The 351W in my 68 had a valve ticking noise. When I pulled the intake, I found that several of the push rods were severally bent. This surprised me because the engine still ran fairly well. I have not pulled the timing chain cover yet, but I assume that the timing has slipped. I can only imagine that I have a valve job in my near future.

The question is; should I put a several hundred dollars into a valve job on these factory heads or should I get a set of aftermarket aluminum heads? I have an aftermarket intake and headers on this engine, so the heads are the weakest link in terms of breathing.

Dose anybody have any input on some not so expensive, fully loaded heads? I am not looking for a huge increase in power, just a nice upgrade.

Thanks.

 

Yeah, either your valves are sticking or the rods are the wrong length, so this is an opportunity for more power. Match some new aluminum heads to your intake and cam (upgrade this too) and you'll be pleasantly surprised.

 

Go with AFR heads for the win...

 

Easy to check if the timing chain is off. Put it on TDC and see how the valve positions are like.