vortec head 062 please?

[Jarhead79]

So I'm building a budget 355 and was given a set of vortec 062 heads. Thought life was grand, well one head had a huge crack in it. Then was given another head, looked it over, thought no cracks, but turns out I missed one in the center head bolt area. Wtf....
Still have one more chance at my buds shop too get the last one he has off and check it, so I'm in need of one if this last one doesn't work out. Anyone have one laying around they don't intend to use, Crosses fingers...lol first pic, bad crack, second pic find the crack! Lll

 

[MikeB]

Cracks are very common in used Vortec heads. I had a pair off a running engine with iny hairline cracks that turned up when magnafluxing. Might have been OK, but didn't want to chance it.

I ended up buying a new pair from Jegs for around $310 each including freight. Gotta tell you they may seem like a good bang for the buck, but the intake manifold, valve covers & bolts, and expensive gaskets can drive up the price. And valve lift can't be over .460" or so without aftermarket springs, retainers, and locks.

Also, be sure to look at the exhaust ports. If they are offset above the bolt hole centerline, make sure your gaskets and exhaust manifolds/headers don't block the tops of the ports. From what I can tell, the ports on the OE castings were centered on the bolt holes; but on the GM aftermarket castings, the ports are raised, as you can see here:

You must be registered for see images

I can shoot you the P/Ns of a couple gaskets that will work, but it's critical that you check the exhaust manifold or headers, because exhaust gas flow is the most intense at the top of the port.

 

[1987 GMC Jimmy]

Cracks are very common in used Vortec heads. I had a pair off a running engine with iny hairline cracks that turned up when magnafluxing. Might have been OK, but didn't want to chance it.

I ended up buying a new pair from Jegs for around $310 each including freight. Gotta tell you they may seem like a good bang for the buck, but the intake manifold, valve covers & bolts, and expensive gaskets can drive up the price. And valve lift can't be over .460" or so without aftermarket springs, retainers, and locks.

Also, be sure to look at the exhaust ports. If they are offset above the bolt hole centerline, make sure your gaskets and exhaust manifolds/headers don't block the tops of the ports. From what I can tell, the ports on the OE castings were centered on the bolt holes; but on the GM aftermarket castings, the ports are raised, as you can see here:

You must be registered for see images

I can shoot you the P/Ns of a couple gaskets that will work, but it's critical that you check the exhaust manifold or headers, because exhaust gas flow is the most intense at the top of the port.

If you could do it over, would you have worked a set of fuelie heads or maybe gone aluminum?

 

[MikeB]

If you could do it over, would you have worked a set of fuelie heads or maybe gone aluminum?

Maybe Dart SS or Edelbrock E-Tec.

A buddy of mine who's an engine builder swears by the Dart SS heads, even for a mild 383. Now we're not talking about 6000 RPM engines here, but rather engines that make lots of torque in the mid-RPM range. Perfect for a street-only square body with 2.73 to 3.42 gears.

 

[Jarhead79]

Only reason I'm wanting to use the vortecs is that they're free, and I can get a free valve job on them and I get a decent discount on gaskets and such from my part time job. I found a local ish place that does machining and they said to bring my cracked head in for them to look at, they're pretty sure they can fix it, worth a shot for $65 bucks in my opinion. Unless I can't fix it or find a good head then I'll have to look at different routes. Only wanting around 400 HP and 400 tq, which these heads with minor work and a cam should be just fine for that.

 

[MikeB]

Sounds like a plan. To handle the cam lift needed for a 400hp 350 (probably .470" or more), you will need to address the valve spring issue. Distance from retainer to seal must be:

valve lift + .050" to .060" safety margin.

Here's what I used as a drop-in solution:

GM 12499224 -- LS6/LS2 springs (blue)
CompCams 787-16 retainers
CompCams 648-16 locks (must use these!)

The retainers and locks allow the springs to be installed at 1.750", which is .050" taller than the stock setup.

Coil bind is around 1.20", which is good for .550" travel - .050" safety margin = .500" valve lift.

Speaking of valve seals, be sure to have them replaced and tapped down fully on the guide bosses.

This post explains the valve spring issue in much more detail:
http://www.pacificp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8710&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=20

 

[Jarhead79]

Ty for the info, I've been looking at an Alex spring kit, all bolt on no machining.Valve Spring Kit for SB Chevy Vortec
High Performance Hydraulic Roller Cams, up to .550" Lift w/ 130 Lbs seat pressure



Our Vortec kits are engineered specifically for Iron Vortec & 96 Iron LT1 heads. (not aluminum LT1)

That's right, no machine work required to set up a pair of these heads.

