CHEVY VORTEC ALUMINUM 350 CYLINDER HEADS 64CC (2024)

FAQs

Are 64cc heads good? ›

With a 350's 4" bore and a set of flat top pistons, a 64cc head will give you right around 10:1 compression ratio, which is just right for a strong street engine. I would recommend staying under 200cc intake port size for a street driven 350. Most stock heads are between 160-170cc.

Re: Max lift with Vortec heads? (

Thats not what they say in the Jan 2003 article. "The stock springs will only accommodate around 0.420 inch of valve lift".

Vortec heads are compatible with earlier-generation blocks, but there are a couple of differences. The Vortec heads use center-bolt valve covers, and the bolt pattern and angle of the intake manifold surface are different. Other than that, everything else should work fine.

The cost for a set of Vortec heads? Well, it varies greatly. You can still find junkyard heads for about $50, but after the machine shop bill—or after simply purchasing a ready-to-install heads—the cost rises to about $600 to $800 for the pair.

A flat-top 350 with 64cc heads is about 10.3:1. However, 76cc heads on top of 12.5cc dish pistons gives 8.6:1.

Somewhere around the 240 HP region ( In stock as in installed trim ) . on a Dyno with no accessories on it they dyno at about the 300HP region. But the heads can flow well enough for 400HP. Just give it a good cam, good induction system and you're pretty much there.

the better of the 2 are the 906 casting heads because they have like 20% better flow over the 062 heads. 062 heads come of the 3/4 ton trucks. So you have the lower flowing vortec head but hey man be happy you have vortec heads man those heads work wonders. But all in all 062 is less flow and 906 is high flow.

Another notable difference is that the Vortecs have smaller combustion chambers, which up the compression about 1.5 points. These upgrades produce 375 HP and 408 ft-lbs of torque.

On a 350 that will never see over 5,300 - 5,500 RPMs, the L31 Vortecs are great heads. Work better than most aftermarket aluminum heads and flow better than the old GMPP Phase 6 aluminum Bowtie heads.

What makes a 350 a Vortec? ›

The engine is OBDII compatible and was basically a standard 350 with redesigned cylinder heads that used a revised head port configuration and combustion chamber size/shape, borrowed from the B-body cast iron LT1 head.

What's so great about them? .. They ranked 4th in flow among 13 expensive aftermarket performance heads and way above 1 favored good old GM SBC head... not bad for a cheap stock factory iron head... larger intake ports than most older GM Gen.

From 1996 to 2000, GM truck and van 350 engines came equipped with L-31 Vortec cylinder heads. Built of cast iron, these powerhouse heads upped the horsepower of these engines by magnitudes.

Vortec heads are basically LT1 heads without the reverse coolant flow. The port design is different that the standard SBC heads, but they fit one a Gen I small block as long as there is a Vortec intake manifold (the intake ports are taller). The Vortec head is basically known for having really good flow at lower lift.

vortec heads use a different intake manifold than other heads, only 8 bolts going straight down not on a angle. also on the front of the head there will be wut looks like a saw tooth pattern and center bolt valve covers.

Ideally, Cometic recommends . 030 to . 060 inch of clearance in your gasket bore. That means if you have a 4.000-inch bore, you'd want a gasket bore of 4.030 to 4.060 inches.

Needless to say, the cylinder head is a major component in building horsepower and torque. Because the way the shape and size of the combustion chamber affects so much of an engine's operation, you have to choose the appropriate selection, not just the one with the best peak numbers.

Cylinder head porting involves modifying the intake and exhaust passages to optimize airflow, which can lead to improved combustion efficiency and increased power output. Typically, you can expect power gains of around 5% to 15% from a well-executed cylinder head porting job.

Improved throttle response, 'fatter' power and torque curves, and peak horsepower can all be generated through selecting the right cylinder heads for the engine combination. However, in order to do that, it is important to focus on the overall characteristics and not on just one specific figure, such as peak flow.