Restoring Rusty

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by enaberif

Your experience with the heads is exactly why I haven't bothered upgrading for. You spent how much money now on used heads to find out they are junk?

Sometimes you have to spend money the right way to avoid headaches and if that means buying heads from a shop ready to go then so be it.

I see it as you now have spent $300? Between two heads and the test material? That is one head brand new.

After I buy the fourth head I would have spent approximately $190 on four heads, however this includes rockers that came on the first pair. If I did things right I had the opportunity to return the cracked heads, which would have put me back down to a set for just under $100.

I would not count the SPOTCHECK $75 dollar expense against the heads as I would have bought that to check my old heads or my block anyways.

I agree with you, knowing now what I didn't know then I will not build or rebuild another engine with used cylinder heads, but hey education costs, and I don't mind paying, I have learned a ton and am still learning, and honestly I enjoy this hands on stuff, I learn way more this way than from a book, or a YouTube video, or reading the Internet.

If nothing else, now when I read any forum about doing a top engine swap using old used Vortec heads I will just think, yeah right, good luck with that, LOL

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by 68Timber

Interesting. I didn't know the vortec heads were so crack-prone.

Makes me wonder, am I pulling the wrong Vortec heads? Apparently they came in two castings but get this three flavors. Part numbers:

12558062 - late 90's Chevy Tahoe and Suburbans

10239906 - late 90's Chevy Trucks (two flavors of this one, that's what confused me, one type of these 906s I hear may be good)

The ladder of the two the 10239906 has hardened exhaust seats from what the web tells us, but supposedly flows less, hence I went after the 12258062 ones.

The Iron Alternative
GM Performance's New Vortec Heads Promise Big Flow Numbers For A Modest Investment

"The easiest way to identify a Vortec head is by the sawtooth pattern cast into the front. Look for casting number 12558062, but avoid casting number 10239906, which has a modified exhaust seat and loses 20 percent of its flow at 0.120-inch lift."


Now I am reading that, that may have been a myth.

[Gregski]

well gotta run, the Junk Yard awaits, I hear there's a '99 Tahoe with a Vortec head with my name on it

[68post]

Learning from others experiance says that there isn't a flow differance btw the castings and that the only safe bet is using the "906" castings - IF they truely do have the factory inconel seat insert !! (and not all one ton trucks have the inserts)

All unleaded heads have hardened seats from the factory but they are "induction hardened" which is a hardening process done to the casting and is not a separately installed seat.

[rusty76]

That sucks. But you learning us something

[Gregski]

took a day off work and hit the junk yard today, I was fortunate enough to stumble upon a virgin 1999 Chevrolet Suburban that just go there three days ago on March 14th, 2016, the hood was not even opened yet, no one had pulled anything off of it yet

[Gregski]

mileage was only 134,909 and the plugs looked good, I think it ended up there cause of power steering problems, when I took the belt off the power steering pump pulley came off with the belt, LOL, that may have been the straw that broke the camels back

so after checking the part number on the passenger side head - it was go time!

[Gregski]

Man I forgot how much I hated these accessory brackets on my '97 Tahoe, you could not even take the driver side valve cover off without removing the AC unit and its bracket, I so don't miss working on that truck

[Gregski]

Gentlemen these heads looked great, someone was changing their oil every 3,000 miles, the valve train was super clean

had the first one off in just over 2 hours (in all fairness I was interrupted once by a dude wanting to borrow a pair of dikes, lol) it was for a gauge cluster for his '73 C10 so naturally I obliged

[Gregski]

so I decided to pull the second head as well, I thought if they both are good then I will be very happy knowing what ride they came off of, and that their wear and tear matches type of thing

45 minutes later, both fish were in the boat and ready for cleanin'

[Gregski]

here comes the best part, I only paid $75 bucks for both heads, rockers and all

needless to say I left with a big smile on my face and fingers and toes crossed that these will turn out ok

[Gregski]

hit the Cheap Chinese Tool store on the way home to pick up some more wire brushes for my drill

but this is not a Drill people we is going to clean these heads for real, LOL

[Gregski]

when I came home and through these heads on the workbench they looked amazing, by far the cleanest set I have come across, and trust me I have seen a few lately, ha ha

they were clean and dry, no grime on them, you could even see the factory paint

best part is these are the newest heads of the bunch with a born on date of C 16 9 which is C=March Day=16 Year=1999

[Gregski]

here's how the magic happens,

Third Verse
... same as the first
but a whole lot cleaner
and hopefully not the worst!

[enaberif]

The bottom of the valves look much better than the other group of heads you had.

[Gregski]

folks needless to say I have gotten better at disassembling these heads, what has taken me an hour per head, now takes 10 minutes, I kid you not

partly because I have learned / tried another old school way of removing the valve springs (now I knew about this but it don't work on old gunky heads)

here is all you need to remove valve springs

1. 11/16ths (or suitable socket)

2. 3 lbs sledge (or similar)

now you don't even have to whack the top of the spring with this, just bounce the hammer on it if you will, soft - hard - soft - hard, and the retainer fall right out

in my case the springs didn't even go flying across the garage they did nothing really, the retainers just fell of, and I lifter the springs with my hand and put them in a zip loc bag

[Gregski]

and to the Head Cleaning Station (HCS)

(beers without injury - 1)

[Gregski]

man these heads cleaned up nice (and gentlemen, you know the effort we put in doing something, and then the effort we put in if we is forced to do it over, you know what I'm saying, well even with me giving it my full 72% these guys turned out great - ha ha)

(beers without injury - 2)

[Gregski]

The easiest way to identify a Vortec head is by the sawtooth pattern cast into the front.

Yeah right, maybe if they are sitting on a work bench, but not if they are on the engine, because then they are hidden by the alternator bracket on the passenger side, and the AC compressor and bracket on the driver side

[Gregski]

correct me if I am wrong, but do the intake and exhaust valve stem seals seem different to you? I have stared at almost 40 of those in the last few days, ha ha, so I may be imagining things

[Gregski]

by the way, the newer-er driver side Vortec Cylinder head (and I shall refer to them from here on out by their born on date C 16 9 passed the Eyecrometer / Flashlight inspection test.

VORTEC DRIVER SIDE CYLINDER HEAD C 16 9 NO CRACKS

[Gregski]

The Love Affair with these new heads continues, just see how well they clean up, quickly too.

(beers without injury - 3)

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by enaberif

The bottom of the valves look much better than the other group of heads you had.

yes sir, I am very happy with these heads, though I must say I've earned it, ha ha

[Gregski]

couple more before and after shots for you, as if you haven't seen me clean heads before, lol

check out that valve train, I literally have done nothing to it on purpose to show it off to you, I am so pleased with them, I didn't even bother removing the rockers off of this set, no need

[Gregski]

the newer-er passenger side Vortec Cylinder head, born on date C 16 9 passed the Eyecrometer / Flashlight inspection test also

VORTEC PASSANGER SIDE CYLINDER HEAD C 16 9 NO CRACKS

(beers without injury - 4... I think)