Those are some good deals on stock Vortec heads. If they are pulled off a running engine that didn't have any cylinder head issues, you could probably just give them a clean and bolt them on to your motor if you want to save money. You have to watch the cam you choose though. I think the one Vile recommended is too much for the stock Vortec valve springs. You are limited to 0.475" on the stock Vortec springs and if you pay a shop to change them, that's just more money. You will also need to reuse the stock Vortec rockers, but you will have to buy a Vortec-specific intake manifold. They run about $40 more than a regular-head manifold.
I looked a lot into deciding whether to do stock, new Vortec heads or aftermarket performance heads. I am going to go with the Dart heads for $625 here:
http://www.aeroheadracing.com/id7.htmlThat's the best deal on a performance head I can find. I decided that for the extra cost of getting a Vortec-specific intake, new rockers and changing valve springs, I was better off going with the $625 darts than Vortecs, since I already have roller-tip rockers and a performance intake.
They also have a stock rebuilt head with bigger valves for $399. They don't say what casting they are though.
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