where do you get your vortec heads? i bought 2 sets on craigslist and had a machine shop check them out and both had cracks. I would like to get a set of rebuilt ones.

Thanks,

Fran

 

eBay has gobs of them, and for decent prices. Some are new and guaranteed. I was just on there a few minutes ago looking at them.

 

I buy used (be it junkyard or CL) and check for signs of over heating / cracks before I buy. Around here they are still cheap enough used to make it worth while.

Also look on CL for people parting out '96-00 trucks/vans/SUV's thats been wrecked and engine still runs and buy the heads off it, or whole engine for that matter. I have bought a few full running (high mileage) vortec engines for under $300 this away.

Other options would be machine shops. Check with all the machine shops in your area to see what they have.

Auto zone / advance auto sells rebuilt heads. It's been a couple years since I checked their price, but then it was $240 each.

Summit racing has new vortec heads for around $630 for the pair

Scoggin-Dickey has them

Your local chevy dealer parts dept.

 

I actually get most of mine from boat engines that are removed due to freeze cracked blocks.

 

Over the counter from GM.

 

No thanks! Those Mexican cast 062s are JUNK. I had a pair on the L31 in my Express. They did not even flow 220 cfm @ .500".

 

And pay more for them while you're at it probably. I don't buy anything from a dealership unless it's the ony place in the world to get it. I did it early on before I knew better, and am several hundred dollars lighter for my trouble until I learned to look other places.

 

Not sure where you get your data from. I purchased my heads new around 10 years ago at the time of the most recent published flow data. Arguably about 239 cfm at .500". I've also heard they stall at lifts beyond .480" or so. I've also seen more recent data that show only 220 cfm at the same lift (right on your figures). I know one flow bench to the next can easily demonstrate 10% varianace. That said, this was 10 years ago and I can't say they were made in Mexico back then. Maybe. Regardless, they helped my 3700 lb IROC into the 12s with a tiny cam. Something along the likes of a H268.

As for pricing, they were the best deal going at the time. Trust me. I'm a shopper. Being in Canada you have to pay attention to who can get you the goods and not get screwed on shipping, duties and taxes. I have to say that times have changed since then. Summit has established an excellent shipping program for the Great White North.

 

I don't know where the previous poster got his information, but I got mine at my local Chevy dealership.

 

Got what information at the Chevy dealership?
Flow numbers?
Pricing?
Canadian pricing?
The flow numbers are out there for anybody to research.
As for pricing, the landscape has changed a lot in 10 years. I doubt my local Chevy dealer could compete (or even care to) with the on-line retailers today.
Anyway, that's the way it was.

 

Simpler than that my friend. That information would be the outrageous prices and dealership rip offs. It's a racket in there. I'm not even talking about heads. They wanted to charge me over $800 to replace the rear trailing arms in my 98 Camaro--something I ended up doing myself in my driveway in about 30 min. And as it turned out, they didn't even need to be replaced, all I needed was one bolt! I figured that out later when I started to grow a mechanic's brain. In fact, one of those "worn out" arms is now happily on my 92 Formula when the OE one got bent! I took it there because the torque converter was making a grinding noise. I told them to check the trans. They said they checked it and "didn't find anything wrong". I asked what kind of check and they said "well, we took it out and drove it around some". A couple weeks later a guy I know that works there told me to secretly pull it around back and he'd run a computer check, which is when the computer told him the trans was slipping! All it needed was a total rebuild! ($1,495 at a REAL trans shop in town, God knows that dealership wasn't touching it). Why didn't they do that check when I took it there the first time? But instead of the trans, (which was "ok") they told me a list of other things that were wrong including the rear trailing arms. Said the grinding noise was the arms! They wanted to charge me another $800ish to replace struts and strut mounts and fix a frozen caliper bracket pin. I ended up doing it all myself. What parts I DID order from there in my ignorance at the time I paid about 4x what I should for, and got a curt message in my machine saying "your parts are here" when they found out I was gonna do it myself. I simply do not buy parts from a dealership unless there is literally no other place to buy them. This crap is why I do my own work now, and it's saved me hundreds of dollars. My cars are like wives. If another guy puts his hands on them, he better be a doctor, and it better be REAL serious.

