Sbc head opinion..please chime in?

[HeavyD]

Hello all, I getting ready to finally start buying parts to assemble a nice 350 or even 383 for my 71. The head choices are mind boggling, and I have had a couple people suggest the following...what are your thoughts?

Street only 71 c10 longbox, th350, 3.07 rear. No hot rod but would like decent power since everything made now has more power than this truck stock. 9-9.5 comp, headers, q jet, .450-.480ish cam.

Head choice A: Dart ss165, iron but with modern heart shaped 67cc chambers, well made, can be ported in future if need more power? If wanting old school look fits theme well. Friend suggested this is all I need for mild street truck. Prob 1300 bucks a pair by the time $ exchange and shipped to me up here in Canuckistan.

Head choice B: Good old vortecs. Good power, proven, can have cracking issues? Good to .480 lift stock, engine quest versions fix all the stock flaws? Stuck with centerbolt valve cover choices and limited intakes to use with Qjet.

Head choice C: ATK 185 aluminum. Made by profiler but have standard height exh port so off shelf headers seal up. Supposedly keep up with AFR up to .500 but half the price. Suggested to me as a perfect budget head by a guy who would like everyone to use 220 heads, but these do look good on paper for not much more cash than the darts.

Realize there are tons more choices, but what do you guys think of these?

[truckster]

I haven't used the other choices, but I can chime in on the Vortecs - I love them. For best results, combine them with a roller cam that can take advantage of their ability to breathe. Though there aren't a huge number of choices for an intake manifold, what there is works well. As far as cracking, I wouldn't put a used set with cracks on a rebuild, but I've never seen one with cracks bad enough to be the reason it was taken out of service.

[HeavyD]

Do you use a carb? I have an eddy performer vortec intake I can use but always read the RPM version is better, so I have almost forgotten about it. RPM isnt set up for qjet like reg performer is, but I could use an adapter?

[truckster]

Mine is a Performer type made by a different company. I'm running a Quadrajet with electric choke.

[Ziegelsteinfaust]

Vortec heads with beehive coil springs are a excellent budget choice.

With a good porter can support almost 500 with out being over the top.

So I would go with Vortecs, and use the extra for a good roller cam.

[Rickysnickers]

My opinion, but I think you should first decided on what size engine you are going to build, the 350 or 383. From there, then I would figure what what heads to go with. I think, if you do a 383, I would lean toward a head with a 180 to 195cc intake rating. If you do that, then I might look at a set of the Jeg's AL heads. I used them and they were pretty nice. I believe Profiler makes them for Jeg's as well.

https://www.jegs.com/p/JEGS/JEGS-Sma...93012/10002/-1

[Ziegelsteinfaust]

Two things I would like to add.

I would concentrate more on cam selection the head. A great cam does better with good heads vs a great heads with a good cam. A cam controls where you put power down, and how broad the power band is. Heads more so control total power. This is a rough explanation, but this is why I would choose Vortec heads with a great cam. They have 175cc runners, and with a little work can support a great street cam. For atleast what you described as your goals.

Lastly anything over 185-195cc heads on the street is a bit much for the average user. They dont effectively limit NA power at the rpm ranges most street guys build there engines to run. Or should build there engines to run. They send better vacuum signal to the carburetor or even fuel injection sensors. Which makes the engine easier to tune.

I am currently gathering parts for my 383 build with 205cc heads, and a tunnel ram. It won't be on nodding terms with DD'ing, but I dont care. I will probably be on the edge of suicide by the time it is dialed in. This will be a extreme engine since I have had to have a tunnel ram for years, and now I am preparing to do so. Due to poor engine choices I will have to run steep gears to keep velocity up so the engine will be happy cruising down the road.

You can also down load desk top dyno as this is a nice tool to gauge the range of the cam you are selecting. With the 307 gears your going to want a roller to get big torque with a broad power band.

[scottofksu]

Choosing to go 383 increased the cost of my engine exponentially...

Personally, if I had it to do over again, I’d go find a newer block that accepts factory roller cams and has a one piece main seal. I built a ‘74 4-bolt and had to pay extra for the retrofit roller. I'd personally go with Vortecs given the engine I’ve described. You could build something between 350 and 400 hp without it being too extreme. These trucks generally aren’t as heavy as modern ones; so 350-400 should be plenty of fun!

[Tom]

Originally Posted by scottofksu

Choosing to go 383 increased the cost of my engine exponentially...

A crankshaft and some clearance work inside the block depending on connecting rod choice? Not sure how it made it cost so much more....

As for the heads, vortecs would be my choice. I don't like cheap brand parts and I don't have any love for iron eagles. Flow testing says they don't improve anything compared to vortecs. That said, airflow research or bust!

[scottofksu]

That it would just take the crank and some clearance work is what made me pick a 383 over a 350. Maybe it’s just me, but going 383 did make me make different decisions for some parts (e.g., pistons with the right height), but moreover it made the enticement of more power harder to resist. Choosing more power resulted in needing to upgrade all other driveline components. Also, as mentioned before, using an early block cost me some as well. I fully admit others could avoid some of these headaches and expenses by cutting corners or making better decisions. This is just a cautionary tale!

Here’s a rough detailing of some of these additional costs:

383
Different pistons = +$300
Different heads to dial in compression and lower cylinder temps = +$1200
Stroker clearanced rods = +$100
Retrofit roller = +$200
Upgrading trans = +$500
Stronger drive shaft = +$450
Bullet proof rear = +$2k

[scottofksu]

It’s pretty, though!

[HeavyD]

Yup, looks good!

Thanks for all the responses. My needs for his thing are to be fun to drive yet docile enough the wife can do an errand without it bucking etc. It is so easy to keep adding to the power level, and for this particular truck as mentioned 170-180 heads will be lots with a good roller cam. For sure will be going roller and one piece seal, starting with nothing so no reason not to. Will read over everything in this thread again for sure.

[toolboxchev]

If you go new, and want the vintage look with vortec performance these are worth a look:

https://www.trickflow.com/parts/tfs-30210007

[truckster]

So it sounds like you might be a good candidate for an L31 Vortec crate engine. Roller block, Vortec heads, one-piece rear main seal. You can usually find a pretty good deal on one. You'll need an intake manifold, an electric fuel pump, and a flex plate. If you replace the cam with the HT383 cam you'll be in the neighborhood of 330 horses and 400 lb-ft of torque, with a very well-mannered engine you won't worry about your wife driving.