Vortec's VS Camel-Humps! 

This is seriously the most useful head porting/comparison i've ever seen done. I really hope you show some of the technique on the porting because i think that's what scares most of us. Appreciate the content and keep it coming!

Started to respect the Vortec heads when a Impala with a semi built 350/Vortec heads ran consist 11:90s one night,took the baby seat out the back,bolted on a set of M&H and full exhaust and surprised me,it was really quiet and handed my guys Camaro a whooping all night.

I almost made popcorn to watch this. Awesome info. I have a feeling that by the end of this series my Camaro is going to be wearing vortec heads despite my urge to keep it stock.

Im not really surprised with the results from the ported fuellies vs the stock vortecs , the double humps are around 50yo tech . I carnt wait to see the numbers on the ported vortecs though . Awesome vid , thanks for all your hard work . Cheers Adam from Australia . 👍👍

Good info cutter. I love seeing results on a flowbench. Seeing some exhaust porting on a stock vortec would be interesting to see how the percent of flow can be increased. Keep it up, great work

We knew that I want to know how they compare to cheap aluminum heads and how to Imcrese the vortecs the most

Something off on them numbers, stock Vortec heads fall off past about .500 lift, those don't. Also, whoever ported them humps did a terrible job. I guarantee you pull a head off a typical NHRA Superstock 327 and it'll flow 280+cfm with a 165cc intake runner that's raised half an inch. Typical NHRA legal 300hp 327 makes around 600hp with a old Carter AFB carb. Look it up. I have a old pair of 1969 041 heads that were ported by Tri State Cylinder heads back 30+yrs ago, they flowed 265+cfm intake and 190cfm exhaust. 2.02/1.60s. Match a 1205 Fel Pro. To get a vortec head to flow past .500 lift, you gotta weld alittle metal in the chamber on the quinch side. See David Vizards video on vortec heads. Joe Sherman was getting 300+cfm out of 292 castings and making 650hp on a 406 back in the late 80s. Whoever ported them double humps did a shitty job on the intake side, and a killer job on the exhaust. That Vortec head flows way better than about any stock Vortec head I've ever seen.

Very cool. Very helpful. I like that there is a clean data set and that it's clearly presented.

Impressive flow numbers for those stock vortecs. The katech performance website has the stock 5.3L LS heads flowing 236CFM at .700".

Subscribed, can't wait for the future installments, as I'm going to be pulling my heads to replace the thick head gaskets I used when I replaced the cracked heads and a cam swap on my l31 in my truck. I was planning to go the home flow bench route and use my old heads as guniee pigs.

man... an old school guy just built and spent big money on some camel humps. i asked him if he had thought about going with vortecs and he said no way its junk. blew my mind a stock 1.94 valve blew the fully ported 2.02 valve out like that

lots of good information. thank you. the most interesting part is the huge dip in the ported exhaust camel hump head. it would be interesting to know how to fix the slight dip in exhaust on the vortec head. of course i'm looking at it from a street head perspective not a maximum flow perspective.

Very well done video! Look forward to more.

I’d love to know how the muscle car wars would’ve played out if GM had Vortec heads available back in about 1963 . With heat riser passages of course.

Hard numbers. GM proved it. Car magazines proved it. You showed the flow numbers. Vortecs are the best flowing head GM made for the SBC. Not talking about L(?) engines. Disadvantage of vortecs is the intake. Bolt pattern change. Good luck trying to find some camel humps anyhow. They made millions of vortec heads.

Great video Pat, still pretty nervous to port mine myself LOL

Vortecs are good but are limited to porting. 185 Promaxx alum flow 250 at 500 out of box. 25 lbs lighter per head. Bump the compression up one point for heat dissipation.

This is really old news. Unless you run in a class requiring cast iron stock Gm heads, an aluminum head is cheaper than paying for cast iron heads to be ported and in many cases the al heads provide more flow. There are several companies out there producing decent flowing cast iron heads besides Dart and several others. Not knocking the dart heads because they have a great product. Might look at EQ heads. Just an old mans thoughts. Every one has an opinion. Some are better than others. Great to hear yours.

Great video can't wait for more

I’ve got my vortec’s sitting on work bench still deciding if I should try and port or not... waiting to see your results first ! Lol

Great job keep up the good work on the channel best i ever got out of a set of 462 was 241 with a manley 2.02 swirle polish valve but i had alot of time in those heads

I just subscribed just because of this video... Great info!

Great video, keep up the good work you do.

Love to see you compare different 305 cylinder heads...

Don't knock camals.... I'm old enough to remember whe the 492 turbo was king lol

Better flow and port velocity by far than 461's

In the 60's we just called them fuel injection heads, because that's what they are

I love the baby darts...

