Pardon my ignorance here guys but help me out with some questions regarding heads....

What I am finding is that I can find some GT40's locally if I have a local guy build me a motor.

I am finding that Edelbrock Aluminum heads are more than I want to pay just right now.

My general objective in rebuilding my motor here soon is the obvious to stop it burning oil but also to give it some additional power. I am not trying to go crazy and run 10 second quarters or anything along those lines just give it more power then the stockish 289. I have to do something with it in the next year or so...it is burning more oil as time goes by, consumes gas like crazy and seems to lack power. I am pretty sure this one is just flat wore out.

What sort of power increase could a guy pick up if they had 1960's heads with port work on the exhaust and intake side.

 

there's two different gt40s. gt40 and gt40p. one of them will need very specific headers. Sorry, forgot which ones.

when you're burning a lot of oil then there's two causes for it:
piston rings or valve seals (or maybe you suck it in through rocker cover with a misplaced PCV)
if it's piston rings then you can replace heads all day long and it won't help a bit.
Maybe this as well is the explanation for lack of power.
I'd do a compression test (dry and wet) before changing any heads on that engine

Kalli

 

I actually plan to replace the whole engine. Last week I just missed a great opportunity to grab a complete 302 local where a guy was upgrading to a 351 but someone else got there first.

If I can't find a complete motor and have to have one built then the only question is do I go with the GT40's the engine builder that I know has or I know where to find right now some ported stock heads that would be a couple hundred less than the GT40's.

You can find 289 /302 blocks pretty easy so to save a few more bucks I may just build on myself....it has been years since I have done that kind of thing but I could read a lot and figure it out as I go.

I believe it is the "P's" that cause the problems on the GT40's.

 

As another option...does anyone have the World Products Windsor Jr. heads.

They would be more than double the ported heads for sale locally but would they produce a few more HP?

 

Windsor Jr heads will flow better out of the box than most ported 289 heads. Stock heads suck, period. Exhaust port design is horrible.

GT40's are basically 5.0 heads with 351W port castings for improved flow. They're better than stock, but not quite as nice as Windsor Jr's.

The downside to the Windsor Jr's is that the price has gone up (nearly $1k now for a pair), and you can get a set of nicer aluminum heads for only a couple hundred more. Unless you can get yourself a pair of used heads

 

Yeah, I've noticed that :-)

Only other thing that I have found locally is there is a guy selling some 351 heads cheap.

 

351 heads are the same unless they are 1969-1970 heads or 351 gt40 heads(off the lightning?)

 

Mustang Mania has 69-70 351w heads for $300. I believe those are a decent upgrade over stock.

 

I guess they are off parts cars?

Didn't see them in the catalog?

 

Those are the only 351W heads worth getting. Later model year heads use HUGE chambers, which drops compression significantly.