Is there a set of roller rockers out there that will work on my 77 302 heads without putting screw-in studs in? Is this adviseable?? Will I still need guide plates? Thanks. Jim
IF you go with comp cams self guiding rockers, you will not need guide plates...you WILL hafta put screw in studs...unless there's something new on the market that I dont know about
Comp Cams make roller tip rockers for ford rail type rockers. They bolt right on, just torque them down just as you would stock ones.
hey jp......before you go put all that money into your heads you might want to consider buying victor jr. heads they arent that expensive
Absolutely, to redo a set of stock heads with screw in studs and guide plates and a set of 1.94 valves etc., will cost as much as a good set of aftermarkets for bolt on power. Only thing on the Vic Jr. heads is that you need some good compression and fairly large cam to make them work as well as a single plane manifold. I would go with the RPM heads and air gap manifold for milder applications. There are good cast iron heads too that are about the same price as having yours redone. JMO.
Hmmm...something to think about.... I have 3 sets of heads, 69 351w, 65 289 and the 77 302 heads. I am trying to remain stock looking because of the class I want to race the car in. This car will also be a daily driver. The motor is a 77 302 .030 over 4 spd toploader 3.00 gears (for now) Holley 600 comp cams 270h Money is VERY limited. I want the motor to remain original looking and still run the best I can get it for my money. I am thinking of using the 289 heads to bring the compression up while using the stock valves. I will port and polish these heads myself and use stock valve train. Rollers not allowed in my class. (although I am thinking of cheating a little) I am resisting using the 351w heads because the 351 is a totally complete engine out of 69 Mustang and dont really want to break it up. Not sure how the 351 heads will affect headers. Are the ports in the exact same position as the 302 heads? the 302 heads are already ported and polished but compression is to low for racing. Aftermarket heads are not out of the question, they will just bump me into a class that I dont think I will be competitive in. Comments???
heads I'd use the 289 heads myself. for one, they are the only ones there without positive stop rocker studs, so to use the others with that cam you'll want to install screw in studs. also you won't be too competitive with a low compression engine.
What do you mean by positive stop rocker studs?? I figured they were the same as a 302 unless they are rail type....
Positive stop studs have a shoulder that the rocker arm bottoms out on so they're not really adjustable. Btw, I have a pair of '70 351W heads w/ 3 angle valve job, valve pockets and exhaust ports opened up, ARP rocker studs and Comp Cams roller tip rockers if you're interested.
...but arent they still press in studs. I thought this was the main reason for going to screw in studs?? How much are you asking for the 351W heads. Jim
...but arent they still press in studs Correct, so positive stop studs have two deficiencies, you can't fully adjust the rocker arm and they're pressed in. The 351W heads I mentioned have screw in ARP studs, the rockers are rail-type roller tip, no guide plates. The heads were milled very slightly, about .015, just to make sure they were flat. The motor they were on was a 302, .040 over w/ flat top pistons, and a mild cam. I didn't do much to the intake ports, I felt they were fine for my street driven 302. Asking $150 + shipping. I'll also throw in the special Ford bolts for installing the heads on a small block.
