EAB heads on 59ab engine?

O

old school rodder

Member
I have a good set of EAB heads and a fresh 59ab short block. Can those heads work on that block? Which head gasket would I use, match the heads or match the block? Any coolant issues? Any help/advice gladly accepted.
 
Lay a 59 style head gasket on the EAB heads, and you'll see a coupla extra holes at the front of the heads that need plugging
 
Headgaskets are usually designed with the optimum flow for the engine in mind...starting to mix parts means you are up for a trial and error...
My thinking is using the gasket designed for the head as a start...then go from there..
What are you trying to achieve with the combo ??
 
I think you would be miles ahead (pun not intended) by reworking your original heads rather than resorting to heads that are not designed to be used on your block just to gain a compression increase. Even if you can get them to work, you still have an unknown quantity when it comes to the resultant compression ratio and "squish" characteristics. Measure the existing head to piston clearance with aluminum foil balls attached to the piston top and have the heads milled to get to a nominal .050-.060" clearance over the piston. Then cleanup any tight spots with a die grinder or a Dremel. You will end up with a much better running engine with a cooling system that works as Ford engineers designed it.
 
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Sorry but I thought using 59ab heads on an 8ba was ok (need to plug the up front holes) but maybe not the other way around? He wants to put 8ba heads on a 59ab ....
 
Thanks for the comments everyone. I was just looking at the heads sitting there, all surfaced and all. the thought came over me, the feedback has me thinking maybe stick with 59ab heads and do the milling and shaping as suggested above. I'll find another use for the EAB's, I guess i'll find an 8ba and build another flathead....its a disease..
 
old school rodder said:
Thanks for the comments everyone. I was just looking at the heads sitting there, all surfaced and all. the thought came over me, the feedback has me thinking maybe stick with 59ab heads and do the milling and shaping as suggested above. I'll find another use for the EAB's, I guess i'll find an 8ba and build another flathead....its a disease..
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eab's are the most desirable head for a stock late motor so they have some value. I have been a little going back and forth whether I should use the brand new edelbrock heads I have or find some eabs for the supercharged motor I'm building.
 
Folks have used late type 8Ba era heads on earlier engines to get the water necks to work the way they want them to. You can see stuff like that on stream liner cars that have run on the dry lakes.
 
My motor is supercharged also. If you read up on stock heads, there's strong argument for stock performing much better than aluminum. Aluminum dissipates heat and weight, but many believe EAB's flow better with minor shaping.
 
All that said, I wonder which cost more these days. Aluminum is $700-$800
last I checked. Rare eab?
 
EAB's can be a little hard to find, but they are much much cheaper than aluminum. Good sets go for less than $200, hence my original thought. I'm into good flowing heads at a fraction of the cost.....
 
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