OK maybe it was not a cheap crappy one, Chevy nuts say my casting number ending in 848 is "the best one ever made" ...

... but I would still like to know if anybody had the answer to my original question, eh?

To be more specific, did the 261 heads have steam holes?

Thanks,
Dave

Dave a machinist at a local machine shop told me the 235 head can be drilled out to create the steam holes using a 261 head gasket as a template.  He was a very well respected man who for years raced bored and stroked flat head ford engines. His name is Jack George but he has passed away. He also told me the best head to use on a 261 was a 1962 261 head because of a smaller combustion chamber which created a slightly higher compression ratio. This head used the same size valves. He also informed me of countlesss times a 235 head was used on a 261 without creating steam holes and with the wrong head gasket and the overheating and blown head gaskets problem occuring. This was in his words job security for him. If they would of brought it here in the first place they would not of had to do it twice! He is still talked about today and is a legend in dirt track racing in our parts.

Al

Sure explains why the head gasket blew out, eh?

If it sells, I'll of course do a full disclosure.

If not, is there any information about what direction to drill the holes? I would use the gasket as a guide to location, but - drill straight up? or at an angle somehow?

(I have a copy of that article and it doesn't give specifics about how the holes are drilled in the head.)

Thanks,
Dave