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At last!! Got a Vortec long block...what are my options now?

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PetaKane

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Okay, I'm either gonna go with a carb swap or since I have all the TBI goodies I can get the Edelbrock EFI system. Anybody have a preference between the two? Also, I keep on reading about EGR and have no idea what it is. Is it performance related? Or smog related? I'm in Oklahoma so I'm not in trouble till we bring back emissions or if I get caught. If I go with the carb route, which carb do you recommend? I'm not trying to build a race motor, just a nice 350 with good low rpm torque. Any suggestions/ advice will be greatly appreciated.
 
Since you have all the EFI goodies I'd go that route. Better mileage, performance, and driveability. The EGR is smog related. All it does is recirculates exaust back into the engine at startup to warm it up faster.
 
What year?
I have a 1991 I am getting ready to put in my truck. It is a police 9c1 pacage.. Hydrollic roller cam/lifter....
also.. if you have a vortec block check the heads..they might not be vortec. Mine arent.. but will be in the future.. /forums/images/icons/grin.gif
anyway..
i was in the same delema...
I posted everywhere... which to do ... tbi or carb..
all lead back to this

tbi little better throttle response
tbi very little gas mileage
better starts
tbi has brain.. if mud truck.. UH OH...

I was told you can always throw a bigger carb/cam without having to re-dial the brain..

I like my truck brainless so I am sticking witout it...

either way you go.. I think you will be satisfied... /forums/images/icons/cool.gif
 
I think I'm gonna go ahead and do the carb setup for now. I'm a little short on funds and time to mess with the fuel injection. Holley truck avenger sound alright? Do I need a new water pump to use all my old accessories? What distributor should I get? Any other parts I'm missing that I may need?
 
Your 87 is FI already. You'll need an intake for vortec heads and a LH exhaust manifold w/the EGR pipe. All the other stuff is a bolt up deal. You may need to swap the front cover. The Vortec has a plastic cover with a threaded hole for crank sensor.
Jim
 
I no, I've got all the TBI stuff, but I don't wanna hassle with sensors here and there. I'm just gonna throw a good carb on there and do it that way. Front cover? Like a timing cover you mean? What kind of distibutor do I need? And the water pump, didn't the Vortecs have reverse flow water pumps? So I will need an older style water pump, right?
 
All I can say is, ditching a system that is already in the vehicle, working, and that most people here would like to have themselves, is silly.

What would you need to get? New intake and EGR setup, probably all less than $300?

Losing the driveability of the TBI IMO is a mistake.
 
Silly maybe. But I have had both setups, and for my particular application, carb works best. I don't like dealing with computers and sensors and all the extra wiring. I like to keep things simple, some people say all the money we dump into these old straight axle trucks is silly. They swear by their IFS trucks with 6" Procomp lifts and 35" X-terrains. Sorry if I seem silly man, but I just got sick and tired of dealing with TBI, even when it was running excellent.
 
If it was running excellent, why were you messing with it?

I dunno, being able to use a computer to diagnose and solve my problems is a big benefit to me, although better mileage and driveability don't hurt either.
 
I have the same thing in mine. Mines a 97 or 8 I dont recall. The front cover needs to be changed to an older type because of the already mentioned plastic cover, you need a Vortec specific intake. I run a Performer RPM. A PRE ESC dist. is what youll want. If you try to run the ESC you will never get spark w/out the computer. Trust me on this, I made this mistake. /forums/images/icons/tongue.gif IMO change the cam. It was designed to work w/ the injection. I put in a regular cam for a SBC. If I had known I was gonna end up w/ this motor I would have gotten a roller cam. If you dont get a roller cam, youll need to swap the push rods too cuz the roller rods will be too short. The water pump will need to be changed but youve already covered that. Its not reverse flow, just reverse rotation for the serp. belt. IIRC. SBC Headers will work. Your old acc. will bolt up. Basicly treat it like any other SBC, It just has KILLER heads, that will out flow the famous 2.02 and Bowtie heads. (unmodified heads that is) 40-50 horses are said to be gained just out of these heads. Oh and the rods are funny looking too. They are a different design than youve ever seen in a SBC.

