The times are changing, and so is the performance aftermarket. One thing that hasn’t changed is the small-block Chevy being the go-to platform for cheap and fun American V8s for decades. But development in new performance technology and world economics has affected how much power you can make with your small-block and what it will cost you. A couple of months ago, we covered the simple basics of improving the performance of your small-block Chevy. The next step to up your horsepower is to swap out your cylinder heads. But what has changed in recent years, and what can fit in your budget? We take a look at our top picks for SBC cylinder heads for your project car or truck.

Rebuilding The Iron

Twenty or thirty years ago, the go-to move was to snag a good used pair of higher-flowing stock heads from your local swap meet or the junkyard and have your local machine shop rebuild them. But like most things these days, the cost of quality parts and labor has gone up. Also, those double hump heads that you once could buy for $100 have become desirable to classic car restoration shops, and supply has slowly been depleted over the years. All of these changes take what was once a perfectly viable budget upgrade for SBC cylinder heads and bumped it past $1,000 for just a pair of rebuilt stock iron heads.

Years ago, the double hump heads from the 1960s were the go-to budget performance cylinder head.

Since the classic performance OEM heads from the 1960s have become a little pricey and harder to find, you may think the Vortec heads off the late-’90s 5.7 truck engines would be the next best option for budget performance. The infamous Vortec cylinder heads have been the go-to budget performance upgrade for years, offering the highest flowing intake ports ever offered on a stock small-block Chevy cylinder head and 64cc heart-shaped combustion chambers.

GM stopped using these heads on production vehicles at the turn of the century, and they have become harder to find in good shape. The Vortec heads were a little thinner than older SBC cylinder heads to keep production costs and weight down. Combine that with the problematic plastic intake manifold gaskets and heater hose fittings that could suddenly spring a leak without warning and cause the engine to overheat, and you might end up on the side of the road with a pair of cracked heads. So finding these heads in the junkyard without damage is quite the gamble, and you still have to deal with the increased cost of parts and machine shop labor.

The Vortec cylinder heads require center bolt valve covers and a Vortec-specific intake manifold that uses two vertical mounting bolts at each corner.

All-New Vortec Iron

If your eye is still on a set of Vortec-style heads and you already have the correct intake manifold and center-bolt valve covers, Summit Racing has you covered. Summit’s Vortec heads are an all-new casting, not used, that is cast thicker like older small-block heads and offers all the other benefits of the stock Vortec heads, like 64cc heart-shaped chambers and the high-flow intake ports. The price for a pair of these heads will run you almost the same as a pair of used stock heads, and having them rebuilt at your local machine shop.

Stock Vortec heads can only handle around 0.450-0.460 inches of valve lift due to valve guide and spring retainer clearance and require machine work to correct. Also, the stock Vortec rocker arm studs are pressed in and require further machine work to make use of more reliable screw-in studs. On Summit’s Vortec heads, both of these issues have been resolved. They come with 3/8-inch screw-in rocker studs and valve springs that can handle up to 0.525 inches of lift with hydraulic flat tappet or mild hydraulic roller camshafts.

Save Weight And Cash

Twenty years ago, putting aluminum heads on your small-block meant two things: you had pockets as deep as the Grand Canyon, and you were aiming for all-out race-ready performance. But aftermarket manufacturers have caught on to the desires of the street-driven small-block crowd and have found ways to offer us budget-friendly options to benefit from a pair of aluminum SBC cylinder heads that can save around fifty pounds on the nose of our projects.

Brodix offers some of the best racing cylinder heads for small-blocks, big-blocks, LS, and more. But a few years ago, they released their IK series of small-block heads to give all of us the option of aluminum performance for iron prices, which is why the IK in the name stands for “Iron Killer”. Brodix offers these in a 180cc intake port version and a 200cc intake port version, depending on your needs. The 180cc heads flow 245 cfm at 0.600-inches of lift on the intake and 178 cfm at 0.600-inches of lift on the exhaust, and the 200cc heads flow 261 cfm at 0.600-inches of lift on the intake and 176 cfm at 0.600-inches of lift on the exhaust.

The IK series of SBC cylinder heads is cast from A-356 virgin aluminum alloy and features manganese bronze valve guides, ductile iron valve seats for use with unleaded fuel, ends milled and drilled for accessories, and a straight spark plug angle. You can order either version with a 64cc or 70cc combustion chamber and valve springs to handle hydraulic flat tappet cams up to 0.540-inch lift or dual valve springs for hydraulic roller cams up to 0.575-inch lift. With a current sticker price of about $1,500 for a pair, these are the most affordable high-quality aluminum cylinder heads on the market. You could easily spend a lot more at a machine shop upgrading a pair of used iron heads.

