Rebuilding 351 Windsor Heads.....have a few questions?
Hey, I'm sort of new here I guess, been a member for a while, but haven't posted anything in a long, long time. Anyway, the reason I ask abotu the 351windsor heads, is that I'm piking a set up from a friend at school tomorrow. They look to be in really good shape, but probably need some cleaning. On the valves, springs, and retainers are on the heads right now, so I will need new rocker assemblies, and was just wondering where the best place to get them them would be. I knwo Mustangs Unlimited has lot's of NOS stuff, as well and reproduction, and I was looking at summit racing and jegs s well, to get an idea fo any aftermarket stuff that might be good to use instead. I don't want to go too crazy, but would like them to last a while. Just so you know, these will be going on my 289. I've currently got an Edlebrock cam (somewhat mild mannered, but still fun), and a performer intake and carb. The guy I'm buying them from, was going to put them on his 289 until a valve broke off in his block #8 cylinder and blew up the piston. He did mention that the 600cfm carb I have now may not be able to flow enough fuel, to get the best power I can out of these heads. I'm not exactly sure how I'm going to get this done with the amount of time (and money) I have right now, but I'm gonna try anyway. Any advice on what my best course of action for undertaking such a project would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
If your simply looking to just have an easy fix, just go to your local boneyard and get a few rockers............Now, using those heads, I'd have them checked for cracks where that valve dropped and then have a valve job done and some decent valve springs installed. I wouldn't recomend roller rockers unless you intend on upgrading your cam and induction (carb & manifold). With what you currently have regarding your 600cfm carb, that's fine for the current cam.......just jet it as needed....
Unless your stang is more racer than daily driver your set up is nice. Make sure the valve spring pressure is the same. Buy a complete matched set. There are certain 69/70 351W heads you do not want. Stay sane and you will have a sweet ride.
Thanks for the input. The heads that dropped the valve were the 289 heads that I'm also picking up. The 351 heads, were never mounted on his engine, since it blew up before he had a chance. I was thinking about cruising over to the local junk yard, and taking a look to see what I could find. I'm just looking fro the original rockers, nothing heavy duty. It is a driver, so I still want it to be somewhat well mannered on the road. I do drive it hard sometimes though, which is why I want it to be durable as well. The 289 heads are in decent shape, but one of them has a chip in the lip where the valve cover gasket sits. It also is a little scratched up around the area where the valve broke. I was think of having it send out to be welded, and then ground and polished up. I'd do it myself, if it weren't for the alck of a die grinder, and a welder, and some time...hehe. I'm also picking up another 289 performer intake, which will be going right on ebay...since I've already got one on the engine now, and a set of Mickey/Thomson aluminum valve covers. All this for a hundred bucks seems worth it, especially since it shouldn't cost all that much to rebuild the 351 heads. When I get them home tonight, I will try and post a pitcure, so you guys can tell me what you think, as far as what might need to be done to them, before rebuilding, or any parts I might have missed. I really appreciate the quick response. Thanks.
Thanks, I wasn't sure if it was enough. I'm just finishing up removing a little bit of surface rust that was on one of the heads, which is coming off very easily. Other than that, the combustion chambers, and intake and exhaust ports all look good. I'm going to take them over to a local performance shop who can machine all the surfaces I need, since I don't have the equipment. Then I'm going to get new hardware for them. I was wondering what spring tension I should look for. Also, I was wondering if the rockers off of the 289 heads I got will work in the 351 heads. They are in excellent condition, with very little wear. If so, then I could save some money by only having to buy valves, guides, springs, and retainers. Also, I saw that Mustangs Unlimited has a set of pushrods, designed to be used in 289 engines, running 351 heads. Would it be wise to get these, or would the regular 289 pushrods work just as well. Thanks in advance.
edit: I was also wondering where I could get detailed specifications about these 351W heads, from the casting numbers on them. I want to make sure I get the right parts the first time around, so I don't have problemw when I go to put them back together. Thanks.
I would get the pushrods,springs and lifters that match your cam from Mustangs Unlimited. You do not want any of that to be week. A bad lifter or week spring will give you fits. It isn't cheap to build a decent engine.
Well, the reason I'm wondering abotu which springs to use, is because I'm currently using an Edlebrock Perfomer Cam. It's pretty mild compared to others I've seen, and has worked fine for over a year and a half with the stock springs and rockers in 289 heads I have on it now. Since it works with the current spring tension, would you suggest just using new 289 sprins, and associated hardware? The only thing I saw on Mustangs Unlimited for this specific application were the pushrods. They said they were designed for a 289 block, runing the 351 heads. If I can use stock 289 valve springs, rockers,..ect without any problems, I might as well pull them off the other set of heads I have. They are like new, since they were rebuilt prior to the engine they were on failing. Then, all I would need to do I guess, would be to have them machined, and cleaned up, and just mount the 289 hardware to them. I would like to save as muich money as I can on this project, but I don't want to risk damage to anything. Do you think the stock 289 hardware would work fine? I can always opt for a stiffer et of springs. What I'm more concerened about is wether or not I can use the rockers. That would make this project much easier. Thanks in advance.
i'll be honest, I would email Edlebrock Tech. Discribe what you are doing and the cam you have, heads(cast number) etc. They will give verygood advice since you are using a lot of their product. They advised me at a time when when I needed it with my problem 1406. Two years ago I flattened a cam because of springs. There is something about 289 rockers and I can't remember what it is. Now I run a Comp Extreme cam, lifters, pushrods and the top end roller rockers. I have the special 351W heads made in 1969 and had them reworked.
Rebuilding 351 Windsor Heads.....have a few questions? 
