casting # head

[Dantheman]

Anyone heard of casting #23 on an L16 head?

 

[MicroMachinery]

Where's it at?

[Jesse C.]

Nope

[wayno]

Take a photo, where on the head is the "23"?

[Dantheman]

Not sure, going to look tomorrow. I asked him to look for numbers on passenger side bottom. And those are the numbers he said. I have not read any ones post with these numbers, must not be looking in the right place. Just thought I would ask.

[wayno]

W53???

[Dantheman]

#23 Is cast on the side, but the pic was taken too close so it is hard to tell the location. My guess is that if it is a w53, A87 or 219 it would make for a good upgrade from my stock 210. Is that right?

[datzenmike]

Got to figure that not every head was made by the same mold. Makes sense at the foundry to have hundreds of molds. If a problem develops with one, having the mold number cast on them would help ID which are the bad ones. It could also simply a casting revision.

[MicroMachinery]

I'm sure I've seen numbers cast into a head before that had nothing to do with the designation of the head. The stamp you're looking for is between the #1 and #2 spark plug holes, and it runs along the edge of the base of the head, where it mates up with the head gasket and engine block. If there's nothing there, it's very likely you're dealing with a regular old stock L16 head. Check to see if it's open or closed(peanut) chambered.

[Dantheman]

Looking forward to looking at it in person. Have strong feeling the casting number shown is located some where else. He said it was pulled from a 72 L16 from a 510

[Dantheman]

Thanks for all your help

[datzenmike]

This is likely what you will see. "MAKE IN JAPAN 210" along the bottom between #1 and #2 plug holes as Micro said.

 

[Dantheman]

Yes, I sent him a pic of mine showing location. It did not seem to change any thing for him.

[Dantheman]

I picked up the head. The#23 was on the back of the head. It is an A87 closed chamber with a u20 cam. Came with a box with extra springs, towers and other small parts.

[datzenmike]

If it looks like it was scratched into the mold with a nail then just a mold number or revision.

[Dantheman]

The #23 is in the casting located at the rear of the head. The head and cam combo is close to what a SSS would be? I am guessing it will be an upgrade from my 210 head and stock cam.

[datzenmike]

The casting identifying number (or letters) are located low on the head between the #1 and #2 spark plug holes and the rare time at the very front of the head and no where else! For an example....

 

 

 

L16s usually had a 210 head. Any other head will lower your compression. An open chamber head will drop it to 7.72 to one. A closed chamber (peanut) head will still drop it to 8.21. So forget about anything but a 210 head for now.

 

If you want a cam increase, replace the L16 cam with one from an L20B. The L20B cam is almost exactly the same as the L16SSS cam.

[Dantheman]

thanks for your help mike.

[Dantheman]

So I remember I read the U20 cam is a L20 cam. So if I put the cam in the 210 head, this would be better than using the A87 with that cam. Are the benefits of the heads other than 210, the increase valve size? I read alot about many wanting a peanut head. If it lowers compresion, what is the benefit?

[datzenmike]

U20 cam? Don't know if they will fit or not. L20B cam will. A-87 cams are very likely the same as the L20B cam.

 

edit: Misunderstood. Thought you meant a U20 motor. Yes a U20 casting will fit any L head.

 

Increased valve and port size will aid high speed breathing.

 

Not much to be gained from putting a peanut head on a stock L16. There is a slight drop in compression which negates any gain from larger valves. The L16SSS motor also had flattop pistons, stock L16 pistons have a 7cc dish. Flattop pistons and peanut head produces a compression of about 9.28

 

 

The closed chamber head has a large quench area where the piston at TDC is only the thickness of the head gasket away from touching it. Open chamber heads are ... open.... above the whole piston top. On the peanut head the air that is 'pinched' between the piston and the head is violently thrust out into the middle of the open part of the combustion chamber. This produces desirable swirl and turbulence which homogenizes the combustion gasses increasing the efficiency. In addition there is less chance of hot spots that can lead to pre ignition. The effect works best with flattop pistons and with dished pistons the pinch is lessened.

[Dantheman]

Again, thanks. So I will hange on the the head for future build. Not looking for any real hot engine, just thought this may have been a cheap upgrade

[datsunaholic]

Most A87 heads in the US came with a U20 casting cam.

[Dantheman]

Thanks datsunaholic. So it's not someones performance frankenstien?

[datsunaholic]

No. It's just a head off a Japanese-market L18. That's generally where closed-chamber A87s came from. BTW it would work fine on an L16, but change the torque range a bit. Move the torque curve higher in the RPM band, but lose some on the bottom. Flows better than a stock 210 casting head. May or may not actually lower compression- L16s had OPEN chamber heads, and they were open-chamber A87 heads in the 1973 model year. Compression can't be that bad.

[Dantheman]

I don't even know the internal condition of my l16. Just getting it running. Had a friend sort some of the wiring issues. I put a rebuilt match box, rebuilt starter, rebuilt alternater, and rebuilt the down draft weber. So a real close to stock, but hopefully reliable. It does run, but have not even gone as far as checking compression yet.