Very similar to what I did to mine but I didn’t open up the actual throat diameter. I only cleaned up the ridge in the bowl area that goes to the Val seat area. That’s all I did. I’ve got them on a small block 400 that’s running about 10 to one compression with a comp 262 cam with a ghetto grind and it’s pretty tame until you goose it. It’s a friggin monster.
Just wanted to say Thank you for all the info!! I did everything you said to do and I'm very happy with the results. I did a set of 062 heads and the engine runs fantastic. They are in a 63 Chevy 2 and I couldn't have done it with out your instruction. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Thats awesome man! You cant beat vortecs, for sure the best bang for you buck if your willing to do the work yourself. Thanks for checking out my videos!
Love my vortecs and love your videos! I like your idea with the tape on the valve for consistency of the port, but I may have a better solution. I took an old intake and exhaust valve, ground the intake valve to 1.70 and the exhaust to 1.290, welded a 5/16” nut on the face of each valve, cut the stems off so they were approx 2-2 1/2” long, screwed a 5/16” bolt in the nut and used the bolt as a handle, now you have the exact dia you are looking for when grinding in the pocket and it’s guided by the stem. Works great!
I did some mild porting, smoothing/blending, & port matching on my modified 5.7L vortec (383 stroker) a couple of years ago. I just lost half of my compression on one cylinder because the exhaust valve rocker stud is working its way out so this week I'll be pulling the head and installing screw-in studs.
Yes sir! Sane thing happened to me a few years back. Some guys will argue you don't need to do screw in studs, but I've found anything over 350lbs open spring pressure you run the risk of pulling studs
I used to hate putting screw-in studs in. Now I do it on everything. I just hate taking an engine back apart. On an older engine, they will pull out, or even loosen just a bit and give you fits. Worth doing.
Years ago i bought a set of refurbished gm iron heads i paid for 3 upgrades 2.02/1.60 ss valves, screw in studs and pocket porting. Then about 10 years ago i went at em with burrs and sand rolls and did a bunch more of the usual bowl guide bosses and radiusing on int and ex plus polished the exhaust side, it was my 1st attempt at any porting, now years later i know a bunch more and am about to yank em and go through em, the biggie is deshrouding the intake valve i didnt know how important it was then and i was worried about increasing the chamber size, but i have learned the increased flow would have deff compensated for a small compression loss because the 2.02 valve with no deshrouding actually hurts flow! The pistons im buying have a 3.5cc dome and with the 76cc chamber is 9.38:1 so being slightly larger my compression will still be over 9:1, i could just grab stock vortecs cheap aluminums and be way further ahead but personally i think its fin tryn to make power with less than ideal parts, and its just a daily driver 2wd pickup, 350hp or so is pretty achivable, 375hp is possible with expert porting and beyond that is a struggle not worth it where that can be done so easy with just vortecs. Dorton made 382hp/397tq with ported 882 (lightweight casting of 993) on a mild 350 but he made 446hp/437tq on same engine with out of the box iron eagles.
Like he said it's very important to "never touch the short side". I would also add, grind the exhaust manifolds slightly bigger than gasket or at least match the gasket. Great vid. Thanks
Great video. You explain the porting very thoroughly. I am going to try your techniques on my Vortec heads. I have done some porting on Mopar 318 heads and they came out pretty good. Thank You
Thanks for sharing your knowledge! Here's a couple random things to try which i found worked on my flowbench while doing motorcycle heads. Back cut the IN & EX valves helped low and mid lift. Open bowls to 80% of valve face maximizes low & mid lift which is where the valve spends most of its off-seat time. [90% reduced flow slightly on GSXR600's but gained a little at max lift. Result was a lost of 3% on the dyno over stock] I grind junk IN & EX valves down to the size to use as bowl templates. Motorcycle goggles work great for eye protection. They offer 100% protection and are comfortable. Cast iron slivers seem to find eyes really well and require grinding to remove the rust. (don't ask how i know) Keep experimenting and having fun with it.
Thanks for the info man! The factory vortec valves used actually come back cut but I like to smooth them out with a file Man I've had iron removed from my eyes twice.....the key is to go to the hospital right away hahaha the first time I let it sit overnight and woke up with a rust spot on my eye. They got the peice out no problem....but the eye ball grinder to get the rust out was terrible....😄
I did very mild porting on my Vortec heads I smoothed the casting flash on the intake and exhaust runners mainly because I am running forced induction and wanted less turbulent air
Rock on dude looks like you have been doing some background research you're right on the money dude and I love the idea of vortex outflowing a set of high dollar aluminum heads 👍
I have my vortecs cut open to 2.02 and 1.6 and blended the bowls gasket matched the ports and have a .548 .539 cam with beehives and it never quits lol I would love to see the actual flow numbers on mine
Your channel is FIRE! Great information with data to go with. I hope it inspires more people to get back into "hot rodding" and not be "consumer enthusiasts"
At 13:38 you used dykem and a taped valve. FYI, goodson makes a bowl hog that will fit into an 11/32 arbor. You can have it made slightly under your 90% to allow hand blending and smoothing. Have it tapered just right so it can be used with stock, as well as 2.0, 2.02, and even 2.05 valves. Huge time saver for a guy like you doing a lot of work on one specific casting. Years ago isky and others used to rent flycutters, and bowl hogs etc forte diy guy. Might be worth looking into man. Remember everything you're doing here applies to the affordable hecho en Mexico 062 castings as well. These are great heads for 400-475 hp small blocks. Keep pushing the boundaries dude, you can have a nice set of heads for a lot less than the price of a budget aluminum head. Thanks for the great content.
