another pontiac question. 59/60 to 61/64 head swaps......

[forsakenfew]

ok, so in the past 6 months i've asked alot of pontiac motor questions, and gotten alot of good answers.

however, i'm not sure we covered swapping heads between the 59-60 and the 61-64 blocks. we did cover intake swaps, but does that info also hold true to the heads?

the motor in my 60 catalina is the original. i've got a line on a 63 389. can i swap the heads so i can use my tri power intake for a 59-60 block on the 63 block? does that make sense?

just thinking about options for the motor that's gonna go in my 31.

[Crestliner]

Hollander doesn't say either way. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

[forsakenfew]

well, not the answer i was looking for, but thanks for checking!! damn, that was fast!!

[Rocky]

So....you wanna take out your original 389 from your 60 Poncho and slide in a 63, 389 but you wanna bolt your old 1960 heads on the '63 motor to use you factory 60 tri-power? Right?
Welp, if that's right, you gotta lot of other problems to address. The most glaring is the bolt pattern on the back of the '63 block won't accept your '60 tranny..you'd have to use a '61-64 tranny in your 60 car and that repersents a lotta work, especially is the 63 donor engine had the shitty slim-jim behind it...a POS tranny.
Then, you'll need to stick with a 63 and later flexplate/flywheel onna counta the center register hole is bigger from 63, up.
Then, your 63 timing cover uses a water passage from the front of the intake that the 60 intake won't interface with, so you'd have to use the 60 timing cover.
I think the exhaust manifolds will interchange ok.
Watch pulley placement when you swap the timing cover...maybe all the old 60 pulleys will work on the 63 motor but there is something about the length of the crank snout being a different length between years but I don't remember which years......
all in all, the tranny/bellhousing bolt pattern difference will prolly stop you cold unless the 63 engine came out of a star chief, which used the 4 speed hydromatic which may or may not bolt in your 60 car....

[forsakenfew]

i was hoping you'd jump in here rocky!

actually, i should have specified about the trannys. i'll keep the originals together.

what i want to do is take this donor 63'389 and put it in my 31. i have a NOS tri power set up i want to use, but its only good for the 59-60 heads.

i want to swap the heads so i can use the tripower on the hot rod, and then use an aluminum 4barrel intake i have in the catalina with the heads from the 63. (the intake fits the 61-64)

i know im leaving something out.

if it's not possible i'll just put the whole 63 motor/trans in the pontiac, and use the 60 for the rod. i just like having other trans options with the 63 block.

[Rocky]

Ok, I get it now... The sad fact is, I've never tried to use 55-60 heads on a 61-64 block. I just don't know if they'll fit or not but I've heard they will. Ya got nuthin to loose by trying them yourself except the cost of gaskets and you'd probably want to install new gaskets in both motors anyway...then you'll be an expert on the subject..
Wish I was more help....

[forsakenfew]

i guess i'll just have to forge ahead into uncharted territory!! it's not like i've never tried to do something i wasn't 100% sure about.

thanks for trying to help rocky. i'll let ya know how it turns out.

[Nick]

these guys might know
http://forums.performanceyears.com/6/ubb.x
there is a section for old pontiacs.