 

My comment was strictly about the heads I purchased 10 years ago. At that time, the local dealer simply had the best price available. Remember where I live. American stuff used to be diffucult to import without about bunch of duty,taxes and mark-up.
I also understand the often obscene prices dealerships charge for goods and service. Unless it's some specific little piece that has no aftermarket resource and I absolutely need it, then the dealership doesn't get my business.
That said, every now and then they come up with something that's untouchable by others. Case in point. Our new 454 LSX long block with intake and carb. $9800 CDN (about 2 years back). Sold! That kind of thing however, is few and far between.
I feel your pain otherwise.

 

Ok guys, let try to clear up the vortec thing..

They are 2 casting # GM 350 vortec heads, but 3 different 350 vortec heads.
906 casting
062 casting
062 castings "hecho en mexico"

The 90's factory 062s was made in Canada
.
I'm not sure on the date but GM moved the production of the vortec heads to Mexico and something changed when they did that. The ports are smaller, narrow, and don't flow as good.

I know for a fact the GM over the counter vortecs since 2010 have been the mexican 062s

The Mexican 062 vortecs are NOT the same as the factory production 1990's 062s and they do not flow as well nor make the power the factory 062 Canada heads do

 

My parents purchased a 1997 Express built 09/96 had 906 heads on it and it would FLY! In May 2004 at 57K the intake gaskets failed, allowed coolant to fill the #2 intake port, on startup it hydraulic locked #2, snapping a connecting rod. I put a GM "Hecho en Mexico" crate engine in it in 2005ish along with the MFI spider upgrade. Never had the same power or mileage the stock engine did. In 2006 I tossed a LT4 cam and 1.6 rockers on it due to dad pulling a 6,000 lbs trailer and needing the power. I pulled the original engine apart, sent the heads out and put them on another engine. The original 906s flowed around 240 cfm @ .500 and ~260 cfm with 2.05/1.60 valves and a little bowl work. The engine I put them on turned into a monster. Fast forward to 2013. My dad passed away in 2011 and the Express sat in my Mom's driveway for nearly a year. In 2012 I ended up with a job that was 90 miles round trip. I had a fairly new Nissan Titan and started driving the Express after putting 15K on it in 6 months. After about 3 months of driving the van, one afternoon I was driving home from work and a block or two from home the temp gauge starts to jump up, never redlined but got abnormally hot. The lower radiator drain plug had broken out of the bottem of the radiator and let the coolant out. I replaced the drain plug, flushed the cooling system and started driving it. It had a slight coolant consumption after that. I performed a block gas test and it failed. I pulled the engine and tore the upper end apart. Sent the 062s to the same shop that my 906s had gone to. He was going to flow them, work the bowls a little, port the exhaust runners and toss a set of 2.02/1.60 valves in them A couple of days later when they got around to looking over and magnafluxing the heads I got a call, BOTH heads were cracked between the center bolt holes. I used it as and excuse to pickup a pair of Edelbrock Etec 170s and throw in a larger cam. Couldn't be happier with them.

 

Summit has a version, not a true vortec port as its believed to be the dart iron 165 heads redrilled. Still good head for the money

Scoggin dickey have their own as well modified for lift

 

I recently put these on a Tahoe that also had cracked 062s. Truck runs great other than it is starting to make lower-end bearing noise at 181K. Will be getting a 383 short block

http://www.jegs.com/i/ProMaxx-Perfor.../2151/10002/-1

 

Always wanted to try a pair of those. They'd have been excellent when I was flirting with 10.5:1 with the new block and the RHS (iron) Vortecs I ended up with. Back to 9.8:1 and tuning.

