Basic cyl head question

Don W.

Stab it and steer it
Just doing some basic research ahead of my rebuild. Anticipating a mild build, it would seem that L35 heads are good option. Vortec's are nice of course but, as you will here me say, money is an issue. What reading I've done indicates stock to L35's = a nice improvement over stock whereas the gain from L35's on up to Vortecs may not be as great. Correct? Wrong?

People with L35's, are you happy with them?

Thanks all.
 

It's just a six

Super Member
Re: Basic cyl head question

That is correct.
Some LB4 Heads can have the high swirl port cut out (intake port) & will flow really good by opening up the intake port window size.
It would take a lot of grinding to remove that must cast iron.

I would not install 2.02 valves,casting gets pretty thin.
You can buy 2.02's but have them cut down a bit so your head will not be too thin.
You will get a big gain w/the L35's over stock heads.
Main thing to port (if you are going to port them) is the bowl areas & the short turn radius.
Gasket matching is always good also.
Goodluck!
 
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dgoodhue

BuSTeD 4.3
Re: Basic cyl head question

Don W. said:
Just doing some basic research ahead of my rebuild. Anticipating a mild build, it would seem that L35 heads are good option. Vortec's are nice of course but, as you will here me say, money is an issue. What reading I've done indicates stock to L35's = a nice improvement over stock whereas the gain from L35's on up to Vortecs may not be as great. Correct? Wrong?

People with L35's, are you happy with them?

Thanks all.

This thread has some L35 and LB4 flow numbers. Tooky has Vortec flow number in his big thread. I also flowed a set of stock Vortecs as well.

http://www.syty.net/forums/showthread.php?t=9403
 

pinellas50

New Guy
Re: Basic cyl head question

I put a set of L35's on and had problems. BUT I STILL DON'T KNOW IF IT WAS SIMPLY BECAUSE OF THE HEADS OR IF I HAVE ANOTHER PROBLEM.

No one ever spoke up to say they simply put L35's on and were good to go. Everyone seemed to be doing tuning with these.

There is a thread I found just last night saying that all kinds of 93 Ty's came with the L35's but there was no information about what GMC may have done to the computer to compensate for the extra air these heads move. I'd still love to know the answer to that. http://www.syty.net/forums/showthread.php?t=4966&page=1&pp=15&highlight=rocker

If you have all the stuff to tune then this won't be an issue for you.
 

Don W.

Stab it and steer it
Re: Basic cyl head question

Thanks all!

I like that, apparently, L35's are a direct replacement saving the cost of either modding the heads or manifold. Will continue researching. All comments appreciated. Should be able to have moved the truck by early next week with, hopefully, the motor out by the end of next week. Once it's apart and I know the extent of damage I can look at my exact build.
 

cloneman315

Active member
Re: Basic cyl head question

i would look around and maybe you can find a good price on a intake that someone is selling already done and you can find a cheap set or vortecs,they are so worth the extra money,which will alow you down the road for future upgrades,but i guess its all what you plan to do.
 

Don W.

Stab it and steer it
Re: Basic cyl head question

cloneman315 said:
i would look around and maybe you can find a good price on a intake that someone is selling already done and you can find a cheap set or vortecs,they are so worth the extra money,which will alow you down the road for future upgrades,but i guess its all what you plan to do.

Thought of that and haven't ruled it out completely. On the other hand if I start making lots more HP then I've got the trans to consider. Add infinitum. So Eventually I'll have to draw the line and build to that. I'll keep everyone posted though.

Thanks.
 

Don W.

Stab it and steer it
Re: Basic cyl head question

One more DAQ: Do my exhaust manifolds bolt up to the vortecs? My simple mind is thinking that with vortecs I can run less boost for the same performance, all else being equal.
 

dgoodhue

BuSTeD 4.3
Re: Basic cyl head question

One more DAQ: Do my exhaust manifolds bolt up to the vortecs? My simple mind is thinking that with vortecs I can run less boost for the same performance, all else being equal.

Yes, they bolt right up. The only thing doesn't bolt up is the wiring looms/Oil Dip stick on the Vortecs. I had my Vortec drill for those
 

It's just a six

Super Member
Re: Basic cyl head question

It's not like the L35's can't flow good numbers, they are good heads also.

When my friend flowed heads done by McCoy motorsports, they did not flow 280 (Like they advertized they did ) CFM & they broke through into the water jackets.
It's not like you can only get 200 CFM out of L35's & the Vortecs flow 270 right off the bat.
They are not bad a head (L35's I'm talking):2cents:
 

Norm

Donating Member
Re: Basic cyl head question

I have a set of ported and polished stocker( cheap).P.M if interested.
 

jimmyz79

Re-Member
Re: Basic cyl head question

IN continuation of this post, I would like to do the L-35's also, but I'm somewhat confused on the heads #'s to use. Do we use the 8 degree or the 30 degree, or doesn't it matter.


