The Ford Barn

Bruce Lancaster · 05-01-2012, 11:22 AM

Denvers were all iron, all prewar. They came in 81AS at 60 CC and in 2 versions with merc 239 numbers...I have all the cc specs around somewhere. The 81's at 60 CC were a hot setup for stock spec racers but I believe they were discontinued before the war and so were very rare by the time they were widely known...I have a set of the 81's, and it is the only set I have seen. The guy I bought then from was in the race car section at hershey, and said that he had brought the things to Hershey for 15 years and I was the first person to notice what they were! Some piece of Ford literature I have designates them for something like "high altitude and natural gas" use.
The real Canadian aluminum C7RA was slightly higher comp than the 59A-B US head, probably about enough to compensat the heat loss to aluminum...it was imported in considerable numbers in 1960's for same market that wanted Denvers...it had a normal Ford chamber with high flow area.
The Weiand copies were MUCH cruder castings and had a low roof chamber like most aftermarket heads. I think they were sold with two comp ratings originally.
Around 1968, the Honest Charley catalog shows both real and Weiand heads.
I got my C7's from Joblot in the '70's...they had stacks of new Canadian aluminum stuff, I think like 17 dollars per head. I was too poor to buy extras...
Joblot used to let me go back and roam the warehouse...incredible experience!

38 coupe · 05-01-2012, 09:26 PM

Bruce, do you have any pictures of your 81AS heads? Do they look like nobey's heads?

I'd love to find a pair myself to put on my 38 coupe (with 39 Mercury motor equipped with a 53 merc crank...)

Bruce Lancaster · 05-02-2012, 09:57 AM

I think mine are marked differently...will have to go look. I think mine have no 81 up top, just an SB or maybe ASB over at one side sort of like the 81A's that show just an A...markings were very cryptic and obscure, only noticeable to a seriously disturbed part number freak...they look just like all the grimy stock iron heads that no one even notices at fleamarkets.
That would be a really cool setup...your '38 would be a super duper Police Special Secret Weapon, The Police Chief's own moonshiner chaserdowner!

Jason in TX · 05-02-2012, 10:20 AM

Yeah 38 coupe. That would be a great setup!!

alchemy · 05-03-2012, 01:50 PM

I always thought this was a true Kanadian head. It has had the "CANADA" mostly sanded off, but you can see where it used to be. It's not a filled head on the underside, so it looks more Ford-ish than an aftermarket hotrod head might look.

.

Bruce Lancaster · 05-03-2012, 02:26 PM

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A quick casting check on an assembled engine is the big water outlet...the crudity of the Weiand is very apparent there, with extremely irregular hole shape and thick, randomly shaped walls. Actual Ford is smooth, thin, and regular. Also, the W only has one of the small outlets drilled on each head, though obviously those could have been opened, Weiand is cast on the back, and number relating to compression is stamped back there somewhere...don't remember whether alleged ratio or valve pocket depth is noted.

05-01-2012, 11:22 AM	#21
Bruce Lancaster Member Emeritus Join Date: May 2010 Location: Madison, NJ Posts: 5,230	Re: Are these Denver/Cheater Heads? ID help. Denvers were all iron, all prewar. They came in 81AS at 60 CC and in 2 versions with merc 239 numbers...I have all the cc specs around somewhere. The 81's at 60 CC were a hot setup for stock spec racers but I believe they were discontinued before the war and so were very rare by the time they were widely known...I have a set of the 81's, and it is the only set I have seen. The guy I bought then from was in the race car section at hershey, and said that he had brought the things to Hershey for 15 years and I was the first person to notice what they were! Some piece of Ford literature I have designates them for something like "high altitude and natural gas" use. The real Canadian aluminum C7RA was slightly higher comp than the 59A-B US head, probably about enough to compensat the heat loss to aluminum...it was imported in considerable numbers in 1960's for same market that wanted Denvers...it had a normal Ford chamber with high flow area. The Weiand copies were MUCH cruder castings and had a low roof chamber like most aftermarket heads. I think they were sold with two comp ratings originally. Around 1968, the Honest Charley catalog shows both real and Weiand heads. I got my C7's from Joblot in the '70's...they had stacks of new Canadian aluminum stuff, I think like 17 dollars per head. I was too poor to buy extras... Joblot used to let me go back and roam the warehouse...incredible experience!

05-01-2012, 09:26 PM	#22
38 coupe Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: South Texas Posts: 2,040	Re: Are these Denver/Cheater Heads? ID help. Bruce, do you have any pictures of your 81AS heads? Do they look like nobey's heads? I'd love to find a pair myself to put on my 38 coupe (with 39 Mercury motor equipped with a 53 merc crank...)

05-02-2012, 09:57 AM	#23
Bruce Lancaster Member Emeritus Join Date: May 2010 Location: Madison, NJ Posts: 5,230	Re: Are these Denver/Cheater Heads? ID help. I think mine are marked differently...will have to go look. I think mine have no 81 up top, just an SB or maybe ASB over at one side sort of like the 81A's that show just an A...markings were very cryptic and obscure, only noticeable to a seriously disturbed part number freak...they look just like all the grimy stock iron heads that no one even notices at fleamarkets. That would be a really cool setup...your '38 would be a super duper Police Special Secret Weapon, The Police Chief's own moonshiner chaserdowner!

05-02-2012, 10:20 AM	#24
Jason in TX Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: ⓉⒺXⒶⓈ Posts: 2,047	Re: Are these Denver/Cheater Heads? ID help. Yeah 38 coupe. That would be a great setup!! __________________ -------------- Drive it like you know how to fix it! DMAFC / OILERS CC-MC

05-03-2012, 02:26 PM	#26
Bruce Lancaster Member Emeritus Join Date: May 2010 Location: Madison, NJ Posts: 5,230	Re: Are these Denver/Cheater Heads? ID help. Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements) A quick casting check on an assembled engine is the big water outlet...the crudity of the Weiand is very apparent there, with extremely irregular hole shape and thick, randomly shaped walls. Actual Ford is smooth, thin, and regular. Also, the W only has one of the small outlets drilled on each head, though obviously those could have been opened, Weiand is cast on the back, and number relating to compression is stamped back there somewhere...don't remember whether alleged ratio or valve pocket depth is noted.