Posted by Mike W. on October 04, 2002 at 23:19:01 from 205.188.209.80
In Reply to: Re: Which E-12 heads are prone to crack? posted by blair on October 04, 2002 at 19:41:54:
The 79 and earlier are the worst, 80-81 significantly better and the later ones, post E12 of course, are still better. Early heads had a slot for the cooling passage on the head, and 8MM of aluminum between it and the combustion chamber if I recall. Later ones had it thickened to 13MM. Still later ones had two holes instead of the slot which are even less prone to cracking, although I have heard some say they have a slight tendancy to blow head gaskets but I haven't had that problem without a warped head. They are all interchangeable, but some combinations require special gaskets, like if you use an early head with a 3.5 engine.
Mike