quest to find 305 heads

[MrBrown]

I have heard about these heads around the caprice forum but have no idea where to start looking fo them. they are 14014416 head castings. any idea where to start looking?

[capriceowns]

I just punched the # into google

and this site says http://www.cehighperformance.com/new...#car%20engines its from a 78-79 305 with codes G,H,U

So, youll probably find them a 78/79 305. (just my gues)

[easterwabbit]

no they are 80-up LG4 and L69 305 heads

58cc and 1.84 valves

very very common

i save all that i come across, i like to put bigger valves in them and run them on 350 engines

they do VERY well


you should be able to find these heads for free or damn near it

they were on 80-up cars and trucks both, the last pair i took from an 86 c-10 pickup that blew the bottom end, bearings without losing a piston and hurting the heads any, for free

good luck

[MrBrown]

does it matter if the heads came off a car/truck with tbi?

[MrBrown]

Is it possible my 84 5.0 caprice has these heads already?

[silicon212]

Originally Posted by MrBrown

Is it possible my 84 5.0 caprice has these heads already?

It is likely and probable. I don't know why you want them though - they really aren't performance heads.

[MrBrown]

what would be the cheapest performance heads I can find, stock or aftermarket?

[silicon212]

Originally Posted by MrBrown

what would be the cheapest performance heads I can find, stock or aftermarket?

Actually I was a bit presumptious in knocking those castings - this IS the casting you want (416) and it probably ISN'T in your car. See Blue Bowtie's post here for information regarding these castings.

Another option would be S/R Torquer 305 heads from World Castings - these will also be great heads for the 305 and can be had for around $600 or so for the complete pair.

[Blue Bowtie]

What year is the 305? If it's roller cammed and uses self-aligning rockers, you probably want to find something different, like 14101081 heads. They are the same basic casting as the '416s with 72° center intake flange holes and are clearanced to use self-aligning rockers or guide plates. Other than that, they're basically clones. Either responds well to 1.94" valves an port cleanup.

There's a little here:

http://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/show...416+heads+flow

[kdrolt]

Originally Posted by MrBrown

I have heard about these heads around the caprice forum but have no idea where to start looking fo them. they are 14014416 head castings. any idea where to start looking?

There is an extensive set of threads on the Thirdgen.org website that involve modifying a 305 TBI engine (retuned chip, cam, exhaust plus other small stuff) with stock 187 swirl port heads and the dyno results (208 rwhp) and then swapping a set of ported 416s heads onto the same engine, retuning the engine and then dyno again (226 rwhp).

The gain from 208 to 226 seems like a lot, but the 208 rwhp was at (from memory) 4500 rpm and the 226 was at 5200 rpm. The air:fuel ratio was also too lean above 4000 rpm on the 208 rwhp test suggesting that there was more rpm and power there. Finally the 208 rwhp engine made more power everywhere below 4000 rpm.

So that suggests that if the 187 stock swirl port heads were ported to the same extent (while keeping the swirl ramp intact) that they would do as well as the 416s, and still make more power (torque) at lower rpm. So don't make the mistake of thinking that the 416 heads are vastly better -- because they aren't. They're an older head with an open combustion chamber that requires more ignition advance to make power. The swirl port heads are efficient burners, and when ported, they make decent street power. HTH.

[Blue Bowtie]

I wouldn't consider the '416 heads as having an "open chamber." If they do, they're no more "open" than the '187 castings ('187 head chamber view on top, '416 on the bottom):

[kdrolt]

Both of those pix look like ported 081s, and neither pix looked like a 187 (from the 1987-1995 models).

The 187s were swirl intake port heads, and the upper pix lacks the ramp on the intake port.

The 416 heads also lack the plug boss in the chamber and both the pix you posted have the boss. So both the pix you posted are from newer heads than the 416s.

The plug boss, FWIW, allows a faster burn of the mixture because the boss is more centrally located. The 416 heads lacked the plug boss so they were more open, as chambers go, then either the 081 or 187.

The long thread I mentioned on the 187 vs ported 416 heads is on page 3 of this thread:

http://www.thirdgen.org/techboard/tb...=dewey316+dyno

Pix of ported 416 heads (lacking the plug boss) are shown here:

http://www.robertg.org/images/porting/

http://www.thirdgen.org/techboard/te...ht=416+porting

[kdrolt]

Blue Bowtie, here's a good 416 pix from your own files:

http://72.19.213.157/files/416Heads.jpg

[Blue Bowtie]

That's strange. I have those in a folder marker "14014416." I'd better check, but I think you're right. The '416s only have a little ring around the plug hole, like this:



I'm still not sure I'd call them "open chambers" - Or at least not in the same manner as BBC heads.

[kdrolt]

Originally Posted by Blue Bowtie

..... I'm still not sure I'd call them "open chambers" - Or at least not in the same manner as BBC heads.

Agreed. Fully open chambers lack squish areas, and mostly because of it they need a LOT more ignition advance to get optimum power.