1960 corvette head (part 2)

[bob ward]

I finally inspected the aluminum head I have that hopefully pertains to my 1960 corvette fuelie big brake (late feb 1960, GM exec car, 8 widewheels, racing history...).

It is marked 3772895 above a cylinder head bolt hole (#4 hole)
The 2895 is ever so slightly offset from the leading 377 (barely)
It has an upside down faint GM cast mark near valve guide #4
It has an upside down #1 mark in the middle

It has a 6 9 1 stamp on each end. The 1 is a deeper hit stamp. The numbers are old style.

It has not been ported or polished, don't see another numbers.

Still has old orange paint on top portions and was on a car at one time.

Any info on what this Exactly is????? Especially the 6 9 1? June 59, first run? my good guess.
June 9, 1961? my bad guess.

[Loren L.]

Is this the red/white cove car that changed

hands at the Biltmore RM auction in 2002?

[bob ward]

Re: Is this the red/white cove car that changed

No, the head is a lone head, and my car is an all tasco turquoise 38K mile car.
Early life around detroit then 90% in ohio.
I thought that auction car was black that sold that supposidly had original heads.And I think it went up into canada after that auction.
bob

[GL Anderson]

Re: 1960 corvette head (part 2)

My heads have the same casting number as the one you have. However they clearly have a cast date, 6-24-59. Also clearly cast into the upper head surface between 2 pushrod slots is cast GIF. The casting number is also cast under a pair of intake ports on the bottom side of the head. Also 1 head has numbers stamped into the end Z?????-A and stamped in the same head RH. Also has 4 numbers stamped on the end of the head with the 1 being a deeper hit than the other 3. I don't see any GM cast marker on either head. Does your head have a rectangular raised area about where 461 heads would have the double hump? If I can help in any other way just let me know. GL

[bob ward]

Re: 1960 corvette head (part 2)

It has a retangular raised area exactly where the double hump would be.
one end of the head was 6 9 1 stamped, spaces between characters.
the other end was 691 stamped (all cropped together).
1 is a heavier hit stamp in both cases.

This head has 'old' orange paint on it, as if it was put in a car on the passenger side and then shot. My guess it was not to be detected or advertized in what it was installed. The GM cast is very light, old style chararcters. I missed it the first time I looked. You should look really close on yours.

You can send me an email on what your numbers are, i.e. anything close to 691.

I think its a different foundry than yours, just a guess. GIF on yours may stand for some foundry (i.e. the F in GIF). Only a single 1 under the head.

bob

[GL Anderson]

Re: 1960 corvette head (part 2)

Does your head have a passage for the heat riser or not? GL

[bob ward]

Re: 1960 corvette head (part 2)

I don't see any passage for a heat riser. On the other hand i don't know exactly what that looks like. I have the 3 large water flow ports that go to the intake manifold (no little ones), all the obvious flow ports on the head surface (little ports around spark plug area, etc). I see nothing that would provide anything out of the norm, even on the outside. Only external hookups are the exhaust manifold, no extra ports anywhere.

[John H.]

Re: 1960 corvette head (part 2)

Bob -

The heat riser crossover passage is one small port, centered exactly between the two pairs of intake ports, on the intake manifold side of the head.

[bob ward]

Re: 1960 corvette head (part 2)

Thanks, then it does have a heat riser port. Same size as the 2 outer water ports, not small. I would imagine all heads had these center ports regardless, added structural intergrity to the head and reduced weight at the same time, even though some intake manifolds don't use them (like the fuelie manifolds as an example).thanks.

[Loren L.]

I need help - if this head NEVER appeared

on a '60 and Chevrolet found sufficient defects to NOT USE IT in production, why do you want another one? Is this the start of a "factory protoype" story, because those records already know the #. Why not just make a coffee table support?

