Big block Chevy head question?

Question

What is the difference of "open chamber" or "closed chamber" heads when referring the the big block Chevy? Are there advantages to either in a high performance application?

Answer 1

the difference is the size of the chamber in the head and piston configuration,they will not interchange ,closed chamber piston have to go to closed chamber heads,open chamber is supposed to be more productive

Answer 2

The difference between open and closed chamber heads is the volume of space between the top of the piston in relation to the bottom of the valves...the heads will in fact interchange but you must be sure that the piston if domed will not hit the valves when it is at top dead center...closed chamber heads were made for the higher horsepower engines chevrolet put out from 1965 thru early 70s such as 396,402,427 and 454...these heads are also referred to as rectangular port heads because ot the intake runners and oval port heads are the open chamber variety...give me the numbers off the heads and the casting dates too and i can tell you what type of heads these are...as far as performance the closed chamber head is the one you want to use it has a higher cfm flow value than the open chamber but if you are going to drive it on the street the open chamber head will work out better for you...closed chambered heads were meant for full throttle wide open applications and open chambered heads are great for mid-range torque etc. closed chambered heads give you higher compression by the way too...