I was surprised to read this engine was a gas block and not a diesel block Olds.
The Batten heads don't surprise me. Jmo, but I always felt Battens were/are the best aftermarket heads. They were pricey back in the day because you had to buy the matching intake and exhaust flanges then fabricate your own headers. Average guy already had an Edelbrock or Port-o-sonic intakes and headers for iron heads so that made going to Battens a big ticket item for a "pork and beans" guy. I know I couldn't justify the initial expense. I "read"(not saying it's true) that when Oldsmobile was going down, they scrapped pallets of Batten heads.
https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/realoldspower/race-engine-challenge-350-stroker-490-585-t16157.html
The Batten heads don't surprise me. Jmo, but I always felt Battens were/are the best aftermarket heads. They were pricey back in the day because you had to buy the matching intake and exhaust flanges then fabricate your own headers. Average guy already had an Edelbrock or Port-o-sonic intakes and headers for iron heads so that made going to Battens a big ticket item for a "pork and beans" guy. I know I couldn't justify the initial expense. I "read"(not saying it's true) that when Oldsmobile was going down, they scrapped pallets of Batten heads.
https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/realoldspower/race-engine-challenge-350-stroker-490-585-t16157.html