A friend & I are planning to re-build my 1972 Olds 455 motor this coming winter. The block is out of a 1973-74 Toronado, the Heads are G's off a 1971. I have a question about the Heads. Which heads are best for this re-build, will the G's be good? I believe the motor is 8-2-1 Compression as it sits. I'm told it should be 10-2-1. I need to know Valve size's also. Is there a place where I can gather that information? Thanks


What are the best Heads that will work on my 1973-74 455 Block?

 

Have you looked at 442.com? They have a pretty good basic tech and FAQ section.

 

G's would work fine. The 1972 would have had Ga head if you want to make it look correct for that year. Any of the big block heads other than J's would work just fine. The J's would too but would need more flow work than early heads to create more power. When you rebuild it you can put in whatever compression pistons you choose. There's a number of sources you can check to do research. First step I'd take is describe what your goal is, a rough dollar figure your wanting to spend, and how much time you want to spend getting it all done. There's a lot of really experienced engine builders here that can give you advice if you'll provide more details.

By the way, welcome to the site! I hope you enjoy your project car!!!
John

P.S. the intake valves can be large or small (1.99 or 2.07) and there's no way to tell from the casting numbers. Oldsmobile used the same castings and just cut out the seat to fit whichever size they chose for the application the heads were for. So when you rebuild the heads if they're small valve you can have your machine shop cut them out for the large valves.