Are these good heads?

[72kool]

I've been doing some research lately for my engine, and came across these heads
http://vi.raptor.ebaydesc.com/ws/eBa...=1520282705000

Anybody have experience with this brand?
Are they good numbers for a 400hp engine?

I'll explain my plans a bit.

Original plan was to do a vortec head swap and new cam and try to get around 350 hp

It's going in a 1972 C20 with a th350 trans for now. My goal is a fun daily driver that's faster than it should be. One thing about the heads above I like is they have bigger valves than the vortec and they have more lift for a bigger can selection and I don't need a special intake. I have vortec heads now but just basic machine work will cost 300 not to mention if I want more lift than stock. Please give me your opinions. I know everybody has one 😉

[Daves70]

220 cc runners for a 350 hp engine are Way too big. I don't know anything about this specific brand though. For the engine that your building I think vortecs or better yet the 180cc AFR heads. With a C20 you want to build an engine for torque. I think you would be happier with a nice mild 400 small block or a big block

[garyd1961]

As stated above 220 runners are way too big for your motor. I would go with vortecs and a mild cam if it was me.
Don't make the mistake of building more motor than you really want. It will cost you a lot of time and money for a motor that will be super fun for a short while then reality sets in and you wish you had your old motor back.
I mean everyone would love to have the Farm Truck but few would want to drive it on a regular basis.

[72kool]

Let me explain a little better. I would like alot of torque, because we all know that's where the power is. The original plan was going to end up around 350 hp and 330 torque. But it does not seem cost efficient in my area to use vortec heads with companes like scorpian offering aluminum heads for a little more than the vortec a would cost to have rebuilt. Then I would also have to buy a new carb and intake to use the vortec heads and be limited to what will bolt on to the vortec heads.

I'm looking at the aluminum heads because they offer alot more options and room to grow in the future. I would like to end up between 400-500 hp and torque. This truck I drive to work when I can but it's my toy. I'm not worried about fuel milage or being the perfect tow rig. I have two suburbans for that. What would be a good size head that I could buy? I'm basically knd of turn off from the idea of the vortec heads

[1972RedNeck]

A couple thoughts that really don't answer your questions.

First, is all this going on your engine as is or are you planning on a complete overhaul? New top end on a worn bottom end tends to be a waste...

Next, to realize the potential that any of the aforementioned heads will give you, you need a better flowing intake manifold. In other words, whichever way you go, you need to buy an intake.

Third, once you get much over 1hp per cubic inch, daily driver quality starts to go away in a hurry. If you want a fun DD truck with 450 HP or so, a 454 would be a good choice - not that it can't be done with a 350, but you may be money ahead to save your pennies for a big block or even an LS.

Just my thoughts to add some more confusion...

[garyd1961]

You seem to have your mind made up. I hope you have a big bank account because you are going to need it.

[72kool]

I apologise if I came across hard headed. I feel I'm seeing more options than what I was stick on for the past year.
I'll explain the whole story. I'm in the process of building a pavement thumper 5.3 ls for my buddy to put in his 2000 Chevy pickup. It will eventually be turbo charged and built to around 650 hp end goal.

While doing this, my engine will be the next to be built and it has me reevaluating my build plan. The ls is a great engine and easy to build, but I don't want the electronics in my classic. Just not my thing. I have been thinking about a fast product or Holley sniper system for my engine though. I know that's not much different than a ls, but just has more appeal to me than another ls build. Personal preference I guess.

I want to drive my truck alot. I hate having vehicles sitting. But I don't worry about fuel mileage or anything along the lines of a normal dd except that I want to use pump gas and want to turn the key and start right up.

Ive considered a bb, but I've also thought that I have a good 350 already, why not just build it.

Background on the engine itself, it's the original 350 engine. Has 68,000 miles on it. I'm going to tear it down, have the block inspected and go from there. I don't think it will need much as it's low miles and has no issues. Good compression, no oil burning . Just a basic 170hp 350. My thought was , if I'm going to build it, I want to do it right once and not be disappointed after all that work. What have you guys been doing?

