best intake for 355 vortec heads

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Nov 17, 2010 | 11:48 PM
  #1  
i wanna know what intake i should get for my 355 with vortec heads, performer rpm cam, still gotta buy a carb too. its got flat top pistons too. i want good torque and horspower.

also is this cam going to still have decent low end torque with this setup?

i have a t5 now but i think i might change to an auto eventually.

i was lookin at the edelbrocks and the weiands.

thanks.
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Nov 18, 2010 | 06:53 AM
  #2  
Re: best intake for 355 vortec heads
With that cam, it won't make too much difference what intake you put on it; it'll be a disappointment.

Low end torque will be one of the things most conspicuously absent. That cam is well and widely known to make none of that.

It may make "OK" power; but the level of "big cam" difficulties - very poor gas mileage, no torque, no leave whatsoever, poor driveability, and all the rest -that it will cause, will be FAR in excess of what you would have to deal with if you had got a cam designed during the last 40 years or so, instead.

Or conversely, if you're willing to put up with that much "big cam" hassle, you can make ALOT more power with a modern cam design.

Get rid of that. If you've already bought it and spent too much money to get it by buying it as "Edelbrock" instead of from any of the generic suppliers you can get THE EXACT SAME THING from (such as this http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-1107/), chalk it up to "sunk costs" and move on. Take it back. Sell it. Get rid of it SOMEHOW. Whatever you lose even if you just throw it in the trash, will PALE in comparison to what running it will cost you. You will pay, in excess gasoline costs among others, for a better cam about every few hundred miles of running it.

Get a Comp XE268, or the Lunati Voodoo that's about the same size, I think it's the 60103. And of course, no matter what cam you run, you can't really use the stock Vortec valve springs; they're even weenier than most stock springs. Plus, the retainers will hit the top of the valve guides at somehwere close to .480" of lift, making the RPM cam almost certain to cause instant destruction the first time the engine is started, if they are used.

Then, use either a Performer RPM or Performer RPM Air Gap intake, and a Holley 750 manual secondary carb such as a 4779.

If you're putting this engine in a car with a T-5 and an Eaton locker (Gov-Lock), you're a braver man than I. That's putting 2 eggs in your drive train. Expect to be replacing both of those things on a regular basis. I'm not sure which one might protect the other; it's entirely possible they could both grenade at the same time. You might even be like me, and tear something up the very first time you actually use the motor you've built.

All in all, though I hate to be the bearer of bad news, I'm seeing potential problems with your plans, so far.
Reply 1
Nov 18, 2010 | 01:22 PM
  #3  
Re: best intake for 355 vortec heads
i already have that cam in the car so i guess ill see how it goes. and the t5 is just there till it blows up and is gettin replaced with something stronger. how much is that comp cam you mentioned? and the heads are all redone set up for .600 lift so that wont be a problem. only reason i bought that cam is because i caught a deal on it.
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Nov 18, 2010 | 06:18 PM
  #4  
Re: best intake for 355 vortec heads
i decided im going to go with the xe274 cam. about how much horse would i have with this setup. 350 bored 30 over, flat top pistons, vortec heads, holley carb(didnt pick out size yet), comp xe274 cam, hei distributor.
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Jul 19, 2022 | 02:28 PM
  #5  
Re: best intake for 355 vortec heads
Wait, hepp me unnerstan.
So this fella with The Green Machine in the link you posted was ok with the 395 cam in a L30 Vortec 305? It ran ok & Fast, you are ok with this combo?
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Jul 19, 2022 | 03:30 PM
  #6  
Re: best intake for 355 vortec heads
Oops. Ignore the above
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Aug 1, 2022 | 06:40 AM
  #7  
Re: best intake for 355 vortec heads
Please delete this post... Wrong thread
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