At first I thought I had removed too much material and ruined my 799’s. But after watching all your videos, I’ve realized that I have barely even got started. If anything I’ve only just cleaned up my heads and removed some of the unnecessary spots
Thank you for your time involved making the videos and passing along some of your storage bank of knowledge. I'm currently getting ready to start on set of heads for a '84 Chevy 2.8.
The bowl cut percentages apply to any cylinder head, blending to the port while not digging down, smooth the short turn and reduce the valve guide boss. Go slow take your time! JD
Nice video! I followed an older video you put out and had great luck porting my first set of ls heads. I have another project and this taught me where to be more careful! THANKS!
Man I really don’t want to screw up any volumetric flow to bad and I’ve watched enough of your videos to have the courage to attempt some head work so I’m just gonna smooth intake long radius and sides, probably finish short radius with like a 320 grit and work the swirl ramp a bit but no bowl cut just smooth. Raise the roof on the exhaust side and mirror finish the port as best I can. Only building an lq4 NA with 585 lift cam and 243 heads. Thanks for making these videos!
Nothing smoother than 60-80 grit inside the intake runners/ports! Just clean up the port textures and slightly reduce the valve guide boss and run it! If you’re not comfortable yet with throat/bowl work don’t worry about it. 👍😎
@@chriscase6341 I use mig tip grease, anti splatter dip and clean the burrs with a stiff wire wheel/brush. Treat before porting; stop every once in a while and cool the burr by dipping it in the grease. Hopefully you can get all the aluminum cleaned out, it can be difficult. JD
I like using the angle die grinders with aggressive burrs, it’s easier for me to control. My favorite angle die grinder finally died after 16 years! lol. Thanks for watching and the feedback! JD
@@HeadFlowInc The work around the guide is excellent ... I've seen those guides get nibbed and can leave less boss to sit on. lol mind numbing .... I have fixed and polished Alum and stainless trim.... I notice the burr has a radius close to that of the bowl, just easier to maintain the radius and remove material.?... To start with anything much smaller would possibly leave grooves or trails as you shaped it?
You can do the entire port job with a 3/8” double cut burr but it would take for ever. Definitely using the right size & shape burr makes the work easier. Also, helps avoid ridges etc hard to smooth. JD
Instead of spending a lot of time grinding your bowl percentage with a hand grinder and valve for a template have your machine shop that’s doing the valve job “ bore the seats “ to the percentage you want for example 87% exhaust and 89 intake it saves a lot of time and will make them very consistent. They can use a 90 degree straight cutter to get the diameter you want for the percentage. You seem to do good work and explain things well .
I would absolutely have the machine shop set the bowls and I do so when the customer requests one or needs a valve job. Amazingly the vast majority of the heads I’ve done didn’t need a valve job, only facing the valves/lapping them to verify seal. Every once in a while I come across some badly pitted exhaust seats needing work and must have a valve seat cut; The added cost of a valve job ranges from $225.00 to $325.00 depending on whether you want a “Standard” or “CNC Performance” valve job. This added costs simply exceeds a lot of people’s budget I guess. I’d be interested in just having the bowls cut, but the machine shop won’t only cut the bowls or only “touch” the seating angle to clean it up, they insist your being charged for setup so at that time it’s all or nothing. I agree with you 100%!!! I’d love to be able to save the time and gain repeatability in the bowl accuracy, yes please! JD
@@HeadFlowInc My brother has cnc mill and lathe I’m going to have him make me a adjustable cutter with a pilot that could be used with a standard drill press , I hear you a lot of machine shops just don’t like doing custom stuff anymore I used to take it to a shop that would but they stopped said it was not cost effective enough, it’s surprising how many people port heads and don’t take the time to set seat throat diameter , some heads are pretty bad from the factory .
Professional porter in the Netherlands. I luckily have my own fully equipped shop. And I know exactly what you mean. Lots of shops just do a complete std job or not. Whereas I fully work on customer request sometimes. Lots of shops think they are " high performance " shops.... but most dont understand flow. Or think that customers think too complicated . I have seen heads completely ruined by wrong valve seat jobs ...only to be fixed by bigger valves or replacing seats and cut them right. I say : work is work....and I may charge maybe more when cutting seats but the result of the engine performance and reliability is what counts. Not return on investment !!! Also I see lots of shops with employees who dont really care or dont understand why. I work alone and always in close contact with customers. So no problems in communication and attitude.
