heads

[ChevyGuy]

I have a .060 350 with a comp cam 280H mag cam, headers, edelbrock intake(cant remember which one) 600cfm holley. My heads are 487 which flow better than 882's and they have the big valves. My question is what would happen if i added a set of vortec heads used of course and found me a edelbrock intake for them? Like horsepower and what i need for the vortec heads. Im in college and fixin to graduate. Im fixin to have my truck repainted when i get out and i wanted to do a few things to my motor. It has about 50,000 miles and also i have a th400. I dont know what the gears are now because i broke a pinion gear in my old rearend and put a hole in the housing a year ago. I think the new gears are 3.08's or back again to 3.40's. Any suggestions will be apprieciated. Also prices will help.  

[73K20]

The heads can be gotten used for about 300 bucks and up to about 550 new.  You need to get stiffer valve springs and use the self aligning rockers (both are cheap). Intake will probably be around 150-200 bucks (more for vortec compatible) so that is about 800 total.  This should give you a very noticble jump in performance.  Do you run headers, if not this may be a good time to switch and really let those heads breathe well.

1973 K20 - 350/350/205

[ChevyGuy]

I can get the heads for about $150 used... can you modify a intake to work on the heads? Why would i need stiffer springs? I thought stock springs would handle up to .500 lift? The rockers you mean that would be on the heads? I have headers on the truck.

[ChevyGuy]

what year models am i looking for? 88-95 or 96 and up? I forgot to ask this question. The ones i can get for probally $150 are 88-95 and i have a idea about how to use the intake i got already but will the ports match up to the heads?

[bored and stroked]

vortec heads were availible from 96-2001 on 305 and 350 engines.
You can get a pair brand new for $450. You can modify a normal intake to work, but you'll loose any power gain from switching to vortecs because of the port mis-alingment. Stock vortec heads can only handle .480" lift max. You cam has exactly that much lift. Go to a chevy dealership, tell them you want a set of valvesprings from a 93-97 LT1 camaro. About $60 for the set, stock sized springs and good to .525" lift. Also get some .050" offset locks from CRANE. A edelbrock RPM vortec intake runs $170. You can get the RPM intake, heads, rockers, and I think gaskets [maybe on the gaskets] from scroggin-dickey chevy for $700 somthing.

[bored and stroked]

Forgot to mention, vortecs on the 305 and 350 motors are different. The 305 vortecs use a smaller combustion chamber [58cc] compared to the 350 vortecs 64cc.

[79SilveradoK30]

Plus, the 305 Vortec heads (L30 engine) have tiny intake ports, somehwere in the 150cc range. I'm betting that wouldn't be much better than running old #882 heads.

[73K20]

I agree with bored and stroked.  I think that he summed it up pretty well for you and said pretty much what i was going to tell you.

1973 K20 - 350/350/205

[bored and stroked]

The 305 vortecs have 150cc ports? I was always under the impression they had indentical 170cc intakes as the L31 heads.

[79SilveradoK30]

Well, from what I read in Chevy High Performance they have intake ports in the 150cc range. And if they were wrong about that (it's a Bow-Tie only magazine), I'd be pretty worried about what I was reading.

[ChevyGuy]

What about 88-95 heads? Those are out of my price range. I have 487's on the truck right now. Im trying for something cheap I think im thinking to big. The 487's have a big chamber but have the big valves and flow better than 882's. What should i stay with or do?

[bored and stroked]

88-95 heads flow as badly as 882's. Your either going to spend $700+ for a set of heads and intake [vortecs] or your going to spend $700+ for a set of heads [aftermarket normal intake]. Thats about your only choice. Those 487's are some of the better flowing old heads out there.

[ChevyGuy]

thanks for the replies i got from yall. I was just wondering a cheap way of getting a few more hp's out of the old thing.  

[1973 500]

I don't know what these guys are talking about, you can get a brand new set of vortec heads from Jegs for $256.99  

Here's the specs:  

Material: Cast Iron
Intake Runner Volume: 170cc  
Combustion Chamber Volume: 64cc
Valve Diameter: 1.94'' Int./ 1.50'' Exh.
Spark Plugs: Straight

www.jegs.com

[73K20]

Thats all fine and good if you have the only 4 cylinder 350 in the world.  That price is each and I'm pretty sure that on a 350 you need two .  So when you figure twice that price (for two) you get $514 before shipping.

1973 K20 - 350/465(as of 10-04-03)/205