Chevy 350 rebuild question

[84k20]

Okay guys I'm a newbie to this site but I have a couple questions. My 1984 Chevy k20 just blew a head gasket (possibly both) so i decided what better time to rebuild the engine. The block was bored .030'' over less than a year ago when the previous owner had it so it shouldn't require any machine work. I purchased a summit racing .030" over rebuild kit that came with everything from the entire gasket set to new pistons and oil pump. However;

I know my trucks engine falls into GM's emissions horror era when the horse power and torque numbers were extremely low, from reading in the foums on this site I have come to understand that this is mostly due to the fact of the poor performance of the stock 76cc chambers in the head and the crappy cam.

Sorry for the long introduction but here is my question..... what camshaft should I install that will allow me to use my stock heads and will give me enough of a performance boost to make it worth the effort?

I do not drive the truck everyday but at the very least 3 days a week i like to drive it, its used mostly to tow or haul anything thats too big for my other truck (96 Tacoma 2.7) and the Chevy will also be used for plowing as soon as I get that installed. The extra torque would be very useful to me for plowing and towing so what are some of your suggestions? Thanks in advance guys and sorry if I posted this in the wrong section.

 

[Boone83K10]

I assume you have the 882 heads. They are prone to crack and any port job on them will exacerbate the cracking. Pick up some Vortec heads, they flow better, and will accept a cam better. More money in the beginning but better reliability in the long run.

 

[philjafo]

?less then 1 year old rebuild and you have blown head gaskets? Are you sure its not cracks in the heads? I second the vortec heads, and i bet the cam for the vortec motor would match the heads very well. I'm not sure you can just use the stock cam from the later model engine but i bet with a call to a cam manufacturer you could get one with the same or very close specs.

 

[84k20]

Thanks for the advice guys I'm in the process of taking the engine out now to investigate what exactly happened hopefully it was not the heads cracking as getting a pair of heads is t exactly in my budget. I should have the engine out this weekend unless we get toppled with more snow again here in RI. I was thinking it could have been a careless error by the previous owner who did the rebuild himself seeing as he left the grooved crank and bent oil pan on which caused me plenty of leaky troubles in the past as well I was betting he probably left the old head gasket on which led me to it blowing. I will update with pictures when I get the engine out and know for sure wether it was cracking in the heads or not.

 

[84k20]

Alright guys took me awhile longer than I expected but I'm back and had time to work on the truck again today yanked the engine and got it on the stand. Ill begin by tearing it down and inspecting it tomorrow hopefully the heads are not cracked....anyone know a place to get a magnafluxing kit cheap?

 

[84k20]

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[bucket]

I assume you have the 882 heads. They are prone to crack and any port job on them will exacerbate the cracking. Pick up some Vortec heads, they flow better, and will accept a cam better. More money in the beginning but better reliability in the long run.

This is the first I've heard 882's are prone to cracking, I know they can and do crack, but so do lot's of other later small block heads. However, Vortec heads definitely are known to crack and because of this, a set of new heads are often cheaper in the long run. They also don't take much lift (like .475-.480 max), but that's not an issue with a 350 being built for torque. My vote goes to a set of Vortec heads too.

 

[84k20]

Okay guys thanks for your help looks like my decision is going to be vortec heads and a edelbrock rpm air gap intake for the vortec style heads obviously. Anyone heard good things about these heads I found them online and seem like a good price
http://bit.ly/Woybmr

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[bucket]

I wonder what "new" means. I'd guess they are either rebuilt or aftermarket castings. That's cheaper than you can buy stock GM heads.

 

[84k20]

Yeah I assumed it was aftermarket castings and for the price it looked like a good deal.... Anyone gone this route before or did you just go with a stock vortec head or edelbrock vortec style aftermarket heads?

 

[philjafo]

Could be they are empty too, as in no valves or springs.

 

[84k20]

Could be they are empty too, as in no valves or springs.

The description says illy assembled with valves springs retainers etc. ready to install. Seem too good a price to be true?

 

[crazy4offroad]

I've seen ads like this before, they usually require your old (Vortec) heads for cores. Many of them do offer free return ship of the cores though.

 

[84k20]

I've seen ads like this before, they usually require your old (Vortec) heads for cores. Many of them do offer free return ship of the cores though.

That's what I thought too but it says in the item description that they do not require any core and it is an outright buy for the heads seems too good to be true they even offer a warranty

 

[84k20]

This is what the option description says:


Description

Brand new pair of Chevrolet Vortec cylinder heads. These heads are a BRAND NEW ATERMARKET HEAVY DUTY CASTINGS. Heads fit 1996 - 2000 with either the 906 or 062 casting heads. Heads have 2.02 Stainless Steel intake and 1.60 Stainless Steel exhaust valves. BEST PRICE, BEST QUALITY ON THE NET!

THIS IS FOR A PAIR OF CYLINDER HEADS (2) for 599.00 with FREE shipping.

Details

185 CC intake runners
64 CC combustion chambers
Heads are assembled with NEW 2.02 Stainless Steel ONE piece Intake valves
Heads are assembled with NEW 1.60 Stainless Steel ONE piece Exhaust valves
These heads DO HAVE the accessory holes
Heads are assembled with CHROMOLY VALVE SPRING RETAINERS
Heads are assembled with .600 valve springs with hardened valve keepers
Heads are assembled with 3/8 SCREW IN STUDS
Heads are assembled with NEW HI TEMP VITION POSITIVE LOCKING VALVE SEALS
Heads are COMPLETE and READY TO INSTALL
Head Set & Head Bolts

Complete head gasket set and brand new head bolts are available for only 85.00 with purchase of this head. This head set includes all of the necessary gaskets required to install this cylinder head correctly on your engine. We may need your exact year and model of your car or truck to determine the correct head set for your application. If you want to purchase this head set you can just add the price of the head set to the total cost of the cylinder head and shipping. Send us a note with year and model information and that the additional payment is for head set. No additional shipping charge on the head set.
Shipping Info

USE THE SHIPPING CALCULATOR TO FIND YOUR TOTAL SHIPPING COST. We ship to the Lower 48 US States ONLY! NO SHIPPING TO HI, AK, PR, OR INTERNATIONAL. We ship UPS everyday. NO SHIPPING TO P.O. BOXES. E-mail me with any questions you may have.
Core Information

We do not require a core to be returned on this item. This is an outright purchase. No core charge and no core to return.
Warranty Information

Our quality workmanship allows us to give you a full one year warranty on this cylinder head. This allows you to buy our product with complete confidence. A copy of the warranty will be enclosed with the cylinder head.
Payment

IMPORTANT NOTE: PAYPAL REQUIRES US TO SHIP YOUR ITEM SIGNATURE REQUIRED ON ANY PAYMENT OF 250.00 OR HIGHER. We prefer payment by PayPal, as it is usually easiest for buyer and seller. We ask that you pay for your purchase within 3 business days to expedite the transaction process.
General Information

We offer the best prices and best quality cylinder heads on E-bay. We have over 1000 cylinder heads in stock and ready to ship. If you do not see the cylinder head you need in one of our auctions e-mail me and we will put one up for auction or a buy it now. Visit our e-bay store for new listings and specials.