350 Cylinder heads

[kjdolphins]

My 72 chevy has a 350 in it and we are gonna go through the motor and we are trying to decide whether we would like to go with the vortec heads or keep the ones that were on it. Basically I want to know the pros and cons of each. The heads currently on it are the 487x heads which came stock. Not looking for a ridiculous amount of power, but would just like it around that 380 - 410 hp range eventually. Will be getting a new cam, probably comp xe268 or something similiar.

Heres what I've come up with so far:

Pros:
487x - already have them. Machine shop claims them to be great heads. They also claim they can get them to produce a good amount of power.

Vortecs - Found a pair for 100$, but have not been crack checked or anything. From researching, these produce more power than any other heads that came stock on 350's without going aftermarket.

Cons:
487x - Will i rebuild these and be disappointed in the power?

Vortecs - Crack prone. Need to purchase a new intake as well.

Opinions welcome. Share your experiences with either

[marvgarr68]

I would not put vortec heads on it. I have changed my share of those junk heads. Plus I hate the intake bolt design.

[kjdolphins]

I would also like to know if anyone has any other possible stock heads that would be the best to rebuild

[Coley]

well, when it comes to making power you aren't going to beat the Vortec type heads in comparison with the older cast heads.
I'm no expert on the Vortecs but you will need a vortec type intake and you might need some new style bracketry for the alternator and the a/c (if you have a/c)
As for the heads you have....487X....those are good cast heads....although they probably weren't stock on your truck. They were typically installed on the early 70's LT1 engines in the vettes and Camaros.
If you want to run a similar flowing cast head but with a little more compression/power then look for a set of '186' or '041' heads.
My two bits....keep us posted.
Coley

[69chevytrucker]

if its first gen vortec then they are high swirl heads more a fuel saver then a power adder and you need the right intake or have to drill out the four center holes on your intake if your talking late model vortec i dont think they will work on that old of a block best bet port and polish your heads if done right the heads alone can get you 70 hp

[MARKDTN]

Change to Vortec. The old stuff does not flow like a Vortec. Period. On your original heads you will probably spend $500 plus to do them right. All old SB heads need at least a half set of valve guides if not all. Probably won't have hardened seats. Then you have to do a lot of polishing to get it to flow where a Vortec starts. All the old double-hump and 487X (and Pontiac and Olds) is dead at swap meets. The only people that still want them are either a) chasing casting mumbers and dates for a full blown restoration b) have to have for a racing class or c) reliving the old days when these heads were the best. Everybody wants aftermarket or Vortec. My .02

[oldno7]

Save yourself a lot of hassle and money and buy a set of aluminum heads you will NEVER get cast heads to flow like aluminum plus the weight also it seems like a lot up front but I promise you will be money ahead later and don't put monster flowing heads on it if you want it to be peppy

[bbcmudtruck]

I vote for a set of AFR 180 heads with a matching intake and hydraulic roller cam. Its a lot more money up front, but you'll be more than happy with the outcome. If that's not an option, look around on craigslist for a set of heads. There are a lot of good deals on aftermarket heads around my local craigslist for sale all the time. I just saw a set of World heads that were fresh from the machine shop for $500 obo the other day.

[kjdolphins]

Really appreciating the help guys. We definitely still have a debate going on here, but this has been helping a lot!

[67c10rustbuket]

Either are good heads and I like the Vortec heads.
If you are considering Vortec heads first do some research on what casting numbers Vortec heads actually had (...062, ...906). Real Vortec heads were on 96-98 CK trucks and then express Vans through 2002. the earlier center bolt heads (TBI,TPI,EFI yada yada) are NOT Vortec heads. Real vortec heads only have 8 mounting holes. People on CL are always trying to sell "Vortec heads" off of their '93 truck etc, and they are NOT Vortec heads, just junk TBI heads.. Check the casting numbers and intake mounting to be sure.
On another note once you get through all the machine work you may be regretting it, and thinking heck for another $100 I could have had aluminum heads. Especially if using an xe268 cam because I don't think Vortec heads cant handle that lift in stock form. I think the Vortec heads max is .475" lift.
My 2c

[oldno7]

BBC mud truck agree totally I have the 195 heads and I love the power runs like a stripped as ape with the 268 comp cam
If you invest any money in a motor the best place to put it is in a quality set of heads your better of doing that than putting some huge carb that's dumps way to much fuel or a huge cam

[kjdolphins]

One of the candidates that I just recently looked at was the Promaxx performance freedom series 2168 heads. Here's a link to the summit racing website for their specs.http://www.summitracing.com/parts/pm...make/chevrolet
I've read all kinds of mixed reviews about them as well and was curious what everyone thinks about them.