vortec heads

[winky]

so i was wanting to clear something up for my self.. im building a 350 for my blue truck and the other day ago i got called out to a mud hole were two trucks were stuck.. (fords) and i had a valve start "floating" i guess. sounded like the engine knocking but it was actually backfiring threw the carb. one of the guys asked if i was gonna pull them out with my engine knocking and of course i was being cocky and said  yeah man its a  chevy it can do anything even with the engine knocking. the guy asked what i was gonna do when it blew and i said i was already building an engine, he wanted details so i told him everything and about the vortec heads.. he said you need to find some double hump heads.. i told him i already had one but not one to match it plus the vortec had better flow and all that good stuff versus a double hump that hasn't  been ported and what not. he started going do you know anything about engines blah blah blah... according to him stock double humps are better than modified vortecs... i disagree but the guy apparently builds engines for people so now people that were there are thinking im some idiot working at a chevy dealership and i don't even know anything about heads.. sorry for the drug out story but who was right??

oh yeah i pulled the fords out then went threw the mud hole in 2 wheel drive. drove in backwards and everything showing off

[Captkaos]

Vortec heads have better flow than the double hump heads, this guy is living in the past.  Finding a set of double humps that aren't a boat anchor isn't worth the effort when you can get them so cheap fully assembled.  http://sdparts.com/details/gm-performance-parts/25534421

[winky]

thanks, that's what i was thinking.. i figured he was just used to way back when the double humps were a big deal and just hadnt woke up and realized gm improves there products over the years

[bigbird90650]

Stock Vortec heads are better flowing and make more power over stock camel humps. It's been proven over and over. I've built 3 350's in my life. 1 was with camel humps and 2 with vortecs. The Camel Hump headed motor ran great and hauled some booty but the Vortec motors, especially one of them, ran like a bat out of heck. There are alot of other factors that will make a huge difference to the way both engines will run but overall the Vortecs are better performers. The Vortecs require or are best performing with a dual pattern cam. Different intake and exhaust specs. On the Vortecs the intake flows great but the exhaust is a little restricted so the dual pattern cam kinda helps that. There is a downside to the Vortecs though and it's the durability factor. The camel humps are heavyweight castings and the Vortecs are kinda lightweights. They are crackprone so you gotta watch your temps closely. When I took my used Vortecs to my machine shop to have them rebuilt, the guy told me before he even checked them out that they are crack prone and probably are cracked. He told me that 9 out of 10 used Vortecs that come to him are cracked. Well guess what? I had 2 sets (4 heads) of used ones and ALL of them were cracked. OMG. So there is the weakness of Vortecs. I put a set of brand new ones on my first engine and only ran it for 1000 miles with no probs so I can't really say how long they last. I'm sure they would have been fine cause I pay close attention to my cooling system and always make sure it's working great and I always watch my gauges when I drive.  Last thing about the Camel Humps. In stock form they aren't really worth building for an engine today regarding price. I see sets all the time on Craigslist for $100. Then you have to have them rebuilt including hardened seats for unleaded gas and possibly new valves, springs and retainers. By the time you add up all of the cost, you could have bought a brand new set of Vortecs or almost bought the Proform (generic) aluminum heads. They are just not worth it anymore with the newer/better choices out there today. But you have to factor in the cost of a new intake manifold to fit the Vortecs. I love the Vortecs because of the additional performance but also because of the valve cover design. Very little leaking problems with the centerbolt covers and I just adore the blue Felpro gaskets that they use. Just my .02 Screw those Ford guys anyways. They are stuck in the past. Wow sorry for the LONG reply. Oh P.S. Chris included the link in his post for the Vortecs but it's for the Upgraded Vortecs. Here's a link for the stock Vortecs on the same site.

http://sdparts.com/details/gm-performance-parts/12558060

[1980c10]

If you want to know what heads are the best in stock form; go to your local dirttrack and see what everyone is running. Vortech heads out perform the old double hump heads by about 30 hp. You could also look up some flow #'s and you will see it on paper. Also compare them side by side the vortech has a better chamber for flow and better spark plug placement in the chamber.

[winky]

thanks everyone i was pretty sure they were better but that guy made me double guess myself

[yellowk20]

If you want the baddest of the bad in Vortec heads check this place out. Its the only place I go now when I need heads for my small blocks


http://www.castheads.com/