e head questions alot of questions
 

1st off coolant flow back to/towards heater core. how do i restrict the flow as to not wreck the heater core as i have read here? i noticed the head bolts some go into the exhaust port, what do i do to seal this off? pipe dope? just trying to get ahead of some issues as i find them. thanks again Joe

any other issues you have found that i should get ready to address.?

Do you have the standard coolant fitting that comes with Eheads?

you can drill and tap the fitting portion that screws into the head install a plug then drill the plug with a 1/4 drill bit or 5/16 whatever floats your boat

I've never found any need to modify the coolant passage for heater cores on E heads, or any other brand for that matter, never blown a heater core.

But if you have extra time and really feel the need then what formula mentioned sounds like it would work.

Due to teh warning I read about restricting the coolant at the heater core, I used a thick stainless washer with a ~1/4-5/16 hole in it, installed in the heater hose right at the heater core inlet, pushed it down in the hose as far as the hose goes on the core inlet. I also use a AN fitting in the head that has a smaller opening in it than the ID of the heater hose, both those things restrict the flow if that helps the heater core any... I didnt thing it would be a problem but was talked into adding the washer just to be safe.

The head bolts dont need any sealer, but the top 2 valve cover bolts do need some, i use normal thread sealer that lasts a couple time removing, using studs with loctite works too.

I did something similar, but my method was to use a piece of 5/8"plastic round stock. Cut a piece about 1" long, drilled a 1/4" through hole and stuffed it into the short heater hose from the head to the core.

Thats a good way to do it too, I used the stainless washer for corrosion & heat resistance, wasnt sure if plastic would stand up to the heat for too long.

The AN fitting was probably enough of a restriction at ~3/8-7/16 ID.

Check your factory heater core inlet. Some of these are designed as a flow restriction to begin with. If the inlet nipple is dimpled, this creates the flow restriction to stop the wall of fluid to the core on hard acceleration. You can add additional inline restriction that is talked about already, but you may not need to.

I've never blown up a heater core either, but all mine are new. If you have a 50+ year old heater core in your car, you would be better off just changing it instead of restricting core coolant flow.

Not sure how much that will impact psi, none I would think, so really doubt the 'fix' helps.

As for valve cover bolts, it's only 2 intake ports on each head, and that's only if you have ported heads beyond a certain point.

If you do have ported heads, sealant would be what you use, don't use any thread locker.

You need e-head compatible hardware too, be it bolts or studs. Some of the pads on the heads are a little lower and bolts/stud threads will bottom out before you reach the required torque value/clamping.

You may want to have your intake checked so they are true to the head surfaces too.

Not that it's specific to E-heads, should do it for any build really.


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Has the age of the heads been verified ? The early heads prior to 3/15/02 used different head bolts than newer heads.


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Yes it is just the top 2 valve cover bolts that need the sealer, but its on stock unported 72cc O-port heads too, at least the non CNC 72cc, others may be different. Mine are unported and the top 2 bolt holes are open. I use thread sealer on the top 2 bolts but have read of others using studs on them with loctite to seal and keep in place.

I have seen the end of the heat core inlet tube crimped down on aftermarket ones, but wasnt the factory head outlet fitting designed with a restriction to limit flow too? I couldnt find anything like that for the E-heads threaded hole so I went with a curved AN fitting, think it was a -10 or -12.

Great points guys thanks for the help!

I just got off the phone with edelbrock and according to will the tech help said they is no way of knowing how old they are.

i dropped them off at the machine shop yesterday and will know if they are good or not in a few days.

My heater core is new....well 10yrs old anyways lol

i was surprised they couldnt tell me how old they are.

the guy i got them from did give me arp head bolts that came off when the heads got pulled.
i wonder if i could figure it out maybe doing some measuring?

The first run E-heads used five different head bolt lengths unlike the later versions so that set of bolts will tell you right there without measuring anything.

Iput a drilled pipe plug into the brass fitting that Edelbrock provides and drilled a 1/4" hole through it.

My bad, should've said.....It was recycled PTFE (teflon)...I chose it for its heat and chemical resistance.

Yep. Mine ain`t restricted and I have spun my engine to 6000 to 6400 many times without problems.

so it looks like there is 3 different lengths of studs. Boy was that info really helpful! thanks again!

Next question is will the fel-pro head gasket 1016 be compatible with the e-heads?

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/f...xoCskMQAvD_BwE

i bought these for the 96's but obviously wont be using those heads. just waiting for my machinist to give me the go ahead that they check out ok then i'll order dougs round port headers.
kinda nerve racking to say the least. getting warmer and i need to drive the Lemans!

this should be a huge improvement in performance!

Can't thank you guys enough for the help.

Should be good to go.