Age old question the 906 or the 062 heads

[Rojo]

I have read every where I could which is better

 

[618 Syndicate]

vortec heads, which is better 906 or 062? - Third Generation F-Body Message Boards

TPI - vortec heads, which is better 906 or 062? - i'm wanting to switch to vortec head for a 88 350 tpi motor that i have. i noticed 2 different castings for the vortec heads, 906 and 062. which is better? is there any difference in them? i have the 062 castings off a 98 chevy k1500 350 motor...

www.thirdgen.org

 

[Erik the Awful]

Wow, I've read that thread on the 3rd gen forum before, but there is a lot of disinfo there with the good info. Here's the tl;dr

Two Vortec castings were used from 1996-99 on GM CK trucks ('00 in vans) and SUV's utilizing the Vortec 5700 350 engine. The #906 and #062. The #906 casting head was available in two versions. One has an Inconel exhaust seat, and the other has the conventional induction hardened 3-angle grind on the exhausts as per the #062. The #906 with Inconel seat does not intrude into the exhaust port. It was used primarily on the HD and 1-ton truck applications where sustained towing of heavy loads & weight up inclines could cause eventual damage to a standard induction-hardened exhaust seat from excessive heat.

The only difference between the #062 and #906 Vortec head is in the exhaust seat of the HD/1-ton truck #906 version, as described above. The #062 has a 3-angle grind on a standard induction-hardened seat, as does the non-HD #906 head.

The pressed-in exhaust valve seats on the HD truck heads have a tendency to crack, fall out, and trash the piston. It's not terribly common, but it happens enough to be noted. Vortecs in general are known for cracking around the valve seats, so I couldn't tell you if the Inconel is better or worse than the induction-hardened valve seats. Also, it sounds like sometimes the seat isn't blended into the exhaust passage well, leaving a little lip that affects flow. If you do a cleanup port on your heads, I don't think it will matter which heads you have. As there seem to be inconsistencies in flow among the heads, I'd do a cleanup port job on any Vortec head.

I think the consensus here is that if you have an existing set of uncracked Vortecs, use them. If you have two cracked heads, buy aftermarket. If you have one cracked head, it's your call if you want to spend money on a good, uncracked head. You can usually find one at Pull-A-Part for $60, but there's a 50/50 chance it's already cracked.

 

[618 Syndicate]

Wow, I've read that thread on the 3rd gen forum before, but there is a lot of disinfo there with the good info. Here's the tl;dr



The pressed-in exhaust valve seats on the HD truck heads have a tendency to crack, fall out, and trash the piston. It's not terribly common, but it happens enough to be noted. Vortecs in general are known for cracking around the valve seats, so I couldn't tell you if the Inconel is better or worse than the induction-hardened valve seats. Also, it sounds like sometimes the seat isn't blended into the exhaust passage well, leaving a little lip that affects flow. If you do a cleanup port on your heads, I don't think it will matter which heads you have. As there seem to be inconsistencies in flow among the heads, I'd do a cleanup port job on any Vortec head.

I think the consensus here is that if you have an existing set of uncracked Vortecs, use them. If you have two cracked heads, buy aftermarket. If you have one cracked head, it's your call if you want to spend money on a good, uncracked head. You can usually find one at Pull-A-Part for $60, but there's a 50/50 chance it's already cracked.

If you read the thread through it explains the disinformation, and arrives at the same conclusion you did.

 

[Erik the Awful]

If you read the thread through it explains the disinformation, and arrives at the same conclusion you did.

tl;dr means "too long; didn't read". I was summarizing and adding my notes.

 

[618 Syndicate]

tl;dr means "too long; didn't read". I was summarizing and adding my notes.

I'm not hip to the lingo...
Was trying to get the op to keep researching in a better place, guess that's the teacher in me coming out!

 

[Rojo]

Oh I read and read till my mind is numb it's the reason for the question got torn between the two

Wow, I've read that thread on the 3rd gen forum before, but there is a lot of disinfo there with the good info. Here's the tl;dr



The pressed-in exhaust valve seats on the HD truck heads have a tendency to crack, fall out, and trash the piston. It's not terribly common, but it happens enough to be noted. Vortecs in general are known for cracking around the valve seats, so I couldn't tell you if the Inconel is better or worse than the induction-hardened valve seats. Also, it sounds like sometimes the seat isn't blended into the exhaust passage well, leaving a little lip that affects flow. If you do a cleanup port on your heads, I don't think it will matter which heads you have. As there seem to be inconsistencies in flow among the heads, I'd do a cleanup port job on any Vortec head.

I think the consensus here is that if you have an existing set of uncracked Vortecs, use them. If you have two cracked heads, buy aftermarket. If you have one cracked head, it's your call if you want to spend money on a good, uncracked head. You can usually find one at Pull-A-Part for $60, but there's a 50/50 chance it's already cracked.

I did the pull a part and cracked and pitted at water ports