Spark plug cooling holes

[Butler 32]

I bought a couple of W motors a while back one is a 348 which I'm going to use the other is a 409 that a guy bought from the factory in 64. the 409 doesn't have any numbers on the front pad, so thinking it had been decked I pulled the heads, it has about .025 deck height is this about right for a stock QB engine? My next question is the spark plus cooling holes are plugged with what looks like J-B weld but I don't think they had that back in 64. This motor was bought and put in a dragster it ran 4 runs and crashed, the guy got scared , pulled the motor, and put it in storage, that's where it's been ever since. Was plugging the cooling holes a trick at the time?
Thanks, Greg

 

[Don Jacks]

=Why they would do this to a 409 I don't know but that change would be required if one were to put early 58 cyl.heads on a later block.As to the blank pad if the buyer got the engine or short block thru Chevrolet it would be a Service Replacement block or engine assembly.Those blocks were not stamped.This is likely what you have.

 

[Butler 32]

That's what I was thinking on the stamp maybe they didn't put anything on it. The plugging the cooling has got me baffled though I can't see any advantage. It's an 814 block and 690 heads so they were meant to be.

 

[427John]

Any idea what kind of fuel they were running when it was in the dragster?

 

[Butler 32]

Good point John, the original owner has passed on so details are sketchy, he ran duel 4 barrels so unlikely to be anything other than gas.