Thread: Do traditional sbc headers match up to vortec heads?

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I have a 78 Elcamino with a 305 and headers. I have another sbc engine coming together right now with 1996 vortec heads. My question is will the headers from the 305 bolt up to the vortec heads? Are the ports the same basic shape as they exit the head? The new engine should find itself in the Elcamino soon if I can keep the budget under control.

That's an interesting question that I have never seen properly answered on the internet before.

We put a set of Fast Burn aluminum heads on an engine and used factory stainless Corvette headers (85-89). The Vortec and Fast Burn port exits are similarly shaped as the older heads but in our case, we matched the gasket to the header and to the head (using the bolt hole locations as the reference) and found that the header sat low relative to the port by about a 1/4". We had to raise the bolt hole locations in the heads (and used helicoils).

I suggest that you do the same; get an appropriate gasket and line it up on the head using the bolt holes. Take the same gasket and line it up on your headers and verify the match.

mike in tucson