340 heads

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Don't know, never could figure it out, other than 340's were the hot rod, so someone automaticaly assumed the heads are better.
 
The 340 heads are the only ones with factory 2.02 intakes, so far as I know. Beyond that, a well prepped set of 360 heads will work fine.
 
LOL, Kind of.

It's not all about the head,.... but also the heads. Thewhole package it came on and what was done with it in racing.
The 340 being the screamer small block of the day and with what to challenge it? A 318 or 273. Well, OK, someone is going to sceak about the D-dart, the 273 that screamed with 275 HP. It still wold lose to a 340 in a heavier E body never mind an earlier A body.

The X head is the major numbered/plentiful head with 2.02's. A good sized port for the engine size and street bound screamers. The 340 and the head made fame in class racing. The hot ticket for the day. Everyone was trying to get into this and do well. At a time when win on sunday sell on monday still truly ment something.

In the class racing, certain rules applied. Certain tings had top remain stock, period. Now what you did to the stock part is another stroy and what was allowed is yet another one. Of the things that had to remain the same, off the top of my head and limited knowledge of the rules back then, are

Stock;
Carb
heads
valves (I think)
Bore size held to a limit
Stroke unchanged
Had to run the tranny that came with the car. Sox and Martin I beileve it was ran a 904 and HAD to bring NHRA tech to a dealer to prove they were stock.

A well ported X head can go very far and still be bound for the street while doing very well at the track, but, what if it is a track car only with a notion of balls out hitting the limit is just where we begin? Full ported takes on a new meaning and you push it hard and beyond.

Dick Landy has been known to achieve over 330 CFM on a X head on a full boggie race platform. With a head like this, 7500 was a red line that was passed easy. Masive roller cams and ported Holley Strip Dominators, decked block, milled pistons, drill out cranks. The limit was what ever you didn't get caught in breaking and what ever there was no rule for.

If there was one thing Dick was known for, he was known for the abilty to do a hell of a job on getting a MoPar to out run the comp and spank'em real good.
His shop is still in Biz in California.

Once the J head was introduced with a smaller valve @ 1.88, the MoPar head hit a sour note and was thought of as a pig of a head. Same goes for the 360. I've been dogged relentlessly for use of the 360 disipte high performance rebuilds.
Now, remember, this is back when the thinking was bigger the better and for the track it basicly still holds true for certain arena's of racing.
 
OH, I forgot, SOmeone is saying, "330 CFM????" Da fish is smokin somethin.

One of the ways the big number was achieved was raising the roof and welding it on top and filling in the botton of the port with weld. Removing the pushrod pinch and relocating the pushrod hole and pushrod. (T/A head like)
Basicly, recreating the port in full and in total.

A move not for the meek or inexperianced.
 
Yes, most 360 heads are little in any change. In general, they'll all flow close to each other. The 340 being king. Smog era head are worst until the last couple of years. Last 2 castings in fact get better, but are a catch 22 sometimes. Ports got thinner on some heads, like the 318's 302 head, but flow very well for what they are and require a different line of tinking when your going to use them.

If you have a 360 head, I would keep the 1.88 valve and port as needed.
 
I like the way you think...i have 77' smog heads just need to plug the extra smog hole and have some new guides put in...valve job....port a little...should just get a quote from BJR and call it a day
 
Bobby thikns along the same line I do, but more conservitive sometimes. I'd trust bobby over myself because he has proved me wrong. Sometimes it's just the direction I wanna go in and that's that. Dispite what may actually be better, better can be a state of mind or what it is you want the car to do.

E-mail/call Bobby up and speak with him, tell him everything about the car, no secrects, everything. AND what YOU want to do with the car, how it will perform. He'll set ya up and he's close by.
 
sent Bobby a request via his website, i'll talk w him and see exactly what he can do for me and how many $$$ ill be out
 
Rob
talked to bobby today and i gotta say-good reccomendation! He knows his business and has good prices for his work. We basically narrowed down what head work, piston choice, cam, intake, carb and headers i plan on using. He is a hidden jewel and i can't wait to send my heads out
 
LOL, your welcome. (I'm e-mailing him back and forth like a tenis game right now. Normally we just speak on the phone.) He is really into his work and racing his car. He takes time to do some thinking, run a few numbers in the grey matter, use some science, a sprinkle of voo-doo and pixie dust....

You didn't think I'd give away the secrect did ya? LOL

Seriously, he's been at this for a long time and takes the time to fact find and then run it to prove it.
 
I believe 2.02 is as big as you can squeeze in there. Iwould never do it again, with the money I have in these X's I could have edelbrock.

x heads.jpg
 
You know what's funny is how the 340 came stock with 2.02" intake valves but the 440 came with only 2.08" intakes even though it was 100 cubes bigger.
 
LOL, your welcome. (I'm e-mailing him back and forth like a tenis game right now. Normally we just speak on the phone.) He is really into his work and racing his car. He takes time to do some thinking, run a few numbers in the grey matter, use some science, a sprinkle of voo-doo and pixie dust....

You didn't think I'd give away the secrect did ya? LOL

Seriously, he's been at this for a long time and takes the time to fact find and then run it to prove it.

Thing of it is i was gonna wait til August to get my heads done but luck fell in my lap today. I paint on the side...anyhow a coworker wanted some work done on his eclipse so i said sure thing! means some $$$ in the pocket for heads and mamma is happy cause it didn't come from the bank
 
Very interesting to say the least. I had a 318 built by a local engine shop and i wanted some horse power. Not a guru myself but i like to dabble in this engine stuff i took the heads home and started to gasket match and port the J's that i had fitted with 2.02 valve. I got em done, didn't flow nothing, and bolted em up and ran it. Now granted there are many other factors that contribute to a good motor , but this 318 is nothing short of stout. It's decent off the line but from 50 mph on out is simply stupid. I wouldn't hesitate a bit to do another set of J's with porting on a 318, 340, or 360.
 
I believe 2.02 is as big as you can squeeze in there. Iwould never do it again, with the money I have in these X's I could have edelbrock.

I run 2.05/1.65 in the typical small block 340/360 head, and I dont run tulip type valves. You can't go bigger than that without them hitting.
 
I believe 2.02 is as big as you can squeeze in there. Iwould never do it again, with the money I have in these X's I could have edelbrock.

Bingo!!! once you go aluminum you'll never have use for steel heads again,except w2's.....:-D
 
Or unless the customer says (the rules say...) "run iron factory type heads..." lol
 
I like the way you think...i have 77' smog heads just need to plug the extra smog hole and have some new guides put in...valve job....port a little...should just get a quote from BJR and call it a day

I have 360 heads on my 340, since I got the block sans any parts, and the car runs like a nut. My biggest problem has been getting the TQ adjusted. I got onto other projects over the years, so I need to go back and do that. Point is, the heads are 1.88" intakes and ported, and there is plenty of power.
 
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