Head Swap??

[88Wrangles]

Okay, so I have 2 different engines. One has a broken piston and a cut-up cylinder wall, so I'm using it for parts. The other was rebuilt recently, but it does still need new lifters. Is it possible to simply unbolt the whole head from the parts engine, and bolt it onto the better engine? The rebuilt engine does have an aftermarket (low-end) cam, if that matters.

Thank you in advance

 

[Snitty]

i'd say it should be as easy as an unbolt/rebolt... but get new headbolts... you should never reuse head bolts

 

[88Wrangles]

Okay, so that's all you have to do...unbolt it, then bolt it back on the other engine?

 

[Snitty]

if they are the same engine, i don't see it making a difference really...

 

[currupt4130]

yea as long as they have the same spec cams and lifters, same bore size etc then yea it should be fine

 

[88Wrangles]

Drawtite Hitch (Model #41531)

okay, thanks a lot!!

 

[Snitty]

doesn't even have to be the same cam or bore size

 

[Junkpile]

lift laws and regs????

The BB Chevys have gone through some changes through the years. I think all the heads will bolt to any BB, but I seem to remember something about a coolant hole not lining up when using heads from an earlier engine on the newest design. I might be totally wrong though, I'm a little lacking in knowledge about the big blocks.

Things to check when installing would be the alignment of all holes and ports. Compression, you don't want to put a small chamber head on an engine that has pistons made for large chambers without checking it or you might end up with too high of a compression ratio. Clearances, Turn the engine over by hand and check for valve to piston interference at TDC and check that the valve springs aren't going into coil bind and that all the valve hardware has clearances throughout their working range before firing it up. It does have to be the same style cam though or you'll need to replace some parts. The springs on a set of heads setup for a roller-cam have very different specs from those used for a flat tappet.

 

[Snitty]

yeah.. the cam style has to be the same... but if the same style, the specs don't have to match, as long as you're not going to bind

 

[88Wrangles]

moving to PA

The cam in the engine that the good head will be going onto is a fairly low-end cam, but when it was put in, the original heads were left on, so It should be alright, right? They are exactly the same engine, except one is a '73 and the other is a '74. Well, I'll bolt them up and make sure nothing binds and everything fits alright. Thanks for all the help!

 

[Sound_Man]

There is a little more than just bolting it up to do it. There is a sequence the bolts must be put in and torqed to the proper specs, new head gasket and bla bla bla...

You sould really take a look in a chiltons manual for the new motor configuration and read all the steps involved in replacing the head. There may also be some different cooling considerations for the new configuration, thermostat may need to be swapped out.

You may already be aware of all of this but just make sure you know what you are getting into before you spin the wrenches on it. =)

 

[88Wrangles]

Jeepz stickers/decals?

Oh ya, I've put heads on before, so I know all about how everything has to be perfectly lined up and perfectly tightened down. I just wanted to be fairly sure that it would actually match up to this other engine. Thank You very much for the help and information!

 

[mud4feet]

Just be sure they're not warped - lot-a-work for nothin'.