Also I am w/ you. Ditch the computer and crap. Driveablity cold start and mileage dont mean squat if you have an underhood fire 10 miles out on the trail and you dont have a new wiring harness. W/ a basic HEI and carb I can pirate a spark plug wire from a few guys on the trail and rig up enough wires to make it run. Toss in a computer and youll never rig enough wires to drive out. /forums/images/icons/wink.gif

And finally, not that I recommend it, but I have had mine to almost 8 grand. /forums/images/icons/shocked.gif I have pics of my tach on recall in my webshots. /forums/images/icons/grin.gif
 
you mention heads have 40-50hp...
In my case I have a 1991 Vortec Police 9C1. I am getting ready to put in. I was told that they come with cast heads... and add vortec heads to get the extra 40-50hp... Does that sound right to you?

also in the for sale I do have my police 350 4 sale... dont have time to put it in and dont have a place to do it.. My driveway will not work... /forums/images/icons/frown.gif
 
oh yeah... if ya wanna keep it cheap..
you dont need a new intake..
we took a old 350 intake and drilled out the 4 inner holes to go down on the angle needed...
but if ya dont wanna do that .. which is free but for drilling you can get a intake from a 1987 and up camaro 350 and it will work. As we drilled out that other intake we just paid $50 for a aluminum intake off of a 1987 camaro and it will bolt on perfectly. It does however have the EGR spot.. We were told to cut a piece of aluminum and seal and cover it up.... /forums/images/icons/cool.gif so $50 still not bad to consider a new intake is about $125-$150
 
That is what I have read. All things being equal these heads are worth 40-50 horses. Id love to have some dyno time to see it for myself. I dont have a wild cam but its lumpy at 1200 RPM idle, (It doesnt like to idle below that. It drops to about 1000 in gear.) it pulls real good. My dad swears that it doesnt have 400 horses. But the heads dont make a difference in sound. Its just killer head design that makes up the power.

BTW one of the magazines did a build up using Vortecs, and mine was 99% done when it came out, their motor was almost exactly the same as the one I built and they came up w/ 406 or 412 (I dont recall, its been a few yrs) horses on the dyno.

The cam I have actually has too much duration for low RPM crawling, but I built it to drive daily and bog on the weekends, so I wanted the higher RPM power.
 
That can be done but I wouldnt recommend it. The ports are higher on the Vortecs. I laid a Performer on the motor, and the ports on the heads were above the intake. In all fairness there were no gaskets in there, I just laid it up there. I bought a Perfomer RPM made for Vortecs, and the ports were covered up the way they should be. Even w/out the gaskets.

Which brings up another point for Petakane, the intake gaskets are .120 thick. I am having a total brain fart on the gasket makers name /forums/images/icons/confused.gif but its the biggest gasket company out there that makes the best fitting gaskets. I think I need sleep. /forums/images/icons/crazy.gif LOL! Say the name and Ill recognize it.
 
I'm not quite sure what you are saying, but no car got Vortec heads, and no vehicle before '96 did either.

If they've been swapped in, thats cool, just making sure you weren't deceived.
 
Are you sure about that? I'm not saying you are wrong, but from what I have learned about the EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculator...or something along those lines) system, it only recirculates gas into the intake at high RPMS (where the engine can handle it, and not at idle), if the EGR allows gasses in at idle the vehicle may stumble or die (actually one of the signs of a failing or stuck EGR). It may also have something to do for warmup at idle (I'm not saying it doesn't), but I know when it is warmed up, it only opens under higher vacuum (which occurs at higher rpms).

As for warmupt, it may make sense though since it forces in more air, and the TBI enriches the fuel at startup and a carb limits the amount of incoming air (choke), which both would allow for more air not to cause as much of a problem at low rpms. Once the TBI leans out or the choke opens (on the carb), adding more air from the EGR would only cripple the motor, so I'm wondering how it knows? Just my curious mind /forums/images/icons/confused.gif
 
I did alot of searching on vortec motors..
I used my block number and it shows up as a 350 4 bolt hydrollic cam/lifter setup with 260+hp. Once I looked up the head numbers it was listed as cast heads... so I believe you are correct in saying that pre 96 they didnt come with vortec heads... expecially since my motor was pulled from a police car.. they usually get good motors so if they could have gotten vortec heads they would have.
Now a question for ya..
I am going to add new heads for the HP boost..
would I be better off with vortec heads or better off with 202's???
I dont know anything about heads ( and I am married so definitely not /forums/images/icons/grin.gif )
 
Well its like this... Bowtie heads out flow 202's, and Vortec's out flows Bowties. (the cast iron ones that is.) So you be the judge. /forums/images/icons/grin.gif
 
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