# 061 Heads



## orelog (Dec 21, 2011)

I bought a 65 GTO that had a 67 400cu in motor but was upgraded with the 65 tri-power . This motor has 061 heads on it. These are the open chamber, big valve heads. The block code is VX, and research told me that it is a 290hp motor from a Catalina. My question: What was the purpose of having these big valve heads on a low horsepower motor? Does anyone know what other 67 motors these heads are found on?


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## geeteeohguy (Feb 2, 2008)

The 061 was the first open chamber head for Pontiac. The only one made in '67. No idea why they seemed to come on 2bbl cats and venturas. I had a junkyard '67 cat 400 with those heads in my first car....a '66 GTO. They are very good heads for a street engine, and my old goat made a ton of power with a tripower bolted on. With an 068 cam and decent gas, yours should be a screamer. 061 heads are little known and undervalued. They are a "semi" open chamber, halfway between the early closed chamber and the later full open chamber. They're great heads, IMO.


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## orelog (Dec 21, 2011)

Thanks for the response. I too feel that these are great street heads and as such I have invested a lot of money to upgrade them with hardened seats, Ferrea valves, new springs, new guides cut for the good seals. I also did some minor porting work. I also had the heads cc ed and they were 79cc. The motor is being bored .030 with forged rods and Keith Black flat top pistons. Comp cams 275DE with matched springs and roller rockers will top it off. And I will keep the tri-power!!


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## PontiacJim (Dec 29, 2012)

I just discovered I had a set. They have been sitting for about 14 years. Came off a junk yard Catalina. They sat so long they were rather rusty. Just sent them to my machine shop to hot tank and check for cracks and will go from there. I am planning on reworking them much like you have. If good, I am replacing the press in studs with screw in, assume you had this done as well. Supposed to be an excellent head due to the chamber shape, even though it has the AIR injection holes.


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## orelog (Dec 21, 2011)

I did not have screw in studs put in these heads. The studs were already pinned, and the machine shop was nervous about pulling the old studs with the bosses drilled for the pins. My cam is not so radical that I am worrying about pulling a stud out when I stand on it.


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## PontiacJim (Dec 29, 2012)

orelog said:


> I did not have screw in studs put in these heads. The studs were already pinned, and the machine shop was nervous about pulling the old studs with the bosses drilled for the pins. My cam is not so radical that I am worrying about pulling a stud out when I stand on it.


Pinned studs should work just fine. The Chevy 409CI used pinned studs from the factory on their Hi-Po heads and I never had a problem with mine, .530" lift. They used to sell kits to do this with in the "old" cam catalogs to secure your studs from pulling out with their radical lift cam offerings. I suspect that screw in studs from the factory was a means to save time/labor/materials over pressing in the stud, drilling the stud, inserting the pin, and its cost.


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## geeteeohguy (Feb 2, 2008)

X2. Pinned studs will be fine.


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## mbspeed (Sep 25, 2012)

I was going to open new post on this topic cant find much info on 061 heads . i never removed my heads from motor but i do have screw in studs not sure if 061 have 2.11 1.77 valve or smaller valves i also have a set of 670 heads and was going to build new motor and use a ram air set up . 67 gto with auto witch set would work better for street .the person i got motor from told me the 061 head was a proto type head pontiac tested but i am not so sure .any info would be helpful


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## geeteeohguy (Feb 2, 2008)

061's have the big valves. Not a prototype head, but a production head...the first 'open chamber' Pontiac head. On today's fuel, it would be a better choice than the 670's IMO. You still might need to install dished pistons, though. I would cc the heads and see what the combustion chambers measure out to be. If at 78-80cc, you may be ok to pump premium if all else is right on. The 670's typically run 72cc, and due to their closed chamber design, need a lot of spark advance and super high octane fuel to run right. They are an excellent head, but not for today's fuel.


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## mbspeed (Sep 25, 2012)

geeteeohguy said:


> 061's have the big valves. Not a prototype head, but a production head...the first 'open chamber' Pontiac head. On today's fuel, it would be a better choice than the 670's IMO. You still might need to install dished pistons, though. I would cc the heads and see what the combustion chambers measure out to be. If at 78-80cc, you may be ok to pump premium if all else is right on. The 670's typically run 72cc, and due to their closed chamber design, need a lot of spark advance and super high octane fuel to run right. They are an excellent head, but not for today's fuel.


I do have ross/buttler dish pistons 9.5 cr kit built off the 670 heads for stroker motor i am building i told some one at butler proformance about 061 heads but he did not have lot of info on 061 is there a head that would work better then 061 or 670 for a ram air set up


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## geeteeohguy (Feb 2, 2008)

Yes. There are many, aftermarket aluminum especially. For a cast head, any of the round port ram air heads are superior (but will cost you around twice what the aluminum heads do). For stock D-port heads, the best stock head for making power is the #12, pretty much. 1970 ram air III. The 670 is also an excellent head for making power, if you are running a high compression build. I am not sure what your goal is.


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## mbspeed (Sep 25, 2012)

geeteeohguy said:


> Yes. There are many, aftermarket aluminum especially. For a cast head, any of the round port ram air heads are superior (but will cost you around twice what the aluminum heads do). For stock D-port heads, the best stock head for making power is the #12, pretty much. 1970 ram air III. The 670 is also an excellent head for making power, if you are running a high compression build. I am not sure what your goal is.


My goal is try to get most power from motor fair idle for street driving on todays gas


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## geeteeohguy (Feb 2, 2008)

Then go with some 72cc Edelbrock heads. Can't beat them for the $$$. And at only $2500 or so ready to go, they're only half the price of round port Ram air II or ram air IV heads. You can run stock pistons (high compression) with the aluminum E-heads without issues on pump gas, too. That alone will save you $$$. Good luck with your project.


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## BearGFR (Aug 25, 2008)

:agree 72 cc Edelbrocks. If you've got some extra coin to spend on them, then buy a set ready to run through Central Virginia Machine. Dave Wilcox there built mine. They've got larger valves (2.190 intake, 1.77 exhaust), some chamber work to unshroud the exhaust valve, and his entry level street porting. They are things of beauty:

































Bear


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