I have a set of redone GM 993 bought from aerohead back in the 90s I opted for a $100 "bowl port special" and 2.02/1.60 s/s valves and other upgrades What I had read was with the 76cc open chamber the 2.02 valve actually impedes flow, but when I applied newly learned mods last time I had them off pockets,guide bosses runner radiusing full exhaust polish but I didn't dare to un shroud the intakes in fear of compression dropping well below 9:1. More flow or compression? Should prob gone more flow. But it's getting overbored and getting new pistons I found small dome pistons I think they will allow me to really pull that chamber wall back while staying above 9:1. I know soooo many say why are you bothering but I love the idea of building something that makes nice power with stock or less desirable parts. They were bowl ported at aerohead with rocker studs,bronze guides n 3 angle. On that engine I do run a original Torker intake with 2" spacer and those intakes gets trashed online, and yeah the port approach angle is not ideal but again if I can make a bit of power with that old part that's fun and that engine has always been a strong runner, years ago I outran a turbo Impreza or WRX with it in a 92 c1500 with 3:08 gears to me for what it is that was acceptable..lol and it does great stomp the gas from an idle long burnouts with those old modded smoggers, Howards 112031-08 cam that's a masterpiece lol, 9:1, (it did have a recalibrated 800 Q-jet but its had it) I always figured it possibly had the potential to be in the 350hp area if tuned right (and maybe with a better intake like a rpm style). GM's 290hp crate is just a 8.5:1 smogger head 350 with mild cam (like .450 lift 218° or something) upgrade and performer intake so in comparison I don't think it's a crazy estimate. Popular hot rodding build a very similar build that made 365hp that seems optimistic or something especially where there's had smaller cam, bit less head work, it did have full roller lifters mine are roller tip but I only used roller tip as an attempt to reduce guide wear. So many think you need a big HP but in an average old street car especially a smaller sized car like nova or Camaro you just wanna have fun chirping gears, doin burnouts, stop light races with your buddy 300-350hp with gears and shift kit is plenty to have really high smiles per gallon and unless your surrounded by modern performance or vehicles that whistle while they work🎶🎵 you will appear to most you have a ride with a sprinkle of spiciness... Look what a 5.0 fox could do with 225hp = big Smoky burnouts and quarters in 14s. You can have a ton of fun on a tight budget just takes smidge of smartly spent money and getting hands dirty
I like you style man, making parts better and making hp on the cheap in what the roots of hot rodding is all about. Theres alot of opinions out there but if you put a combo together with some thought and it turns out good then your winning. Your also 100% correct, most guys claim to have alot of hp but realistically a 350 hp sbc is a ton of fun in the right setup O also I am currently building a vortec headed 355 with that howards cam, should be fun 👍
I was taught cylinder head work by an instructor at S.A.M.(School of Automotive Machine) beginning at the age of 15. 27 years later I'm yet to see anyone come up with that valve and tape idea. Its probably because more material is taken away from the long side of the throat and bowl vs the short side. Good idea though.
I've helped a bunch if guys with their vortec 400s but haven't built one myself Yes you want to drill the steam holes and make sure you have some sort of coolant bypass
Im excited to see what you've got in your 305 video.. I've got a set I'd love to dig into. I hope you'll mention approximately how much lift they can tolerate with good beehive springs & retainers & piston-to-valve clearances as I'm definitely curious about those numbers. Liked & sub'd.Thanks!
Hi excelent Video, my question is to install 1.6 ex valve, do you recommend doing the unshoudred And pocket port To the exhaust? These heads are going in a 383, thanks a Lot man keep going like this a fan from Venezuela
Before I watch this video, I'm just wanting to see what differs from porting LSX heads. I have a set if 062 vortec's and 113 L98 heads. Plan on using the Comp Cam's 787-16 valve locks/retainers to gains more cam lift with some LS3 blue springs I have for running a ZZ4 cam. So besides smoothing all the casting imperfections, hoping I learn a trick or more to get more out from these sbc gen2 heads.
When in doubt ... DON'T hog it out . With all the head porting articles I've read an all the videos I've watched.. I have yet to attempt porting a cylinder head..
I absolutely love your videos very informative .. I have to say I'm pretty sure that when I'm ready I'd like you to do a set for me that will go on my 5.7 TBI engine that's in my 95 GMC Sierra 2500 regular cab 4x4.. it definitely lacks power from the swirl port head and very small cam .. I'm not looking to drag race it .. but if I decide to teach someone a lesson the torque and hp will be there and if I decide to pull something heavy I'll have the torque to do that to .. all around it's a win win situation.. keep up the good work
Hey fella trust me when I say it your gonna be way more satisfied with an aftermarket cylinder head like afr 195's they are so much better than vortecs
Great stuff cutter. Love the flow numbers, very interesting. Starting to build my yukon possible nitrous project. I'm going to be buying new heads but not sure what would work best with a hundred shot, any thoughts? Keep it, up stay safe
Great info again Pat.. Were all these flow tests done with the stock valves? do you think there would be more benefits with the ridge ground off the back face, or using an aftermarket OE replacement like a Manley with a reduced stem diameter?.. One more video testing replacement valves in that same head maybe??
Have you done any info on Vortec heads with the 26906-16 (LS6) valve springs with Comp 787-16 Retainers? Supposedly achieves .550 clearance with no machining and stock keepers.
Yeah man check out my video on it. You can get higher lift but you won't safely get .550 with stock keepers and 787 retainers. The reason being you wouldn't get proper LS spring installed height of 1.800 with that setup
The two Center exhaust ports on my cylinder heads are almost triangular would you suggest opening those way up to match the outside ones? Mine look much smaller than yours
Hey love EVERY video you made, especially when its focused on the Vortec Head. I have 3 pairs of heads, all good and no cracks. On one head I jumped right in and started smoothing out the square spark plug boss inside the combustion chamber. After grinding half of it down I started to rethink it but was already too late. What I did was grind the sharp edges flat from the top edge of the spark plug threads and ground the 90⁰ corners around the spark plug boss off and made the boss into more of a cone/funnel shape. What did I do wrong? And what is the best shape for the boss? Should only one side of the Boss (intake side) be ground down and ground more into a shape that would give more of a swirling when the intake stroke is pulling in the air/fuel? Or does that matter? I'm concerned about the shape of new Boss and if just having cone shape improve better intake flow over square? Or if ANY smooth shape would be better than the square? Why is it even there? Also, the exhaust side of the Boss, any shape change or cone shape? Lol...sorry for all the long winded questions. I'm just fascinated with the Vortec heads. Thanks!
