Thread: Double Hump Heads

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My girlfriend's dad has a pair of double hump heads that he wants to get rid of and he's asking $100 for them.

They are bare casting 1.94 intake valve with 64 cc chambers but I have everything i need to build them.

Is this a good deal? I believe they are the 461 casting (whichever the more common double hump casting was.)

Have them checked for cracks first, and ask to watch it being done- they like that if your not in a hurry, and ask a lot of questions like do I need to have the seats hardened, or are they already done? Can I run stock pushrods? Are the valves big enough?
Are these worth 100 bucks?
A good set of 461's are good heads if they've been converted to unleaded fuel, otherwise you'll spend as much as a new set of World Class Sportsman race heads to get them updated.

ok thank you

I'd be reluctant to stick a bunch of money in old heads. They were good in the 60's but there are heads made today that are far superior in performance potential. Some of the chebbie guys here have some good sources for the newer Vortec, Dart, World Products and other heads that perform better out of the box then the 461's will do after a $1,000.00 worth of parts and labor!!!!!

Originally posted by Hopper111
My girlfriend's dad has a pair of double hump heads that he wants to get rid of and he's asking $100 for them.

They are bare casting 1.94 intake valve with 64 cc chambers but I have everything i need to build them.

Is this a good deal? I believe they are the 461 casting (whichever the more common double hump casting was.)

For a street car take a look at the Dart Iron Eagle heads with a port volume of 165 cc, 1.94/ 1.50 valves.Competion products sell these for $560 a pair plus shipping.Also Pro Topline has heads with a port volume of 167 cc,2.02/1.6 valves for about $550 plus shipping.Either one of these heads out-flow the double humps plus thet are less money and they are brand new, not 30 + years old.

I'll have to echo what everyone else has said. To me, they wouldn't be worth the effort to lift them into the bed of my truck even if they were free. The biggest problem is the cost of labor to have them brought up to spec and current hard-seat status.

Ok, so I don't know what you already have as far as heads on the motor; but, I will say that if they are larger than 64 CC chambers, (eg stock smoggers) you will most likely get a HP increase by stuffing these on them motor and boosting your compression.

What this really comes down to is this:

Are they worth it to you?

Now, that is a valid question I believe. Others have told you that you can get more horsepower by going a different route with newer heads; and I absolutely agree with them on that.

But, if you, as you have said, already have everything else you need to build them up, then you could get a quick boost of HP for fairly cheap. Understand that the boost in HP that I am talking about with this change isn't going to miraculously send your ride down the quarter in under 9 and it isn't going to be comparable to the newer heads mentioned in an earlier post; but, it should provide a boost in HP in any event. They are old heads; but, just because they're old doesn't mean they are junk.

Now before people start casting stones about my advise, I must stress that it really depends on what YOUR intentions are for the motor and the current condition of the heads. Any heads you buy should be checked for cracks and condition. It wont cost you any more to have them check the double humpers than it will a set of Brodix's.

I suggest that you ask your girlfriend's dad if he would mind if you had them checked for cracks before buying them. Then, as Jim mentioned, ask a bunch of questions while they are doing it. Find out the condition of heads, and whether or not the seats have already been hardened. If they have, then you don't have to worry about it. And you would only need to pay for the machine work to freshen them up.

If they haven't been hardened, then decide whether you really care about that. Again, what is your intention with this motor. Are you looking for it to be good for 150,000 miles? If so, I wouldn't go with them. Or are you looking for something you can hot rod around for a few years (depending on annual mileage) in before they fail and you have to replace them. You can always get a different set later. These are cheap, available and will most likely boost the HP output. Ask yourself this question: Do I care if I destroy these heads? If you don't then the price may definitely be right.

The bottom line to all of this is that I believe you could increase your HP by putting the heads on your motor; but, that decision is going to come with consequences that you WILL have to live with. Only you can decide if the trade off is worth it to you.

Again, your wallet, your build.

Good luck
Dutch

I just got done having almost that exactly conversation with a coworker...For the money I'd have to put into these heads (about 300-400 dollars) plus the brackets, pulleys, and a new water pump, i could have a set of darts/motowns/vortechs and be done with it. I'd be able to pull a set of those heads out of the box and bolt them on. Thank you all for your advices. This is a good board and yet again, it has saved me from making a huge mistake.

There ya go, Hopper....put the extra money ing the "save" column!!!!

We might have to agree to disagree here.

I'm not a racer and I tend toward originality in my cars. I've found the 461s, 462s, etc are good dependable heads and I have had them completely rebuilt for less than $300.

I believe that for daily street use the aftermarket heads are overkill and a waste of money.

71 and later gm heads had the hardened exhaust valve springs installed at the factory.......and if they are not cracked,build em up, why spend more than you need to . great if ya can drop betwen 600-1000 on a pair of aftermarket heads, mind you some are very wicked. but in the long run if a set of small chamber heads can be had for cheap then go that route...i have couple paires of old gm iron heads in my shop.....back in the 70's they were bolted on the 370hp LT-1...cant all be that bad.

"I'm not a racer and I tend toward originality in my cars. I've found the 461s, 462s, etc are good dependable heads and I have had them completely rebuilt for less than $300."

If you can clean up a set of Chevy heads, mag 'em, mill 'em, install hard seats, new guides, new springs (equalized), new retainers, new keepers and equalize the length of new stainless valves with a 3-angle valve job for $300, I'm gonna send you all my work from now on.

hey tech.who said anything about milling them, stainless valves etc, springs.....i personally have a soiux valve grinder in my home shop. but around our parts i can get a 3 angle for 60 per head, magnaflux is 60..new bronze lioners if i dont do them is about 150...whats left......not all heads need to be milled.

Originally posted by erik erikson
For a street car take a look at the Dart Iron Eagle heads with a port volume of 165 cc, 1.94/ 1.50 valves.Competion products sell these for $560 a pair plus shipping.Also Pro Topline has heads with a port volume of 167 cc,2.02/1.6 valves for about $550 plus shipping.Either one of these heads out-flow the double humps plus thet are less money and they are brand new, not 30 + years old.

go the pro toplines i been cooking them for years and picked up a second at the drags

What was suggested in the first few posts were new heads, which will be perfectly flat, have new guides, new equalized springs, new retainers, new keepers, stainless valves equalized and hard seat inserts with a 5-angle valve job. They'll also at least be threaded for screw-in studs, so that cost will have to be included as well on the junk heads. If you're gonna talk about bringing junk heads up to spec, let's talk apples and apples please.