Hey guys I have a small block 350 with a comp cam extreme energy 274 cam with 230 on the intake and 236 on the exhaust. I am looking for a cheap set set of performance heads and this mechanic I know said he would sell me a set of 194 Fuelie heads for $300... now before I drop this money I was wondering if I would get more power out of the Fuelies with the 202 intake , because I will just wait for them. Or if anybody knows a good set of heads for under $400. Thanks alot guys.

late model vortec heads are cheap and will out perform 1.94 and 2.02 fuelie heads.

The 194's were good heads for the day but don't compare to what you can get today.

Depending on your motors year, it may just already have them on it now??

I say this b/c most 350 motors came stock with medium valved double-hump heads and that is all the heads are that the guy is trying to sell you.. It is only the stock, hi-po motors that came with the big valve double-hump heads and they are kinda rare, stock, that is...

Anybody know when GM switched to the larger chambered medium valved heads or was it more a dished piston switch instead???

pdq67

PS., and trucks came with some small valve heads on them too....

most 350 motors came stock with medium valved double-hump heads Wrong.

Most 350s; probably 80% and maybe more, came with 76cc smogger castings. Double-humps on 350s were relatively unusual even when they were new. And 350 2-barrels even in the early years of the 350, of course didn't come with double-humps either.

The majority of the double-humps from 350s, came on 69-70 full-size and Monte Carlo. Back when I was building motors on a regular basis, those were what I'd hunt in the boneyards. I'd look for station wagons in particular, because those were by far the most likely place to find them. For some reason it was hard to find 302 motors and stuff like that, just laying around in the yard with the heads still on them; but station wagons were everywhere.

They were discontinued after 70, except that Z28s and Vettes might have still been available with them for a year or 2, but I never had one of those that came with tehm, so I don't know for sure.

But there was also non-double hump heads that had the same characteristics/potential right (i know some had a "right triangle" casting on them)? Maybe those heads were common on pre-SMOG 350s?

Originally posted by Slowpoke70:
But there was also non-double hump heads that had the same characteristics/potential right (i know some had a "right triangle" casting on them)? Maybe those heads were common on pre-SMOG 350s? The ones you described are basically the 1969/1970
" 041 " castings.... Same basic head as the late 186
492 ect ect.... I have two sets of 041 casting and for stockers they are as good as any of the double humps but lack the external feature of two humps.
I have never seen a set of 041's in 2.02 valve , I think they were all 1.94 's.I could be wrong but the 041's were used mainly on the 295/300 HP 350's
of 1969/1970.

Thanks.

1.94 fuelies aren't anything special. They may bump you compression 1/2 point but will only pick up marginal HP. If they are cheap I might do it but if they are over $200 - Save for a pair of new Vortecs.

Do a Search - there are plenty of posts about them.

Sorry about that, I shoulda said, 350 motors with about 10 to 1 CR. stock like the old L-48 motor!!

I thought I clarified it when I asked when Chevy dropped the compression and did they do it by larger chambers or dished pistons!!

And I know about the -041's b/c I have "one"... It's on my 406 along with a -462 after I took my big valve, -461's off it.... They were both on the 327 I gave my nephew that ran like a bat!!! I kept them b/c he had me put new W/P's big valve Torquer SR's on it so the heads would be compatible with unleaded gas.. He wants to drop it in an old P/U so he can pull his big flat-bottom river jon..

pdq67

Chevy dropped the CR in '71 on the 350 motors both by including dished pistons and going to 76CC chambers. Std 350 flat tops w/ valve reliefs will yield 9.0/1 with 76 CC heads. The 64CC heads get the CR to 10 - 10.25/1 depending on the head gasket. I ran the early 76CC heads on 350 motors all the time both with flat tops for 9.0/1 and also on top of the 11.0/1 pistons for a final CR of 9.75. There was virtually no difference in port configuration between the 64CC heads and the 76CC heads from a 350 motor. A popular swap back then on a 350 motor was the 400 SBC head with the 1.94/1.60 valve combination and an aggressive single pattern cam on a tight lobe center. Set up like that with a dual plane intake and a 650CFM carb, the 350 motors would make great midrange torque and spin easily to 6000.

L-48 motorAbout 8¼:1. I can't tell you how many of those I've torn down over the years and thrown away the 76cc heads and dished pistons; and how gutless all the cars I ever had with that motor were. The crowning glory of it all was when the L69 came out: it (a 305) had a higher "rated" power than the L48.

They both increased the chamber size and dished out the pistons to lower the CR starting in the early 70s. After about 73, there was no longer any difference at all among nearly any 350s; they were exactly the same long block, just different carb and intake. Same 882 or 624 heads or the like, same 929 cam, same -15cc pistons..... yuck. I don't miss those days.

The L-48 is also the 67-70 300HP 350. Which is one of the best stock conformations ever put together. Before you bash it and compare it to the 305 I suggest you look at GM catalog. The same engine, with your dish pistons and 76CC heads puts out 260HP with the 929 cam. Along with that it has 350FT/LBS, I would like to see your 305 do that.

And if it was such junk why is it the most popular GM crate motor to date?


I also have a suggestion about your gutless claim,I have a large 73 montecarlo with the stock, 222,00 dialy driven 350, and with the right tune I can beat factory 260HP cars which are lighter than mine. I only have 175HP, whats the deal????

Hello---------
I am the owner of a 1970 Nova SS with a numbers matching L-48. It has 10.25 to 1 pistons, 1.94 186 heads and a Q-Jet. I had another Nova just like it in high school, back in the 70s. I always thought these motors were thought of as "good stuff". The 2.02 heads are probably better but I think you can convert 1.94s to 2.02s easy enough, I'm not sure.

Anyway.......I think my car pulls pretty hard and goes about as as fast as I want to go anyway. One drawback is it requires premuim fuel......I guess because of the compression ratio.

No.......It's not an LT-1, but I like it very much.

My two cents........
ktownkid

I know, I know!!

Boy gas isn't what it used ta be b/c I used ta run the cheapest regular stuff I could buy in my car unless I was wantin' ta turn a tire so to say, then I would fill her up with some name brand regular and then have at it!! All supposed 10.25 to 1 CR's worth!!

Sucker NEVER pinged OR missed a beat once back then......

pdq67

After 30 years of putting up with those parts, some things aren't worth arguing about any more.

I hope one of those motors is in the other lane next time I'm at the track. I won't have to worry (or argue) about who turns on the win light.