Anyone have info and or pictures of the early '60's 283-327 GM aluminum cylinder heads?? These lightweight heads were optional on the Vette motors and were recalled due to porosity issues... Just wondering if some of these rare heads are still floating around??...
Thanks guys! This is a good start... I'd like to learn more about those.. I know this much that they were used on the "Fuelie" motors.. I'm thinkin' the 283/315 hp motor. Not sure though. Was that a 1960 motor??
A friend of mine has a pair of them with '59 date codes. They're unmachined, and Zora Duntov gave them to him. I don't think they ever made production--I think they were experimental and they couldn't get them reliable enough to use for the public. My friend also has a matching unmachined aluminum 283 block to go with the heads. -Brad
They were made for the 1960 model year and carried the casting #3767466. Had the familiar "double hump" designation on the front of the head. Also had 2 threaded and plugged holes between the exhaust ports. I don't know if they were ever used in regular production but were supposedly available over the counter for a short time according to the National Corvette Restoration Society. I've seen two sets, one set on a 1960 Corvette in the late 1970's and the other set at the Pomona swap meet in the early 1980's (for $2200)
A guy over in Wyandot County has a pair. he's a little older than i am and has had them since they were new optional pieces on his first ever "New" car. Pretty nice guy, the dealer offered to change them to iron heads for him and he figured they must be good pieces that the dealer wanted for himself. TV wasn't as good as it is today I guess. When he had problems with them he put them on a shelf and they sit there to this day. Helluva nice guy and he knows stuff.
I've seen one pair of them, and that was at Fall Hershey 25 years ago. The asking price then was $2,500.00.
There were a "very few" sets that found thier way into production. As already mentioned most were replaced by the dealers due to porosity problems. A fellow here has a set that have supposely been for sale a few times but there is never a new owner. I looked at them over 30 years ago and as I remember he was asking $500 for them at that time. They were replaced by the local Chevrolet dealer and the mechanic that did the replacement mysteriously had them at his house a week later. The quality of the castings are terrible by todays standards and looking at them you have no doubt that they have porosity. Frank
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