Can you tell me what heads these are, i was told they are for a 455 but for some reason someone grinded all the identifacation off of these heads they just say gm on them and the numbers Ro 88542 on the sides

any ideas, im trying to gathr parts for a rebuild and if these are worth the work i will have them redone along with my block and crank when i take it in

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From the distant, out-of-focus photos, I'd say they were Oldsmobile heads...

Seriously, all I can tell from these photos is that they APPEAR to have 2.000/1.625 valves, but you can measure that. Unless there's a casting number over the center two exhaust ports, you won't get much more info than that. The only reason I can think of to grind off all the casting numbers is for someone to pawn off J heads as something else.

 

x2... and wouldn't that be ground off?

 

there are numbers on the right head over the cener two ports, 384 548 these numbers were also grinded off on the other head.. seeing as they came with my block just as extra parts and are in pretty rough shape i dont plan on using them but wonderd what they were.. pawning them off as something there not was the only thing i could come up with too

 

GROUND off, please...

Look again, that's probably 394 548, which would be a C head casting. Good castings, but they are small valve and non-hardened seats.

 

yep, your right 394 548 like i said i dont plan on using them but maybe someone somewhere would want them. You never know, atleast i know what they are now

thanks!

 

Great castings to start with

underside, at head gasket surface, the final 3 digits - "548" should be there.

I grind off the casting ID's- large and small- but leave this underside indicator- when making replica D, F, or H heads out of C's, K's, etc.

So, your C heads are partway done already for my purposes!

When I sell such replicas I state repeatedly and obviously that they are replica units and from what castings they are made. My handiwork is not so good that a close inspection by a knowledgeable person won't reveal the alterations. It's just to allow folks to afford or even just FIND things like H castings.

 

thats pretty cool.. 548 on the undersie of both heads.. there for sure Cs

 

Just sold them for 50 bucks to a buddy... thanks guys

 

Well, you gave your buddy a good deal. If your planning to build an engine as you said in your first post these would have been excellent heads to use. The small valves are not an issue as the factory used the same castings for both small and large valves. They would cut out the valve seat for whatever sized valves the application called for. So you could have had a machine shop install the large 2.07 valves in these easy as pie.

On another note, I noticed they have the plugs in them from what must have been California emissions. I've got a 1967 Olds 98 425 engine with the California emissions and its possible these heads came off the same application. If they are 1967's there would be a number stamped in the end of one head similar to the picture below. C heads were also used in 1968 and 69, but they didn't have the code stamped in the head for those years. I'm not sure if they were drilled for California emissions in 68-69 or not. John

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C 394548 80cc 2.000, 2.072" 1.625"
67-69 400/425/455's [except W-30 and most Hurst/Olds], including 1968 H/O with A/C. Valves commonly 2.000" and 1.625", but Toronado and 442 [except Turnpike Cruiser] heads had the larger 2.072" intakes. Presumably the H/O with C heads also had the large valves. Shallow spring seats. No hard exhaust seats. On 1967 engines, RH head will have the engine ID stamped into the front. Correct for 67-69 442's, even 68 H/O with air. Heads for 1967 W-30 or California cars had the A.I.R. passages [that boss on the exhaust port] drilled, tapped, and plugged. Some '68-9 442's with auto trans may have had small valves. This is reputed to be the best-flowing head, and is still fairly easy to find.