? I Would like to know if you have info on how much lift the vortecs can take before they fall off. I want to know if a 488 510 lift cam 268/274 duration with 110 separation.would fair was thinking about using it.And 1.06 exhaust. Your thoughts. Thanks Tim.
With factory Vortec heads, when you install 1.6 ration rocker arms, do you need to modify the push rod holes in the head? I have a Comp Cams LEWIS TOOL, for conventional heads. What if anything is needed on L-31 Vortec heads.
Assuming you Magnaflux every boneyard Vortec head before doing any work, how often do you find a cracked one? I'm also assuming the boneyards WON'T take back a cracked one or exchange it.
Very interesting. Those Vortec heads look quite similar to the 2nd gen aluminium head for 60 deg V6. They also have similar valve diameter per cui also. So I assume these tips work well for those heads aswell. What kind of difference did the 90% make in relation to say 86-88% ? What are your thoughts regarding putting in bigger intake valves? Is it an improvement or would it screw up the 90% throat criteria?
I found that 90% had overall best flow without killing mid lift. Alot of the porting benifits on the intake come from the chamber work aswell. Check out my video on flowing 2.02/1.6 vortecs. From what I found is that its not worth going a larger intake valve on a vortec but a bigger exhaust valve have a great improvement. Alot of heads benefit from a larger intake valve but vortecs don't seem too
Hello hey thanks for your help i like all the tips you give outt I have couple questions.. wjen switching to a 1 6 valve can I jist buy those swap them out. And my other question would you prefer a vortec head. Over a older say 80s head to work a d port with tnanks.
Machine work needs to be done to the seats for the 1.6 valves. Vortec heads are the best flowing production head for a gen 1 sbc. Their down fall like most stock snc heads are cracks in the castings
@cuttersperformance what about the throat opening, everyone with head porting videos opens that up to 90% or so but my throat opening is the seat (not the sealing part) is that ok to grind on
With a basic 3 angle valve job, there is a 60 deg cut under the 45 deg seat. You grind just under that 60-degree angle, being very careful not to hit the sealing surface (45 deg cut). Take your time and remember it's often times "less is more" when it comes to porting. Dont over port the head
You need to go for 1.60 and 2.02 valves to really exploit these changes. You can get some cheap valves that are still good quality from enginequest or speedmaster
You should start porting vortec heads for some fun money, Id consider having you port and flow my L31 heads im about to use in my 383. The build changed so im looking for a good hyd roller cam to run in the combo. Do you have an email so i can ask you some questions about my build?
How much do you charge for a set of your pocket ported Vortecs, with the blue springs, 1.60 exhaust valves, and "stealth" screw-in studs? How do they flow compared to BUDGET aluminum heads ($1100 or less) from Speedmaster, Blueprint, Promaxx, etc?
That was the most simple explanation vid ive seen so far on these heads pat , great job . The dart iron eagles you spoke of , is this the part# for them : CH10024370A . Im leaning towards them atm , by the time you get some vortec heads and do the 1.6” valve upgrade on them let alone the time spent porting them , i think they are a fairly good investment . The only part im not sure about with them is lift , i need at least 0.530” lift , ill be running the gm hotcam with 1.6 rockerarms . They have 0.525” lift with this ratio rocker arms . Any of your thoughts would be greatly appreciated . Again your delivery of these vids is amazing . Keep it up man . Cheers Adam👍🏻👍🏻
Yeah you can actually apply these techniques to most heads but some heads will also benefit from runner work aswell. But with vortecs I suggest just following the tips in the video Cheers!
Ive heard alot of guys say the surface finish in the intake should be somewhat rough for fuel atomization and not necessarily just flow. Do you know if that is true?
What you dont want is a mirror or super smooth finish as the fuel can separate from the air. You port for flow and you polish for looks haha anyone who ports and flows heads knows what I'm talking about. Guys love the look of a smooth polished port but the carbide cutting is where the flow is increased, but you if see it before its polish it doesn't looks aesthetically pleasing thats for sure Cheers!
@@6426yy I alnever heard if a Chevy 302... I've heard if a Chevy 305 which is a 5 liter. I was thinking you're talking about a Ford 392 heads on a Chevy 305. Also the 4.3 V6 came out way after the 350 Chevy it's basically the exact same as a 350 just with out the 2 rear cylinders and I know the rods are totally different so idk where you got that info.
@@trxtech3010 You must be young. Never heard of a DZ302 in a Z/28 Camaro? Chevrolet made a 4.3 V8 it was in caprices, much like the gen 2 LT1 but smaller bore and stroke. Try using Google
@@6426yy Interesting. Welll I'll admit you're right. I just didn't know this. I work for a Machine Shop too. But i'm more into the motor cycle workd and som of the (newer) 1990'a stuff since I was birn in the early 90's.
