Thread: 400 tpi w/ vortec heads?

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sounds good in theory right? i know i need steam holes drilled and a new base plate for the tpi. i've done tons of research on 400 tpi's but i cant find anything on how it performs OR what cam i should use. ideas, suggestion, or anything i should know before embarking on said project?

Should work, Car Craft mag has done a few Vortec head based builds in the past few years. Make sure to avoid Gen II series heads, they have reverse coolant flow. The 400 was produced from '70 to '79, the vortec heads were produced nearly 20 years later, so there was no factory combos. Remember Vortec heads also require and Vortec style intake. For a street motor, a mild vortec set-up should do very well, plus you have the possiblity of using factory fuel injection.

update: now have 062 casting vortec heads and 87 camaro tuned port system. i wanted to use the o.e. roller lifters that the tpi came off of but the dog-bone collars dont clear the cylinder walls. thinking of using solid roller lifters but will the link bar clear the cylinder wall? or will the lifters cause the knock sensor kick in?

buy a set of hyd retro lifters and push rods and keep going you will have to do the new chain set and a cam button if you put it in the older block like this.i made up this stuff but you can buy a cam that is better then the older cam tpi and will fit in your block the dog bone could fit in the block with alot of grinding in the block as the water jackets will hit like you said they sell a kit but i never used it as they sell one on E bay looks very 1/2 ass and if you cut to much your block will be junk and you use a roller from a nother GM lifter as the oil band is not right for the older V8 block as the liter bores are taller in the hyd GM roller block the lifter bores are much shorter in the 400 block so you tpi stock lifters will not work

its really not that bad. I did it in acoupl of hours. I used V6 lifters and stock V8 retainers.

well if it work for you that great . but for me lifters are $ 268 drop in or less the new oems are about 130 with added time grinding drilling and taping as the customer would pay me to do this . i just buy the retro lfters and keep going

i only paid $85 for new lifters on bay

This is straight from Chevrolet Division.....
"Do not try to modify either the heads or the intake manifold to try to make the Vortec heads match up to a standard 12-bolt intake manifold. The ports will not match up. You must use a Vortec style intake manifold with any Vortec style cylinder head."

That tells me that the '87 TPI manifold will not work with the L31 heads.

good call tech i did not see that yep the intake will leak it could be re work but it would take alot of tig welding milling and drill /tapping your heads for added bolts better to buy a new intake with that intake weres it pull the EGR from ? the vortec heads have no EX cross over when i did a 88 chevy truck thats why i did use the pbm thunder heads so the EGR could still be used

Scroggin Dickie had a manifold base for the vortec heads and tp tubes---used on a few years ago with the Accel runners and top---ran super

OP even said he knew he needed a new base manifold for the tpi

actually already ordered it the manifold from them the cam that the lifters came with is for a 305 so NO plans to re-use that although it is in good shape. however the hold=down spider and the retainer collars for the lifters are in perfect shape so i'll trade a friend for v-6 lifters. still have questions about the valley studs for the hold-down spider better to drill and tap for bolts or have studs brazed/welded to the lifter valley?

btw thanks for the info guys MUCH appreciated

your drilling and taping thru a main oiling galley studs with 620 loc tie is what i would use make dam sure you do not have any burrs on the end of your hold down hole or you will send trash tru your engine .i weld on iron blocks i can tell you thats not a place you want to weld less you weld iron blocks all the time you can trash the block .

i dont personally weld at all. but an old teacher of mine (who i still know) does and the best of anyone i know. i'm concerned about drilling and tapping because i've heard the horror stories of blocks craking nearly in half there.

well the block can crack if you weld it .then add that to your list of horrors as it will leak oil like that well out in the gulf .get the holes wrong or grind to much then your block is junk as well . as you look at you block now your main oil gally or water jacks are fine so as you start down this path you outcome could be good or wast of a good block and time or just buy a set of retro lifters. good luck