89fast5oh

I've been tossing the idea about building a 350 or 383. I have a line on a 350 block fresh sitting in the machine shop unclaimed, but no crank, rods, or pistons (prime candidate for a 383).

In my last Camaro I had a 355 that made 386 HP on a engine dyno with vortec heads, comp cams XE274H flat tappet cam, performer rpm air gap intake and 750 carb. I swapped on a edelbrock vortec tpi lower, heavily siamesed SLP runners and ported plennum. I went that way because I wanted factory looks and EFI. It was a beast. Sold that car...

Starting from scratch it is a different story. I can snag Vortec heads from the junkyard for $70 a head and I have a spring package sitting in a box. The big expense going vortec is a SDCP vortec lower at $400.

No matter what I need a cam, probably something in the 225/230 duration range with .500-.550 lift. That is a fixed cost no matter what engine I build.

I read that the SDCP is the worst flowing base, worse than a stock TPI. So with that being said I was thinking about the $500 ebay aluminum heads.

As I said I have a good comp cams spring package, arp studs, and guide plates sitting in a box. That would beef up the valvetrain of the cheap heads.

So right off the bat for vortec I am looking at $140 for heads, my machinist will clean and check them for $30. He charges $4 a valve ($64) to cut the valve face, and I would lap them in and assemble. I'm up to $634 to put vortecs on with the SDCP base.

Would it make more sense to get the $500 ebay heads, put my hardware on them and port my stock TPI base?

I am looking at heads with 64cc chambers, straight plugs, (unless angled are better) with 190cc or 205cc intake runner volumes.

I know how well the vortecs perform, but for less money I could have a set of 190cc or 205cc aluminum heads that will work with stock parts.

Flow is flow, do these eBay heads perform? I know most people go straight to LS swaps these days and sbc gen 1 builds are ancient history.

What would everyone do in this day and age? If they still made a vortec HSR intake I would probably just go the vortec route.

aliceempire

iTrader: (14)

I'd suggest you count having the machinist checking the ebay heads if you went that way. Just to be sure they aren't garbage out the gates. I'd consider either choice a gamble, old vortecs could be junk and the chinese castings could have weak spots waiting to crack or strip.
The aluminums probably offer better gains out the box so long as the ports are in the right spots.
If it were me...neither. I'd rather spend the extra money, take the better odds of having a better product. But that's not everyone's path and often works out for them.

GeneralDisorder

iTrader: (1)

The as-cast AFR 195's are a GIGANTIC bargain if you ask me. $477 each.... and you can rely on the hardware (ARP), valves and springs they come with. Not to mention the machine work.

https://www.airflowresearch.com/195c...cylinder-head/

You are talking less than $1k shipped. Heads (good heads) are one of the most expensive parts of a build. Do it once and do it right.

GD

89fast5oh

If I were to go this route, I assume you are suggesting that in regards to the original question, an aftermarket aluminum head and stock base is better than vortecs and a sdcp base? I'm surprised AFR heads are that cheap. Years ago I bought a set of cnc 185s for my sbf and they were double that price.

GeneralDisorder

iTrader: (1)

Yes the CNC heads are double that price. I just received a set of the CNC AFR 195's and they were about $1800 shipped. These are the as-cast heads. Different castings that aren't CNC ported. But they out-flow a Vortec easily and are going to be MUCH better than any no-name thing on ebay. And compared to the Vortec heads they offer more flow, not nearly as much exhaust restriction, and are aluminum allowing more compression. etc.

And yes the stock base is probably better than the Vortec base - plus you already have it. Even better if you port it. And you can get a variety of other intakes including the FIRST manifold or a mini ram, etc that will fit the classic pre-87 pattern AFR heads.

GD

Orr89RocZ

iTrader: (20)

I have no problem with some of the import castings just have the shop check them out and i would supply your own valves and have them put them in.

springs you’ll want to match to the cam anyway

afr enforcers are a hell of a deal imo for what you get

even tho stock base sucks it still has potential and you can always upgrade to something better down the road

Thirdgen89GTA

iTrader: (5)

Spend nothing on OEM compatible TPI parts.

If you want TPI, just go First TPI. No aftermarket OEM compatible TPI part as cast can compare with the flow potential of the First. And when you add up all the parts costs, Runners + Base + TB, you are shockingly close to the price of a First intake, especially if you have to pay someone to port out the plenum for a larger throttle body. Then when you add in the time it takes to port the base+runners+Plenum, either your own time, or worse, someone else's time, the First just makes that much more sense.

First is TPI how it should have been, and its TPI for the modern hot-rod.

Honestly, with the bounty of cheaper aftermarket heads, I'd just go with them over Vortecs. $70 a head is cheap, but now you have to machine them for larger springs. And as I discovered in another thread there is the cracking issue.

89fast5oh

I am picking up a 350 vortec motor for a rebuild and it comes with the vortec heads. So perhaps if the heads are crack free, maybe that is the way I should go? At the very least I could sell the heads and that would cover the cost of the 350 motor.

89fast5oh

Would AFR 195 as cast heads support a 383 stroker?

Thirdgen89GTA

iTrader: (5)

The Enforcers aren’t the more expensive Eliminator heads people talk about but would support a mild 383.


they are like 250/200 flow. Way better than stock tpi heads which are lucky to break 170/130cfm.

skinny z

The as cast AFR head (Enforcer) is said to have 250 CFM at peak lift of .500-.550". My own poking around suggests that a 10:1 383 would make peak power around 5500 using a cam that was spec'd as 283/283, 106 LSA and using all of that airflow. (As an example)
This was with a more conventional dual or single plane carbureted induction.
The varying lengths of the different EFI arrangements are going to move that peak power RPM some but the heads will get the job done. Estimates on that 383 spec are a dyno queen 500 lb-ft and 485 HP.