WORH IT -- OR NOT ZL1 427 HEADS

[ZL1.FUN]

I have just got a hold of a pair of zl1 heads that need repair I did not pay much for them they would have got thrown in the trash if I dident see them.. The dates are 9-25-69 and not the more common 70-73 service replacement heads. I need to know if it is worth restoring them and who can restore them. or is it a lost hope Thanks Josh i will try to send pic's but if i cant and you want to see heads. i will mail you some [email protected]

[ZL1.FUN]

ok i dont know how to send pic's to this site i need help with that to im computer illiterate

[Chevy454]

I've always heard Indy cylinder heads can fix pert near anything...

[COPO]

You can find freshly machined, ready to run ZL-1 #074 heads for right around $2,000. Use that as a guide for deciding if the others are worth having repaired.

[nuch_ss396]

Back in the late 1990's, when I was hot and heavy into
researching big block Chevy information, I purchased a
number of reference books. Many of these books that
focused on building a BBC engine talked about the '074
heads. I would have to say that overall, most of these
authors talked down on these heads due to their hugh
round exhaust port design. As I recall, the claims were
that you couldn't generate enough power on the street to
take advantage of the port configuration. Without
exception, the '077 vintage D-port aluminum heads were
called the hot ticket for the street.

So, this brings me to my question. Why do we see these
'074 heads on eBay all the time? Are the people holding
them just trying to unload them due to the whole ZL-1 craze?
Can any members here talk from experience about the '074
heads and how effective they actually were? I always
wondered about this?

I got into this game late. By the time I was driving,
the first gas crisis had recently ended and the second
one all but killed anything BBC related. As I've written
here many times, I used to make spare money swapping out
BBC's for SBC's and sold the BBC components for scrap.
I chucked-out a complete LS-6 and a complete Ram Air IV
because I ran out of garage space in the late 1970's.
Don't say it !!! I want to kill myself sometimes !

Steve

[ZL1.FUN]

Hello read or find vol.3 issue 6 June 2004 of muscle car enthusiast article DYNO SMACKDOWN! 427 CHEVY VS.427 FORD I think its page19, or 20, any way Peter Simpson that belongs to this site. Tests a ZL1 427 motor against the almighty 427 ford motor. they found 508.6 horsepower out of the ZL1 and 470lb-ft of torque, and with more tunning, I bet they could have reached 520 horse
the ford on the other hand, graciously bowed down, at a respectable 460.5hp@ 5,500 and torque was 491.9lb-ft@4,200rpm But i do se were your coming from, there seems to be an awful lot of zl1 parts floating around, with the escalating prices of cars (-ie-) Barrett Jackson people are starting to clean out there closets to make high dollars but for the people out there that just in joy these zl1 motors, parts, and cars not for there value but for the history is what matters. Well that’s my 2 cents josh

[ZL1.FUN]

Also I haven’t seen any 69 zl1 dated heads on ebay for a long time and if im not wrong they only
factory made 69 zl1 motored cars in 1969, 2 vettes and around 69 or 70 camaros with the zl1 motor 69 only option so this brings me to seeing zl1 heads on ebay they are mostly all service replacement heads, I haven’t herd of to many factory 1974 zl1 427 camaro’s. most I have seen are dated 70 to 74, ya its still the same head but chances of it being from one of the 69 car are slim to nun just replacement parts, or service replacement, So ever one could have a chance to bolt on a set of zl1 heads instead of paying the high price for the hole car back in 69. Could be wrong
but that’s what i think Josh

[nuch_ss396]

Josh,

I would bet that back in the early 1970's these '074 heads
were considered the hot lick, especially if you ran headers.
I have seen 1969 dated '074 heads before, but that doesn't
mean they weren't over the counter parts. Just that they
were cast the same timeframe. I believe that the '074
heads were also an L-88 component, weren't they?

Steve

[ZL1.FUN]

That is correct the 1969 “074, ZL1 head is the same as the 69 L88 the heads also shared the same intake manifold 198' Yes your right you could still get over the counter heads in 69 but I was just generalizing my correction Josh

[Keith Tedford]

I would imagine that the few who have ZL1 cars already have dated heads on their cars. Anyone who can afford one of these cars can afford what they need, unlike the rest of us.
As far as repairs, aluminum is fairly easy to work with. Aluminum heads on any '69 would be a net addition. Repaired, these heads wouldn't be hard to sell. You've probably had private e-mails from buyers already.