We engineered this kit with all the right parts so Vortec head owners won't have to machine the spring seats or valve guides to run up to .550" lift.

Great for engines with 1.6, high ratio rockers.

Yes, works with self aligning rockers as well as heads w/ screw in studs and guide plates and std, non self aligning rockers.

As some of you know, Vortec heads have a problem w/ retainer to seal clearance. The stock retainers and springs do not allow for more then around .460" lift.

This kit is specially engineered to allow for up to .550" lift, all with parts which fit the heads without additional machine work.

We use a special retainer and spring combination which solves two vortec head problems.



The retainer to seal clearance issue.

Spring base diameter issue (vortec heads will not accept std SBC springs)



The issue with clearance between the retainer and seal was solved by producing a special retainer which offers maximum clearance between the bottom side of retainer and the top of the seal. The bottom of the retainer is pretty much "flush" with the bottom edge of the locks. This design offers maximum clearance without compromising strength or requiring the guides to be shortened.

Our springs are a perfect fit on the stock Vortec spring base.

Both problems solved!

Stock valves have .260" IN/.289" EX Tip lengths which will generally allow for up to .550" lift.

It it durable? Yes!

We have sold thousands of our vortec spring kits to customers world wide!



Kit Includes:

Sixteen- High Output Drop In Fit Valve Springs
Sixteen- Chrome Moly Retainers, 7 degree
Sixteen- 7 Degree Hardened Valve Locks


For 130 Lb seat pressure, we recommend purchasing a shim kit to facilitate setting up the proper installed height.

To obtain optimum performance, installed heights must be measured and shimmed as required.

Each kit comes with it's own installed height specification card. Always use the specification card included with your kit.

Specifications:

Outside Diameter- 1.270"
Inside Diameter- .880"
130 Lbs @ 1.790"
340 Lbs @ .550" lift
Rate- 365
Average Coil Bind 1.150"
Beehive Spring? - No
High Perf Replacement Spring? -Yes


Suitable for most hyd roller cams w/ up to 244 degrees duration @ .050"

Requirements- Valve Seal replacement is highly suggested. It's important for the installer to make 100% sure the seals are fully seated down onto the guide. Seals which are not fully seated will reduce maximum lift capacity. We recommend measurements are taken between retainer bottom edge and the seal top to verify there is at least .030" clearance exists.

OE GM Vortec heads normally use: 11/32" X .552" seals. Be aware some aftermarket heads (such as engine-quest) have different guide diameters. If you have aftermarket iron heads, it is advised to measure the guide before ordering seals.

NOTE-1- Spring installed height must be checked and shimmed as necessary.

NOTE-2- Not for Gen III LS series aluminum Vortec. Check our other spring kits for late model Gen 3 applications

NOTE-3- We do not recommend the use of "HOWARDS" brand self aligning rockers. Due to their bulky design, clearance between rocker and retainer is either limited or non existent. The same goes for some older Crane self aligning rockers. Most other brands of self aligning rockers work fine. Each builder should check for rocker interferance upon assembly.


For those interested in spring kits for Hydraulic Flat Tappet (110 Lbs Seat) or smaller Hyd Roller (120 Lbs Seat) cams can find them by entering VSK4H50 and VSK4h52 into the search engine.

 

[4WDKC]

@Jarhead79 did you ever complete this swap?

 

[trukman1]

MikeB, Are there special headers for the aftermarket heads? I can see cast manifolds having enough "meat" to grind some clearance at the top but not sure what to do about headers.

 

[trukman1]

Cracks are very common in used Vortec heads. I had a pair off a running engine with iny hairline cracks that turned up when magnafluxing. Might have been OK, but didn't want to chance it.

I ended up buying a new pair from Jegs for around $310 each including freight. Gotta tell you they may seem like a good bang for the buck, but the intake manifold, valve covers & bolts, and expensive gaskets can drive up the price. And valve lift can't be over .460" or so without aftermarket springs, retainers, and locks.

Also, be sure to look at the exhaust ports. If they are offset above the bolt hole centerline, make sure your gaskets and exhaust manifolds/headers don't block the tops of the ports. From what I can tell, the ports on the OE castings were centered on the bolt holes; but on the GM aftermarket castings, the ports are raised, as you can see here:

You must be registered for see images

I can shoot you the P/Ns of a couple gaskets that will work, but it's critical that you check the exhaust manifold or headers, because exhaust gas flow is the most intense at the top of the port.

(I was referring to this post.)