Vortec heads and intake on a 350?

[Dean80Z28]

I have been reading a bit and a Vortec intake and heads seem to be a nice way to go with my 350 to gain a little bit of power without breaking the bank. But is it that simple to just but vortec heads and intake on there, or am I missing something? Thanks

[Detroit_Bird]

As far as I know the angle of the intake is different on vortech heads, forcing you to use vortech-friendly intakes (as you seem to already know), and I believe there is a different type of pushrod guides on the vortechs- possibly a different rocker arm. Other than that, these are pretty much the same as a normal SBC head, and will bolt up to any gen 1 SBC. From what I hear, the head gasket from the year of the head not the block should be used- but you will want to check on that. There's something to do with changes to the water jacket that causes this.

From what I hear, these heads are capable of 350HP+, good luck with your build!

[Dean80Z28]

Great, sounds good... thanks.

Could anyone explain what the difference between Spreadbore and Squarebore is?
I know that:

spreadbore = 4bbl carburator "shape" - uneven sized primary and secondary throttle blades (primaries are smaller)

squarebore = 4bbl carburator "shape" - all 4 throttle blades are of equal size

So is one better than the other in terms of making power, or does it have to do with how much power is made at a certain RPM..?