Stupid annoying question,SBC Vortec related.

I have been searching and all I have found is info about how many HP you can get with Vortec heads and How to get the best MPG.

Well I got this (supposedly)99' vortec sbc out of a rolled truck.
I really want to put a carb on it and run it.
So whats the best aftermarket intake and what carb should I run?
Better yet,what are you guys running?

I dont need Lots of horse power just cruising capabilities.

Its for my COE,82 C20 chassis,TH400 transmission.
I care about mpg's but you cant have it all.
thanks.

I have the option of running the EFI but I barely know how to wire taillights.
thoughts?

 

An Edelbrock intake and a Holley 600 with vacuum secondaries....

 

I run the summitracing brand SUM-226018. Its on sale right now for 129.00 bucks.
For 50 bucks more you can run the SUM-226019, which is the summit knock off of the Edelbrock
performer RPM airgap.

Either a Edelbrock 1406 carb or a Holley 0-80670 carb. Both carbs on a
Vortec headed carb motor will give you 275-300 hp. You can get more if you
change your cam.

Make sure the Vortec heads are the 061s and not the 906s. The 906s are junk
and crack alot.

 

Fotgot to mention for a cheap extra power boost, get a stock LT1 cam out of a 92-96 Vette or 93-97 Camaro/Firebird. Don't bother with a LT1 cam from a impala/caprice, they were iron headed and the cam doesn't offer enough power upgrade to justfi the cost. Also, most of the 88 -up EFI blocks don't have the hole in the block to run a mechcanical fuel pump. You will have to run an electric pump and a regulator. Carbs need to be below 7 lbs of fuel pressure.

 

flattie, pull the valve covers and post the casting numbers for the heads. Then post the code for the block that is on the pad above the water pump. This way we can I.D. everything for you, and know for sure what you have. That would help you getting the right info to get you started OK buddy. Or you can go to nastyz28.com and see for yourself, TR

 

This works for me, it doesn't get any simpler than this and it is a good combo.

edelbrock makes a performer that will bolt to the Vortec or if you get one for an earlier mill drop me a note and I'll help you make it work.

 

Way to tell what ya got is this......
IF -ALL- the intake bolts are straight up vertical you need a true Vortec swap intake to go to a carb....
some mid conversion SBC['87-93] had the front and rear bolts on intake angled as the older ones were with the two center bolts on each side straight up,these you could run an old intake on.
I ran a cast iron Q jet intake on an '89 like that by using the 4 end bolts on each side only,ran it 4 years with no issues and sold it running so.....

 

Last I heard, Summit manifolds were made in China. Don't buy one to save a few dollars, get a real made-in-USA Edelbrock.
If you don't mind adapting one ala Porknbeans, you can pick them up for less than $100 used.

 

I had virtually the same 1999 Vortec in my 23, mine came out of a boat, but no real differences. I bought one of those $ 99 aluminum intakes that vendors sell at major shows (made overseas, name ground off) and it was surprisingly good. I ran an Edelbrock 600 on it and with 3.00 gears I got unbelievably good gas milage, even got 30 mpg one time on the interstate, but usually it was around 25 mpg.

If I were going for all out hp I wouldn't have bought the el cheapo, but you could lay it side by side with a more expensive one and it fit and worked just as well.

Don

 

Heres a 357 I built with Vortec Heads and intake. 6 inch long rod, balance, full blueprint, excellent fuel mileage and really great streetable usable power down low. {Just for the record, not my choice for the carb} TR

 

Thanks guys I have some numbers.
Block :
10 GM
57LG
561
10243880
J107
HEADS:
0239906
K107
THIS SBC^^^ IS A 99''OUT OF A ROLLED TRUCK THAT HE FOUND AND HE GAVE ME.....

Also I bought another 85 sbc before for 200 dollars and he was rebuilding it for me...The heads are rebuilt and I have the heads in my possession
the 85 sbc heads numbers are:
882
gm16t
333882

 

I ran a set of Vortec 305 heads on my 350 engine. Top end suffers a little but it bumps the compression up a bit, and is a direct bolt on.

Just another way for you to go. If you can stay with the Vortecs do so, they are way better than the older designs.

Don

 

Run the 906's.....still way better than 882's. Doubt you'll ever be twisting it past 5k and have a cam bigger than 450/460ish lift wise...could always swap to a 1.6 rocker and use stock cam...got a pair of saw tooth heads on my coupe with a 420/442 lift cam, air gap intake (way too much) 1.5&1.6 roller rockers to get the lifts closer....pulls hard from idle to 5k....

 

Forgot...swapping from 93 truck heads to the vortec head was worth 1 second in quarter. From one week to the next

 

I run a Edelbrock 1406 on my sbc. Runs great and takes about 30 seconds to tune.

 

Big sales going on this week at Jegg's buddy, all engine stuff!! Dont be in such a hurry, look thru the classified here on the HAMB too, more stuff for the SBC than Carter has liver pills, just sayin.............