 

Interesting. Any published data to support that?
I have to wait till I get back to my old shop to see what I have but this IS an interesting development.
Here's what I've got.
A link from one of the GM engineers that was involved in the development of the Vortecs and Scoggins-Dickey's blurb from their (old) web page (in the attached pics).

http://www.nastyz28.com/forum/showthread.php?t=56505

I've come across other data that supports the 240 cfm @ .500" claim. I've also got data that states the Vortec ports "stall" at lifts beyond .450" or so.
You'll note that Scoggins-Dickey shows a decline in port flow past that value.
Not sure what to make of it.
Stan Weiss also has several flow test gleaned from other people's published information that's difficult to draw a conclusion from.
There's TONS of Vortec flow tests...

http://users.erols.com/srweiss/tablehdc.htm

It's important to note the kind of test fixture that's used in the testing as well as how they relate the part numbers and or cast numbers and /or engine designation numbers.

 

I knew I had seen another reference to the crappy mexican castings.

http://www.hotrod.com/how-to/engine/...k-chevy-build/

 

What's really interesting is that I've never seen a build the RHS Pro Torkers. I picked up a set of those a couple of years back as an upgrade to my OEM Vortecs.
Thanks for the link. I'll have to check it out a little better when I have a chance.
As for the 062 vs 096. Also interesting. I'll look through my files and see if I can't find another test or two for compoarisons sake. Stan Weiss has some cast numbers listed but I've never paid much attention.
I had read long ago that some of the Vortecs also had a specific exhaust seat as well. That particular seat killed the cfm. That's espeicially bad for the Vortec which already suffered from a weak intake to exhaust ratio.

 

The 906 heads are the ones with the exhaust seat change, and the myth was debunked by many sources. Yes the 906s flows less due to that, but it was only like 4 cfm less IIRC. In the beginning people was throwing 15-25 cfm lower figures out there but no flow test ever supported that.

The link that fast355 posted shows some data supporting the lack of flow with the mexican 062s. 207 cfm

http://speedtalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=40988

Here is from a head porting shop
http://www.castheads.com/factory_chevy_vortec.php

 

Looking at the information posted on those Promax heads, no wonder they run so strong! ~20 cfm = 40 hp!!!

I found my notes on those 2005ish Hecho en Mexico 062s. 206 cfm @ .500 and 210 cfm @ .600, I remembered them being under 220, forgot they were that bad. Mine cracked and I didn't even get the engine that hot.

 

unless i already had a vortec specific intake already, i think it would make more sense to spring for some aluminum heads. JMO.

 

Well that is an added cost, but you can pick up a vortec intake now for under $160 new. Or look for used in the $50-75 range

Used deals are what makes the vortecs so great and budget minded.
The top end on my S10's 355 was bought off CL used.
Vortec heads (canada 062s)
Edelbrock performer intake
Comp cams mag roller tip self aligning rockers
Chrome GM performance parts valve covers
$350
The guy already had the heads checked at a machine shop, had installed all the parts and ran them for a short time and found a killer deal on some used alum heads (I think it was dart pro 1's), so he put these up for sale for $450, and I talked him down to $350 on them.

I needed to change the springs ($40), and do the "ghetto grind" on retainers for my cam, then of course buy the $65 intake gaskets, and intake bolts.

 

That depends too on the short block. If you can't get the SCR up to a reasonable level for the cam selected, the additional heat retained by the iron head would help the power production. There's nothing special about an aluminum head (weight savings notwithstanding) other than being able to add another point or so of compression. If I had aluminum when my last engine came together, I'd have kept the nearly 10.5:1 SCR as it worked well with the smallish cam I selected. Trouble was, the DCR ended up such that keeping any kind of timing in it was next to impossible and detonation unavoidable despite the best effrots of keeping things cool from an engine temp and inlet air temp perspective.

 

Hmm. Looked around on-line...no flow data comparing the Mexican 062s vs the Canadian 062s. Plenty of numbers but no reference to what they are.
There is however plenty of dialogue.
I'll keep looking and post back.

 

Here's the Stan Weiss data base copied. Problem is there no differentiation between the kinds of 062s Vortecs tested. There are however a few that fall short in intake cfm as has been described. Also interesting are the differences in measured (or reported) intake port volume.

 

I would not get to stuck on peak flow numbers. Even if the new castings flow less than the older castings. The heads really shine in the low and mid lift numbers were your cam spends most of its time.

