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‘70 340 915 J heads question

Sonny

It’s all fun til the rabbit gets the gun.
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I have a chance to buy these heads locally (asking 400, hope to talk him down some). I want to put them on my 1978 360 that has 318 heads on it. They look very clean and claim they are rebuilt. What is a fair price? Will they work on my 360? Are they good heads?
 
I haven't run small blocks in YEARS, so maybe ask Rumblefish on this site. MAKE SURE TO CHECK THE CASTING NUMBERS to make sure you know what you're buying.

"J" heads refer to some very good small block heads used on 70 340 six-pack, 71 340 & I believe 71 360 motors too? They have larger valves and are very desirable. "915" heads refer to closed-chamber BIG BLOCK heads made in 1967...so be sure what you're buying. Check head casting numbers.

When I was 17 yrs. old I bought a "340" and trailered it home only to find out I'd bought a 318 with 340/360 heads. You can also measure the valve sizes if you have a "vernier" caliper which should be available cheap at Harbor Freight. They look like an adjustable "F" with some type of readout (dial or digital) & measure things relatively accurately down to .001"
 
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A few pics:
 
Don't get carried away with J or any other small block mopar head
you have 318 style and 340 360 style ports and a couple of valve size choices- all obsolete
are the guides bronze or just knurled?
new seats? what materiel- it does make a difference
springs have dampners- that's a clue
You are better off finding a set of the "swirl port" heads with the heart shaped chamber
https://www.forfmjbodiesonly.com/classicmopar/threads/308-swirl-port-heads.2781/
no way would I pay 4 big ones for a set of Iron heads
there are rebuilt and rebuilt- see the invoice
save the J heads for some matching number dude
 
Well. I see 2.02/1.60 J heads.
The ‘78-360 will noticeably wake up from the 318 heads you have now. I’d do it. $400 isn’t so bad. They will flow around the 190/200 cfm area.

They will lower the compression ratio of the 318 some. But the good news is you will gain power due to better flow over the 318 head even with larger valves. Fully ported 318 heads (expensive) work better.

(Yes, I know you have a 360. ;). )

I’m not so sure finding and rebuilding the 308 heads are really much better with there loser chambers, swirl ports and W2 styles exhaust for a 318 on a cost level. I’d go with Edelbrock heads instead. Yes, Edelbrock heads on a 318! If you wanted to stay with an iron head, the letter heads and better yet IMO, the 308/596 heads are the way to go.

Those J heads are well priced IF there in good shape.
 
well put fish
key is "in good shape"
key are the guides- that determines how long they will last
and you need seats for unleaded gas
I recommend the premium Durabond materiel but even muffler tube (called chrome-molly) works on the street if not towing
they will work on your 360 like they were made for it
 
you still with us op
the 318 heads
more compression, more low end, restrictive at high rpm but then so is everything relatively speaking
360 cc heads
lower compression so lower low end
bigger ports and valves so also lower low end and maybe even less low end especially with larger valves
more mid range and top end
so how do you drive it
 
I’m here. The guy took two days to respond just find out they are sold.

I will use this info when I stumble on another set.
Thanks!
 
Sonny, this 360 is in a B body?
What year?
And is there a hp hop up involved?
 
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Yes, It’s my 70 Belvedere. I swapped the 318 out for the 360 (that came with 318 heads) that came out of a 78 kary van which was a crate engine with about 20k miles. I’ve added an Edelbrock RPM air gap and the ports in the 318 heads are way smaller of course. Was just looking to maximize the 360 with correct heads and then add correct 360 exhaust manifolds. No hp gain expectations really. the small ports are really “just bothering me” :).
 
If you want Iron heads find some of those truck ones at the pick a part half price sale and rebuild them. take your time, do it right, then swap
otherwise 360 heads with big valves will feel soft from a stop with stock compression
 
Iiiiiii don’t know about that.

There is no such thing as truck heads unless you mean Durango heads. All small block heads are the same.

Rebuilding a set is expensive.

Also;

If anything the larger valve should provide more curtain area for more fuel for power.

Everything else is tuning.

Edit.... just a after thought and a FWIW...
I wouldn’t install 2.02 valves myself. I’d just used the 1.88/1.60 valves and run with it. Even with a small upgraded cam.
 
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The bigger ports with bigger valves cost velocity off idle, like having too big a cam
they do make more power once you get past the flat spot
I'd use the smaller valves too
all small block heads the same?
308's exhaust is much better than X or J or SBM 915 heads and the intakes just as good or better, combustion chamber is better
I had 302-308 but switched to Direct Connection Magnum heads when they had them on sale fore $200 each with good valves and springs
"Swirl Port Heads http://www.hotrod.com/articles/mopp-0607-mopar-cylinder-head/
Chrysler’s small-block cylinder head design changed very little until 1987 when the 302 casting (last three digits of the casting number), commonly known as the swirl port, was introduced. While the 302 casting, as well as the later 308 casting, were most commonly found on low-performance 318s, they shouldn’t be overlooked for a performance build. Even with small 1.75-inch intake and 1.50-inch exhaust valves, the design of this head’s heart-shaped quench-style combustion chamber makes it a good choice for mild to moderate performance. An engine with these heads in stock form will outperform an engine with stock X or J castings simply due to the improved combustion chamber design. Additionally, these heads have hardened valve seats, which make them compatible with unleaded fuel. The swirl port heads were utilized through 1991 (302 casting) and 1992 (308 casting) and respond well to port and bowl work, offering better power potential than all of the earlier small-block heads. Another nice feature of these heads is they utilize valvetrain and intake manifolds common to early small-blocks, so parts are readily available. Simply bolt these heads to your small-block and enjoy the extra power they provide."
 
Well....

The factory used the 2.02/1.60 combo on the 340’s with what is basically a broom stick cam. No one back then complained about off idle torque then!
330 Cuda’s also cam with 3.23 gears.

2.02 & 3.23 gears!

The 360 being 20 cubes larger also used the same head but with a 1.88/1.60 valve set up. The factory used the 360 as the larger engine LA to move there cars. The cam was not much smaller than the OE 340 cam. No one complained then about the 360’s lack of torque.

A 360 will make use of that 2.02 right quick and effectively. Stock cam or not.
Darn shame the factory never used the 360 with the same equipped and hardware as the 340. The MP books do recommend that the first step up in performance should include factory parts from the 340 starting with TQ carb, TQ intake, 2.02 valves & a upgraded cam of your choosing.

Higher compression pistons were the next step.
 
All small block heads are swap able from block to block. The first 2 years of the LA (273 engines) heads had attching hardware that was smaller and at a different angle.

Basically there all the same between the 340 & 360. There are small changes on the different heads throughout the years. But they basically perform the same. Newer head flow is better.

273 & 318 heads differences are similar to the above.

302 = 318
308 = 360
 
Ahhh, Bobby Joe’s site.
We used to talk a bunch. I always thought that the head should feed the cylinder/engine a little more myself. A lot depends on how your doing it for what.
I myself look for another 10cc and 10 cfm +, for the racing aspect. His numbers are absolutely do-able. In example his ported 360 head at 160-168 is slightly behind an Edelbrock RPM head but, BUT, the cfm flow is the same. This is more velocity through the port. Very important and super useful. I also would not use a single plane at this level unless restricted or making use of a very big cam.

One of the reasons I think this is because I normally ran 4spd manual trans cars back when I was making the rounds. High rpm screaming machines. Big cam, high lift, single plane, deep gears, etc...

But that’s me.
More than one way to skin a cat. ;)
 
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