Thread: How much lift can stock Vortec heads handle?

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Originally Posted by micaiahbur14

I'm putting a set of Vortec heads on my sbc 400 my cam has a lift of .443/.465. i've heard a lot of different things about the highest lift vortecs can take without machining ive heard .420-.550. which seems a little high. I have matching springs, Competition Cams 742-16 Steel Retainers, with locks, do not have new valve stem seals yet. I'm wondering if with what i have if i can use this cam with theses heads without cutting the valve guides down. any help would be greatly appreciated.

There is lots of bogus info concerning these heads. I think this tutorial sums it all up pretty nicely.
http://www.crankshaftcoalition.com/w..._cylinder_head

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