

Snapped a pic of the numbers real quick.

[1979C20]

Okay, my dad picked up a set of stock 350 heads from a friend of ours for free basically. I just have to buy him a 45 dollar soft top for his CJ-7. Now, these heads are ugly. The spark plugs are kinda rusted in from sitting, covered in paint, and just gross. Im going to take them to the machine shop and have then crack checked and gone through, but should i take them my heads and use the parts from my heads on the new ones? Springs, valves etc? My heads were just gone through a year ago so i know the parts are good. Should i have them use the best parts from both sets? What do you guys think?

[1979C20]

Popped the other head off. I talked to my dad and he said it would make sense to take both pairs of heads to the machine shop and have them use the best parts to make two heads.

Pulled the other valve cover, nothing out of the ordinary.


Rocker arms and pushrods off.


All of the head bolts and the head off. I took a dead blow hammer and smacked it under the intake ports at the front and back of the engine to break her lose then wiggled her off.


Nothing wrong with the Head gasket and nothing wrong with the head(as far as I can tell).

On the number 7 and 8 pistons, the head bolt in the middle end corners were soaked in oil. So I'm assuming that since I didnt use any thread locker on the head bolts when I assembled it, oil leaked past the threads into the cylinders.

Casting number of the new(to me) heads.


The new to me heads. Poor spark plugs. And the heads were sitting in the rain for a few years(I live in Arizona, so they didnt see MUCH rain).



Most of my parts under my bumper.


My mess of an engine bay.


And the passenger side mating surface. Doesnt look too bad.


Now, what can I have the machine show do to these heads to make them better flowing and increase my performance but not break the bank? Just something simple.

[1979C20]

I looked up the casting numbers of the heads.
My old heads:
Casting #  462624
Year  76-87
Engine application  350
Valves  1.94/1.50 or 2.02/1.60
Horse power range  Not listed(horse power of engine rated at 350hp stock)
Chambers  76cc
Notes  PRONE TO CRACK

New to me heads:
Casting #  333882
Year  70-80
Engine application  350 or 400
Valves  1.94/1.50
Horse power range  150-180
Chambers  76cc
Notes  Intake flow 137.2 CFM Exhaust flow 95.4 CFM


Will these heads be safe on my engine considering the fact they are rated at 150-180hp and my engine casting number said 350hp 4 bolt main in a truck?

[Grim 82]

From what I have heard, the notes on the 882 heads should read 'prone to cracking'. I have a set of them on my 406 currently being reworked for a bad valve guide, but they have been worked before and I was told they have 2.02 valves in them. That motor makes 400+ hp and they worked fine until oil started pouring into one of the cylinders through the intake valve. When I get that motor in the next project I will be waiting for them to crack...

[1979C20]

Grim, the 882's are prone to cracking as well??

[Grim 82]

Everything that I have read or heard about them leads me to believe that they have terrible flow characteristics and yes, they are prone to cracking.

[1979C20]

Well, for some hand-me-downs, and a vehicle for a little while longer they will have to do. Theyre working for you alright though?

[Grim 82]

They did for about 2k miles until the valve guide started leaking but that's not really related. I pulled that motor and put in my 355 with 993 heads, which may not be any better, I haven't researched them. They're probably all about the same. Eventually I would like to put some vortec's on both of those motors but you have to work with you have and what you can find cheap sometimes. As far as HP though you should be fine running those heads. They just don't like a lot of heat.