I have dart 2 angle plug cast iron very good heads. They recommend you don't port and polish them. They say it's bad for flow. Cheers

Fyi interesting fact: lt1 & l31 have identicle port design only difference is no water crossover to intake on lt1

Have you flow test the speedway aluminum double hump heads?

Stock LS3 heads flow 315 cfm out of the box. Ported flow close to 360.

The first 1:33 hooked me 💯

THANK YOU!.. GREAT VID!!

I'm going to start looking for me some of those vortec heads.

Great video

Thanks

Great video.

I dig this channel! I just found you on IG

Camel by camel 🐫

Wow I'm surprised 191 with 202valves.I ported a 305 chevy.60cc 194.valve and got 228 at half inch an 234cfm at .600 lift

I hate being asked what heads I have on my carbed LT1(which are basically the same as vortecs) because they always go on about their legendary camel hump headed race car with a 750 double pumper that they dont own anymore… quite annoying .

I've always wandered if an 11 to 1 piston (l2304) piston will hit the spark plug boss on those heads

Since you’re using the vortex why not use bow tie heads against them with old vs new tech and know that most people will be aiming toward 500 hp which leaves the vortex in limited knowing that most will go with bigger valves.I saw the umbers on your site which left me confuse since I have a GM parts book and fuel is heads that are in as good of shape as my bow tie but the bow ties win there also and with some work you can get a lot from bow ties.I just looked at another article with more heads in the test including some of the 1st alum.Bette heads and bowties came out on top.mine have 205’s in them which I held the at for durability.now I got mine long before vortex’s we’re even thought about and I’ve see alum.vs iron and done fairly,unless you have money to blow for the street are not needed provided you have any idea what you’re doing.if you’re going to buy something now a for limited power cheap then by all means but I got mine just before alum. hit the streets and like LS motors,if you already have gen 1 it’s not worth all the extra money to change bc in my book,hp is hp plain and simple and having limited money,learn first then spend

How does the old big valve (big ports) 292 turbo heads compare?

Love this content! 👍smash that thumbs up 👍

by "clened up" do you mean blending/smoothing or cleaning? Like you channel!

I have some over the counter 492's the same head from 70 Vette/z28's sitting in my garage supposedly the best of the SBC muscle car heads. Curious how they compare on flow to stock Vortecs.

Do you sell heads? With the "clean up"? lol

Watch David Vizards vids on here about porting vortecs.

I just picked up a 89 gta trans am , with a 355 with aluminum lt1 heads from a 93 f body , do the heads flow the same as the iron vortec heads? I’m wondering if it’s worth swapping the heads out for a cheap set of dart iron Eagles or cheap jegs or summit racing aluminum heads

Have you ever seen a 461 head flow 260cfm at .450 lift. with a 167cc runner.

When were camel heads at the peak of their popularity?

Can you put vortec heads on a 400sbc? Can they be drilled

You didn't put numbers for the ported vortex

Only problem I have with vortec heads is you have to have the intake and pistons to match

Any chance you might be able to do 58cc 305 HO vs power pack heads?

Would you expect to see a big difference between 904 and 062 vortec especially on exhaust side?

Have you flow tested any Pontiac iron heads? If so what numbers

Old news we knew this 20 years ago

Also castings from mexico have higher nickel content (less prone to cracking)

Great video I’m chomping at the bit waiting for more, Thanks for going through all this work it’s truly appreciated. For guys looking for vortec information www.crankshaftcoalition.com/wiki/Vortec_L31_cylinder_head

mine was in a 55 chev-belaire

Not all camel humps are 202s.

Can I send you heads for port work everyone I talk to are pretty much clue less on what to do with vortec heads please let me know

Sorry I have a set of 194, with a 160 and my 461 did better then vortec know my stock even beat the vortec, know are all heads equal no, and you have to know how to flow them. Know there are 6 different camel humps, 461,462 earller,and then 186 and 187 later camel humps ,and both had a x casting , I have the x castings know we cc my heads and the combustion chamber was 59 cc, the valve from the factory was unshrouded, gasket matched,and flowed very well and way better then my 462 witch had a 69cc chamber and was not a x head. So please let's not say all heads are equal, I had a set of vortec, my motor made 375hp, camel hump 462 made 362hp, 461x 410hp.and that was dyno#. Flow bench they where very close the number crossing each other. So the other thing was there are other heads out there they say are better,I have a set and of the other 2 numbers. So if we are really haveing a shoot out should we not have all the heads, cc port them and see the numbers, also be diligent on the casting them self.

Camel humps are 2.02 1.6 stock.

No doubt vortec heads flow better than camel hump heads but all camel heads aren't the same. The "fuel injection" camel hump heads that came out in 1964 have 2.02'" intake valves, 1.64" exhaust valves, the combustion chamber was relieved around the intake valve and they had bigger ports. I bought one set new in 1964 and my L79 327 came with them.

Just get an ls

Quite saying the same thing over and over just show results