My porting math videos will help with throat percentages to valve size being conservative is always best. The rest of the port use your judgement on smoothing etc but try not to remove too much from the short turns and don’t make any turns or angles steeper. Go slow and take breaks, good luck! JD
Your videos are very informative and your points come across clearly. I’ve rebuilt quite a few engines but only ported the heads a couple times through the years. I imagine anyone watching your videos has done engine work before. I’m not trying to be a dick, buuuut ,,, several times I stopped the video because your tendency to be long winded, and repeating insignificant parts over and over again... don’t get me wrong, your vids are very good and informative. Just makes me anxious for to get to the point. Folks interested in porting their heads must already have some engine building experience so no need to explain 27 times to not hit the valve seat... ok, done ranting... I do watch YOUR vids when I want info. (And only 1 or 2 others ) camera work and lighting is always good... learned some things from you,,, keep the vids coming,,, just realize,,, we’re not dummies ... don’t take this the wrong way
Thanks I appreciate the feedback, I do catch myself repeating information to many times. I guess I’m stuck on warning people as a disclaimer? Thanks again have a Happy New Year and stay tuned! JD
@@HeadFlowInc ,,, glad you took it well,,, I’ll be watching hot new videos,,, I’m currently building a Mopar 408 stroker. Have edelbrock performer rpm heads. 176 intake ports/ 2.02 valves. ( 1.65 exhaust, I believe ),,, turns out the horse power I can get with these heads is about 600, but the 408 stroker, with my components combination should get more hp, so I’m porting the heads to like 190 cc,,, let me ask you a question, how much cushion is safe as far as cc inconsistency/differences from port to port ?,,, for harmonics and flow characteristics ,,, in your opinion ?,,, thanks
A couple cc isn’t going to show any real difference. I’d be shocked if a 176cc port could flow more than +- 235-240 cfm. The rule is NA each cfm of air x2 equals power “potential”, so for a head to support 600 hp NA it needs to flow close to 300 cfm. On a 408 cid the minimum port I’d recommend is a 210cc+ but you may not get there with your current castings I’m just not sure.
Great video as always, with your video I decided to port my 862 heads. I picked up a spare set just to practice on, and so far I'm just working those to get the feel for my grinder and my burrs. One question I had -- the rocker arm bolt boss, is there enough meat to get it completely flat, or do I still need to leave a bit of a bump in the walls? One other dumb question if I may. When you talk about cutting down the bowl, or perhaps you said throat...Are you meaning to grind the actual valve seat insert (Not the seat itself, but the hardened metal part) to the 87% of valve diameter? If so, I was thinking about trying to come up with a hard stop with my burr, perhaps a fender washer with a hole offset for the burr shank to poke through, and then centered on the valve stem? e.g. size the offset hole on the fender washer so that knowing the max OD of the burr and the 87% max you want the hardened metal insert to be? I'm thinking if I did this, then I could poke the burr shank through the fender washer hole, and literally "walk/rotate" the washer with the burr on it around the opening and as long as I held the grinder straight, I wouldn't have to worry about nicking the valve seat.
Thank you very much for the walk through. Im about to port some 60deg gen2 aluminium heads. They seem very similar in design to these ls heads. One question about the swirl ramp. Does that ramp create swirl or is it just reducing flow. Does the reduction of if make for less swirl or how would you say the relationship between swirl creation and flow is affected? Do you ever change the combustion chambers? Can one make them bigger if the cr is too high? Or would you say its too much risk involved?
Well I bent a valve on my 440 sbc. I had turned rev limit up to 6800 and here I am. Looks like valve was a tight on the adjustment. Heads are brodix 225 so I think I am gonna get some port work done while I have heads repaired.