From the vault:

CYLINDER HEADS
There have been several cylinder heads used on the 262 since it began in ’85. Some of the changes appear to be minor, but most of them will create problems if the wrong head is used in the wrong place. Here’s an overview year by year:

1985-’86: The 1985 and ’86 engines used a 14079248 casting. It had two holes on one end and three on the other end.

1987-’91 TRUCK, EXCEPT HEAVY DUTY AND ’87-’93 CARS: These heads were the same as the earlier ones except that they had three bolt holes on both ends. The intake surface above the ports was quite narrow; it’s only about 0.250" wide. The unmachined, cast ledge on the top edge of the head was 0.600" wide. Look for c/n 14094768, 10144103, 14099067 or 12553050. All of these heads had adjustable rockers.

1992 TRUCK WITH TBI AND NO BALANCE SHAFT: These heads had a wider surface for the intake gasket even though they didn’t need it because all of the tooling was changed to accommodate the new heads for the VIN "W" CFI engines that were introduced in ’92. The 10144103 casting was carried over from ’91, but it had the wide intake with straight ports on the top. It can be used along with any of the earlier 14094768, 10144103, 14099067 or 12553050 castings from ’87 through ’91.


1992-’93 TRUCK WITH CFI, BALANCE SHAFT: When the high output VIN "W" engine with central fuel injection was introduced in ’92, the heads were redesigned for the application. They had "eyebrows" added to the top of the intake ports to make room for the injector nozzles, so the intake surface above the ports was increased by 0.250˝ for improved sealing, and the cast ledge above it was narrowed down to 0.350˝ to provide more room for the intake manifold.

The 10077626, 14099064, 10240209 or 10238181 castings were used, but be sure to check them over carefully because there are two versions of the 10238181 and 10240209 castings with an important difference. In ’92 and ’93, they came with an 8° top angle on the intake seat and a 75° throat, but that was changed to a 30° top angle with an 80° throat in ’94. Separate the 8° heads from the 30° heads and use them only on the ’92 and ’93 engines.

Tonawanda switched to "net lash" rockers in ’92, so some of these are adjustable and some aren’t.

1993 TRUCK WITH TBI, EXCEPT HEAVY DUTY: The intake manifold on the TBI motor was modified in ’93 to take advantage of the wider intake surface that was machined on the ’92 and up heads, so these engines must have the heads with the wide intake and should use the castings with the 8° top angle on the intake seat.

1994-’95 TRUCK WITH TBI OR CFI, EXCEPT HEAVY DUTY: The top angle for the intake seat was changed from 8° to 30° and the throat was opened up from 75° to 80° to give a 10% increase in intake airflow for better performance in ’94. The same heads were used on both the TBI and CFI engines through ’95.

Both the 10238181 and 10240209 castings were used, but they have to be visually sorted because the early ones with the 8° seat probably shouldn’t be used on the ’94s and ’95s. If you do decide to stretch the rules and use the ’93 heads on a ’94-’95 engine, be sure to use them in pairs. Some of the ’94s still had adjustable rockers because Romulus didn’t switch over to "net lash" until ’95.

1996-’98 ALL TRUCKS EXCEPT HEAVY DUTY: There was another all new head introduced in ’96. It had bigger intake and exhaust ports, no exhaust crossover and four angled bolts for the intake. It’s the 10235772 casting that was used up through ’98.

1989-’95 HEAVY DUTY TRUCK WITH TBI: There have been three different heads used on the heavy duty 262 since ’89.

1) 1989-’92: The original head, c/n 14099066 was used up through ’91. The 10144115 casting with the wider intake surface showed up in ’92 even though the narrow one still worked. Both of these castings are interchangeable.

2) 1993: The 14099070 casting came with an 8° top angle on the intake seat in ’93, but it was also available with the 30° top angle in ’94 and ’95. Sort them accordingly and use them in pairs.

3) 1994-’95: The 14099070 casting with the 30° top angle for better airflow should be used on the ’94 and ’95 engines. Be sure to use them in pairs. See photo.

All of these heavy duty heads had hard donut seats, replaceable guides and heavy duty exhaust valves with 3/8" stems.

1991-’93 SYCLONE AND TYPHOON WITH TURBOCHARGER: The turbo motors used the same heads that were installed on the VIN "Z" throttle body motors. It appears that they came with the narrow intake surface all the way through ’93. Look for the 14094768, 10144103 and 1409967 castings.
 
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