516 heads question

[Ross Wooldridge]

Do early 516 heads have casting/date codes? What about water pump housings?

I have a line on a very early casting 440 (June of 65) Want to know if the heads and waterpump housing have dating of any sort...

Thanks in advance.

 

[cbarge]

Do early 516 heads have casting/date codes? What about water pump housings?

I have a line on a very early casting 440 (June of 65) Want to know if the heads and waterpump housing have dating of any sort...

Thanks in advance.

Both do have casting dates. Both could have been swapped out over the years too.
The heads will have the date on one of the runners similar to the casting number's location.
w/p housing typically has casting date right next between the heater hose fitting and mounting boss for alternator brackets..

 

[Ross Wooldridge]

Thanks Leaburn. Can you post a pic of what you mean re heads?

 

[cbarge]

Best pic I could find of the heads,sorry.

66 300...

 

[cbarge]

better ppic,,,
4 digits below rocker shaft mount is date

 

[Ross Wooldridge]

Excellent - so under the valve cover.

Am I able to tell what heads are on an engine without taking the valve cover off?

 

[cbarge]

Excellent - so under the valve cover.

Am I able to tell what heads are on an engine without taking the valve cover off?

Nope,sorry.
If she has 906 or 452 castings that would be a bonus.
The 516's may be closed combustion chamber heads but the valves are tiny and anemic and are prone to burning valves.
Later castings I mentioned flow much better and the 452's already have hardened valve seats for unleaded gas.

 

[70bigblockdodge]

516 heads do not have core/freeze plugs in the ends, and have 6 bolt covers

 

[cbarge]

516 heads do not have core/freeze plugs in the ends, and have 6 bolt covers

Nice! Learn something new everyday!!
Found a pic of the 66 300 516 heads...no freeze plug at end of heads...
And the 452 head painted Canuck red before going on the motor..has freeze plug at end of head.

 

[twostick]

Pre 67 will be 516. 67 will have 915 closed chamber. The 906 open chamber started in 68 and morphed into hardened valve seat 452, 346 etc going forward.

I personally wouldn't fool with any of them unless they were fresh from a competent machine shop for cheap. You can't build a set for what 440Source Stealths go for and once you paint them red they vanish. Have them inspected and corrected (valve job will be awful as is all aftermarket heads) and all your unleaded pump gas pinging problems will be a thing of the past.

Kevin

 

[detmatt]

My ‘67 is an early build and had 516s which I replaced with 915s that I installed bigger exhaust valves in. I have no problems running pump gas with them for many thousands of miles and the rebuild of them was a shade over a grand. I’m still waiting for iron heads to give me a reason to not prefer them and frankly I hope it never happens.

 

[cbarge]

Ross,I hope your wagon's long quest for a 66 440 comes to an end..yet another chapter for the wagon will open up!