I'm sure you guys are probably sick of this question, and it's late where I am, and I may or may not have had a few beers, but here's where I'm at. I have an '85 Delta 88, original 307 but rebuilt. I have come cheaply into possession of a set of 5A heads. Included in the purchase of the car was an Edelbrock Performer intake for a 5A motor. So, my base question is, can I just bolt these heads on and go? Do I use the pushrods from the 5A motor? Obviously I'm going to have the heads cleaned up and reseated etc etc, but these heads will work with the 7A cam and lifters, right? I've poured over all of the specs and been doing the math for days, and this should be fine, but I wanna check with the pros...

Edit: and before it's even brought up, yes I know a swap is a better idea. I'll get there, it's just not in the cards at the moment. I'm working with what I have...

 

The only thing I am not sure of is the pushrod length. You'll need to check that. Also be aware that you'll want to use the cast manifolds for the 5A heads due to the larger exhaust ports. The crappy tubular manifolds on the 7A heads may not seal and will certainly pose a horrible flow disruption that negates the benefits of this swap.

 

Well, if this information is correct, the 5A heads have 8.265" pushrods, compared to 7.718" on the 7As.

 

The Parts Book clearly shows different pushrod P/Ns for roller cam and non-roller cam motors. I can almost guarantee that's due to the height of the roller lifter, not the heads.

Flat tappet motors use P/N 22505582
Roller cam motors use P/N 22533631

 

So then I'll want to stick with the rods from the 7A heads, correct?

 

You want the pushrods that match the lifters you are using.

 

Got it, thank you!