For Those Wanting To Port Your Heads!!!

HERE IS A QUICK LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THOSE WANTING TO PORT YOUR OWN HEADS!
! please understand this !

#1. BIGGER is not BETTER!, so dont hog out your heads! you can really hurt flow..velocity is key here!

#2.port your heads for your application! just because so and so had a huge set of heads on their combo doesnt mean it will work for you.

#3. changing the shape of your e7 will most likely hurt flow.

#4. remember that a flow bench is a tool, it just helps you make adjustments..it will not tell you where the adjustments need to be made, that is up to the porter.

#5. forget about the dyno! forget about flow numbers! again FORGET about the DYNO...and FORGET about FLOW NUMBERS. these are just numbers. all to often people get caught up in these numbers...they say well my heads flow 500 at 700 lift, well realistically are you planning on running a 700 lift cam? who cares if these heads can move that type of air? you would have to spin that motor at an ungodly rpm to achieve those numbers anyway plus we are doing a " home porting" job that means we really cant afford that type of motor anyway! dyno numbers are a load of crap too! who cares if your car makes 500 peak hp at 7000 rpm..in the time it took that car to get to those numbers the little 250hp car walks them.. i have seen it to many times...cars dont race on the DYNO they race on the street/track..build it for that, not the dyno!

#6.porting your heads at home gives you a feeling of " hey i really did make my car run better" it gives you some pride in your car, not to mention a little more satisfaction when its all said and done.

#7.here are the key things to remember
1 remove thermactor hump (grind it flush with the roof) [pic]
2 remove material from the valve guide boss[pic]
3 gasket match exhaust..dont get the huge gaskets.again hogging them out could hurt flow[pic]
4 take care when porting inside the bowls..DO NOT CHANGE THE SHAPE OF THE SHORT TURN RADIUS! just smooth it . there can be alot of bad things done in the bowl. transition is the key here..just make all the changes smooth take note on where the bowl had been machined and where it has been cast..all you need to do here is make a smooth transition...dont get carried away and hog it out[pic]
5 there is no need to polish the intake side to a nice finish(shiney)
6 you can polish the exhaust with a nice finish, but not mirror, i just think it is a waste of time.
7intake side; you can really remove alot of material off the valve boss here, just remember to keep an old valve in the head when working on the bosses you dont want to chew up the valve stem "hole" [pic]

just remember smooth transitions anf dont " hog it out"
im sure i missed a few things but feel free to email with any question to brandonhamrick2020@yahoo.com HOPE THIS HELPS...AND HAVE FAITH INYOURSELF , YOU CAN DO IT!

Originally Posted by BHAM

#6.porting your heads at home gives you a feeling of " hey i really did make my car run better" it gives you some pride in your car, not to mention a little more satisfaction when its all said and done.

I can't agree more! I have ported a few heads. Mostly in the late 70s. Porting is just about 100% common sense. I think of myself as air when I port (sounds corny), but it helps me visualize what will help. I try to focus on the throat, bowl area, raising the roof when possible, and only smoothing the short turn radius. I also try to max out the width at the pushrod hump without grinding thru of course. The ported '70 351w heads have exceeded my expectations on my 331. My rebuild was completed early this year and the seat of the pants feel is excellent. I expect my RWHP to have gone from 335@6400 to 360+ with the same cam, a 282S. The most satisfying part of it is that the engine revs very well and pulls like crazy to 6800+ even with a cam whose advertised rpm range is 2000 - 6000 rpm. The fact that the engine produces power into the very high 6000s tells me that the heads are doing their job. Throttle response is "right now"! My heads ended up measuring 160cc on the intake and 60cc on the exhaust. Everything is port matched including my header openings.

I'd like to also say to pay attention to valve unshrouding and chamber matching the chamber walls to the cylinder. Usually, and especially if the block has been bored out, the chamber edges extend into the cylinder and need to be moved outward as much as 1/16".

Very Well Put! Im Glad To Hear That The Heads Are Working Well For You! The Sotp Is A Real World Indicator! Oh, And I Do The Exact Same Thing With Making Yourself " Like The Air" Its Not Corny....it Works Very Well And Helps You Visualize How The Air Flows And Works Inside The Throat/bowl!!!! Keep Up The Good Work!

Nice! How about same pics on 4.6 PI heads.

Originally Posted by gbic1

Nice! How about same pics on 4.6 PI heads.

I SHY AWAY FROM THE MOD STUFF...I STICK WITH THE OLD 289/302 HEADS! BUT I GUESS I SHOULD LOOK INTO IT

Originally Posted by BHAM

Very Well Put! Im Glad To Hear That The Heads Are Working Well For You! The Sotp Is A Real World Indicator! Oh, And I Do The Exact Same Thing With Making Yourself " Like The Air" Its Not Corny....it Works Very Well And Helps You Visualize How The Air Flows And Works Inside The Throat/bowl!!!! Keep Up The Good Work!

I had the same DOOE heads on the original 331 build, but I wiped a couple of bearings at the road course due to oil starvation. Rebuilt it and switched to a single plane and new carb, beehive springs, 1.7 Probe shaft rockers, 9 qt RR pan and did a bit more head work primarily in the area of the pushrod hump and valve unshrouding. The car does things it never did before with the old build. Most obvious is the tires break loose more and longer in 2nd gear, pulls harder through the top end of 3rd as it is approaching 100 mph. I gotta get this thing re-dyno'd some day.

Making HP is soooooo much more satisfying than buying HP.

Originally Posted by blkfrd

I had the same DOOE heads on the original 331 build, but I wiped a couple of bearings at the road course due to oil starvation. Rebuilt it and switched to a single plane and new carb, beehive springs, 1.7 Probe shaft rockers, 9 qt RR pan and did a bit more head work primarily in the area of the pushrod hump and valve unshrouding. The car does things it never did before with the old build. Most obvious is the tires break loose more and longer in 2nd gear, pulls harder through the top end of 3rd as it is approaching 100 mph. I gotta get this thing re-dyno'd some day.

Making HP is soooooo much more satisfying than buying HP.

YES INDEED...MAKING HP IS MUCH MORE SATISFYING THAN BUYING IT!!!!
did you take any pics of the porting process of your heads?

I'd love to port the head on my Fairmont. Unfortunately it's the infamous log head six where the intake manifold is part of the head. I also have no spares if I screw up. However, I think it's fantastic that you guys provide the how-to here for those brave enough to do it themselves.

Originally Posted by Inline6Lover

I'd love to port the head on my Fairmont. Unfortunately it's the infamous log head six where the intake manifold is part of the head. I also have no spares if I screw up. However, I think it's fantastic that you guys provide the how-to here for those brave enough to do it themselves.

RIGHT ON! i started porting heads, first off cause i was broke and second because everyone said you have to take it to a pro..as i sat back and thought about it -how did the pros become pros? well they were guys like you and i that just picked up an olds head and started working at it! its not hard at all and just take your time...rome wasnt built in a day! anyone can port a set of heads in the garage, just have faith in yourself and go for it..the worst thing that can happen it you poke through a water jacket...i have not yet done it, again just go slow. so get out the di grinder and go for it!!!!!!

Like I said.. the head I'd want to port has the intake manifold integrated into it. You can't unbolt it. It's part of the head. It would make a thorough porting very difficult. Unfortunately I think I'll have to wait until I can afford the Classic Inlines aluminum head and separate intake manifold.. and for what that costs, I'll send that to a professional for porting.. but maybe I'll do the heads on my Mark VII, someday..