Questions about heads for classic 351w

SadbutTrue said:

I'm in the market for a set of aluminum heads for my 351w, preferably Trick Flow or Performer RPM. I see them on ebay all the time, selling pretty cheap. They usually come off Fox cars though, with 5.0s.

Will these heads work on my car?

The archetecture is the same, but the 5.0 combustion chambers are likely smaller. You would have to check very carefully to see what CR you would end up with. Check P2V clearance as well.
I see some are setup for hydraulic roller cams... do you need to do anything for them to work with hydraulic flat tappet cams?

The head doesnt care, as long as the geometry is correct.For heads that came off 5.0 cars... is the only change the length of the bolt length?

5.0 heads use 7/16" bolts, 351s use 1/2". You would need special bolts or spacers to make up the difference.
I also think the tolerances on the later 351w's differs from that of the older ones (deck height differences, etc)... does that impact selection? Check to make sure that your intake will still fit correctly. 351 is wider across the intake than a 302.
Finally, I see a bunch coming with roller rockers, which I see as a big plus. Will 1.65 or 1.7 roller rockers off a head that was on a 5.0/302 work on the same heads with a 351w (probably different pushrod lengths, but I'd figure the rockers would work).

a 1.6 is stock on Fords. A change in RR ratio to 1.7 mandates careful pushrod length checking. You could easily require custom-length rods, but that isnt a showstopper.There may be other differences/things to look out for as well. Any information is appreciated.

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