dereknkathy

Ok. Foothills mech in Rocky Mountain House. 99 gen 6 truck heads. Call them tomorrow. See how much they want Mortec in calgary is somebody to check with too. What does the block deck look like? Did it clean up? That head is not worth fixing. A peanut bbc head is borderline not worth fixing when it has nothing wrong with it. The guys at Mortec will probably know guys with 454 stuff in their garages if they don't have anything around. But the biggest worry is the block deck at the same spot.

dereknkathy

Water running thru valves means they aren't seating. More work that head needs. Do youtube about lapping valves. If you run 1 L29 (99 truck oval head) and the other your orig peanut head, the diff between sides is not going to be noticable. They take same intake manifold and gasket. I just went back a bit. Post 64. Closeup of block. Looks salvageable. That is the main point of worry right now.

dna

Found someone on kijiji selling 2 454 heads - one is a 049 casting and the other 781. They come with the valves already in. He is also throwing in chrome valve covers, alt, starter, fuel pump and power steering - all for $300 asking. Is that good? I sent him a message but thinking this is a steal so could be gone.

BTW - last night I saw a local shop claiming repairs to cast iron - texted him with the pic. F'er quoted me $500 for some type of lock and stitch method.

I'll call the other two shops today too to see what they have. I'll also clean up that block and take some pics.

Thanks

dereknkathy

I found the truck heads on car-part.com. they have the advantage of upping the compression a bit. that head's design represented GM's first actual attempt to upgrade the big block in 25 years. from early 70's to mid 90's. and they weren't looking for power at 6000 rpm, they were looking for efficiency and emissions and durability. made a real nice 5k rpm and below engine. there may be many other boneyards near you that don't subscribe to that web site that may have heads. the 049 and 781 can be used together. can be ported-up-valved and get over 500 hp. but you would spend more machine shop time and money to turn a 70's head into something that is less than todays aftermarket heads. if the kijiji heads are close enough to go look at and leak test in front of the guy, they may be worth considering. buy a valve spring compressor. but once again first get that block deck cleaned up and get us pics...

AllDodge

iTrader: (1)

Head info
336781.....73-85...oval...OPEN...454, 118cc chamber, 256/114cc ports
353049.....73-84...oval...OPEN...454, 122cc chamber, 255/119cc ports

dereknkathy

lock n stitch. he is gonna drill and tap a hole there. crank in a bolt. cut it off and file it flat. for 500 bucks? Sh!t, I will do that deal and even with round trip air fare and car rental I would make money. you may also find 95 and older peanut heads in boneyards. also cheap. the problem with junkyard heads is the possibility of high mileage valve guide wear. problem with old marine heads is possibility of rot inside the head at exhaust valve guides.

dna

if I got those 049/781, can I use just one to replace to my burnt head and leave the other alone for now, or would I be forced to replace both if I buy these?

so I know L29 is one model I can shop around for, but what other models/castings should I be looking for - if I only want to do the one side right now?

Thanks

phragle

iTrader: (3)

look at the top of your head where the valve cover covers. See that big number cast in there..... thats the number you are looking for if you want to match the castings.

GLENAMY 242SS

iTrader: (1)

You are in the Calgary area, correct?
https://kalispell.craigslist.org/pts/6133999728.html

Put them BOTH on and be done with it.
Just my .02 (American)

dereknkathy

you could put a rectangle head on 1 side and leave peanut on the other. as long as you got a rectangle intake. any of these will run mismatched. but the other gasket is 25 years old too. the engine is torn down to where you can get other head off in a half hour more. Kalispell MT. 10.5 hour round trip. Boy am I glad I am on the east coast. I have at least 10 cheap runnable heads within a half hour of me. Shipping isn't that bad, but they may sit in customs for a week...