088 heads on Gen 4 blocks
 

I know this question has been asked but I see a lot of options. I just bought a boat with one blown 502 mag (rod bearing). I have a pair of 468 short blocks I built for another boat and want to use the 502 heads (casting number 14097088) on the early Gen blocks. I think I read that if you use a Gen VI head gasket it will eliminate the water passage difference between the two. Any help or experience (ie. part number) would greatly help. Im going from efi to carbed so I can get the most from the build.

9 out of 10 times you can not put a Gen VI head on a Mk IV block. Most will leak water into the lifter valley. The easiest way to tell is to put the head on and scribe a line on the under side of the head in the lifter valley. Then, remove the head and see how close the line on the bottom of the head is to the coolant passages. Usually, they are within 1/4".
When starting with a Gen VI block, you can use any head you want.
Eddie

Get some 761 oval port heads?