Vortech heads/ tbi motor??

[oldskoolracer]

OK,

my brother is all hell bent on putting VORTEC heads on
my 5.7l block and a cam and possibly an edlebrock intake.



1. are the vortec heads worth the effort on a primarely stock engine?


2.is the intake manifold really any better then stock?


3. what cam do you suggest for decent upgrade but not sacrificing to much in the way of MPG.


gotta note my truck is a 4.3l right now so it'll be a welcome upgrade.lol


thanks for all the info

[drumer919]

1 yes
2 yes
3 and LT1 cam, can be had for about $30 and is a great upgrade.

[oldskoolracer]

Originally Posted by drumer919

1 yes
2 yes
3 and LT1 cam, can be had for about $30 and is a great upgrade.

isnt the LT1 cam a roller motor?



are the vortec heads roller or flat tappet?

[drumer919]

The L03, L05, L98 and L31(vortec) are all roller blocks.

[oldskoolracer]

Originally Posted by drumer919

The L03, L05, L98 and L31(vortec) are all roller blocks.

so pretty much with the vortec heads run that cam.


just in case what if i dont run vortec heads?

what cam then?

[oldskoolracer]

Originally Posted by drumer919

The L03, L05, L98 and L31(vortec) are all roller blocks.

SO,,, THE BLOCK I HAVE SHOULD BE A ROLLER?


sorry i dont remember much about the SBC motors

been years since i really torn one down

[drumer919]

The heads dont matter if its roller or non, only the block, I would use the vortec heads for what ever block you end up using. Just cause it should be roller by the numbers dont buy parts unless you pull the intake and make sure. Sometimes they did some crazy ****, putting non roller cams in blocks equipped with the mounting stuff for the hold down spider and such.

There may be a way to tell for sure without pulling the intake, but I dont know of one. The only motors I would be 100% sure of is the L31 and of course LTx/L99 (baby LT1).

I'll add: There are lots of good cams out there, I only suggested the LT1 cam cause its cheap and east to find and a hell of a lot better than the stock cams in the tbi motors and shouldnt hurt mileage that much. You should note that there are different LT1 cams- the B body LT1 cam is different from the F body, I dont know if the Y body is different from the F body or not. I would think the B body cam be more suited to a truck, since they are designed with more low end torque to move around the heavier body's anyway.

[oldskoolracer]

Originally Posted by drumer919

The heads dont matter if its roller or non, only the block, I would use the vortec heads for what ever block you end up using. Just cause it should be roller by the numbers dont buy parts unless you pull the intake and make sure. Sometimes they did some crazy ****, putting non roller cams in blocks equipped with the mounting stuff for the hold down spider and such.

There may be a way to tell for sure without pulling the intake, but I dont know of one. The only motors I would be 100% sure of is the L31 and of course LTx/L99 (baby LT1).

I'll add: There are lots of good cams out there, I only suggested the LT1 cam cause its cheap and east to find and a hell of a lot better than the stock cams in the tbi motors and shouldnt hurt mileage that much. You should note that there are different LT1 cams- the B body LT1 cam is different from the F body, I dont know if the Y body is different from the F body or not. I would think the B body cam be more suited to a truck, since they are designed with more low end torque to move around the heavier body's anyway.

I HAVE BOTH CAMS LAYING AROUND IRONICLY ENOUGH I HAVE A 95' ROADMASTER LT1 TORN DOWN IN MY BASMENT AND I HAD PICKED UP A Z28 CAM FOR IT ALREADY.

I JUST DIDN'T WANT TO DEAL, dang sorry not yelling all caps at work.

i didn't want to deal with

1. the wiring

2. the ignition system

3. i'm lazy and TBI seemed easier.

i would love fuel injection but dealing with all of it is a pain to me.

[GreaseDog]

FWIW, the Roadmaster (B Body) cam is the same cam used in L31 Vortecs.

and not all L03 and L05 blocks are roller. we tore down 2 L05s last winter, and neither were roller ready.

[oldskoolracer]

WHAT would be a decent idea for a cheap build?

top end anyways, are the vortec heads or something else maybe some stock gasket matched?


any suggestions?

[Orangette]

Originally Posted by oldskoolracer

WHAT would be a decent idea for a cheap build?

top end anyways, are the vortec heads or something else maybe some stock gasket matched?


any suggestions?

well to put it this way. im building a 350 using Vortec heads, XE268H cam, Professional Products intake (edelbrock knockoff) and basically no machine work to the bottom end and its gonna cost me about $1500+ by the time im done.

[oldskoolracer]

Originally Posted by Orangette

well to put it this way. im building a 350 using Vortec heads, XE268H cam, Professional Products intake (edelbrock knockoff) and basically no machine work to the bottom end and its gonna cost me about $1500+ by the time im done.

WITH that new rods and pistons?

and how much machine work to the heads.

[whitelightnin92]

just the heads, intake, and cam will be $1,500 it adds up quick when you throw all the tiny little extras in(bolts,gaskets,ect)

[383TBI]

Originally Posted by oldskoolracer

SO,,, THE BLOCK I HAVE SHOULD BE A ROLLER?


sorry i dont remember much about the SBC motors

been years since i really torn one down

Can also pull the distributor and go in there with an inspection mirror

[soonerZ71]

Originally Posted by drumer919

There may be a way to tell for sure without pulling the intake, but I dont know of one.

You can pull a valve cover and look down the square oil drain holes between the pushrod holes cast into the head. Just shine a flashlight in there and if its a roller motor, you will be able to see part of the spider in the lifter valley.