Which heads are better?

[nosub4cid66]

ok, i have a stock 5.0HO in a wrecked 89 and I'm gonna put it in a 66 w/ a blown motor...I don't have any questions bout that, but since the engine was out and I have to swap intakes, oilpan, T/C cover, etc. I'm putting in all new gaskets and might do a head & cam swap...which leads me to my question:

Would it be better to use the E7TE heads and just open up the exhaust ports or
Should I use F3ZE "GT40" heads?

the car is an automatic and will live under 6000rpm also I will either get an E303 cam or comp cam...the upgrade to 1.7 rockers on the GT40's are a moot point for me since if I keep the F7's i'm switching to roller rockers anyhow.

So is the swap worth it? One source says "E7TE...are undoubtedly the best late-model castings." but then why are so many people swapping out E7's to GT40's?

 

[NIKwoaC]

The 40s. Whoever told you that the E7 is the better head is full of poop.

 

[jrichker]

With an automatic and a stock torque converter, you would be better off sticking with the stock cam. A cam with more duration will mean the engine has to rev up higher to make torque. With the stock torque converter, it will not let the engine spin up quickly to get into the power band. It has the same effect as slipping the clutch in a manual trans car. You slip the clutch to get the engine speeded up to where it pulls good.

 

[nosub4cid66]

the 66 had a crazy fire breathing 289 so the c4 is equipped w/ a converter that has a higher stall speed.......

 

[bwguardian]

The E7's can be descent heads...you just have to spend alot of time and/or money on them. The GT40's are good the way they are...but with just a little effort can be really good. Have you considered the GT40p's...they are easier to find? You will get mixed emotions on the E303 cam here...I run one with my GT40p heads and am happy with the setup.

 

[Cobra1741]

i run unported gt40's with e303 and 1.77rr. made 265 rwhp and 304 ft/lbs N/A. car runs descent and the e303 is thought to be a good supercharger cam so why not try it. if i was putn a blower on mine though id definately put a custom cam in it after all that money for the blower

 

[cammed89lx]

gt40s

 

[nosub4cid66]

I had a bad experiance w/ GT40P heads in ther past...just the plug sticking straight out, clearence w/ the shock towers and the needed different headers. but anyways i got the GT40's, not hard to locate a good set at all. I was seeking info on the forum about E7 vs. GT40 cause I was told on the street the E7's were good cause even w/ smaller valves they flowed good (w/ exhaust ports opened a little of course) and made great tourqe. The 40's I got are in better shape than my E7's and they were cheap so I don't have to spend time breaking down the E7's to port them.

I was told that w/ the E303 cam and some decent flowing heads that a HO would be good for 1hp per cube (@ the crank and it sounds like some here are doing just that) and the E303 is an economical easy to find cam...the 289 had a dual pattern cam and I think the cylinder pressure was too high because of it (I would have detonation on 92 octane)