Identifying Cylinder Heads


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By alanfreeman - 12 Years Ago
I think that my 1961 292 has the original heads on it but I am not sure because I don't see any casting number on them. Would the 113's be the most likely heads? The engine is all together and in the car and I have scoured every inch of the heads with a mirror, including around the rocker arms but no number. Where should I look to find the number? Thanks, Alan S. Freeman
By Ted - 12 Years Ago

If the heads are original to the engine, then look at the head under the intake at the front water ports for the casting number.  COAE and C1AE are the two head castings that come to mind for the 1960-1962 car engines.

By alanfreeman - 12 Years Ago
Thanks Ted for the tip. I found half of the casting number in the area you described and the other half in the same area but at the rear. The number on the left head is COAE 6090-A so I guess they are 1960. Are these heads in their stock configuration "duds" as far as performance? Thanks, Alan
By Ted - 12 Years Ago
alanfreeman (1/24/2013)
... I found half of the casting number in the area you described and the other half in the same area but at the rear. The number on the left head is COAE 6090-A so I guess they are 1960. Are these heads in their stock configuration "duds" as far as performance? Thanks, Alan
Depends upon what you consider ‘duds’.  While the larger valve heads shine in the upper rpm ranges, the smaller valve heads are suitable for everyday drivers and moderate performance usage.  The biggest deterent to the later heads are the larger combustion chambers which drops the compression ratio.  If you can restore the compression ratio either by milling the heads or using a domed piston, then a significant increase in power can be seen.  Here’s a link that compares some of the various heads in a dyno test.

http://www.y-blocksforever.com/forums/Topic61587-3-1.aspx

By alanfreeman - 12 Years Ago
Thanks again, Ted. Alan