SBC 350 Head Fitment Issues

[MrBuick]

This is from an AMT '70 Corvette kit. As you can see, the head offset leaves significant sized "ledges" at either end of the block...any suggestions to fix this? 

[espo]

Almost looks like small block heads on a big block. Is there an optional engine in this kit ?  Is it possible that the heads have two different part numbers listed in the instructions ? While this is not common since in the 1:1 the heads can go on either side. Some times the under side of the head will have a different aligning slots from one side to the other and some times they can even just be mounted up side down. Hope this gives you a place to start looking.

[Ace-Garageguy]

V8 heads are, of course, almost always staggered somewhat to accommodate the connecting rods being paired on the crank journals.

The stagger on your heads doesn't look all that bad, but what IS bad is the too-simplified tooling of the top of the block surfaces where the heads mount.

The photos (below) show typical smallblock Chebby blocks. They're all about the same, so all you need to do is to make those ledges on the ends of the block that protrude from under the heads look more like the real block casting. Reference photos abound as to what it SHOULD look like.

 

Edited May 9, 2016 by Ace-Garageguy

[MeatMan]

The heads are staggered but they should still fit to the edges of the block.

Since, as Bill noted the heads are so poorly tooled you can either scratch build a pair or put out a request for another set, or even a whole engine in the Wanted thread. 

There are a lot of SBC's out there.  Someone may give it to you.

[Ace-Garageguy]

The heads are staggered but they should still fit to the edges of the block.

LOOK at the photos of the real blocks.

The block needs to be modified to look like the real one.

That huge ledge at the rear of the driver's side of the model block isn't there on a real block.

There's also not as much meat at the front of the passenger side of a real block as there is on the model block. 

LOOK and compare the shapes.

The heads, though weak in detail, don't show much once the whole thing is put together anyway, but MeatMan has a good idea if you don't want to screw around doing a lot of mods to a carppy engine.

I suggest this one. It'll pass for a 350, it's a real beauty, and you can get 'em cheap on ebay.   

 

[MrBuick]

Thanks for the suggestions guys...I'll try to see if I can make it look a little more like a 1:1 and if it's too much work I'll look at getting either a parts pack engine or a BNL engine.

[Muncie]

With respect to what is already posted, I'm going to add a different observation...

The driver side head is even with the front of the block, the passenger side head is about an inch back from the front of the block - looks like the real thing - this makes the offset for the connecting rods on the crankshaft.  All looks OK, throw the intake manifold on it an it should look a lot better and be ready to go. Neither head goes all of the way back to the mounting surface for the bell-housing.  The configuration of the kit parts doesn't match the real thing in this area, but the back of the head isn't even with the back of the block either.  When the Corvette ignition shielding is added, that part of the block behind the heads will not be seen.

[Snake45]

With respect to what is already posted, I'm going to add a different observation...

The driver side head is even with the front of the block, the passenger side head is about an inch back from the front of the block - looks like the real thing - this makes the offset for the connecting rods on the crankshaft.  All looks OK, throw the intake manifold on it an it should look a lot better and be ready to go. Neither head goes all of the way back to the mounting surface for the bell-housing.  The configuration of the kit parts doesn't match the real thing in this area, but the back of the head isn't even with the back of the block either.  When the Corvette ignition shielding is added, that part of the block behind the heads will not be seen.

I agree. I built this kit when it first appeared and never noticed anything "funny" about the engine, and neither has anyone who has seen the finished model. Even pure OOB (I carefully built it to IPMS OOB rules), the finished engine looks great.