383HP heads

[bblock383]

Hi all. I have an opportunity to buy 2 sets of 383hp heads. I have a few questions about these heads. What is the casting numbers on them so I can make sure they really are HP heads? The main point for me is that I have no use for these heads since I have no big blocks use them on. If I buy them I will be buying to sell. The question is how much are HP heads worth? If I do buy them Ill sell them on this site and probably on Allpar. If no luck there ill probably Ebay em. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks

[dave571]

383 hp motors had the same heads as other 383's in virtually all years.

I'm assuming you are looking at the more popular 68, 69,70 vintage model ones which are 906.

346 in 71 if I remember right
516 in 66 earlier.

I have seen a 67 383 with 915's on it, but whether it was original is a debate unto itself. There would certainly be no documentation to support such a thing.

A good set of 906's is still worth something. Just be carefull what you pay, and what you think you will get.

Long and short of it, un less the heads you are looking at are really cheap, or free they are'nt worth much as cores so resell at a profit is unlikely.

If they have been rebuilt, they may be worth a little if it was done right.

Aluminum heads have made iron cores worth very little. I have stacks of BB heads, I'm not bothering to sell, because the shipping cost doesn't make it visable.

Check out http://www.440source.com/heads.htm for what a set of iron heads is worth

[bblock383]

Well the heads that are being offered to me are 25 bucks a pop so 100 for all 4. So lemme see if I can understand this. Basically HP heads are nothing like 340 x heads or something like that where everyones after them. I would have imagined that HP head would be somethin everyone would want but from what I got from your reply, they seem to not be very valuable and fairly plentiful. The guy who wants to sell em to me says they are worth 150 a piece. But I didnt trust that so its a good thing I asked around first.

[ehostler]

Don't forget, the 383 heads are also the 400 and 440 heads...

A solid 906 head is worth $150.

[bblock383]

Yeah I wondered if they were the same as 440 heads. Well a guy on moparchat told me that there isnt such a thing as 383hp heads. Im not a big block person so I dont know but he also said that 906 is the prefered casting even though they all flow the same. So if 906 heads are worth 150 a piece what makes them anymore special than the rest if they all basically flow the same? Also I noticed on ebay that theres a set of 906 heads on there and I think they guy wants 100 bucks for both heads but no one has bid on them. Just kinda seems like these "hp" heads arent a big deal at all.

[titan]

I gathered you are refering to 915 large exhaust valve heads when you say 383HP. if that is what they are ,then peaple pay a pretty penny for them.

[bblock383]

Well Im not sure what casting they are. Heck Im not even positive they are HP heads but the guy whos sellin em says they are. But im gonna check it out in a few days and see what they are. I havent seen anyone sell any 915s so I dont know how much people will pay for em. But if people do pay alot for those then I hope thats what they are Im not a greedy person though so if they are HP heads then ill sell em for a reasonable price is anyone is interested.

[ehostler]

They don't get much on ebay as they are rather expensive to ship. Not many people want to pay $300 for a pair plus another $150 for shipping.

[George G. Leverette]

The preferred big block heads are the 452s or later model with hardened valve seats from the factory. I have two 383s with the 906 casting heads, at the SoCAL swap meets the heads are worth about $35-50 depending on condition. Why is the guy giving you the heads if they are worth $600 for a paltry $100???? You could make a couple of bucks on the heads or have something to hold down the tarp in windy conditions.

[ehostler]

Once you get a valve job, the hardend seats are gone. So, if you plan on doing any valve work, the hardened seats of the 452 are not an advantage.

[custom880]

The 915 head is the magic number like Hemi or Max Wedge is the magic word. They get top dollar (the HP ones). Wether they are worth it or not is another story. The 906 is the preferred head and they are now grabbing more dollars. The 346 and the 452 heads are really the same head, and they are considerably cheaper. There is a big block performance head, I think the casting number is 200 or something weird. I can't remember the exact number but I did see a set of them on a 69 GTX once. I was told they are rare and definately HP. Someone might know about them.

[bblock383]

Well Ive been suspicious of this for a while which is why I went to these and other forums to see what people had to say. The guy is building a car and prides himself on buying low and selling high which apparently he has good luck with. So it does make me very suspicious that he would practically give away these heads when if hes right he could get 600 bucks for em. I dont care who u are 600 bucks is alot especially if your building a car and need to buy parts. Like I said before im gonna go look at em in a day or so and see what the numbers are on em. From what im gettin from some of u guys right now is that really the 915s are probably the only ones worth 150 a pop?

[dave571]

The moparts guy who told you there was no such thing as 383hp heads is right (for the most part)

As I mentioned, hp 383's had the same castings as the other BB's that year.

915's were designated for 440 hp motors only, but did pop up on other motors in 67. 67 was the only year for that head, so I think they stuck them on things to get rid of them for the 906 coming in 68. 915's were never designated as a 383 head at all, so it is unlikely he is selling you a set for 25 bucks a head. I can't i9magine anyone calling 915's 383 hp heads, when to call them 440 hp heads would get more cash.

They are likely 906's. I would buy 906's for 25 a head. Then you may be able to get 100 each for them at a swap meet.

25 a head does fall into the "really cheap, or free " I mentioned earlier.

The "which head is better" debate will carry on for eternity. Flow data numbers do support the theory that all open chamber BB heads will flow about the same.