To Head Or Not To Head, That Is The Question

Rjaaaaaa

Well-Known Member
Jul 11, 2016
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While I'm pulling this motor out and cleaning everything up I was wondering if I should be on the lookout for some gt heads. I believe my motor to be an 86 block with stock looking heads except they have dual springs witch makes sense with the install of the solid x cam. This is all second hand info from po who says he got his info from the guy who put the engine together. I'm thinking that if this guy went to this much trouble and work on this engine that he probably reworked these heads and I'm not sure of the benefit verses trouble and money to change the heads.
again this is what I've been told about the engine and what I can see
Punched out 30 to 306 (found receipt for pistons under seat)
x cam solild lifters
70mm bbk tb
70mm mafs (originally air density, mafs grafted into computer wiring)
Edelbrock intake
shorty headers
bbk fuel rails & reg. (maybe soon to be changed)
not sure what injectors are in there but while I'm at the junk yard should I look for some e6 injector?
stock distributor, coil and ford racing wires
4:10 gears in a TB disc brake rear
The car ran strong before the fire and I was happy with the performance. It' s just my cruiser.
It ran strong before
 
If ya liked it the way it was then leave it be.

The horsepower bug has a mean bite.

If you liked it before you'll like it when it goes back together. If you were going roller camshaft and aluminum heads I'd say go for it.
 
Firstly, an X cam is still a hydraulic roller cam.
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While I guess you could put solid roller lifters on a hydraulic roller cam, I'd have to wonder why you'd do that.
What are you lashing the valves at if you have a solid lifter in this engine?
Seems that you'd want to have a better head too w/ that much lift and duration...
 
I'm only passing on what I was told, the block # indicates it's a 1985 block so it's probably not a roller but I understand they changed mid 85? Never pulled the lower intake off to check. The valve train has a little noise that sounds like the solid lifter cams I remember.
 
I vote for leaving it alone if you were happy with how it ran. I just wanted to change my intake for looks, and ended up spiraling out of control. If youre anything like me, it bothers you to upgrade one thing, and realize you will not be using it to its full potential. So then one more part leads to another, and another...
 
Do I hear 82?


Anyone?

FromtheWIKI said:
Throttle-body fuel injection first appeared for the 302 on the Lincoln Continental in 1980, and was made standard on all applications in 1983 except manual-transmission equipped Mustangs, Mercury Capris (equipped first with two-barrel (1982), then later four-barrel carburetor (1983–85)), and F-series trucks. The block was fitted with revised, taller lifter bosses to accept roller lifters, and a steel camshaft in 1985, and electronic sequential fuel injection was introduced in 1986.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Windsor_engine

/about half way down the page
 
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