I Watched your video on spring hight.? And changing the incognito screw in studs. Want to know about using roller rockers with not guide plates. And will 488/501 work with the .050 keepers set up. Thanks Tim
I make a spring kit that will work for your set up I'm currently backordered but im getting a small stock order soon Email me a pcperformance1@outlook.com
The whole rpm range when done correctly. The benefits are greater with larger cams or larger displacment but even a mild setup will benefit from the bowl blending and chamber work
@@cuttersperformance ok good to know i have a jet boat with vortec’s but my operating rpm’s are 3000-4500 is why I was asking. Thanks man love the videos!
would you run 462 or 062 heads? i have both in stock form. ive ported a few heads both 64 cc chambers but do i use the old school iron or the vortec hmm so many questions
Hello Cutter, I have a question for you and all of your vortec knowledge. The mpfi will only support high 300 hp and if i werw to switch to carburetor. Whatvis the best work around to get the 4l60 to shift. Thanks
The best way to do this is to just use a stand alone trans controller. This is what i did when i switched to a holley sniper efi. You get full trans tuning, shift points, firmness ect...its quite amzing haha When my 4l60 blew up and i went to a 4l80 it was just a click away in the trans controller, very slick I used a Fi-tech trans controller *Probably wouldn't buy again* For this system to work properly you do need to put a TPS sensor on your carb. TCI have cable driven ones that work very good Let me know if you have any more questions! Cheers! Pat
My L31 build with 200cc aluminum heads made 450 hp with the stock injector spider and ported manifold pushing the injectors to the max at 6,200. 75 psi and 98% duty cycle. AUS makes 36, 48 and 62 lb/hr spiders. I have a 48 lb/hr spider on my ~500 hp L31 383 on E85. Stock manifold gains a good bit of power even on a stock engine when ported. GMs stock casting was terrible. Core shift galore.
when you measure the throat percentage do you measure at the narrowest section on the bottom vertical area of the hardened seat? or do you measure just below the hardened piece on the actual runner walls at the top of the bowl?
I don't typically just port heads for guys. I'm usually only porting when they are for a engine I'm doing. And to be honest, 90% of the gains the average guy can do no problem porting vortecs themselves. Bowl clean up, throat to 90%, good valve job with 1.94 intake valve with backcut and a 1.6 exhaust valve + opening up the exhaust port. You got yourself a good set of heads! Once you pay someone to port them then your vortecs get expensive If you have any questions let me know! Cheers!
I have a set of Vortec 062 going on a 1971 350 engine. Is there any difference in gaskets for a 062 Vortec head to a 1971 head ? And if so which gasket should I go with on my 1971 350 ? The head gasket for a Vortec head or a head gasket for a 1971 350 block ?
@PISS-CUTTER Performance had another question. Is there any specifics on head bolts to you. Ones that came with the Vortec heads or the older style head bolts off of a 1970s chevy head/block.
Very similar to what I did to mine but I didn’t open up the actual throat diameter. I only cleaned up the ridge in the bowl area that goes to the Val seat area. That’s all I did.
I’ve got them on a small block 400 that’s running about 10 to one compression with a comp 262 cam with a ghetto grind and it’s pretty tame until you goose it. It’s a friggin monster.
Love your videos this is for the average hot water guy who ain't got a pocket full of money. Semper Fi
Damn!! These are good for 500hp!! Wow, I had no idea Vortecs could work so well, very interesting!
Just wanted to say Thank you for all the info!! I did everything you said to do and I'm very happy with the results. I did a set of 062 heads and the engine runs fantastic. They are in a 63 Chevy 2 and I couldn't have done it with out your instruction. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Thats awesome man! You cant beat vortecs, for sure the best bang for you buck if your willing to do the work yourself.
Thanks for checking out my videos!
Love my vortecs and love your videos! I like your idea with the tape on the valve for consistency of the port, but I may have a better solution. I took an old intake and exhaust valve, ground the intake valve to 1.70 and the exhaust to 1.290, welded a 5/16” nut on the face of each valve, cut the stems off so they were approx 2-2 1/2” long, screwed a 5/16” bolt in the nut and used the bolt as a handle, now you have the exact dia you are looking for when grinding in the pocket and it’s guided by the stem. Works great!
Good idea!
I did some mild porting, smoothing/blending, & port matching on my modified 5.7L vortec (383 stroker) a couple of years ago. I just lost half of my compression on one cylinder because the exhaust valve rocker stud is working its way out so this week I'll be pulling the head and installing screw-in studs.
Yes sir! Sane thing happened to me a few years back.
Some guys will argue you don't need to do screw in studs, but I've found anything over 350lbs open spring pressure you run the risk of pulling studs
I had this problem on a melling mtc-1 cam
I used to hate putting screw-in studs in. Now I do it on everything. I just hate taking an engine back apart. On an older engine, they will pull out, or even loosen just a bit and give you fits. Worth doing.
Years ago i bought a set of refurbished gm iron heads i paid for 3 upgrades 2.02/1.60 ss valves, screw in studs and pocket porting. Then about 10 years ago i went at em with burrs and sand rolls and did a bunch more of the usual bowl guide bosses and radiusing on int and ex plus polished the exhaust side, it was my 1st attempt at any porting, now years later i know a bunch more and am about to yank em and go through em, the biggie is deshrouding the intake valve i didnt know how important it was then and i was worried about increasing the chamber size, but i have learned the increased flow would have deff compensated for a small compression loss because the 2.02 valve with no deshrouding actually hurts flow! The pistons im buying have a 3.5cc dome and with the 76cc chamber is 9.38:1 so being slightly larger my compression will still be over 9:1, i could just grab stock vortecs cheap aluminums and be way further ahead but personally i think its fin tryn to make power with less than ideal parts, and its just a daily driver 2wd pickup, 350hp or so is pretty achivable, 375hp is possible with expert porting and beyond that is a struggle not worth it where that can be done so easy with just vortecs. Dorton made 382hp/397tq with ported 882 (lightweight casting of 993) on a mild 350 but he made 446hp/437tq on same engine with out of the box iron eagles.
Keep up the good work, you are appreciated highly more than you may know.
Wow man I appreciate that fully
Honestly you boosted my confidence to at least try it seeing that I have quite a few sets lying around.
