more q's on heads....

[RootBreaker]

Ok so everyone says that vortec blocks and cast heads dont flow good.. change the cam and you wount notice much as the heads are the weak point..


so what years and off of what kinds of vehicle would we want?
my fathers friend owns a junkyard so I can get them cheap.. hopefully less than $100 if he has a blown motor there....or hell maybe he will just sell me the entire engine... dunno yet.... I just need to see what I need first..


since I bought a winch and havent mounted it yet.. I still figure that a ok driving truck is good.. if I get stuck in mud.. I have the winch to pull me out.. so no need for 400hp+

my truck is not a daily driver however i do want to drive it to the pit and back... so mileage is a concern....

with a 1991 chevy caprice police 350 (9c1 nothing special) I was thinking
Comp Cams Xtreme4x4 cam, vortec heads and a new intake.. that should freshen it up enough.... or just the heads and intake and leave the cam alone...

stock the ening is supposed to be 195hp/295ftlb torqu with tbi, manifolds, single exhaust..
I put truck avenger, 1989 z-28 intake, full headers and true duals...

so what ya think???
vortec heads, camel hump? others?

 

[dyeager535]

You might try better heads (Vortec's best stock heads you'll find to bolt on) but IMO, even with Vortecs, a small cam really costs you upper end. I suspect that the one in there now is pretty mild.

You can't go wrong with better heads, but Vortec heads with a mild cam will not net you much upper end power. Great low end torque, but it will wheeze out pretty early. Been there, living that.

 

[RootBreaker]

You might try better heads (Vortec's best stock heads you'll find to bolt on) but IMO, even with Vortecs, a small cam really costs you upper end. I suspect that the one in there now is pretty mild.

You can't go wrong with better heads, but Vortec heads with a mild cam will not net you much upper end power. Great low end torque, but it will wheeze out pretty early. Been there, living that.

hmm ok.. I thought that is what we want... I mainly like trails and mud....
not rocks... however low end torque from say 800 or 1200 rps and up right?

well cam is $250 and heads $300 and intake $150... aint got that kinda cash right now... however I may see if I can get a setup from my fathers friend.... gotta get cash first...

 

[dyeager535]

Well you do want low end, but if you like having upper end power, the stock cam is pretty limited.

My setup is very torquey with the small cam and vortec heads, but it leaves something to be desired on the street when I really get on it trying to accelerate. The 465 exacerbates the problem since the gear spacing is so far apart, which requires more RPM between shifts.

I think for an on-road/off-road truck you'll want a balance between low end torque and horsepower, small cam with Vortec heads leans heavily towards low end torque.

If you've got desktop dyno, plug the vortec .flw file in and play around with "small" cams compared to large. You'll see what I mean.

 

[blazinzuk]

go with the Vortec heads it is very easy to make them accept a larger cam and even if you don't use 1.6 rockers Double humps are crap to Vortecs. The vortecs are very effeciant and have a good combusion chamber design I have looked at plenty of dyno tests using the vortec heads and its more the cam that runs out rather than the heads unless you are going north of 6000

 

[mudslinger99]

Double humps are crap to Vortecs.

Hey my truck resembles that remark

I say get yourself a good set of heads like these Bowtie heads http://www.highvelocityheads.com/advantage.htm

A buddy of mine picked up a set for $200 bucks and they made his motor come to life.. I have him looking for another set for me I have a set of Double Humps on my truck now and they do a good job.. I have a guy that wants to buy my heads for $500 bucks but I don't wont to sell them because they do a good job and perform wothout any problems..

Add the Bowtie heads with a good cam and you will think you got a new motor