Oval or round port heads on 454 330
 

I have a pair of 1984 454 330's, I'm trying to find out which heads I have without pulling the valve covers. I've been told early engines had oval port heads. Does anybody know if this is true and what year they changed the heads for sure?

You have Oval Port Heads.

But there are a couple Oval port heads and you will never know without a number.

Ok, so they changed to round (peanut) port after 1984?

I'm thinking mid 1970's is more like it. They started using them because of emissions requirements.

049 and 88 are kind of the factory "good" oval/round port heads.

Probably the 049's or at least similar casting. Actually excellent marine head. I have 4 of them on the shelf that came out of a 78 boat.

I have a set sitting on a shelf myself. Came with one on the core motors I used to build and just couldn't rid of them.

781 and 049 are the oval/round ports. 088 and 188 are rect port

In '84 they were most definitely the round or as most motorheads refer to them as peanut heads. The 088's were rectangle. They were used on every 454 over the 330's. 370,400,420 and up.

I know some 1/8 drag race race guys who are going back to them and doing great especially with heavier cars and that short distance. There's probably more engines than not out there that would perform better with these than the larger rec port. Just depends on its use. Would be interesting to make the change on a 365 mag engine and see the results.

Wonder if the big heavy cruisers that are hauling azz at 23 knots always seem to have 454/330's with the peanut port heads. Need to have a race off with two of the same ol 32 carvers with 330's and 365's both old school carbed. Just saying it would be kinda funny/interesting to see the results.

I'm sure there is a lot of motors that would love them and they would be a lot cheaper to upgrade to them instead of square port being your old intake would work.

"781" That is correct-a-mundo! That's what I get for not checking before I type! Thanks!

We opened up the ports a little on the my 049's and smoothed up some of the angles and around the valve guide, then matched the intake. 107% VE on dyno! Not sure what the high dollar heads are doing, but in below 6k rpm action, that's pretty good!

I took square ports OFF my engines. I had contacted Lingerfelter (back before he was too famous to talk to) and my motors were built on his specs for a low-end torque monster motor. His theory (at the time, anyway) was factory square ports gave up to much on low end and didn't get it back until above 6500 rpm. Since boat are basically running uphill all the time, the torque curve needed to be flatter, which would work better across the board in boats. I'm sure head technology has come leaps and bounds since then, but 107% VE? Not bad.

I can understand that. That was one of the reasons they went to the peanut port heads. In the family truckster they never saw the numbers that would even make the big ovals efficient.
Its all in what you build. If building a torque monster for a cabin cruiser the PP heads are for you. 500+hp N/A motor for a flat bottom....

Damn. Guess I'm not as old as I thought I was. All the gen 4 merc. base 454s I have torn down were flat top peanut port motors with a steel timing chain set and a non emissions cam. 781s with bigger intake valves were the preferred set up on the gale banks turbo jobs I believe

I've heard of guys using the peanut port heads with sc 177's. I'm mean the actual peanut port (small). I'd think it would build to much heat but with low boost I guess.... What ever works for ones budget.

I did a engine a few years back, 489 w/large oval ports and a 177 made great power