When building a engine, " if you fail to plan, your plan will fail ", just good advice buddy, TR

 

I ain't TR, but for "low and slow" what you have will work great. The 902 heads with a "vortec" type intake or the 882 heads with any earlier style intake will make ample torque to push your buggy around on cheap regular gas. Neither one is the ultimate combo but either one will do.

 

The 1406 and 9906 look very simular. The 1406 is electric choke ands works good for me. I would buy a new one $299 or so most every where.

 

Nice combo. What was the cam/compression? Any work on the heads? PM me if you want.

 

Tough to go wrong with the Vortec 350. Performer intake and 600 carb, you're good to go, with plenty of potential to grow. Someone mentioned the LT-1 cam, which is a good, cheap upgrade, but if you're getting in there, I'd go with something a little healthier. Cams are cheap these days anyway.

I run a stock Vortec 350 block, rods and crank in my 55. The engine in its current form should make somewhere around 425hp. It was a low mileage engine, so I didn't touch the block. I reassembled the bottom end with ARP fasteners, put a set of Keith Black 11:1 pistons in it, cleaned up Performer RPM heads with upgraded springs and push rods, Comp XR294HR cam, Performer RPM Air Gap intake, Scorpion 1.5 rockers, and a tweaked Holley 670 carb. I shift it at 6500, and it's seen 7000 a few times. Good running motor, never given me any trouble that I didn't create.

 

Just something to keep in mind. The Vortec was a fuel injection engine. Your engine may have a plate blocking where the mechanical fuel pump goes, but I don't think your factory (Vortec roller) cam will have the lobe to run it. I am guessing you will need to run an electric fuel pump. Not a big deal, just something to keep in mind.

Edit: I just realized that I am assuming the Vortec is a roller cam engine ... I could be wrong. Either way, your cam "may" not have the fuel pump lobe.

 

Performance wise, you are not going to lose any with the 906 Vortec heads. Just have them checked at a good machine shop for cracks before you run them. That is the only problem with the 906, they are very prone to cracking. Stock bottom end, Vortecs,2116( Edelbrock performer) or summit knock off and a 1406 will give you about 275 hp. which is a great cruising engine.

 

They are full roller.
Most have the fuel pump boss, some don't. The ones with the boss need to be drilled for the pushrod to run a mechanical pump. I ran a mechanical pump at first, but ended up going electric. I don't think the stock cam did have the lobe for the fuel pump, it's been about 5 years since I had it apart, though. Mechanically, you can easily swap old style heads and intake. You can also drill old style intakes to work with the vortec heads, which was a little more necessary years ago when the aftermarket intake selection wasn't as strong.
There are also 2 bolt and 4 bolt vortec blocks. Mine came out of an HD series truck, so it's 4 bolt.

 

I used a mid 90s 305 TPI from a Camaro with Speedways off brand Performer and Holley 600...runs great and all on a $400 junkyard motor,the car was rolled so it had to be running great when the fool wrecked it

 

want to say a 670 is vacuum secondaries only....a 650 can be either mech or vac secondaries.... a 1850 holley would be my choice....

 

Thank you for asking George, I will have to find the build sheet and I will PM back to you. Going thru a very ugly divorce right now.

To everyone else, I want you to know this is a very inexpensive build and I did this as a favor to a Engineer friend of mine. I posted this NOT to try an impress anyone, but to help everyone. This engine ran freaken incredible, my first ever build this mild and with mostly self parts, that's why I put it here. This can be built without my fluff and buff for just slightly more than a basic GM crate engine. The heads were $267 each at the time, brand new. I couldn't even come close to freshen up a set of Double Humps for any where near that price.

A Cast Scat stock stroke crank, and 6 inch long I-beam rods bushed for full floating. .040" KB Hyper Pistons, yes I know { ring end gaps and piston-to-wall MUST be dead on}. I believe compression ended up around 9.70:1. I know the Comp flat tappet cam had right around .480" lift, because I remember we didn't change the springs that came with the heads.

Yes I fully blueprinted the block, all balanced bottom end, set all clearances, all the oil passages were done, block was square decked, bored and honed with plates, and align honed.

You folks can build one like it, you dont need all of the above machine work if you have a decent short block, these heads and intake, good carb, ignition and headers, you will be amazed. I quarantee it, TR

 

Sorry to hear about the divorce, that can really be hard on a guy, especially when they really want to take it out of your hide. The only ones who come out ahead are the lawyers. Its a damn shame. Hope things get better.

 

George, I wouldn't dont do anything radical to the chambers or ports. A mild tootsie roll in the combustion chambers and exhaust ports. Remember they only need a mild fluff and buff with the tootsie roll and die grinder. Only port match the intakes to the manifold but don't go down into the port anymore than say .200" if you can. A minimal skim cut on the deck, keep it to a minmum. Since I dont specifically know those heads by brand, I'd pull all the valves and check around the bowl and the short side radius. Just clean up any flaws, I wouldn't change anything flow related without a bench. Index the spark plugs if you can when your all done.

With the longer rod and the light rotating assembly and decent sqeeze{ comp.}, these engines really pull like a small big block, you wil be pleasantly surprised, TR

 

Buy a vortec intake.....just saying