hi my name is bill i've got a s10 that i plan on putting a 327 in, i've had the block awhile but i don't have the heads. a friend of mine has a set of 283 heads and i have a set of 400 heads. my question is can i use either of these heads, if so do i have to do anything special and which would be the best ? i'm trying to do a good budget motor. thanks  

The 400 heads will have open, 'bathtub-type' combustion chambers that will most likely measure around 76 cubic centimeters. The open chamber heads were rarely used on 327's because the compression would be awfully low and 327's were built in the days of leaded pump fuel, so compression was high even on low-horsepower engines.

More than likely the 283 heads will have a much smaller chamber but they may also have 1.72" intake valves, posing quite the restriction that the 327 intended to eliminate with a 4" bore. So you would have to decide between compression or breathing capability.  

AS a option you can have the heads milled a little bit on the 400 heads That may help also try a different type head gasket some are thinner and set the combustion chamber closer to the piston
any other Thoughts on theese heads
just a suggestion you may look  into  

thanks alot for getting back to me with the info, now i can maybe put bigger valve in the 283 head or maybe i could find 327 heads we'll see thanks again bill  

Looks like you got the help you needed