[bob ward]

Re: I need help - if this head NEVER appeared

well I don't know how to answer that, it is a lot of niave aspects on my part. There are plenty of items left to unravel for me, thus the postings on this board. The second owner of my car is still alive outside of detroit and has offered me more black and white photos of the car on the track with a roll bar. He is a stroke victim and does not like to talk too long with me over the phone so I have to sit down with him on a visit from now on. In a previous conversations he said something was changed very early on the heads, that is the only thing wrong on this car, there are early 1961 461x heads on it now. At that time I knew squat about this aluminum head stuff, did not care. I was just glad the date codes on 5 of the wide wheels that came with the car had matching dates to the car, and 3 extra had mixed dates.

So forgive me for asking questions, it may be a coffee table item, a nice trunk display when I'm at shows, or maybe I'll put it on the car so I can use it, I really wanted it becaue it is so light, period correct, and would equate to 315 hp, I don't drive my cars much or beat them to maybe stress a defect. If you have all those factory prototype numbers, please do me a favor and a) explain this head, b) tell me the serial #s for the 15 cars or tell me where to find them, c) find me another one so I can prop up the otherside of my coffee table if that's all they are good for. When I bought it, I knew it was going to be more than likely a conversation piece, but knew I may never see another for 15-20 years.

[Loren L.]

Dave Campbell's article appeared in

The Corvette Restorer in the Spring 1982 issue (Vol 8 #4). Dave was a Chevrolet employee at the time in middle/upper management. Flint engine records showed 3 motors on 1/15/60, 1 on 1/28/60, 2 on 1/29/60, 2 on 2/16/60, 1 on 3/8/60 and 4 on 3/22/60 - a total of 13.
To my knowledge, the only reported sighting of one of these motors in a 1960 in 1960 was by the Le Mans inspectors in June 1960 when they found one of the 3/22/60 motors In Cunningham #1 with CAST IRON HEADS.
Dave Campbell's further research found that Flint built 111 "CR" motors
(FI Hydraulic/cast iron heads) and 789 "CS" (FI Solids/cast iron heads) in the 1960 model year - Chevrolet reported selling 100 "CR" and 759 "CS" cars in 1960.
Looking at the production dates for the aluminum heads, it seems POSSIBLE that there COULD be at least FIVE different castings - I have to believe the motors assembled on 1/28 and 1/29 used the same head.
Jack Podell offered some for sale for a long time in the Driveline; Carey Faber (602)252-7436 has at least one; I THINK Mike Pillsbury at one time had a pair installed on Cunningham #2 (don't know if they were there when it was sold) and others periodically pop up around the country, MOST NEVER HAVING BEEN DRILLED FOR USE.
Your comment refers to the serial #'s of 15 cars - where does that figure come from?

[bob ward]

Re: Dave Campbell's article appeared in

Thanks for this great info. My car does land right smack in the middle of that range for starters, was detroit area purchased, and a no doubt big brake fuelie with original CS engine, engine build date is 2 15 (un fortunately not 2 16 like your data, pretty close though?), the serial #5085. I know odds are not in my favor, but have to ask based on circumstances. They averaged (guess) 10 cars (118/11 month) with big brakes per month in that period. 30 cars over 3 months. 13-15 cars got the heads as a trial from your info and al colvins info. So statisically using a 50% rule that maybe they did not just go on big brakes, thus I am looking at 20% chance (.5 x 13/30). My odds go up if the other 1960 fuelie jan-march cars out there have exact numbers matching heads. They should have post build date heads (or history thereof) or they are out of the running. So give me a little slack on looking into this, I would be asking no questions or expressing interest if my heads were matching. I was going to sell those super early 61 heads that are on still the car, but now I may just keep them now that I think about it.

Page 138 of al colvins corvette by the numbers describes 15 cars, where he gets this I will have to ask some day. He describes the porosity problems. Google searches provided me the aspects of cars after march being non valid for consideration. That's what got me thinking and asking.

Thanks for those phone #s.

Bob

[Loren L.]

13 ENGINES, NOT cars!!! *NM*

[bob ward]

al colvin, 15 cars mentioned/not engines..

I guess someone should jump all over Al Colvin, page 138 said 15 cars. I guess all 13 engines were only in a test lab instead of any cars. Don't shoot the messenger, go after the source writing it (Al colvin). I'm done with posting any more questions on this board on this subject.