I've already bought heads for the stroker and already have the block that I'm going to use. I wont be using the block in the car. I'll either hold on to that engine to use somewhere else or sell it when I make the change. I don't want to put a bunch of money in an engine that will be replaced down the road. It will cost me 500-600 dollars to fix the existing heads and I'm looking for a lower cost fix. Also, if I use the aluminum heads I bought for the stroker, then I have to spend money getting pushrods and rockers. I'm just looking for a low cost fix so that I can drive the car till I'm ready to switch engines.

kdgt500 wrote:

As I posted on here awhile back, I had a valve get bent and found out my heads on my 69 302 in my 67 needed reworking and I've been trying to find a lower price alternative because I'm not looking to spend a whole lot of money on engine that is to be replaced not long down the road with a stroker engine. I've found a set of 66 289 heads that have been reworked for sell. I'm posting to see if the stock pushrods and rockers from my 69 302 will be ok to use and if there are other stuff that I need to be prepared for. I know the heads will bolt on, but I was just wondering if all the other stuff is interchangeable.

Get one of the used head gaskets from your 302 and match them against the 289 head to see if all the water holes line up.  Ford might have changed things over the years.  The push rods and rockers should be identical.
 

To get back to the original question... It depends on the type of valve tips on the heads.  If it has the real short tips like were used on early engines with non-rail rockers, you have to use a non-rail rocker and either pushrod guide plates (with hardened pushrods) or the heads have to have the pushrod guides cast in, as evidenced by a 5/16" wide slot vs a round hole where they pass through the head.

If you have the longer tip valves that use rail type rockers, you can use rail type rockers and matching pushrods (same for 289 and 302 with early style rail rockers.)  You can also use non-rail rockers with the longer valves IF you have slotted holes or aftermarket guideplates with hardened pushrods.

There are many variables that can affect this, like whether it has adjustable studs or not.

Post a picture of what you have and we can go from there.

IF..........you can use the 289 heads the CR will most likely be a tad-bit higher. Chambers are smaller.  Should be pretty EZ to resell down the proverbial road.
6sal6

The previous pics are all the ones I have for the heads that I've taken off. You can see in one the bent valve that started all of this.

Yeah it got the stud pretty good too when that valve bent. I've already priced what fixing them would cost and was looking for a lower cost fix. I found a set of 289 heads locally on craigslist that have been reworked.

MS wrote:

OK, your 302 1970 heads have the long tip valves with non-adjustable studs and rail type rocker arms and do not use guide plates or slotted heads.

How can just fixing those heads not be cheaper than anything else you can get?  You are actually going to trust a set of 289 Craigslist heads that (like they all say) were just rebuilt before putting them on the shelf?

X2!
 

OK, then you will need to know which type of valve tips the 289 heads have, and if the studs are adjustable or non adjustable.

If the valves have the long tips like your 70 heads, you can use the rail type rockers and same pushrods, whether or not it has adjustable rocker studs.  But, DO NOT use the rail type rockers if the heads have the slots where the pushrods go through the head.  The slots combined with the rail rockers will start things getting chewed up.

TK66FB wrote:

Thanks for this good information as I am working on a similar issues.  I have a set of 65 heads with the slots and was wondering if I could use the valves, rockers and other parts off a 67 head to redo the 65s.  Looks like the answer is no for the rockers, but what about the valves?  I also have a set of 72 heads that I assume will have interchangeable with the 67s and thus the valves should work on the 65s.

Thanks again for the information.

You will get a better response from starting a new thread/subject/topic. Lota guys with the answers may not read this threat but WILL read your new thread.
Welcome to the forum BTW
6sally6