How to ID a camel back or camel hump head, and what good are they?

[Coley]

Double bump, 'camel' or 'fuelie' heads are good heads but they are generally dated.
That said, there are a lot of intelligently and correctly built vintage motors running around with them that will easily outperform a slap together vortec head job.
Guys were running 12 second quarter mile times with all that 'old/vintage' machinery all day long. You would be hard pressed to find a lot of modern guys being able to match those numbers with generic modern engine bolt-on/builds.
True vehicle performance is an intelligent and well selected combination of parts and set-up. It doesn't reside much in a couple of modern new tech parts.....at least at the end of the quarter mile.
My two bits.
Coley

[61K10]

Out dated--Sure (just like me) I ported a set of 462"s with 2.02/1.60 valves for my 355"sb back in the late 80's. 11to1/ Esky 602 rollor/4bolt with cast crank/800 holley/th350 9"conv/4.56 9" in a 67 nova that was back halved. best et was 10.74/123. and that was lunching at 4200rpm on the foot brake (no trans bk). They are good up to about 6500rpm modded.

[Coley]

Originally Posted by 61K10

Out dated--Sure (just like me).....in a 67 nova that was back halved. best et was 10.74/123......

Wow...great run, great times.
Interestingly you would have won both of these modern 'super car' races:
Worlds greatest drag races: (....maybe?)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDP7Pty8Qnw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaS7n6qKQe4

All Good
Coley

[61K10]

Don't know about winning any races nowadays. I was an et-racer on Wednesday night in the jackpot class. cut a light and run your dial-in. with a pro tree a deep stage, was the only way to cut a good light. In the teens area or better was the rule. here's a pic of the car. A little bazaar for the time. i think the 11.23 pic was with a solid cam and not the roller. lol it's been awhile. also car was built in my garage with help from my neighbor. for you old timers, he looked and talked like Woof man Jack (his name was Jack) take care people!!

[Blue Rat]

The double humps were what it was about back in the 70's 80's . The 461's 462's an 291's. The 291 had the bigger combustion chamber.

[frankslagoon]

I have to give in to the vortex heads also. but have a warm place in my heart for the old heads. But if those DDL humps are 492 castings with angle plugs don't throw em away. they are pretty hard to find and will be needed for a proper restore on a fuelly small blk.

[Captainfab]

I happen to have a set of those in the garage. I'll build another engine to put them on someday.

Originally Posted by frankslagoon

I have to give in to the vortex heads also. but have a warm place in my heart for the old heads. But if those DDL humps are 492 castings with angle plugs don't throw em away. they are pretty hard to find and will be needed for a proper restore on a fuelly small blk.

[GASoline71]

I'd run ported fuelie heads before "vortex" heads any day of the week.

Gary

[GRX]

Vortec for sure. No disputing heads designed after the advent of flow bench technology. Typical double humps flow between 190 and 210 CFM on the intake side. True Vortec (not just center bolt cover type) are around 225 if I remember correctly. More critical than total peak CFM is port shape and flow time through the port. The valve spends little little time during the intake cycle at full open, so numbers at part lift are what makes real power. In other words, sacrificing low lift flow for high lift numbers can be counter productive. In this regard the Vortec are are superior as well.