 

Where's that data from?
Can you publish it? Bore fixture size? Test pressure? I ask about the fixture size because my RHS heads, as tested by RHS were done on a fixture having a 4.100" bore. That'll exaggerate the flow numbers and not many 350's have abore that large. Conversly, if yours were tested with a smaller bore, then of course the numbers will be skewed in the other direction.
I've been scouring the internet looking for info on the substandard 062 castings and except for the information released by Scoggins-Dickey, as shown in the Stan Weiss data base I included in a few posts back and they don't specify what the heads are, I can find NOTHING that shoots those Mexican castings down. I don't doubt that they might be crap in comparison but a little proof (besides inuendo) would be nice.

 

Absolutely.
However, in the case of these 062 Mexican castings, despite not being to find any data directly attributed to them, the one test I've found that demonstrates any poor peak flow numbers, also shows weak flow across the board, including .100" to .400".

 

why do so many people think vortecs are the "holy grail" ? its a factory iron casting. then we always here the word "cheap". followed of course by spring, valve, and pocket mods, guide machining, intake change, cracked heads etc. all i can ever think is, if only you woulda spent another $2-300.oo, you'd have some good aluminum heads.
i have major respect for you Skinny. but you wouldnt have had the detonation issues you experienced if you woulda been running aluminum heads, IMO. again, no disrespect.
now if i had to run a factory type head,...well yea, the vortecs arent a bad idea. but theres much better out there.
OP has already wasted money on 2 cracked sets. wanna try for 3? or do it right?

 

Well ******* Joe I have learned my vortec lesson and am getting aluminum heads I would have picked different parts if I would have found I was going to have to machine my heads to get them to work the way I want. Do not want to run springs with out inner damper and beehive springs I was told by comp cams would fit did not fit last night. I think the vortecs are still the hot ticket for cheep power if you get a used set your going to have cleaned up at a machine shop but if your going to get new heads and then have to modify them like I would have to than its money wasted. If your going to get used heads I would consider some aluminum L98s too if you come across them. They are pretty good for a stock casting.

 

Hey Joe.
Thanks for the props.
As for Vortecs being the Holy Grail, that was more true then than it is now. However, for the dollars spent on a MODEST build, they still have the best value. I stress the word modest because the valve springs, limited lift capacity and press-in studs limit you to just that. While you could conceivably build 400 hp in box stock form, I doubt you could do it for long. 350 is a more reasonable target.
As for $300 dollars more and you can get a set of decent aluminium heads, while I haven't shopped for the real bargains lately, a quick check at Scoggins-Dickey show the stock Vortecs at $700/pr. A similar aluminium head, the Edelbrock 170 E-Tec lists at $1400/pr. I don't doubt there are less expensive examples but I can't comment on their suitability without a little research.
You can see why people still gravitate to the Vortecs.
As for used...that's buyer beware in all cases.

 

Running with out the damper springs are fine.. Read the 30 pages on vortecs over at nastyz28.com MANY guys there has done it. Myself included. Like I said in the other post I never run the dampers on any head as I have noticed over the years the damper springs end up breaking or tearing up valve seals.
http://www.nastyz28.com/forum/showthread.php?t=56505

On why are the vortec's the "holy grail"
Hard to beat a $500 set of heads that flows 230 cfm with great low lift flow.. These are NOT race heads, they will never replace or beat a $1000-1800 set of alum heads

But they do outflow some aftermarket older alum. heads.

The value comes in when you pick them up used, and spent very little money to make them run.

I have Brodix IK 200 heads on my camaro... But I have vortec heads on my V8 S10

The vortecs are the highest flowing production sbc gen 1 head ever made. Not only do they have a high peak flow, they have great low and mid lift numbers, smaller intake ports to keep port speed and torque up, etc.

Like I posted before, I picked up my heads, intake, valve covers and rocker arms for $350, spent $40 to have them checked for cracks, $40 on valve springs, ground the retainers, $13 on locks, $65 on intake gaskets, $5 for bolts

$513 for a complete top end...

