Good Idea to port/polish a head your self?

[92tsifwd]

I have a little experience porting (exept heads) and was simply thinking of bell shaping my head ports to the gaskit on both the exhaust and the intake side. I would use 60 grit on the intake side and, polish the exhaust ports up to possibly 380 grit. Anybody have any experience with this or have any suggestions or input on this?

 

[1badtsi]

i would not suggest it, you need a flow bench to port/polish your head correctly

 

[92tsifwd]

How would it run without a flow bench? Where could I use one at?

 

[pinknuggit]

A flowbech is a high $ piece of machinery used to test the airflow through a head and other things. Usually they are not common and only performance shops have them. There is only a handful of shops in arkansas who have a flowbench. I'm pretty sure that they don't let customers use their benches.

 

[92tsifwd]

A flowbech is a high $ piece of machinery used to test the airflow through a head and other things. Usually they are not common and only performance shops have them. There is only a handful of shops in arkansas who have a flowbench. I'm pretty sure that they don't let customers use their benches.

That sucks. So I probably won't do it then. Would just polishing the exhaust ports also need a flow bench? Thanks again!

 

[burldude]

Port away Just dont remove to much material . Also while you are at it polish the combustion surface It has been shown to give you up to ten horsepower with an engine pushing 350 hp. It also keeps hot spots down and allows a leaner mixture . Also fuel atomization is not nearly inpeeded as some may say by polishing the intake . Fuel injection is nice in that factor . The exhaust side is where you will want to remove material . Port match to your exhaust gasket and exhaust manifold . As far as flow bench testing ,if you are not hogging out the port rediculously and tearing up the short side radius ( the bottom of the exhaust port twords the valve inside the head) I woulddt blink an eye . Just go slow and try to remove the same amount of material from each port. Go slow and remember it does not take alot of material to make a large difference . Also dont just start grinding away scribe youre gasket on the head surface intake and exhaust . Have fun and the smoother you get the combustion surface the better . Also you can lay your head gasket down and scribe or pen in the head gasket cylinder profile and then take out the sharp edge on the head slightly radiusing it . You should not have to remove much . The point is to get rid of all edges , obviously do not damage the valve seats.

 

[92tsifwd]

I thought I would be alright. I am only mildly porting. Thanks for all the pointers Buridude, as I will use them!

 

[bigjangin]

I wouldnt try it. The most I would do is too smooth out the casting imperfections.

 

[92tsifwd]

Anybody got any pictures of a mildly ported head I could look at?

 

[00 Agent]

Don't do it. You can seriosly fu(k sh1t up if you don't really know what you're doing.

 

[Tallen]

Anybody got any pictures of a mildly ported head I could look at?

Umm, why? Maybe you should consider getting it professionally done. Pictures would help the least.

 

[pinknuggit]

Don't do it. You can seriosly fu(k sh1t up if you don't really know what you're doing.

x2

 

[1fast97gsx]

x2

X 80 million ... if you even have to ask this you shouldn't be doing this yourself. Why are you porting the head in the first place?

 

[92tsifwd]

I got it done. I did not touch the intake side because they are perfectly matched already and I only bell shaped to the gaskit on the exhaust side and polished about an inch into the port. That is it, I didn't even port where you can feel a big difference and I did not port it, I had my friend do it who has ported a dozen honda heads in a speed shop and he knows alot more than I do. It probably is not going to yeild a huge gain because he did not go in far enouph. I will let you guys know how it runs as soon as I get it running in a week or so. Thanks for all your help also as I didn't port it my self!

 

[tmizer]

Now, 91tsifwd, if everyone told you to jump off a cliff, would you do what everyone told you to do?!

Here's mine, done by my machinist (I'm an engineer, I screw things up if handed a powertool like a rotary grinder!). He's got over 25 years experience building drag motors of both domestic and imports (unfortunately, alot of Honduhs). His opinion was that the head looked like it flows well and just needed some light work. Here it is, lightly ported with valve seat work for 2mm oversize valves:

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If you get a chance, post some pics of your ported head.

 

[DSMJim]

Since you know absolutly nothing about porting, all your going to do is make the head lose velocity. I'll bet your best attempt will result in a 10-15hp loss no matter what you did.

Head porting is something that takes year to be good at, and is done by people with expensive equipment and lots of knowledge about air flow and head porting. If you have to ask if you should do it or not, the answer is obviously not.

 

[KlowdDragon]

ffwd connection

 

[tmizer]

If he listened to the majority, he'd learn nothing.
If he listened to a couple of us, he'd learn a little, and get it done by a professional (by some of you vendors, no less).
If he listened to no one, and did it himself, he'd learn ALOT (and waste a bit of time and $$, but that's not very profound).

 

[92tsifwd]

Hey, I finaly got the head on the car and tuned it and I can honesty say I am shocked at how hard my car pulls, launches, blaw.. blaw.. blaw.. I have it on the car and did not take any pics. My knock is 0 and my gas milage is through the roof along with a ton more bottom end power and top end is outstanding! I also installed the walbro 190 rewired, the 16g 7cm with port matched intake and exhaust man, 2.5 ext o2 dump, 3" turbo-back, 2g tb inlet port matched all at the same time. The only problem I've had is boost creep in 2nd and 3rd to 15 psi. But I dont have a muffler yet so that could help. I totaly ported everything on the 16g to make it not creep but, it still does. There is no more material to remove if I want it to seal. I dont have any dyno numbers but I raced a car that runs a 13.84 at the track and smoked him. Cant wait to take it to the track! Good job on the head! Any pics of the intake and exhaust ports?

 

[ItsStockOfficer]

DSM'ers are the most unoriginal and closeminded car enthusiasts in the world. It is quite possible he could successfully clean up the head in a positive way if he does his research. People have been doing this for longer then anyone on this site has been alive, the knowledge is out there.

But this is obviously NOT the place to look for it. It's like watching scared children huddled in the dark, trying to bring more people in to keep them feeling safe.

 

[kooka]

People have been doing this for longer then anyone on this site has been alive

even defiant?

 

[tmizer]

DSM'ers are the most unoriginal and closeminded car enthusiasts in the world. ...But this is obviously NOT the place to look for it. It's like watching scared children huddled in the dark, trying to bring more people in to keep them feeling safe.

x 80 gazillion! True, so unfortunately true.

 

[pinknuggit]

DSM'ers are the most unoriginal and closeminded car enthusiasts in the world. It is quite possible he could successfully clean up the head in a positive way if he does his research. People have been doing this for longer then anyone on this site has been alive, the knowledge is out there.

But this is obviously NOT the place to look for it. It's like watching scared children huddled in the dark, trying to bring more people in to keep them feeling safe.

It's different when you're just cleaning up castings and burrs in the head Vs. Porting it.

 

[markgholland]

I have about ten extra heads to practice on... I figure by the time I finish those, I'll trust myself to do my own Plus, I know someone with a flow bench I've always wondered how long it would take to port a head with a tough piece of sandpaper and a shop-vac. It's aluminum
~Mark

 

[TurBoGs-T]

DSM'ers are the most unoriginal and closeminded car enthusiasts in the world.

Yea . Another stupid stereotype that we don't need against us. Please get your FACTS straight.