PatriYacht

They also have small valves in them. 2.08 intakes I think. When doing the seats, go to 2.25 intakes and 1.88 exhausts. Problem is by the time you're done, if you do it right, you will have a good bit of money in them.

ENFORCER24

what if i keep the stock valve size , and go with stainless valves , i'm replacing peanut port heads on a stock motor
only looking to freshen the top end and maybe get 30-40 more ponies , with heads and intake combo , and exhaust will be upgraded too , nothing radical , just stock 496 mag ho manifolds
i'm truly a budget go fast guy

ECeptor

I did the same thing 2 winters ago on my otherwise stock 330. It had a cracked head, so it was a repair first, upgrade second. I was on a tight budget at the time and went the low dollar route. Here's what I did and what I would do different.

Did:
*781 heads (large ovals like your 049's)
- bought used with 2.08" intakes and 1.88" exhaust valves
- lapped valves
- springs from Chris Straub to get proper open/close forces and handle valve lift w/o bind.
*Edelbrock Performer 2.0 intake
*496 manifolds
*relocated shift mechanism, ignition module, and oil filter relocated to back of transom and off the engine
*re-used my Quadrajet carb
***increased mid-range significantly and gained 200rpm on top end. Went from Mirage 3b 21p to Revolution 21p 4b. Holeshot and mid range acceleration biggest improvements.

What I would have done for just a little more $$$:
*Heads
- went to 2.19 intake valves
- mildly ported heads - would have did myself
*Performer RPM intake (airgap if it would fit)
*Holly 750cfm carb
*valve train
- 1.8 rockers to simulate a bigger cam (didn't pull the engine so cam change was off the plate)
- upgraded pushrods 3/8"

The 496 headers are a nice cheap upgrade and a weight savings if nothing else. But, their outlet will be higher than your old manifolds, so be ready for some creative exhaust plumbing. I solved mine by using some stainless steel flex pipe from a heavy truck store. Worked perfectly.

Let me know if I can help any further!

jeff1000man

The 049 head is great to be used in a 454. Especialy if it is still in a close to stock configuration. Put an edelbrock 454-0, or similar intake on it, and you will see a night and day difference in the way it performs. Keep in mind also that the 049 is not a 188cc chamber head. It is closer to a 115. A lot of guys think that it is the same chamber as the 088 square and it isn't.

Don't go to a square head on a 454 unless you are using a big cam (over .600 lift or plan on spinning it over around 6000.

The ovals are great for torque on the small displaccement BBC.

Most guys I talk to recomend staying away from ANY vavle seat instalations. This is asking for trouble. When that constant high rpms causes that seat to come out and get lodged between the valve and the head, it wil hand grenade the whole engine.

If you want to spend extra money, the Merlin oval head is a great instalation for a 454 right out of the box. Just make sure that it is set up for th roller or the flat tappet from the factory.

ENFORCER24

forgive my ignorence , if i go to bigger valve size do i have to install hardened seats?

jeff1000man

I have never increased the valve size on these heads. They are great the way they are. It is way to much work for a 10-15 HP increase. This caliber engine does not need all of that work. Have them refreshed and put the proper valve spring on them for the cam you are using and go run them. Spend the money on the intake and go to a 750 carb and you will see more results than changing out the valves.

Save our money for when you are ready to build a bigger engine.

These heads will work great in the future if you decide to stroke that engine into a 496. Just remember your chamber size when you are ordering pistons.

Good luck with your project. You will enjoy this upgrade.

ENFORCER24

thanks jeff

ENFORCER24

i'm gonna use the stock cam thats in the engine , what kinda springs should i aim for and what do you think about 1.7 to 1 roller rockers ? , i also want to change to a nice set of valve covers for the "bling" effect

jeff1000man

1.7 is standard for BBC. Buy a good rocker like the Crane Gold and you can use them for your next engine. You need to have you machine shop set them up for around 90-100 lbs closed pressure for flat tapet hydraulic. I always use a Manley or a Comp depending on what I am looking for.

Depending on your current exhaust set up, You will need a notched valve cover to clear the manifold or the header. You will have to go with bigger valve cover to clear the new rockers and studs. Those heads use the 7/16 stud. Get the longer stud so your set screws are not buried so far down into the nut and you will have more threads ffrom the nut holding onto the stud.

KAAMA

iTrader: (1)

When installing any stainless steel valve, you will still need hardended seats installed in the "049" heads---it does not matter what size of stainless steel valve you use.

Jeff1000man is right....you do not necessarily need to go with larger 2.19" intake or 1.88" exhaust valves. You can end up putting a lot of money into these heads and it always cost more money for more power.

You can stay with the stock valve size, but if your budget will allow it, have the heads at least bowl/pocket ported while paying special attention to the short side radius area.

Here's another option, if you're refreshening the engines with a complete rebuild, then now would be a good time to upgrade to more cam. Something like a flat tappet hydraulic... 218*/226* and .515"/.515" lift on 110* lobes would be a good cam for what you're doing if you want a little more power---and very inexpensive compared to a roller type of cam. It will peak out at about 5100rpm or so depending on the exhaust you're running. It's a good cam for a low RPM engine if you're sticking with cast pistons, and bottom end. It's the same cam my cousin uses in his 454cid engines that make 461hp @5100rpm on Tom Earhart's dyno with car/dyno headers.

It all depends on how far you want to go and how much SMACK you're willing to spend.