The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Head Markings

Thanks for looking, everyone. I am in the process of buying a 327, which is in a 1967 C50 Dump Truck. It's got a 2 barrel carburator on it now, and it's pretty safe to say that the motor is older than the truck. I'm curious though, because the ends of the heads have a strange double rectangle marking on the ends of the heads. I've looked for information and asked a few of those who know better than I, but they've not seen them before either. Does anyone know what this is, or means? Thanks.

High-performance 265's and some 283's from the middle to late 1950's used a head with a rectangular pad on both ends of the head, and two small rectangular projections on top. They were manily used on Corvettes. I believe they had slightly smaller combustion chambers than the standard V-8 heads. The "power pack" heads on the 4-barrel 283's had a rectangle on the end of the head, with a triangle centered on top of it. Those heads had 58CC combustion chambers.

Try this link:
http://www.fastnuf.com/Headguide.html
Jerry

THanks Jerry, I've looked at the very website you linked. But this is not on there. These are two large independent rectangles, standing up, lengthwise, and side by side. They are not on or near anything else, and do not have any projections on top.

The Dreamer in me hopes that they're some sort of rare, high performance head. The Realist in me says that they're probably a short run of the worst heads ever made, and somehow I wound up with them.

Would there maybe be a difference in 2 and 4 barrel heads? I have heard that there is, but I wouldn't know. I will try to get the casting numbers, and go about it that way. But I'd still love to be able to identify them.

It's possible you've got somebody's aftermarket heads like Dart, World Products, etc. How about posting a link to some pictures, or at least some casting numbers? Are they cast iron? The main difference in production heads was in the valve size and compression ratio, so the 4-barrel engines often got higher-performance heads than 2-barrel passenger car or truck engines.
Jerry

Well I went and got the Casting Numbers off of the heads. 186, is the number. According to the link you posted, Jerry, the 186's were "Later hi-perf or “fuelie” heads," And something in me likes the sound of that. ha ha. But the markings are still strange. I tried to get the serial numbers, but it was getting dark and what with oils and dirt and whatnot on the motor I didn't bother too heavily with gettin 'em.

Why do you think the heads are older than the truck they're in? I think 327 was the V8 option in a 67' C50.

Yeah, the truck's definitely older. It's a '56 3100 and I think the standard V8 in 56 was either a 265 or a 283. I bought this motor out of a 67 C50. I don't think it was the original for that one either.