My plan as of now, I have a budget of about $3000. It's a process build, not a week long in and out. I say that's the budget, because then I should just buy a crate engine and be done. Not as fun for me.
So I think , buy good heads to allow bigger cam and higher flow,
Compliment Tuesday heads with a good intake, find a mid range cam with good lower rpm performance and a flat power curve. Top it off with a tbi system like a Holley sniper or fast. What would you do?

[Coley]

Ok....you mention Hp a lot...then you mention you want torque.
So forget about the hp number...and focus on obtaining torque and take the hp as an off shoot.
You have a heavy vehicle and if you want it to be generally 'quick' around town, off the line and out of the hole...you need torque.
Hp is only going to be a factor when you start exceeding 4000-5000 rpm...which is probably not where you will do 95% of your driving, unless you are on the highway or have enough room in the neighbourhood 'light to light' to get your speed up.
You need a cam, heads and valves (1.94") that lend themselves to torque...on top of that you need an intake and fuel system that lend themselves to low speed operation.

I'm not sure if this is you but most guys want a 'lumpy' side...which in a small block means no low end torque. Then they are posting here that they don't seem to have a lot of power off the line (in a 4000lb+ vehicle)....lol.

So you have to decide what you want....a hp number? (400?...500?)...or you do want nice, strong performance for 90%+ of your daily driving habits.

Coley

[Bigdav160]

So I think , buy good heads to allow bigger cam and higher flow,
Compliment Tuesday heads with a good intake, find a mid range cam with good lower rpm performance and a flat power curve. Top it off with a tbi system like a Holley sniper or fast. What would you do?

The truth is the parts need to match or it will end up being a dog. The parts you listed are not a good match. Those aluminum chinese heads come in smaller port varieties. I think mine are 180cc.

[trac209]

For what you want the vortech head will be a much better match. 220 for that engine is ridiculous. My buddies light 63 Acadian that runs low tens doesn’t even use a 220 head

[sick472]

Originally Posted by 1972RedNeck

Third, once you get much over 1hp per cubic inch, daily driver quality starts to go away in a hurry.

PLUS ONE on the 1HP per Cubic Inch.

I have only built a few motors in my life (4) and have stuck to this rule of thumb. I can not talk in depth about engine components and their combinations, but I can attest to the street-ability and longevity of 1hp/CI engines. Another rule to follow is "there's no replacement for displacement".

You can take a 350 block and build with "nice" stock cast heads or even aftermarket cast heads, bump the compression to need 91 octane, off the shelf comp cam, headers, airgap intake, roller rockers, electric fan, off the shelf Holley (or whatever), and produce a cheap build that puts out 300 to 350 HP. Stroke it to a 383 and your right where you want to be for producing torque. There's no big name parts or race track talk associated with this build, but you will have an affordable motor that will impress most of my friends!

[garyd1961]

If you want to spend your weekends working on your truck build the 500 hp motor but if you want to spend your weekends cruising build a 300 hp high torque motor (vortec heads work great for this).

[dzbowtie]

Agree with garyd on this one. I have factory vortec heads on my sbc. Small Comp cam (.450ish single pattern). My truck is a daily driver and I have lots of fun with it. Most importantly, the build is solid. All parts work together and nothing is overkill by a long shot. It starts every time and is consistent. This makes it a dream to drive.

[clay68c10]

I'll jump on at this point too. Stock Vortec heads and a comp 268ish cam and you will have a nice runner that will be dependable. Double check that your compression will be ok with the pistons you already have in that 350.
The alternate would be to get a Vortec crate and put a slightly bigger cam in it. Maybe the 7395 RamJet/HT383 cam or something similar.
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/nal-14097395
Use the 1.5 rockers and there's no head work required. Then you get a one-piece rear main and roller cam. That should be a bulletproof torquey combo.