Interesting L05 build

I almost bought this engine but someone beat me to it.... its an L05 shortblock with 217 marine heads and a Speed Warrior intake. After some research I found that these heads were essentially used on a 300hp GM crate engine or the Mercruiser Marine Magnum 350.

I never knew about the 217 marine heads but apparently they are close to being the early iron 083 Camaro heads. The attractive thing for me was the low miles. Unfortunately he could not verify what camshaft was in it.. and I wasn't sure that this engine (that was coming out of a small Corvette) would've been the proper fit for my much larger Caprice. I realize that the 217 head is nothing special in terms of higher performance when compared to a set of aftermarket iron heads.. like Dart or World... but nonetheless... I'd read that they are easily capable of 300-325hp... which is much much better than the power potential of the 193 heads.

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So has anyone ever seen the 217 heads or considered them for their B Body? Apparently they are the 193 heads without the special angled intake bolts or swirl port features.

My thoughts are: I would think that these heads were developed for a smaller car or a boat and that I would lose a significant amount of TQ to use while driving around on the street if I used them on my Caprice. While the 193 Swirl Port heads leave a lot to be desired in terms of performance.. the one thing they do well is create a lot of good low end torque to push a large vehicle.. like a truck or a B Body... around. My idea is that if i were to use them I would have to offset the TQ loss with a proper camshaft and set of long tube headers.

Anyway... I thought this was an interesting build and wanted to share it with you guys. If you have any comments or insights.... please share.