cylinder head

[ddrum]

is this a good deal?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/DATSUN-L-SERIES-CYLINDER-HEAD-NEW-/230743669328?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item35b964fa50&vxp=mtr#ht_232wt_58

if so, where could i get the rest of the parts?

[flatcat19]

Hit a junkyard.

 

As for being a NEW unit...price seems fair.

But to add up the price of valves, springs, cam, and whatever else...

You could buy a whole Datsun.

[ddrum]

i would hit a junkyard, problem is that there are no more datsuns here in el paso tx. I have a 210 head which i've heard they suck and i would like a little more horsepower

[datsunaholic]

You can reuse everything EXCEPT the Valves from the 210 head on the new one, though you'd need the right cam to make it worth it. The valves on the 210 head are a lot smaller so you can't use those. The big issue though is the port shape is different, which while the manifolds will bolt up it won't be optimal.

[flatcat19]

You might need to do some traveling to find a proper head.

Tuscon is not too far away. NM is right up the 10.

 

Call yards within how ever far.

See what they have to say.

 

A 210 head on an L16 isn't a terrible thing to have.

Just not a good fit on an L18 or L20B.

 

Good luck with your hunt!

[ddrum]

so it would be better to just a find a used head in good condition right?

[ddrum]

thanks a lot guys

[flatcat19]

so it would be better to just a find a used head in good condition right?

 

 

Do some homework before just slapping a head on your (I'm assuming) L16.

 

Putting an A87, U67, W53 or a W58 on your (L16) will decrease your compression ratio.

 

This thread may not EXACTLY pertain to your situation, but will provide some good information for you.

It may also help you formulate some questions; The basis of your research.

There is lots of information through the entire website-just put in the time.

 

Whether you install a new head or not, a collection of hoarded Datto parts in NEVER a bad thing!

 

:D

[datsunaholic]

A '72 620 should have had an open-chamber A87 head stock anyway.

[Rays74]

A '72 620 should have had an open-chamber A87 head stock anyway.

 

Being as it would have come with an L16, wouldn't that be a 210? An open chamber A87 head seems wrong for a small bore :) OR am I just out to lunch here?? LOL

 

--Ray

[flatcat19]

L18/A87

[datsunaholic]

ONLY the 1974 620, 710, and the '73 610 had the L18 in the US. 72-73 620s had L16s stock with A87 open heads, as did '73 510s. Compression was low, but not as low as you'd think. I suspect the cc's of the A87 open chamber isn't as big as the U67, but of course the data out there isn't always the most accurate. An open A87 was made by machining out the closed area of the head. Heck, the U67 I have on the bench right now shows visible signs of machining a closed chamber into an open one, yet you never hear of a closed U67. That machining could have been varied depending on the application- remember, there were at LEAST 17 different part numbers attributed to an A87 head. So there were differences.

 

It is fairly rare though to find an all-original truck with the factory original engine in it, but the few '72-and '73 620s I've seen with originals all had A87s as did the '73 510s I've seen (73 510s being very rare, I've only seen a couple and only one with numbers-matching engine). Back before 1975 the engine serial number was on the dataplate so you can at least tell if the block was original. My Mom's '73 is one of these few originals, and back in 1992 I rebuilt the engine, so I've seen the business end of the open-chamber A87 in person.

 

I did part out a '74 with the number-matching L18 block with a 210 head, but judging by the copious amounts of orange RTV it had clearly been messed with up top. I've seen just about everything though- '79 620s with L16s, a '77 King Cab with an A14 in it (!!), and even a 521 with a L14. Factory L16s with W53 heads but all the bosses and machining that a NAPS-Z engine would have, etc. It's a mixed up mess when dealing with 30-44 year old vehicles. Hell, I have a L18 with a U67 head on it and it ran great, even though the compression was in the 7.9:1 range.

[ddrum]

yeah i've been searching a lot, my 210 head has been machined i dont know how much but its machined very close to the number 210, my block is bored .30 so im not sure what would be a good option for it.

[ddrum]

and yes it is an L16

[Rays74]

Thanks for that info, 'holic :) I agree it can be quite muddy at times! When we tore into Ol Yeller's white '72 and it had it's orig L16 with 210 head, just like my orig '72 510 wagon.

 

Hmmmmm....wonder how an L16 would run with a closed chamber W53?

 

--Ray

[datzenmike]

cc the head and that will tell you if you can run it without a drop in compression.