hardened valve seats

[usraptr]

I think I already know the answer to this, but is there any way to tell if the original valve seats have been replaced with hardened seats for unleaded gas?   

[Moparal]

When you look at the valve face, you should be able to see if there was a valve seat cut and pressed into the head.

[usraptr]

Thanks,  I have attached a picture as I'm not sure exactly what I'm looking for.  But it appears that you can see the seats next to the valves.  Am I correct?

[Moparal]

Sure looks like it to me. Stock seats are cast right into the heads and not pressed in. What heads are those?  Looks like the valves might be to deep though. Hard to tell in the pictures

[usraptr]

The heads are off a 1970 U code 440.  There are no numbers on the outside of the head that I can find. Under the valve covers there are two numbers "P 28439067-71" which is cast into the head and "11149" which actually looks like it's stamped onto a small metal strap that is then screwed into the head.  Anyway, the engine was rebuilt in 1983 and has been sitting on an engine stand ever since.  I'm going through it to inspect everything and just wanted to make sure it had the hardened valve seats before I put it back together.   So far, everything looks good but I haven't taken the pan off yet to inspect the crank, rods and pistons.

[MEK-Dangerfield]

It looks like hardened valve seats and 906 heads from here. They were probably the most common head on a '70 440. I gottem.   

[usraptr]

Thanks guys.     That saves me the extra expense of having them done.    I've got enough other things to spend my money on.

[Changin Gears]

There is no reason to put hardened seats on the intakes.  In your pictures the intake and exhaust look about the same so I wouldn't come to any conclusions.  I bet they aren't. 

I've run for years without hardened seats, so far so good.

[MEK-Dangerfield]

You can run without hardened seats if you use a lead additive. Is that what you do?

[Changin Gears]

You can run without hardened seats if you use a lead additive. Is that what you do?

No, I figured the worst that could happen is that the exhaust seats would sink and I would then have to install seats. That was 10+ years ago on several engines.

[Aussie Challenger]

  Definetly has inserts, I would be questioning why the inlets were done though.
  Only the exhaust need to be done if not using an additive. In my experience the exhaust will last around 30 - 40,000 miles if you don't drive too hard without inserts. Have had to to do many heads over the years.
  If an engine ran on leaded fuel for some time then the exhaust seem to last longer when changing over to unleaded.   

[Roppa440]

They don't look like inserts to me. But it is many years now since I last looked at a pair of stock heads that closely.

[Chryco Psycho]

there is always machining around the valve so those may not be hard seats , I would remove 1 exhaust valve & take a closer look to be sure

[usraptr]

If I remove the one exhaust valve, what am I looking for that I can't see now?

[Roppa440]

You would see a fine line at the bottom of the insert were it meets the iron of the head.

I am with Chryco. What you can see there is the normal machining you get around the valve when the seat is factory cut.