I got the rest of the bottom end buttoned up, and started cleaning and mocking up other parts for the L31. If you noticed my thread in "Advanced Tech" about dye penetrant testing, you would quickly come to the conclusion that I need another head for my engine as one of the two I checked, was cracked... well, I had another set at home, so I checked them too, but this time, all I had to do was remove some of the gasket material to see the cracks, which were quite apparent. this leaves me in quite the pickle, I have 4 heads of the same casting, 2 of which I found obvious cracks in, one I found a small crack in after testing, and one, that I didn't find a crack, but I also **only** checked the deck surface.
I'm finding reman vortec heads online in the $300 range, but, they have a $100 core, on a part that will probably cost $75 to ship. apparently the 062 and 906 castings are different, and I haven't found anyone spec'ing which casting I would be buying, so it may or may not match the 906 casting I have.
so realistically, I'm looking at about $400 each for replacement vortec heads, that I'll have to put new springs in, and modify for screw in studs.
for $450 each, I get into entry level aluminum heads.
for about $700 each, I get into pretty nice aluminum heads.
I'm not exactly looking to build a race truck here, but the stock vortecs are starting to sound like a bad idea, when they were free, they were great, but now I'd have to buy them, and work on them to make them usable, when better heads are available for not much more.
prime example here:
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/bro- ... /chevrolet
Cliff notes, Brodix 200cc aluminum heads, pair, $1209, so you're telling me for $400(over a pair of stock vortec heads) I buy them, take weight off the truck, have a better performing head, and I don't have to fuck with them?
or here
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/afr- ... /chevrolet
AFR 195, a known great head, $1200/pair. it's really hard to not give that a massive consideration.
now obviously, that leaves out the junkyard, and marketplace, but those also come with their own problems, I've already seen two or three listings with "cracked" in the description, last time I was at the JY, I saw a couple heads that were cracked... and then, even if I can find a pair of matching heads that aren't cracked(which can be hard to check at a JY), I still need to work on them to make them usable, and some of the local junkyards charge almost the price for those reman heads...
ERG. $1200 can go a long way to a junkyard LS swap, which is a debate I've been having in my head,
Pros- it's a better engine in almost every way.
cons-
JY engine, just like JY heads, is a gamble, yeah, I can check for 8 bumps in 2 turns, but that doesn't mean the engine is healthy with the L31 in the garage, I know what I have.
it's not a bolt in, I will have to get swap mounts, and deal with interfacing the engine in ways I don't have to with a SBC.
I already have some money tied up in the SBC, not much, it was a free engine, but I did have the block tanked and honed, I did buy a gasket set, headers, cam, and oil pan, and time too. while I wouldn't need to get some of those things for an LS swap, I would still probably want to do some stuff like front and rear seals, valve cover gaskets, oil pump o-ring ect. while I have the engine out, which is time and money that I already spent on this L31.
I'll just have to think real hard about it, it makes the big block on the stand seem way more appealing, but that has it's own can of worms...
"I am not what you so glibly call to be a civilized man. I have broken with society for reasons which I alone am able to appreciate. I am therefore not subject to it's stupid laws, and I ask you to never allude to them in my presence again."