C7AE-A Heads

[olman]

  Guys, curious to know if the 390 GT engine came from factory with more than one type head or if there were more than one including the C7AE-A.  Thanks

[My427stang]

I don't know dates of when each switched, someone may know, not to mention the transition to 390IP but

C6AE-R
C7AE-A
C8AE-H

None were anything special and came on everything from 352 trucks to grandpa's lopo 428s

[thatdarncat]

For the 390 GT, basically the head castings switched each model year. Like Ross said, they were shared with the other non-427 and non-428 CJ FE engines produced that particular year. There were multiple castings used the 1966 model year, two of the more common are the C6AE-R & C6AE-U, probably others. In the 1967 model year the C7AE-A castings were used, and for the 1968 390 GT & 1969 390 I.P. the C8AE-H were used.

[GerryP]

And just so you know...

The only thing that makes a head a GT head are the valve springs.  So, what the others are pointing out;  that any of the heads used on a GT engine were also used on a 2bbl Galaxie wagon and other low performance applications.

GT engines came in the Fairlane and Mustang, so they were drilled for a 14-bolt exhaust flange pattern.  Heads used in other applications used the 8-bolt drilling.

So, you could be looking at a C7AE-A head with 14-bolt flange and assume it came off a GT, but, as in my case in particular, it could have also come off an H-code (2bbl) 390 in a Fairlane.  Again, the only difference being the valve springs.

[thatdarncat]

Valve springs, and at least in the ‘66-‘68 model years also single piece spring retainers on the 390 GT engines. Off the top of my head I’m not sure which retainers the ‘69 I.P. used, I’ll look it up in a bit.

[olman]

So in other words the head castings were unchanged except for the year of the casting and whether the exhaust was drilled for14 or 8 bolt.

[67428GT500]

No, all three heads have different intake ports. Some have provisions for air injection, some don't. They all have different chamber sizes and the C7AE-A was also used on the 428. They are what came on my 1967 GT 500 originally. I changed them to a C6AE-R, which use the earlier tall "low riser" port. 
                                                             
                                                                                           -Keith

[olman]

   Thanks guys for the information- really enjoy the "schooling" I get when I log on here.