Racing Tech For The Street

Air Flow Research‘s Eliminator Street heads are a step up in budget compared to the other options we’ve talked about, but are a cost-effective performance choice between the entry-level heads and all-out billet race SBC cylinder heads. They feature fully CNC ported intake runners, exhaust ports, and chambers. AFR recommends the 180cc heads for street, towing, or street/strip engines with displacements up to 383 cubic inches operating up to 6,000 RPM. It also offers a 195cc version of their Eliminator Street heads recommended for street/strip engines with displacements up to 400 cubic inches operating up to 6,500 rpm.

AFR’s Eliminator Street heads are a great way to step into serious performance and flow numbers without having to fork over thousands for fully-prepped race heads.

The CNC machine work on these heads is a work of art, but it’s not just for looks. These heads flow considerably well at the mid and high lift range for maximum performance. The 180cc heads flow 260 cfm at 0.500-inches of lift on the intake and 207 cfm at 0.500-inches of lift on the exhaust, and the 195cc heads flow 275 cfm at 0.500-inches of lift on the intake and 213 cfm at 0.500-inches of lift on the exhaust.

AFR’s Eliminator Street heads feature bronze valve guides, ductile iron valve seats, and the option for straight or angled sparks. You can order them with a 65cc or 75cc combustion chamber and several different valve springs to handle hydraulic flat tappet, hydraulic roller, and solid roller camshafts. Also, for those of you who have to battle California’s strict emissions, these heads are legal for 1994 and older emissions-controlled vehicles under CARB EO #D-250-2.

Honorable Mention: The Sleeper Category

For those of us who still rock a small-block Chevy under the hood, there is no bigger flex than to pop the hood at your local car meet and show off those shiny high-performance aluminum heads. You’re letting everyone know that your project car isn’t a cruiser – it means business. But for some of us, we couldn’t care less about bragging rights; we like to keep things covert and a little sneaky. Instead of dressing up a small-block to look like it’s ready for 500 laps around Talladega when it only makes 350 horsepower, some like a sleeper build that is dressed like it’s still an original stock small-block, making 225 horsepower, while it’s hiding double that or more.

If you’re looking for modern, high-tech aluminum SBC cylinder heads that you can paint Chevy orange to match the engine block and fool the untrained eye, Trick Flow has a trick up its sleeve for you. Trick Flow Specialties offers its DHC series of cylinder heads that look like the old double-hump “fuelie” heads from the ’60s on the outside but hide high-flowing ports and modern combustion chamber design inside.

Poured from A356-T61 aluminum, the DHC cylinder heads offer the same weight savings as other aftermarket aluminum heads. These SBC cylinder heads are offered in two versions: with 175cc Fast As Cast intake runners or with 200cc CNC-ported intake runners. The 23-degree heads are designed to fit standard intake manifolds and exhaust, which helps you complete the sleeper look and also makes it easy to swap them onto your project without having to purchase more required special parts. Paint them orange to complete the stealth look.

The 175cc heads come with 60cc CNC-machined combustion chambers, 2.020 and 1.600 valves, and flow 254 cfm at 0.600 inches of lift on the intake and 207-cfm at 0.600 inches of lift on the exhaust. The 200cc heads are for those with big-inch small-block builds, or looking for maximum horsepower, and come with 64cc CNC-machined combustion chambers, 2.055 and 1.600 valves, and flow 286 cfm at 0.600-inches of lift on the intake and 217 fm at 0.600-inches of lift on the exhaust.

The ends of these heads replicate the original double-hump casting marks that the stock heads came with, providing the ultimate sleeper look, and can be had with or without accessory bolt holes. Both versions are available bare or assembled with either single valve springs for hydraulic flat tappet cams up to 0.540-inch lift or dual valve springs for hydraulic roller cams up to 0.600-inch lift. Can you imagine a 383-stroker with a hydraulic roller cam, stock valve covers and air cleaner, and a pair of DHC 200 heads? That would be sure to fool some local modern Mustangs and Corvettes.

Imagine a 383 stroker topped with a pair of Trick Flow DHC 200 heads, a hydraulic roller cam, and dressed like a bone-stock 1970 LT-1. The perfect sleeper.

More Flow, More Options, Same Old School Vibe

In today’s performance landscape, building for more power with a pair of SBC cylinder heads requires a smarter approach than it did decades ago, but it’s far from impossible. Whether you want to stay period-correct with sleeper looks, stretch your budget with re-engineered iron heads, or step up to lightweight aluminum for serious flow gains, the aftermarket now offers options to suit nearly every build goal and wallet. While parts and labor have climbed, innovation has kept pace, and enthusiasts have more viable choices than ever to extract horsepower from America’s favorite V8.