Like he said it's very important to "never touch the short side". I would also add, grind the exhaust manifolds slightly bigger than gasket or at least match the gasket. Great vid. Thanks
Thanks for the great information. Im getting ready to rework some vortec heads for my build. I will be going with the 1.6 exhaust valve set up.
Great video. You explain the porting very thoroughly. I am going to try your techniques on my Vortec heads. I have done some porting on Mopar 318 heads and they came out pretty good. Thank You
Thanks for sharing your knowledge! Here's a couple random things to try which i found worked on my flowbench while doing motorcycle heads. Back cut the IN & EX valves helped low and mid lift. Open bowls to 80% of valve face maximizes low & mid lift which is where the valve spends most of its off-seat time. [90% reduced flow slightly on GSXR600's but gained a little at max lift. Result was a lost of 3% on the dyno over stock] I grind junk IN & EX valves down to the size to use as bowl templates. Motorcycle goggles work great for eye protection. They offer 100% protection and are comfortable. Cast iron slivers seem to find eyes really well and require grinding to remove the rust. (don't ask how i know) Keep experimenting and having fun with it.
Thanks for the info man! The factory vortec valves used actually come back cut but I like to smooth them out with a file
Man I've had iron removed from my eyes twice.....the key is to go to the hospital right away hahaha the first time I let it sit overnight and woke up with a rust spot on my eye. They got the peice out no problem....but the eye ball grinder to get the rust out was terrible....😄
@@cuttersperformance how can i talk to you about some work
Thanks i can now do my porting job now that i have all the infos.
Wow, excellent video!
I did very mild porting on my Vortec heads I smoothed the casting flash on the intake and exhaust runners mainly because I am running forced induction and wanted less turbulent air
Rock on dude looks like you have been doing some background research you're right on the money dude and I love the idea of vortex outflowing a set of high dollar aluminum heads 👍
great video! using this as a guide while I'm porting!
I have my vortecs cut open to 2.02 and 1.6 and blended the bowls gasket matched the ports and have a .548 .539 cam with beehives and it never quits lol I would love to see the actual flow numbers on mine
Your channel is FIRE! Great information with data to go with. I hope it inspires more people to get back into "hot rodding" and not be "consumer enthusiasts"
Really appreciate that, thanks man
That was Pat-tastic.
Great work 👏
Interested in the 305 head video. The junkyard and marketplace are almost giving those away
This is totally awesome!!!! You are awesome! Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge. 😉
Thanks!
Thank you!
At 13:38 you used dykem and a taped valve. FYI, goodson makes a bowl hog that will fit into an 11/32 arbor. You can have it made slightly under your 90% to allow hand blending and smoothing. Have it tapered just right so it can be used with stock, as well as 2.0, 2.02, and even 2.05 valves. Huge time saver for a guy like you doing a lot of work on one specific casting. Years ago isky and others used to rent flycutters, and bowl hogs etc forte diy guy. Might be worth looking into man. Remember everything you're doing here applies to the affordable hecho en Mexico 062 castings as well. These are great heads for 400-475 hp small blocks. Keep pushing the boundaries dude, you can have a nice set of heads for a lot less than the price of a budget aluminum head. Thanks for the great content.
I have a set of redone GM 993 bought from aerohead back in the 90s I opted for a $100 "bowl port special" and 2.02/1.60 s/s valves and other upgrades What I had read was with the 76cc open chamber the 2.02 valve actually impedes flow, but when I applied newly learned mods last time I had them off pockets,guide bosses runner radiusing full exhaust polish but I didn't dare to un shroud the intakes in fear of compression dropping well below 9:1. More flow or compression? Should prob gone more flow. But it's getting overbored and getting new pistons I found small dome pistons I think they will allow me to really pull that chamber wall back while staying above 9:1. I know soooo many say why are you bothering but I love the idea of building something that makes nice power with stock or less desirable parts. They were bowl ported at aerohead with rocker studs,bronze guides n 3 angle. On that engine I do run a original Torker intake with 2" spacer and those intakes gets trashed online, and yeah the port approach angle is not ideal but again if I can make a bit of power with that old part that's fun and that engine has always been a strong runner, years ago I outran a turbo Impreza or WRX with it in a 92 c1500 with 3:08 gears to me for what it is that was acceptable..lol and it does great stomp the gas from an idle long burnouts with those old modded smoggers, Howards 112031-08 cam that's a masterpiece lol, 9:1, (it did have a recalibrated 800 Q-jet but its had it) I always figured it possibly had the potential to be in the 350hp area if tuned right (and maybe with a better intake like a rpm style). GM's 290hp crate is just a 8.5:1 smogger head 350 with mild cam (like .450 lift 218° or something) upgrade and performer intake so in comparison I don't think it's a crazy estimate. Popular hot rodding build a very similar build that made 365hp that seems optimistic or something especially where there's had smaller cam, bit less head work, it did have full roller lifters mine are roller tip but I only used roller tip as an attempt to reduce guide wear. So many think you need a big HP but in an average old street car especially a smaller sized car like nova or Camaro you just wanna have fun chirping gears, doin burnouts, stop light races with your buddy 300-350hp with gears and shift kit is plenty to have really high smiles per gallon and unless your surrounded by modern performance or vehicles that whistle while they work🎶🎵 you will appear to most you have a ride with a sprinkle of spiciness... Look what a 5.0 fox could do with 225hp = big Smoky burnouts and quarters in 14s. You can have a ton of fun on a tight budget just takes smidge of smartly spent money and getting hands dirty
I like you style man, making parts better and making hp on the cheap in what the roots of hot rodding is all about. Theres alot of opinions out there but if you put a combo together with some thought and it turns out good then your winning.
Your also 100% correct, most guys claim to have alot of hp but realistically a 350 hp sbc is a ton of fun in the right setup
O also I am currently building a vortec headed 355 with that howards cam, should be fun 👍
Great video. Still watching. Thanks for the helpful info. I’m definitely going to get another set to play with.
