Does anyone have the aluminum Pro Comp heads on their 455 with factory AC brackets? I’m curious if anyone has done it and how it worked. I’m probably going to run the comp cams roller tip rockers to try and avoid running tall valve covers. Just wanted to see if it works before I buy them.

 

I have a Chevy 454 with Procomp heads, and the stock rocker arm length did not fit. I ended up with shorter Ford rocker arms. I would make sure the rocker arms will fit before buying the Procomp heads. The heads are not bad, but I would make sure you port match them with the intake. Roller tip rockers are actually not as stiff as the stock rockers. If you are not going to rev over 5500-5800, Use the stock style (I can not promise that they will fit the heads) rockers. The only rockers that make a difference are the full rollers, and then only above 6000 rpm.

AS far as the mounting points, the 454 heads were a direct bolt ups for the accessories.

 

What just happened? Procomp Chevy parts have nothing to do with Procomp Olds parts.

The external mount points on the Procomp and Edelbrock heads are identical to OE - all brackets and whatnot will bolt up with no problems. Only footnote is mechanical fuel pumps - a stock style pump will work on a BBO. The big head pumps (like RobbMC) require some work. No pump will fit with those heads on a SBO.

Comp roller tip rockers are perfectly fine and plenty strong for any application where they are viable. Just check the details - I don't remember what hardware the Procomp head comes with. The standard Comp roller tip set is built for a 3/8" stud. Edelbrocks come with 7/16" studs.

The roller tip rockers are just fine. The pinch nuts and pushrods are trash. Get short polylocks and measure the correct pushrod length for your setup. Buy good quality pushrods. You can stick with 5/16", just don't buy the cheapest ones you find.

And as mentioned many times, the interference is usually the polylock - not the rocker itself. Worst case you can use thick valve cover gaskets.

 

Finally!! Thank you. It’s so hard to get a straight answer out of anyone. The conversation always goes to who builds the best heads. Your answer was exactly what I was looking for. So thanks again.

 

What just happened is that I compared the quality of the Procomp Olds heads with Procomp heads for a Chevy. I gave warning that the Procomp heads may be a little different from the stock heads, so that is just a "heads up" to check Procomp fitment before buying Procomp heads for your engine, and nothing else.

 

I have ProComps on my SBO stroker. I had to grind a little on the U-shaped bracket that straddles the valve cover to get all the bolt holes to line up. I’m also running a Performer 7111 intake so that might have been a factor in my fitment issues. The grinding was very minimal, and I’m a bit of a perfectionist. I also had fitment issues with the power steering pump on the LH side; might not be a problem on a big block.

 

Alignment of the A/C bracket top bolt with the intake is a completely different topic.
That hole never lines up with aftermarket intakes. (*)
Sometimes you can hog out the bracket. On my latest I had to fill the intake hole with aluminum allthread and drill/tap a new hole.

(*) I'm sure someone will say I'm wrong, but my experience is with about a dozen SBO's using Performer and Performer RPM intakes, various OE and Edelbrock heads, various deck heights and various intake gaskets. Never had that hole line up without work.