Vortec Or aluminum corvette heads - Third Generation F-Body Message Boards

86ta985 · 10-20-2009, 03:00 PM

So im trying to build a 350 for my 86 ta. i want around 350-400 hp. I planned on vortec heads but when i brought my heads to the machine shop the shop owner made me a deal on a set of corvette heads. paid $300 for the vortec heads. gonna cost me another $500 to get them pressure tested and machined for the xe268h cam i want to put in. he told me for my heads as an exchange plus an additional $750 I could get the corvette heads ready to bolt up plus the intake to go with them.

Any thoughts on what i should do would be greatly appreciated.

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five7kid · 10-20-2009, 07:36 PM

Ask yourself this question: Why would he offer you this deal?

86ta985 · 10-20-2009, 10:07 PM

Thats kinda what i figure. One of those too good to be true deals. besides I was thinking itd be cheaper And easier to replace vortec heads is something goes wrong down the road.

300hpse · 10-20-2009, 10:19 PM

What vette heads out of curiousity? Im assuming the aluminum l98 heads (which aren't THAT great aside from being affordable aluminum) but in any case that is a bad deal. Vortec heads will out perform any head a corvette saw pre lt1/lsx and he wants you to take a $$ loss in order to take a performance loss. I think he was just hoping you were clueless and would jump at the word 'corvette'.

skinny z · 10-20-2009, 11:57 PM

The Vortecs don't need to be machined either. A set of bee hive springs will do the job. And just slightly more expensive than the new springs you were going to have to get anyway. (I wouldn't recommend stock vortec springs except in the mildest of applications)

86ta985 · 10-21-2009, 02:44 PM

yeah they were the aluminum l98 heads. I kinda figured itd be a bad deal. ive really never heard anyone on here using them. and i always like to do my research before i jump into something.

and skinny z. the beehive springs will work with the 268h series cam? comp cams said the springs were bigger? and they also recommended to pull the pressed in studs for the rocker arms and get the holes thredded for thred in studs.

skinny z · 10-21-2009, 04:34 PM

I ran stock out of the box Vortecs ( springs and press in studs ) with the 268h cam. The only problem I encountered was a bent valve due to a missed shift (7000rpm). It could have been a lot worse. Other than that those unmodified heads got me low 13's.
I currently run an XR276HR and I've installed the bee hive springs ( no machining required ). As an added measure I also had the heads machined for screw in studs and guide plates. ( That forced me away from self guiding rockers although I know of several combos that retain the self guiding feature and eliminate the guide plates). I've also gone to a 1.6 ratio rocker which required the push rod holes in the heads to be enlarged. This eliminates the possibility of the push rods binding in the heads however it does require guide plates at that point.
Plenty of options with the Vortecs which seem more than capable of supporting 400 hp.
My only wish is that they WERE aluminum. I would certainly take advantage of the additional compression ratio that they allow however they are inexpensive by comparison. At least initially!

86ta985 · 10-21-2009, 10:42 PM

I will call comp back and talk to someone else. thats for that information. was about to go get the heads machined for the bigger springs. I will deff invest in the bee hive springs. I do have another question. Will the stock length pushrods work with that cam or did you have to change the length?

skinny z · 10-22-2009, 08:07 AM

Here'sa link to the beehive spring installation.
http://www.carcraft.com/techarticles...ade/index.html
I used a standard length push rod with the 268H cam.
The XR276HR required a shorter pushrod (7.2" IIRC).

ls six · 10-22-2009, 09:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 86ta985

I could get the corvette heads ready to bolt up plus the intake to go with them

The Vette heads dont require a specific intake, if thats what he told you then I'd find a different machine shop. If you stick with him just keep doing your research and dont let him scam you out of any money.

Double check any work done before accepting anything back from him, if it's not right raise hell till it's fixed.

skinny z · 10-22-2009, 11:42 AM

An interesting point.
The Vortec DOES require a dedicated intake. That, for some, is a deal breaker when it comes to choosing heads. As ls six states, the vette heads don't require a special manifold.
Here's a little flow data to help you decide.

86ta985 · 10-22-2009, 06:20 PM

Yeah. I’m not really worried about having to go with a special intake. I’ve heard some really good things about the Edelbrock RPM Air Gap intakefor the vortec heads.

Is Six the intake he wanted to sell me was i believe one he had in his shop (just trying to make a deal i guess) but he didn’t say that i had to go with that one, but like you said i will watch and do my research. And ill deff check any work I get done with him to make sure its done right.

And after looking at the flow data. There is a difference with the corvette heads but i believe im leaning towards the vortec heads. i mean i already purchased them and now that i found out I don’t really have to do too much machining on them to work with the selected cam I’m pretty happy with them. And if I get them ported and polished they’ll be just as good if not better than the vette heads. Just a little heavier

and I believe comp sells a complete kit with the cam, the springs, lifters, and pretty much everything but the valves themselves.