Need advice on head choice

[dflarsen77]

Posted this in the engine section but I listen to most of the posters here more often.

I'm rebuilding my 70 C10, in the middle of the engine, and I need to choose heads. I have the stock 350 block, casting 3970010, code V0523TAX. So it's a 255hp 70. Heads are 3932441, which are one of the better castings from what I've read.

The motor was rebuilt in the 80s, and it's been neglected and/or abused for the 30 years since. The heads need to be rebuilt. The main & rod bearings were in the most awesome shape. Crank is welded and the 1/2 rod journal looks like swiss cheese. A lot of problems, but I'll have the bottom end sorted this week. Bored 030 over.

I have to have him measure the deck, but I assume it was stock by how rough it is and the front engine code is still decent. But I'm going to assume he'll take off .010, giving a 9.015 deck height. With 1.540 compression height flat top pistons, I'll have .035 deck clearance, and with fel pro permatorque head gaskets, another .039 from those.

My goal here is just a street motor, never planning to race, but with great power that's fun to drive, and runs at least on the 91 premium here in CA.

The best shop around where I live is $600 to rebuild the heads. I'd still have 1.94/1.5 valves, stock 76cc chambers, basic runners. Plus I have an intake and an accessory bolt hole I'll have to fix on these, so even though it would be original block and heads, I'm not a fan of the idea.

But I've been reading great things about the Summit iron heads, 2.02/1.6 valves, 72cc chambers, supposed to be double hump clones. So I was set on those heads. They're $680 a pair.

Then I see that Summit has a pair of Blueprint Engines aluminum heads for $895, and an $80 credit to use at summit (which I'll definitely still need). These are 64cc chambers, 195cc intake runners, so they probably flow a bunch. But I already have a new set of stock head bolts so I'd have to eat the cost of a new set, and I'd have to get hardened pushrods for the guideplates. So it's quite a bit more. I've read aluminum heads are less durable, and you can run higher CR's, but I've also found most recent studies have debunked those older claims. But it's still a lot of extra cost for a build I'm trying to keep down and I'm not looking for crazy power, maybe 350hp, prob less. Reviews on these around the web find occasional casting/assembly issues.

Then I hear about Enginequest heads part CH350HA, $743/pair. They make heads for dirt trackers I guess, foundry is in NZ. They make a basic assembled iron head, 64cc, vortec chambers with perimeter bolts and old style intake (I already have valve covers and intake so I don't want to change to actual vortec heads, makes these a big plus), 176cc runners. Heard only awesome stuff about these.

I sent Comp Cams a request for a cam based on my motor with the Summit heads, and they recommended the XE262H-10 high energy grind, 110 LSA, 218/224 duration @ .050, 462/469 lift. Guy I emailed with showed dyno results on a similar motor. Looks good.

So I'm looking for opinions. Kind of performance versus cost, cam recommendations. 72cc heads will give me ~8.8:1 CR, and the 64CC heads will give 9.5:1 CR. Can I do 91 octane? Anything that comes to mind! Thanks bros!

Bonus, added pics of the awesome bearings. and the block and parts when I first got it disassembled.