I was taught cylinder head work by an instructor at S.A.M.(School of Automotive Machine) beginning at the age of 15. 27 years later I'm yet to see anyone come up with that valve and tape idea.
Its probably because more material is taken away from the long side of the throat and bowl vs the short side. Good idea though.
Haha i was trying to find a way for guys at home to replicated using a bowl hog cutter without buying one
Great info - thanks for taking the time.
Great info!!! Now I just have to try this ! Thx
Three angles just fine and yeah just below the seat
Awesome job dude
Dude. You are doing God's work for us folks on shoe string budgets. Thoughts on a 400 sbc with vortec heads? Ever drill steam holes for them?
I've helped a bunch if guys with their vortec 400s but haven't built one myself
Yes you want to drill the steam holes and make sure you have some sort of coolant bypass
Another great video Patt!!!!!
Im excited to see what you've got in your 305 video.. I've got a set I'd love to dig into. I hope you'll mention approximately how much lift they can tolerate with good beehive springs & retainers & piston-to-valve clearances as I'm definitely curious about those numbers. Liked & sub'd.Thanks!
You should do some Mopar magnum heads. I would love to see what you come up with
you should flow iron 90s LT1 heads. alot of guys buy aftermarkey. my ported lt1 heads flow crazy. 1.94/1.5 valves still. 250/220@.500 lift
The LT1 heads are actually very similar to vortecs
But maybe I will have to do a comparison video
Excellent video..Thank You!
Hi excelent Video, my question is to install 1.6 ex valve, do you recommend doing the unshoudred And pocket port To the exhaust? These heads are going in a 383, thanks a Lot man keep going like this a fan from Venezuela
Great video
Before I watch this video, I'm just wanting to see what differs from porting LSX heads. I have a set if 062 vortec's and 113 L98 heads. Plan on using the Comp Cam's 787-16 valve locks/retainers to gains more cam lift with some LS3 blue springs I have for running a ZZ4 cam. So besides smoothing all the casting imperfections, hoping I learn a trick or more to get more out from these sbc gen2 heads.
When in doubt ... DON'T hog it out .
With all the head porting articles I've read an all the videos I've watched.. I have yet to attempt porting a cylinder head..
I absolutely love your videos very informative .. I have to say I'm pretty sure that when I'm ready I'd like you to do a set for me that will go on my 5.7 TBI engine that's in my 95 GMC Sierra 2500 regular cab 4x4.. it definitely lacks power from the swirl port head and very small cam .. I'm not looking to drag race it .. but if I decide to teach someone a lesson the torque and hp will be there and if I decide to pull something heavy I'll have the torque to do that to .. all around it's a win win situation.. keep up the good work
Oh sorry forgot to ask where exactly are you located .. I'm in Canada 🇨🇦 in the Windsor Ontario Canada area across from Detroit.michigan
Hey fella trust me when I say it your gonna be way more satisfied with an aftermarket cylinder head like afr 195's they are so much better than vortecs
1-3/4 hole saw, drill the pilot hole to 11/32, cut the head off an old valve and use as a centering guide.
Thanks!!
Great stuff cutter. Love the flow numbers, very interesting. Starting to build my yukon possible nitrous project. I'm going to be buying new heads but not sure what would work best with a hundred shot, any thoughts? Keep it, up stay safe
I know you can get over 400 horsepower out of that motor I just haven't found the right hydraulic cam torque wise no problem hitting 400
Great info again Pat.. Were all these flow tests done with the stock valves? do you think there would be more benefits with the ridge ground off the back face, or using an aftermarket OE replacement like a Manley with a reduced stem diameter?.. One more video testing replacement valves in that same head maybe??
Have you done any info on Vortec heads with the 26906-16 (LS6) valve springs with Comp 787-16 Retainers? Supposedly achieves .550 clearance with no machining and stock keepers.
Yeah man check out my video on it.
You can get higher lift but you won't safely get .550 with stock keepers and 787 retainers. The reason being you wouldn't get proper LS spring installed height of 1.800 with that setup
The two Center exhaust ports on my cylinder heads are almost triangular would you suggest opening those way up to match the outside ones? Mine look much smaller than yours
How much horsepower do you think this would be over stock? Thanks for the videos!!
Hey love EVERY video you made, especially when its focused on the Vortec Head. I have 3 pairs of heads, all good and no cracks. On one head I jumped right in and started smoothing out the square spark plug boss inside the combustion chamber. After grinding half of it down I started to rethink it but was already too late. What I did was grind the sharp edges flat from the top edge of the spark plug threads and ground the 90⁰ corners around the spark plug boss off and made the boss into more of a cone/funnel shape. What did I do wrong? And what is the best shape for the boss? Should only one side of the Boss (intake side) be ground down and ground more into a shape that would give more of a swirling when the intake stroke is pulling in the air/fuel? Or does that matter? I'm concerned about the shape of new Boss and if just having cone shape improve better intake flow over square? Or if ANY smooth shape would be better than the square? Why is it even there? Also, the exhaust side of the Boss, any shape change or cone shape? Lol...sorry for all the long winded questions. I'm just fascinated with the Vortec heads. Thanks!
Feel free to shoot me a email with some pics so i can see whats you have going on pcperformance1@outlook.com
Nicely done, you got my attention.
What flow bench are you using?
Superflow SF600
Cheers!
Great info, thank you! 👍
? I Would like to know if you have info on how much lift the vortecs can take before they fall off. I want to know if a 488 510 lift cam 268/274 duration with 110 separation.would fair was thinking about using it.And 1.06 exhaust. Your thoughts. Thanks Tim.
With factory Vortec heads, when you install 1.6 ration rocker arms, do you need to modify the push rod holes in the head? I have a Comp Cams LEWIS TOOL, for conventional heads. What if anything is needed on L-31 Vortec heads.
does this apply to the 4.3 VORTEC v6 also?????????????????