Show me where I can get a full top end with alum heads for $200-300 over what I spent on my vortecs.
Now I mean heads, rockers, springs, intake, valve covers, intake gaskets.. Complete top end.

Even if I didn't get that deal... You can get vortec heads used for $200-300 all day long, $150 for an intake, $40 to have the crack tested, $40 for spings, $13 for locks, $65 for gaskets... The stock rockers are just as good as the roller tips that I got with my deal.

That's still just right over $600 for full top end. That's still cheaper than the china made skip white alum heads alone.

 

i'm not into china, but most of the cheap heads you see are cast there, then assembled by someone with a brain here.

do they flow as good as AFR? surely not. but were talking budget right?

http://www.hotrod.com/how-to/engine/...head-shootout/

http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Flo-Te...lug,25118.html

about as cheap as it gets, but better than some junkyard, old-azz, iron heads that are probably cracked. and, you can do your own gasket matching or porting.

sometimes guys sound like a dikk trying to give good advise. just sayin, spending money on an old cast iron head is a waste. why not step up?

 

I agree a good new head is always better, but we are talking budget here..

Like I said, I have brodix IK 200 heads on my camaro.. I have more money in my camaro's top end (heads, rockers, intake, valve covers, carb) than I have in my whole full vortec headed 355 in my S10.

My S10 is a budget based truck. I got $4,000 in the whole truck, custom interior, cowl hood, american racing wheels, 355 engine I rebuilt, th-350 trans, exhaust, everything.

For me, my use and needs... I wasn't about to shell out over $700 on just a set of heads for that one.

Those speed way flo tek heads you posted.. That's $740 for the set.. Then add in your $100-300 rockers, $25-200 valve covers, $115-300 intake, etc

Even using cheaper parts, you still have over $1,000 in the top end..

My vortec top end was half that.

Right now on my local CL
$200 http://atlanta.craigslist.org/nat/pts/4835829403.html
$300 http://atlanta.craigslist.org/sat/pts/4746590962.html
$350 whole vortec 350 engine http://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/pts/4817924829.html
$750 modded vortecs with screw in studs, guide plates, dual spings, intake, full roller rockers http://columbusga.craigslist.org/pts/4817107735.html
$400 whole vortec 350 engine http://macon.craigslist.org/pts/4817132571.html
$1,000 1997 truck, rebuilt engine in 2011, bad transmission.. http://macon.craigslist.org/pts/4820869089.html That one, you get your heads, and fund the rest of your engine build by parting out the truck and taking whats left to the crusher
$500 Brand new vortec heads http://macon.craigslist.org/pts/4819088496.html

To me the vortec heads are all about very budget minded builds.. I'm not going out and buying new vortec heads for any of my own engines, just like I'm not going buy the china made flo tek, skip white new kid next door heads, or any other china casting.

If it's a mild budget engine, I shop around for cheap used vortecs, if it's more of a high end engine like in my camaro I'll buy Brodix, AFR, Dart, etc

But a daily driven 325-375 HP 355 in a S10 does not need a 190, 200, 210cc brodix or AFR head... It needs a cheap good used vortec head

 

As far as that goes, yeah you're right. Now in my own defense, if I had known that the short block my new heads were ultimately destined for would yield that high a compression ratio, I most certainly would have gone the aluminum route. As it was, my old short was going to be less than 10:1 which, as far as the cam I had slected, was ideal and nothing for an iron head to handle. Arguably would have made more power than an aluminum head of the same specs.
Kind of wish I had aluminum now and then I could go for my 10.5:1 target.
I'll probably step up in cam before the end of this new season and go for it anyway. Make the most out of the iron heads I have. Good ones too.

 

Interesting read.
I think I'll run a few computer simulations of my own using my short block and cam. Just need all the flow numbers...

 

i wasnt trying to be a "ball-buster" heck, i'm still running iron. i did have an lt1 with alum heads and the spark plugs always worked themselves loose for some reason.
the problem with the cheap chinnese heads from what i hear is bad valves. idk?
i talked with somebody from "blueprint engines" and he said theyre heads are cast over-seas but assembled here.
probably more china stuff in our motors than we realize these days?

