350's old and new
February 25th, 2010, 5:12 PM
#1
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350's old and new
hey, i have an 85 chevy k20. the ceramic in the plugs blew. dont ask me how because i just bought the truck. so i was looking at the plugs (or what was left of them) and saw that the nut part of the plug has rusted solid to the head. This got me to thinking about changing to feul injection. so my question is, can i swap out just the heads, intake manifold, and throttle body from a 88-98 vortec 350?
February 25th, 2010, 5:17 PM
#2
no, the water passages, alignment pins are different on the vortecs, BUT they do make the vortec heads for the older 350's which will allow you to then use the vortec intake. and the vortec started in 96 models. 88-95 were not vortec motors, just standard heads.
February 25th, 2010, 5:44 PM
#4
if you want the vortec style, here's some things to do. get the actual vortec heads that fit the pre 87 blocks. 87-94, 95ish heads are not vortec, but are different than pre 87 and vortecs. gm performance parts does offer these heads new, ready to run. if this is the route you go, you can pick up the entire intake assembly with wiring harness and computer from any vortec motor. now, if you do this, change the injection "spider" before you put everything together. you'll see why it's called a "spider" unit when you see the unit. the stock unit is problem prone to poppet failure. but there is a kit which converts the stock, central injection unit to an actual multi port style, meaning the actual injectors are at each cylinder, not centered in the intake. this is a hugely easy job to do, and the power and reliability gains are well worth it. kit can be had for under 500 bucks. or, find a wrecked donor truck with everything in it and swap over. holley, edelbrock make great bolt on units for your motor at good prices. kits come with everything needed to bolt on, wire up, tuning directions. hope this helps, good luck.
February 25th, 2010, 6:18 PM
#6
years of wrenchin, trial and error, research, talkin with people, just like you are doin. and forgot to welcome you to our forums properly, so welcome! everyone here is awesome, with knowledge like crazy. glad ta have ya on board.
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February 25th, 2010, 6:48 PM
#10
and this is why you ask questions. the vortec heads will in fact fit your block, but you may have to switch the alignment pins. you will have to use the vortec manifold and such, but finding any vortec heads should work. your current motor and my 98 'hoe vortec uses the same head gasket. so looks like all you need is a donor motor with a good upper end, or gather all the pieces and throw them on. now, you may want to try to research the valve train. again, i might be wrong, but i know the vortec motors are hydraulic roller style, your motor is not. so you may need to change out the cam, timing chain set, lifters, pushrods, and such. hopefully someone can help out here too. i'm pretty certain that summit racing, jegs, and such have kits for this conversion. also, check with gm performance parts. they have this stuff too.