I know that the block in the 86 was iron and that the block in the 87 was aluminum. However I am wondering if the heads are the same in both engines. If anyone knows let me know. Also if you know any other differences or simularities please let me know. thanks

the blocks are cast iron on both, the heads in 87 went to aluminum (86 was cast iron). they changed a lot on the motor. other than the heads being aluminum, they are a fast burn combustion chamber, dished pistons, the motor had digital ignition (dis) instead of a distributor. the crank had a reluctor wheel and the block had a speed sensor in it for the ignition. the intake manifold was completly different, using the room were the distributor would have been.

basicly all i have found thats interchangable is the conecting rods, the camshaft, the timing set, and the oil pump.

Sorry that is what I meant i got ahead of my self. I meant to say they changed the heads from iron to aluminum. Thanks for the other info though.

not a problem. i have built an ironhead motor for performance in my 86 z24 so im one of the few that knows the ins and outs of the ironhead in the cavy. they are a bit different than the other ironhead motors.

What engine do you think is better the 86 or the 87.