Mustang Dad

As things go along, it is looking more and more like we are going to have to do a valve job on our heads. The '65 is blowing alot of oil smoke on start-up and during heavy accelleration. It may only need new valve stem seals, but even that is a pain and if they need that, what else do they need.....guides......seats. I have found a set of rebuilt 289 Hi-po heads out of a '65 GT350 tht the owner wants $200 for outright ($100 per head). They have been overhauled but not installed, and they were pickled. We have a 302 2V and I was wondering if these Hi-po heads will work on our car. Anyone have the answer??

JMD

Pickled?? Does this mean they were stored in oil?

The heads will work, they will raise your compression ratio some, or quite a bit depending on the size of the chambers on your current heads and your pistons.

The 1965 Hi-Po engines were 10.5 to 1 engines. They used chambers that varied in size from 52 cc to 55 cc depending upon casting numbers. These chamber sizes were consistent with non-Hi-Po heads of the same vintage. The hi-Po heads had pockets machined for the valve springs to fit in and had screw in rocker studs.

302 heads from 1968 - 1978 mostly had 63cc chambers, but there were varieties produce with chamber sizes tha ranged from 53cc to 69 cc, the 53 was very rare and the 69s were truck heads.

Later 302 chambers varied from 58 cc to 70 cc.

Post the year of your current heads and the casting numbers if possible and I will try to give you a better idea of what your compression change will be, and whether it is a viable number for a street car, which I think it will be.

The 65 Hi-po used flat top pistons with valve reliefs, other engines used dished pistons.

palerider

Seals will do that at start up. I did new valve stem seals this summer and thought it was pretty easy. IMHO at least.

Mustang Dad

Pale.....how did you replace the stem seals? Did you pull the heads or jsut the spark plugs and use the rope in the cylinder to hold the valves in place?

Kramer

I'm not sure how he did it but if you have a cylinder leakage tester or some way to put compressed air into the cylinder (in place of the spark plug) you can hold the valves closed and replace the stem seals.

HGC

Admittedly off topic...Do you really have a Bonanza? I used to fly in the 70s but it got too expensive...$15 an hour wet. I could not fly enough to stay good at it so I decided it was better not to fly at all. Those were the days. I have always thought it interesting that most cars are basically a 10-20 year life but airplanes will last forever.

JMD

Ohhh,, the Bonanza is a plane,,, duh... I always envisioned it a one of those cars from Fantasy Island....