Going to pick up a set of 601 heads for my 283 on Sunday. I have two sets to choose from and am wondering what to look for? Thanks
cracks, burned valves, sunken valves, pounded out valve seats, spring heights too tall/short, corrosion in the water jackets, pulled rocker studs. depending on the asking price, it might be best to get both sets and take them straight to a machine shop for inspection.
Bigger intake valves, hardened seats, better flow.... am I missing something? I have 520 power packs too
There are several threads on using these heads on a 283. Just do a search and you will find plenty of info on them... They work very well with the right set up. Yes they do, I have them on my 283. I would agree on buying both sets, as they usually are not real $$$ then get them checked and use the best pair for your project.
Yup, I've read them an that's why I'm looking to get them. Was just curious why cl***ic Gary said not to???
If you're looking to make the 283 engine look period correct, you'd be better off using early power pack heads without the accessory holes in the end of the head. The 601 heads are for 1976-1987 305 engines, and while they work great on a 283,...they don't look right on a 283...just my .02 cents.
Stay away from those lightweight castings they crack regularly. You can spot them by the lower scallopped edge by the head bolts, thye arent straight like the early SB heads. Harry
I think a lot of folks here on the forum give honest knowledgeable opinions, but tend to overlook the fact that a lot of folks like me, and it sounds like you edhurl, are not building a true "Top Performance" engine and looking for every possible advantage to squeak out a little more HP. I love the performance of mine, but rarely use all it, as it is just an awesome driver that does exactly what I expect it to do...every time I drive it....and the largest point is it was built on a tight budget. It starts up immediately, gets ~13mpg, rev's to ~5000 rpm with ease, and will squawk the tires in 2nd gear at will...and mostly just purrs down the road at ~60 mph...perfect for me. $100 here and there adds up quickly for this Ol' retired guy...pretty soon you at $1K and more... As far as cracking, I have heard the same thing many times....but not had that problem, or heard of anyone personally that has..
The 601 heads work great on the 283, 327, and 307 engines. Looks like these heads have 1.88 intakes and that's what you want for a 283. These heads will outflow the 520 283 heads in stock form. They are opened up in the bowl area compared to the 520 heads, but are sloppy at the port openings. I recommend keeping the stock valve size with a port match and a little bowl work. I have cut the intake and exhaust seats to 1.94 and 1.6, and angle milled these heads down to 52cc after unshrouding the intake valve. They worked great on flattop 350's in circletrack cars up to 6000 rpm.
Make me an offer via private message, they are dirty and rusty in the water jacket, but look servicable
There are good reasons to use the 601 heads, especially if you want a little higher compression on your 283. The 601 has the small combustion chamber, and flows better than the old power pack head. It also already has hardened seats and valves set up for unleaded gas. If these heads are in good rebuildable shape, they'll cost less to rebuild than original power pack heads also, as they wont need the hardened seats, and stainless steel valves that the old power packs would need to run on today's unleaded gas. Not sure I'd buy both sets, unless they were way cheap, as these newer heads shouldn't be prone to cracking between the valves like the older heads were. One pair should do the job.
So I picked up the heads, had two pairs to choose from and I took the ones that I could tell have been worked on. They had after market valve locks and umbrella seals. I'm curious though, is there numbers on the springs so I can tell what I have? Or do I need to test then to see what I have? Thanks
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