 

Not at all. For what it's worth I wouldn't counsel anyone to buy Vortec anymore than I would any other head. I have an opinion on them. I also have experience with them. But as for making a choice...no thanks. The OP's can decide.


Oh yeah. Plenty of "off-shore" components out there but that's just the way it is.
It's still possible to find made in the USA stuff if you shop and are willing to pay the price. One of the premier head porters out there today, Chad Spiers, buys Chinese castings in bulk and does his thing with them. Fills them quality hardware and lets the results speak for themselves. (At least that's my understanding of how he does some of his business).
Personally, I'd be a little nervous to buy a wholly manufactured Chinese cylinder head. Their reputation for poor quality materials and workmanship outweighs any value as far as I'm concerned.

 

See if Engine Quest still makes Vortecs. Got a pair back in 2007 for around $200 each bare. They flowed 235-240 cfm out of the box and with minor work are now at 250. These cc 'd at between 182 - 185 on the intakes forget the exhaust numbers. These are off shore castings I think but I thought they were good for the price. Haven't used them recently but plan on changing springs and putting them on a 385. I did open them up to 2.02/1.60 which didn't make much difference in flow.

 

Interesting story:
I picked up about the last set set of RHS Pro Torker (iron vortec) heads that were available. There's a casting number in the rocker area, " 350HC". That's the same number as the EQ lightning heads in discussion here. It seems that they were all cast at Toowoomba Metal Technologies in Australia. Off shore for sure however, from what I've read, an excellent casting house. Small world I guess.
Anyway, as a step up from the OEM Vortecs, whatever vintage we're talking about, as far as over the counter iron heads are concerned, they seem to be the way to go.
That said, about the only reasons I can think off to go with an iron head are: class restrictions or; a poor compression ratio result from the basic engine architecture (needing the added heat from an iron head to help thermal efficiency).
I can't vouch for the flow numbers on the RHS heads. Seems that RHS props the numbers up with a fixture bore of 4.100" that aids in the cfm results. Reviews though, from reliable sources say the the EQ/RHS castings are excellent with very good out of the box performance.
As an aside, moving up to a larger valve on an OEM Vortec, from many accounts, isn't simply a matter of cutting new seats and installing larger valves. Part of the Vortec's performance comes from a well engineered and not easily duplicated valve seat profile resulting in the remarkable low lift flow numbers. I highlight low lift as this where the Vortecs shine. It's not all about the max numbers in this case. Unfortunately, I see that the RHS/EQ give up a little of that for the sake of high lift performance. Kind of makes me want to re-think my curent build and go for some high rpm returns as opposed to the low rpm results I was aiming for the OEM version. The same reasoning may apply to modifying a small valve EQ head with less than expected results from the change.

Edit: The case of the "Mexican" castings having lesser peak flow numbers (still unverified with any data that I can find at this point) has even less support of the low lift values previosuly mentioned. Any insight into that would be appreciated.

 

used aftermarket iron head > vortec head. I picked my old DART's up fresh from a machine shop with NEW hardware and light port work for $640 off Ebay. Even if you got the Vortecs at $100 a pair (normal going rate is usually $250-300 as-is), you'll still have close to a used set of DART/Brodix iron heads by the time you get them up to snuff and they'll still be subpar. Vortec heads are the "new" nastolgia SBC heads. I'd use them if they were free, but I'd sure as hell never pay for them.

 

Something I was thinking about.
The aftermarket is quick these days to supplant any OEM offering. Now if you have Vortecs already, that's a different story. Still an excellent platform to build from and especially so if you have them and already invested the money for upgrades. That situation I think, isn't unique.

I'm not sure of that one. Sub par in what way? Certainly you'll never get the DART/Brodix iron heads to out perform the Vortecs in the low lift values. Sure, at lifts of .500" and beyond but then again that depends on the who does the work but the low lift flow is what sets the Vortecs apart from any other cylinder head. It's hard to build that into a head you modify.
Am I off the mark here? The published flow numbers speak for themselves. And let it be clear I don't think the L31 heads are the be all and end all of iron heads. It's that for what they are and for a truly budget build where the hp targets are modest, they're tough to beat. No mods necessary. Been there. Done that.

