No, I'm not changing my own head. I have a 78 Bronco that I put a '71 engine into. It appears that the bearings are bad (loses oil pressure as it gets warm) and maybe other stuff. Should I swap the heads from the '71 onto the engine I pulled that has good oil pressure, but some valve problems? If I do that, what do I need to be careful about. Do I use the push rods that are with the heads? I'm looking to get by cheap if possible.

 

Losing oil pressure as the engine gets warm is a common problem in these motors. It doesn't necessarily mean that the main bearings are bad. The pressure loss is often from the cam bearings or other valve train components.

You can use heavier oil in warm weather, or run an oil line from the front to the rear of the motor. My rule of thumb is that if the lifters on the drivers side don't tap at idle when the motor is warm, then the oil pressure is sufficient, sine the drivers side valve train is the last to get oil.

Otherwise you should be able to swap the '71 heads onto another motor with no problems. All parts will be interchangeable. I would use the pushrods from the motor without valve problems.

 

Thanks danlee for the information. I'll check the motor again as I just changed the oil and filter, but haven't run it long enough to get it warmed up. The oil pressure was dropping off to nothing and the engine was getting noisy, so that is why I'm considering the swap. I should probably drop the pan and take a look at the main bearings and crank to see what they look like before I do a swap.

 

if the engine is getting noisy thats a different sign altogether...