As title does anyone know anything about these heads?
Offenhauser for sure but I googled the crap out of them for no results.
Yes, I could ask the guy selling them for more info but if he has put his best foot forward so far with “Offenhauser alloy heads , some corrosion to weld before facing . Large valves ,screw in studs and guide plates , valve springs retainers etc . Missing 4 collets.” as the only description I’m not confident in other forthcoming info.
They are being sold for peanuts but I don’t want to end up with peanuts in the wrong ballpark to what I’m after.
I’m a Street/Strip guy..... like to think outside the quadrilateral parallelogram.
By the looks of the corrosion around the water ports I would almost bet money that they were on a boat engine. Not sure why you would want to mess with them other than nostalgia.
Bill Koustenis
Advanced Automotive Machine
Waldorf Md
By the looks of the corrosion around the water ports I would almost bet money that they were on a boat engine. Not sure why you would want to mess with them other than nostalgia.
For $300 just that, to mess with them and a temporary head while getting something more serious sorted. For a 383 I’d only bother if they were around the 200cc +/- 10 maybe.
I might send Offy an email.
I’m a Street/Strip guy..... like to think outside the quadrilateral parallelogram.
mag2555 wrote: ↑Thu Apr 14, 2022 6:26 am
They look to have big throat sizes in both Intake and Exh, so they where either ported up or cast that way.
It would be a good thing to know there port volume and then have the relation of that your motors cid.
If these heads are useable what's your intent with them?
I am questioning what that pipe plug is by the head bolt / valve cover rail.
My engine is 383.
Throat does look big and a bit of detail is lost in the black carbon.
Intent would be to clean them up and use them temporarily to prevent having the car off the road too long while getting some more serious heads sorted. Reduces the impulse to rush a serious head. I wouldn’t bother if cc’s and valve sizes are too big, I don’t need them that bad. But sized right the $300 asking price might be worth what I would use them for.
That plug seems to line up with this one
I’m a Street/Strip guy..... like to think outside the quadrilateral parallelogram.
I have an Offy catalog & there are no cyl heads listed in it. The info on those heads looks like it has been stamped, not cast. Maybe they are alum heads that Offy ported?
Geoff2 wrote: ↑Fri Apr 15, 2022 5:00 am
I have an Offy catalog & there are no cyl heads listed in it. The info on those heads looks like it has been stamped, not cast. Maybe they are alum heads that Offy ported?
I went to their weird-ass website looking for email but I couldn’t see one. Downloaded the pdf catalog and it looks like an old sixties or seventies catalog scanned and uploaded. I remember Offenhauser sbc heads being advertised in US magazines in either the late 90’s or early 2000’s but the details elude me. They have me intrigued enough I’ll buy them and use as intended but I’ll collect as much data on them as I can as well.
I’m a Street/Strip guy..... like to think outside the quadrilateral parallelogram.
Tom68 wrote: ↑Fri Apr 15, 2022 5:30 am
What angle are the valves ?
Standard pushrod location for straight rockers ?
Don’t know too many specifics yet. I’ll be measuring the valve angle when I get them as I think they come from an era where a few companies messed with sbc gen1 valve angle (altered 23* stuff) like Trickflow and Holley.
I’m a Street/Strip guy..... like to think outside the quadrilateral parallelogram.
barnym17 wrote: ↑Sat Apr 16, 2022 3:52 am
The pipe plug was likely a coolant line to help the 2 center exhaust valves common in circle track and endurance racing.
They normally got tapped in under the exhaust ports, but I seem to recall drilling directions for Nascar Bow tie heads to create an intersecting passage to flow water between the ports, could be that ?
Offenhauser having a proud history of casting would have had their full name cast in I'd have thought.
Got some big throat iron heads here I struggled to identify due to lack of markings, turned out to be cheap imports, one cracked externally between the exhaust ports and head bolts.
Ignorance leads to confidence more often than knowledge does.
Nah, I'm not leaving myself out of the ignorant brigade....at times.
I reckon I have nailed them down to a Canfield head. Their common cc’s seemed to be 197cc and 220cc. Apparently Canfield were casting them for Jegs in the early 2000s and looks like they were for Offenhauser too. Maybe explains why I can’t find a trace of sbc Offy heads?
I’m a Street/Strip guy..... like to think outside the quadrilateral parallelogram.
Back when they were current, I had a couple sets of the Jegs 197cc heads in the shop for a quick check over.
I remember thinking the flow was pretty mediocre at the time.......240’s maybe ??
It’s been ages since I had them here....... but I also seem to think the height of the intake SSR was rather low....... at least that how I’m remembering it.
The Jegs heads also had a core plug on each end of the head.