 

I'm with skinny. for the 90% of folks targeting 400 crank hp and below, the Vortecs just make perfect sense. They're practically free, and YOU DON'T NEED TO SINK MONEY INTO THEM TO DO THIS!
I took a set apart that had 250k miles on them. Guides were tight and seats were barely distinguishable from new. New seals, ghetto grind retainers, $40 set of springs, and they're back in service on car in sig.

 

I am with you, except 1 mild overheat and they are cracked junk and its easy to get your hands on JUNK. Remember every car/truck in the junkyard has a reason for being there.

 

Such are the perils of buying anything used.

 

Now before you look at this, just remember - flow numbers are only ONE PART of the puzzle in determining a good cylinder head. There's a whole lot more to it than that as far as geometry, casting design, casting quality, core thickness, etc. A quick reference to show (I found those numbers, but sound accurate based on my head flow #'s I had on my last set that I've since lost due to computer wipe). Vortec numbers found here with full details (a really good thread, actually): http://speedtalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=21448


200cc IE Platinum:

.200" 130/109
.300" 194/158
.400" 242/198
.500" 274/208
.600" 283/214


BRODIX IK 180:

.200" 138/112
.300" 188/149
.400" 234/167
.500" 243/175
.600" 245/178

BRODIX IK 200:

.200" 123/100
.300" 181/145
.400" 230/164
.500" 253/171
.600" 261/176

Vortec 906:

.200" 127/93
.300" 178/125
.400" 212/140
.500" 228/144
.600" 225/146





All usable heads on the street; not sure on the IE 180's at the moment since those numbers aren't as quick to find. Like I said, Vortec heads aren't BAD heads. They aren't. But who in their right mind pumps money into stock heads ? Not to mention the cost of gambling on used castings. I've met guys that found a perfect set right on their first try; I've also known a few that had to buy 2-3 sets and then the last one was "mostly good" but needed additional work done to correct underlying issues. Let's also not forget Vortec heads can do a bit better by the right porter, but the same amount of detailed work will make any aftermarket head completely blow away a Vortec head... more than the advantages that are already there.

We're talking budget, and we're also talking protecting your money. I had to make this decision too, and I decided to skip the Vortec heads and go with something better than had room to grow later in the event my goals changed (which they did). That's what I'm getting at.

 

Just so we are all on the same page and in case anyone reads this 10 years from now, the Vortec head (as originally provided by GM in the mid 90's) did one thing really well. It provided low and mid lift numbers that far exceeded anything that was available at the time. I'll stress again low and mid lift because that's what made them such a good cylinder head.
If you look at the flow values posted above, there's nothing listed less than .200". Flow at .050" - .200"...it does make a difference. Especially on a small cammed street engine.
Anyway, times have changed and there are a lot more offerings out there however, from a truly entry level foray into hot rodding, from a dollar perspective (notwithstanding the risk associated with purchasing anything used), the Vortec head is tough to beat. Stock trim, stock pressed-in studs, stock springs, keep the lift at .450", provide enough compression for the cam selected and any 350 will make 1 hp per cube easily, reliably...and on the cheap. That's means not sinking any money into them.
If you got them, use them. If you get them cheap and guaranteed, use them.
There's a term in economics and it's called "sunk cost'. That is, if you've already invested in infrastructure, then you don't consider that cost moving forward. That is to say, if you already have the heads, then the original purchase price doesn't enter into the overall cost of upgrading them when you're comparing that to the next generation of heads you intend to use. In short, if you already have them in stock trim, and you want to move on to something better, you can compare the cost of improving what you have with the cost of buying something new altogether.
All of that said, I'm not sure there's much more to left to say.

 

GM shoulda used vortec heads with TPI on 4x4 mud trucks. woulda made a mean-azz low end torque motor.

anybody think the vortec intake port led to the development of the LS/cathederal port? just an old rumor?

kinda seems like "some" vortecs have as bad a reputation as the old "882's" for cracking. what the,.....?