Are there any new heads for the old 350 that would improve power and gas millage? Has anyone used the LS to come up with a better head design, or is the vortec still best overall bang for the buck?

For a street engine the VORTEC is still a great bang for the buck. I do not know of any head that has this efficiency of design for that low price. SDPC gives you some outstanding upgrades for a reasonable price, and packages them with gaskets, and even an intake if you need it. I am running AFR 195 eliminators, but they are a little pricey.

I want to build a new motor, and have a little more power. Where I live I hit the freeway to go anywhere, so I want it very streetable, and would like to get not too bad of millage. Some of the heads are too big for this and mostly for big power and may kill millage. I don't mind spending a little more than the vortecs if its worth the extra, I just dont want race heads.

I am running a early nickel block , forged stroker 383, Afr195E , 3310, Tko600 and 3.73 gear. 23mpg cruising long distance, ie, Powertours, Biloxi, Montana cruises, etc.

I want to build a new motor, and have a little more power. Where I live I hit the freeway to go anywhere, so I want it very streetable, and would like to get not too bad of millage. Some of the heads are too big for this and mostly for big power and may kill millage. I don't mind spending a little more than the vortecs if its worth the extra, I just dont want race heads.

I still say for an all around street engine at 5.7l the Vortec is about the best for the money. The 195's I run are fine for the 383, but if you are running a 350 on the street, the vortecs are all you need. They were designed by AFR, and they have great flow numbers. They are also Cast, so you do not have any of the long term gasket problems like you have with Aluminum heads. A complete set machined for screw in studs and guide plates run just $429. Great price for a head that will accept a .60 lift

http://sdparts.com/details/scoggin-dickey-parts-center/sd8060ragp2

If you run a .525 lift or less you can run these with just the spring upgrade for 389.95

http://sdparts.com/details/scoggin-dickey-parts-center/sd8060a2

You can spend more, but why would you. These perform great, and could give you reasonable gas mileage depending on your driving habits. I do not work for them, I have just done alot of research, and my last Chevrolet work trucks with these basic heads made it over 300,000 miles with no valve guide problems associated with Chevy Small Blocks. The trucks were used for road construction and the engine ran 8 to 16 hours per day, (because of the strobe lights) 6 to 7 days a week 9 months out of the year. At 300,000 we sold the trucks to a Chevy dealer who quickly found homes for all of them. These heads are bullit proof. You can not get better than that.

The vortec heads are not that cheap, if you need a new intake. A new intake will set you back $150-$175. There are better heads out there for $800.

Not trying to be a smart Ar$e, but, I just heard on the radio that to improve gas mileage and power in a car, the easiest and most healthy on the wallet and on the body would be to drop excess body weight (not car body weight) if you are so afflicted like sooo many of us are. Let's say we carrying 60 lbs over what we should weigh for a certain body structure. Would not 60 lbs equate to the same amount if we went out and bought our way into speed kingdom with a set of aluminum heads instead of the cast iron porkers??
Again, I am not trying to be stupid, but think about it. The 60 pounds behind the wheel is almost in the same spot as the 60 lbs on the engine. Just a mite further back maybe 2 to 4 feet, give or take.. WE might live longer toooo!!
T.

A complete set machined for screw in studs and guide plates run just $429. Great price for a head that will accept a .60 lift

http://sdparts.com/details/scoggin-dickey-parts-center/sd8060ragp2

If you run a .525 lift or less you can run these with just the spring upgrade for 389.95

http://sdparts.com/details/scoggin-dickey-parts-center/sd8060a2



That price is per head.

The new Edelbrock E-Streets have similar flow numbers to the L31 Vortecs, actually they outflow them at .500 lift and up (they made 20 more hp than the L31's during testing). The Eddie's have screw in rocker studs and come with guide plates. The Eddie's springs are rated to .550 lift although I have read that you do not want to exceed .525, even at only .525 lift you eliminate the L31's out of the box weak link of .460-.470 max lift. SCDC has the Eddie's on sale right now for less than what you will pay for a set of L31's machined and re-springed to allow .525 lift. The Eddie's also accept standard bolt pattern intakes and do not require self aligning rockers, which if you do the math is about a $100 savings itself.

I watched a great interview with the owner of Dart Cylinder heads a last year. He really made a lot of sense about why you would want to run iron cylinder heads on a street car and Aluminum on a race car. There are real longevity problems with Aluminum Heads on a Cast Iron block, and the weight change for a street car does not make a difference. Dart does not make a 195 cylinder head with a 75cc chamber so I could not use them. I had to spend the extra money for my AFR’s to make my 383 setup work. My engine is a monster street motor, but with my HP and Torque numbers, I would have been more than willing to use an iron head if it were available.
The Iron Eagle Platinum 180 is a great head for the street, and the price is not bad either.
Iron Eagle Platinum Small Block Chevy Cylinder Heads
Starting at:
$392.04
http://www.dartheads.com/products/cylinder-heads/small-block-chevy-iron-heads/iron-eagle-platinum-small-block-chevy-cylinder-heads.html

How about the Dart Iron Eagle S/S heads ? They are similar to the Vortecs.

Dart Iron Eagle S/S

New cast iron replacement heads for small block Chevy's. Assembled with 1.94 x 1.50 valves, .525 lift springs, steel retainers and 3/8 screw in studs. 72 cc combustion chambers with a 165 cc intake runner. Modern design fast burn combustion chamber design.
Now available in Vortec and TBI intake bolt patterns
Add 2.02 x 1.60 Stainless valves for only $50.00

$659.00 pair

http://www.aeroheadracing.com