Can you show or explain unshrouding the valves
Assuming you Magnaflux every boneyard Vortec head before doing any work, how often do you find a cracked one? I'm also assuming the boneyards WON'T take back a cracked one or exchange it.
Usually 4 out of 10 are cracked on higher mileage engines
Great video!
Very interesting. Those Vortec heads look quite similar to the 2nd gen aluminium head for 60 deg V6. They also have similar valve diameter per cui also. So I assume these tips work well for those heads aswell.
What kind of difference did the 90% make in relation to say 86-88% ?
What are your thoughts regarding putting in bigger intake valves? Is it an improvement or would it screw up the 90% throat criteria?
I found that 90% had overall best flow without killing mid lift. Alot of the porting benifits on the intake come from the chamber work aswell.
Check out my video on flowing 2.02/1.6 vortecs. From what I found is that its not worth going a larger intake valve on a vortec but a bigger exhaust valve have a great improvement. Alot of heads benefit from a larger intake valve but vortecs don't seem too
Just burned through a good head. I’m bummed, these things are thin. Don’t try to clean up parting line like me.
Hello hey thanks for your help i like all the tips you give outt I have couple questions.. wjen switching to a 1 6 valve can I jist buy those swap them out. And my other question would you prefer a vortec head. Over a older say 80s head to work a d port with tnanks.
Machine work needs to be done to the seats for the 1.6 valves.
Vortec heads are the best flowing production head for a gen 1 sbc. Their down fall like most stock snc heads are cracks in the castings
Wow! Can I buy a set fully ported from you?
great info
Would these simple tips work as well on a gen 2 lt1 head? The runners look identical, and the chambers very very similar.
Yes they will
@cuttersperformance what about the throat opening, everyone with head porting videos opens that up to 90% or so but my throat opening is the seat (not the sealing part) is that ok to grind on
With a basic 3 angle valve job, there is a 60 deg cut under the 45 deg seat. You grind just under that 60-degree angle, being very careful not to hit the sealing surface (45 deg cut). Take your time and remember it's often times "less is more" when it comes to porting. Dont over port the head
You need to go for 1.60 and 2.02 valves to really exploit these changes. You can get some cheap valves that are still good quality from enginequest or speedmaster
Check out my vortec 2.02 video
I've found 2.02 valves are not really beneficial but the 1.6 exhauat really helps
I pulled a set at the pull apart for 103 dollars with the rocker arms.
Sucks how lkq charges you 20 to come in in TX
@@shadowopsairman1583 its 2 dollars in Mississippi to go in to pull a part
$3 in California
@@shadowopsairman1583 Keeps out vandals, thieves, and time wasters.
2$ in NorCal and stash a set of these in a Honda trunk and wait for half price weekend=50$
You should start porting vortec heads for some fun money, Id consider having you port and flow my L31 heads im about to use in my 383. The build changed so im looking for a good hyd roller cam to run in the combo. Do you have an email so i can ask you some questions about my build?
Nice
How much do you charge for a set of your pocket ported Vortecs, with the blue springs, 1.60 exhaust valves, and "stealth" screw-in studs? How do they flow compared to BUDGET aluminum heads ($1100 or less) from Speedmaster, Blueprint, Promaxx, etc?
Curious about this too?
That was the most simple explanation vid ive seen so far on these heads pat , great job . The dart iron eagles you spoke of , is this the part# for them : CH10024370A . Im leaning towards them atm , by the time you get some vortec heads and do the 1.6” valve upgrade on them let alone the time spent porting them , i think they are a fairly good investment . The only part im not sure about with them is lift , i need at least 0.530” lift , ill be running the gm hotcam with 1.6 rockerarms . They have 0.525” lift with this ratio rocker arms . Any of your thoughts would be greatly appreciated . Again your delivery of these vids is amazing . Keep it up man . Cheers Adam👍🏻👍🏻
Those are the dart SS 165 heads with a vortec intake face? In unported form the GM vortecs flow substantially higher...just an fyi.
Question.....do the porting tips apply to the Mexico vortex's that you buy from Summit? Thanks
Yeah you can actually apply these techniques to most heads but some heads will also benefit from runner work aswell. But with vortecs I suggest just following the tips in the video
Cheers!
? Have you tryed using under cut values on the vortec intake and Exhaust. Want to know if there is a gain or loss. Or just use stock diameter valve
Yeah I did but actually found no noticeable difference
Ive heard alot of guys say the surface finish in the intake should be somewhat rough for fuel atomization and not necessarily just flow. Do you know if that is true?
What you dont want is a mirror or super smooth finish as the fuel can separate from the air.
You port for flow and you polish for looks haha anyone who ports and flows heads knows what I'm talking about. Guys love the look of a smooth polished port but the carbide cutting is where the flow is increased, but you if see it before its polish it doesn't looks aesthetically pleasing thats for sure
Cheers!
Whats the gain in hp
I have a set of ported 062 heads with 2.05 and 1.65 valves. You have any kind of flow numbers on this? factory block sbc400 599/610 lift
Curious about those 305 heads I'm putting a set of those on a 302.
Wait, how are you putting those on a 302??? I'm just literally being serious I'm not trying to be a jackass
@@trxtech3010 302 SBC it's actually 306. 5.7 block and 3" stroke crank and rods out of a 4.3 V8 (baby LT1)
@@6426yy I alnever heard if a Chevy 302... I've heard if a Chevy 305 which is a 5 liter. I was thinking you're talking about a Ford 392 heads on a Chevy 305. Also the 4.3 V6 came out way after the 350 Chevy it's basically the exact same as a 350 just with out the 2 rear cylinders and I know the rods are totally different so idk where you got that info.
