[rbohm]

the heads i took off my car are 69 302's stamped with B in the center. (for sale by the way)

are they boss 302's? from what i know a boss 302 is a 302 block with 351 heads. right??
-------------------------

your stock heads are likely not boss heads. as was stated the boss heads have canted valves and very large ports.

the 351c 4v heads and the boss 302 heads are very similar. in fact the basic design is the same, just a couple of changes in the routing of the cooling system passages.
=============
the valves were white and my plugs look new.
am i running lean?
i always thought i was running rich.

also noticed on my pistons that right were the spark plug sits above the piston there is a little discoloration. what would cause this? bad timing curve or what?
-----------------------------------
remember the valves and the area direclty below the plug are the hottest spots in the combustion chamber. what you are seeing is actually burnt carbon deposits. it is normal. plugs should be light tan to a medium brown in color for normal operation. i hate to sound contradictory, but white insulators can be either a rich or lean mix. usually if lean they will have a light discoloration to them. if rich, and the mix will realllly rich, they will be pure white as the fuel is washing the deposits off the plug. if the engine is that rich, you will have drivability problems, like hard starting, flooding, no power etc. so it sounds like you are running lean.
=================