Thread: a few 350 questions

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hi i own a 69 nova with a 350 cid i have a few questions about the 350..first has anyone had a problem with high heat from the headers in the engine bay just seems like they put out a ton of heat just a little concern....also where can i locate the block codes to figure out what year 350 i have the nova had a 6 cyl before hand..and finally for a mild 350 which gas should i use i was running 87 but doesnt seem like it gets the job done....thanks for your help

The engine block codes are located at the rear top of the engine where the tranny bolts on!

If they are not there they will be on the right side of the block below the head!!

Dont worry about the heat from the headers as long as all your wiring is at least 6 inches from them it is normal for them to run hot as hell. Nothing you can do about it. And for the gas it depends on the carb most the time 87 is fine if not for yours run 91.

There is one thing you can do if you think you have too much header heat. There is a header rap you can get to wrap the headers. It actually is supposed to increase performance some by keeping the exhaust gas hotter in the header area, which gives you better exhaust gas volecity and increases exhaust gas scavenging.

Your compression ratio will dictate how well it's going to run on the lower octanes,,,if it's 9.5 to 1 you dont have any worries at all with an 87 octane.
If it's 10-1 then you may have to adjust your timing a little and use octane boost.

you can always get your headers ceramic coated. Jetdry I think its called, dont hold me to that its been a while since I did business with them. But the coating keeps the header insolated so your engine bay will be cooler since the heat stays in the headers.

A point of information. Every header manufacturer that I know of specifically warns against wrapping the headers, and if you do it to new headers, it voids any warranty on them.