@@trxtech3010 You must be young. Never heard of a DZ302 in a Z/28 Camaro? Chevrolet made a 4.3 V8 it was in caprices, much like the gen 2 LT1 but smaller bore and stroke. Try using Google
@@6426yy Interesting. Welll I'll admit you're right. I just didn't know this. I work for a Machine Shop too. But i'm more into the motor cycle workd and som of the (newer) 1990'a stuff since I was birn in the early 90's.
I Watched your video on spring hight.? And changing the incognito screw in studs. Want to know about using roller rockers with not guide plates. And will 488/501 work with the .050 keepers set up. Thanks Tim
I make a spring kit that will work for your set up
I'm currently backordered but im getting a small stock order soon
Email me a pcperformance1@outlook.com
So unless you can pull a rabbit out a hat with the cfm #’s I’m seeing I would be limited to mid 400’s on hp?
Yeah thats a safe estimate, but technically that flow can support 500hp (race engine)
@@cuttersperformance how bout 12:1 or so running on e85??? Be interesting to see. That’s my plan
I remember hearing somewhere that the high velocity intake port of the Vortec was actually pioneered by the Gen 2 92-97 LT1 engine. Any truth to that?
Hey bud what valve guide seals do you like best for the vortec heads?
Really cool info, dose this porting help power across the rpm range or really only affect the top end 5000 rpm + ?
The whole rpm range when done correctly. The benefits are greater with larger cams or larger displacment but even a mild setup will benefit from the bowl blending and chamber work
@@cuttersperformance ok good to know i have a jet boat with vortec’s but my operating rpm’s are 3000-4500 is why I was asking. Thanks man love the videos!
would you run 462 or 062 heads?
i have both in stock form. ive ported a few heads both 64 cc chambers but do i use the old school iron or the vortec hmm so many questions
062 heads would be my choice. Better flowing intake ports and better chamber design
I thought the Vortec heads had a circular ramp in the intake port to create swirl (a vortec)
Only the 305 vortecs
@@cuttersperformance So they are different but both considered Vortec? Weird.
Yeah man, I will be doing a video on the 305 vortecs coming up!
Hello Cutter, I have a question for you and all of your vortec knowledge. The mpfi will only support high 300 hp and if i werw to switch to carburetor. Whatvis the best work around to get the 4l60 to shift. Thanks
The best way to do this is to just use a stand alone trans controller. This is what i did when i switched to a holley sniper efi. You get full trans tuning, shift points, firmness ect...its quite amzing haha
When my 4l60 blew up and i went to a 4l80 it was just a click away in the trans controller, very slick
I used a Fi-tech trans controller *Probably wouldn't buy again*
For this system to work properly you do need to put a TPS sensor on your carb. TCI have cable driven ones that work very good
Let me know if you have any more questions!
Cheers!
Pat
Thanks cutter, u da man
My L31 build with 200cc aluminum heads made 450 hp with the stock injector spider and ported manifold pushing the injectors to the max at 6,200. 75 psi and 98% duty cycle. AUS makes 36, 48 and 62 lb/hr spiders. I have a 48 lb/hr spider on my ~500 hp L31 383 on E85. Stock manifold gains a good bit of power even on a stock engine when ported. GMs stock casting was terrible. Core shift galore.
Wow great info, thanks Chris. That's awesome
Is there anyway I can get an opinion on a vortec head that I just bought and feel sketchy about
Email me pcperformance1@outlook.com
Would you lighty matchport the intake runner to the stock vortec intake gasket? Thanks
Yeah just done go into the runner too much
To upgrade to a 1.6 exhaust valve do you have to change seats?
The seat will need to just be cut for the larger valve
Hi what 1.6 exhaust valve are you using as a replacement?
Can I add 1.6 next to the exhaust or will the seat be affected negatively? Please let me know
The seat will need to be cut for the 1.6 valve
when you measure the throat percentage do you measure at the narrowest section on the bottom vertical area of the hardened seat? or do you measure just below the hardened piece on the actual runner walls at the top of the bowl?
Nice
What would you charge to port a set of vortec heads?
I don't typically just port heads for guys. I'm usually only porting when they are for a engine I'm doing.
And to be honest, 90% of the gains the average guy can do no problem porting vortecs themselves.
Bowl clean up, throat to 90%, good valve job with 1.94 intake valve with backcut and a 1.6 exhaust valve + opening up the exhaust port.
You got yourself a good set of heads! Once you pay someone to port them then your vortecs get expensive
If you have any questions let me know!
Cheers!
How much are your beehive springs
Whats the best flow #s
I have a set of Vortec 062 going on a 1971 350 engine. Is there any difference in gaskets for a 062 Vortec head to a 1971 head ? And if so which gasket should I go with on my 1971 350 ? The head gasket for a Vortec head or a head gasket for a 1971 350 block ?
??
Both use the same headgasket. A regular SBC head gasket will work on vortecs
@PISS-CUTTER Performance thank you. I'm not familiar with vortec heads and I didn't know if there was something specific on head gasket.
@PISS-CUTTER Performance had another question. Is there any specifics on head bolts to you. Ones that came with the Vortec heads or the older style head bolts off of a 1970s chevy head/block.
@My Mod Garage the replacement bolts are the same, but usually ARP bolts or for a budget build the felpro bolt sets work good 👍
what does it do on the dyno?
? Is a cam 504 498 life to much for vortec. Or is that the limit before it fall off.
No most street motors I build with vortecs have around .530 lift
Could you tell me what vortec 5.7 head gaskets you us. Thank you sir
You can use any SBC head gasket (except LT1)
Have you done any flow test for peanut port heads off a 454
Look up vortecpro. He does a lot of work on the gen III BBC peanut and oval port heads.
He built a 496 for my dad with oval ports - 663hp on pump gas
Might as well have a machine shop do it or buy AM heads
The whole point of this video is DIY if you missed that....