Hi all, I am just wondering everybody's opinion on the 1965 "K" Hemi aluminum heads? I am building another engine and came across a real nice set that were never cracked or milled to death. They do have newly installed valve seats - both intake and exhaust. The heads have not been run since the seats were installed. Assuming the seats were installed with the correct interference, what is your opinion of these heads? Are they prone to cracking, or do they have porosity issues, ie. bad castings with pin holes? They will be pressure tested before I build them. Just wondering everybody's opinion on them since there is some good Hemi knowledge here. By the way, the engine will be 9:1 compression with a very mild camshaft - it will be all show without the go. I just want to cruise around town and not race it at all. Thanks, Rob

You didn’t ask for my opinion but I would sell those to a guy that needs them for a real 65 car and buy a new set of Eddy’s.

And pocket some money with no worries.

Couldn't agree more. Plus a better selection of valve covers.

If contemplating selling them PM me and I will hook you up with a guy that does a fair amount of 64/65 Hemi restorations.

Thank you for the replies everyone. At this point, I plan on using them. I do have the valve covers for them. Although, I guess a nice new pair, or really clean used newer pair of aluminum Mopar heads would be an interesting trade? I didn't realize there are guys out there that specifically look for and use these heads.

What you have is the most valuable hemi head. If they are decent you can swap them for new Edelbrocks or Mopar heads. But Mopars of course won't run with Edelbrock Victor Jrs. And if the valve covers are decent they are worth good money too.

Good to know, thanks for the reply. So, I guess the castings are good and there is nothing to worry about as long as they check out.

I remember hearing more than one complaint about the 1965 K heads having porosity issues and other problems a long time ago when they were being drag raced a lot
Check the rocker arms for ratio, most of the OEM factory ductile iron ones suck horribly on the lift at the the valves, I've seen .130 lift differences at the retainers on factory stock stuff

Nothing at all wrong with the castings. The only problem is they are old. I mean really old. Usually very tired and have been worked over many times. I don't even have a use for them but if they are decent I would ship you new Edelbrocks for the heads and valve covers. I do have to admit I love 65 parts because the 1965 Super Stock Dodge is my favorite car of all time.

Are the "1965 "K" Hemi aluminum heads" the only ones NHRA allows on 65 Stock and Super Stock cars or is there a aftermarket replacement allowed?

The first heads that were legal replacements for the 65's were the "replacement heads" aka "twin plug heads" aka "Ross Foundry heads" aka "433 heads". I assume the heads made in the late 90's were also legal. They let people run all kinds of stuff in S/S now.

You only need to worry about being correct casting numbers or "legal" heads is IF you get torn down after winning a NHRA race or set a NHRA class record
NHRA tech has changed a bunch on what is legal in both Stock and super Stock
Contact your NHRA division tech department or NHRA tech national to get the straight scoop on what they allow

You have heads and valve covers. But do you have valve cover gaskets??…. They are specific to those heads and I do not believe they are being reproduced.

Stan

Go to NHRARacer.com.

It’s the location for class weights, factors and engine blueprint specs. It will tell you what part numbers are allowed for heads, manifolds, carbs, etc., amongst other things important if you race NHRA.

Selling them and getting Eddies is probably a good idea. Those will be worth big $$$$ to the right guy. We found in the old days they had a tendency to crack around the valve seats, probably because the metalurgy in 1965 was not what it is today. They take a unique valve cover, too, and even gaskets can be hard to ffind and someone will hold you hostage to get them.

As luck would have it, there is a set on Ebay now. But I can easily make my own out of gasket material, have done it before but not for the K heads.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/295805039929?

I used to have a 65 lightweight. I sold it before I ever restored it. They are too expensive to build because of all the rare parts and most cars don’t have all those rare parts on them. Then after you finish it, they don’t really bring very big bucks compared to some of the more desirable hemi cars. But I did get to know some of the SS class racers down in south division 4 because of the car. One of those was Jerry Caro. He raced 64 and 65s out of the group from Southland Dodge in Homa, LA. He told me that he did not use the aluminum K heads or the 64 iron heads because they were prone to cracking. The aluminum heads did not make power like iron heads because they did not hold the heat to make power under the same specs as required by NHRA rules. He had a Chrysler bulletin that stated the iron 66 street hemi head was a replacement head for the 64-65 heads. He carried it with him in the trailer to races and he would produce it any time the tech guys would question him. I’m sure the Teutons all did the same. They owned Southland Dodge. I have not seen or talked to those guys in a long time but I do know that NHRA has opened up a lot of the rules and allowed a lot of replacement heads in all the S/SS classes.

To answer your question, though, I’d sell those heads in a heartbeat to a restorer and get better heads. You probably even make money. Contact Hemi Eddie on eBay. He’s the guy with the gaskets. He reproduces lots of race hemi parts. He worked for Chrysler and had a very original 65 Dodge light weight at one time. I bet he still does.

I wouldn't try to make cork gaskets. You can find some eventually for a little less than $100. Fel Pro MS90007 intake gaskets have crossram gaskets included. That guy is always a little bit high but I'm glad he's out there supporting 65's.

For the 1964 Hemi engines, NHRA lists this:

A -2468016 OEM CI Head uses S/SS Factors
A -2780559,2780559-M,2780559-M1,2780559-M2 CI Heads use S/SS Factors
A -2531110,2531110-M,2531110-M2,3614433 AL Heads use S/SS factor with replacement heads

For the 1965:

A -2531110 OEM AL Head uses S/SS Factors
A -2780559,2780559-M,2780559-M1,2780559-M2 CI Heads use S/SS Factors
A -2531110-M,2531110-M2,3614433 AL Heads use S/SS factor

The 433 heads are legal with one plug blocked in each cylinder since it was a dual plug head.

There is a pair of 65 valve cover gaskets on ebay now for $49.95. Good price.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/166477900432?