Dang that sucks, sorry to hear the issue, Sounds like you had pretty tight piston to valve clearance, was it an exhaust valve that hit? You may want to have a little deeper valve reliefs or a slightly thicker head gasket for safety. Brodie heads are usually very nice! JD
@@HeadFlowInc good valve reliefs. Just not adjusted right my mistake plus its hydraulic roller so no more than 6500 for me. From now on at least. Head gasket is .062 about as thick as I wanna go. I believe by me retarding the cam 4 degrees it adding to the issue. Thanks for the kind words and advice. I will post video tomorrow
That was good. I haven’t watched in a while. I have had 8.8 diffs and 4r70w transmissions on the brain but I’m getting closer to doin my first mild port job. I’m curious what you prefer for valve guide material? Factory powdered metal or the fancy bronze manganese ones? I’m an old bearded guy too
I’ve had great luck and longevity running the factory guides. On the newer heads like the LS7 the guides are junk and must be upgraded immediately or valve failure is soon to follow. Good luck on learning to port go slow and you should be fine! JD
I’ve noticed what they call a standard valve job on these cathedrals is cut with a 1.750” throat or 87.5%, but the “Performance multi-angle valve job has a 1.780” or 89% throat. I’m with you 89% should be standard with any valve job. It saves a lot of time if the throat is already close.
Yes, limiting the pressure to the tool is a common method. You can also use the small regulator at the tool to tune rpm. I don’t have the small setup but I’m interested in trying it. JD
Start by measuring the throat area of each port then compare the results to the valve diameter for each. Intake port throat size should be 89-90% of the intake valve diameter. Exhaust port throat size I use 87% of the exhaust valve diameter. At the very least you want to set a performance throat size on all and blend them into the Bowl area and port. Eventually I have a set of 5.4 4V heads I’m going to port on my channel, subscribe and click the bell so you will be notified! JD
I'm planning on replacing the 873 heads on my 6.0L with some 706 heads and doing some mild porting to the heads and intake. Would I be better off replacing the smaller valves on the 706 heads with the 2.0/1.55 valves from the 873s? Would I need to have the throats bored larger or any other machine work?
It depends greatly on your combo and goals are you trying to build a torque monster or are you trying to build higher horsepower. Factory 706 head will easily support 440 hp, if you plan to exceed that much power and naturally aspirated then yes you would want to do the larger valves requiring a Val job proper throats in both and some on shrouding other valves in the chambers. I do not recommend milling the heads because it’s easy to exceed pump gas running the small chambered hands on a 6 L depending on what camshaft you’re running, the combo Hass to be compatible with the fuel you plan to run.
You can experiment with the D-shape similar to the 243-799 heads as long as you stay inside the gasket opening. On the truck ports I raise it and slightly widen the port but not so much it ends up fish mouthed or funnel shaped. JD
@@HeadFlowInc Thanks for the help, I just got done gasket matching my intake side and will be doing the exhaust side after I address the swirl shelf and guide bosses. I'm terrified of trashing my seats though. I'm surprised there isn't some guard you can put over the seats to protect them while porting.
@@nickmkkay yes go slow and only move your burr or sanding roll where you can see what it’s touching. Anxiety can build impatience, when this happens take a break. If you use a 3/8” double cut egg to work the throat you can see it working only the very bottom of the seat. JD
Love the videos, about to try porting my first set of 243s. Would greatly appreciate a how to vid on making your bowl cut guides. I understand putting the old valve into a drill, but not understanding how you are grinding it down to size and keeping it perfectly round against a bench grinder. A video are any help with helping me better understand how you are doing that would be very helpful. Thanks brother, and keep up the great vids.
Good idea, I can show how I’ve done it using a drill and a bench grinder. I chuck the sacrificial valve in a drill and run the drill opposite of the rotation of the bench grinder. You’d be surprised how affective this process cuts down the valve, just go slow measure often using a set of calipers. The sharper and square the valve is the better it will scratch/scribe to the seat. Intake template: 89% of the intake valve diameter. Exhaust template: 86-87% of the valve diameter. Note: Many shops do not like putting 2.02” valves in factory seats so if you are considering larger valves check with the shop first. JD
@@HeadFlowInc Ok, I understand now. You are running them opposite of each other, wasn't sure if you just ran the drill and left the bench grinder stationary. That makes since now. Just so i am understanding bowl cut percentages it is 89% of the overall diameter of the valve i.e my valve is 2.00 so my template would be 1.88 correct? Thanks so much for the info brother. Dale
Great video! I’m currently building a V4 out of LS components, with the end goal a selling them. Would you be interested in doing a set of heads for me if I run out of time myself?
You can find them on EBay and industrial supply retailers like Fastenall, Grainger or Cornwell just to mention a few. I’d suggest doing a Google search to see what’s available there might be some great deals! I mostly use eBay because they can get pretty expensive, just don’t bother with items straight from China it’s not worth the wait. JD
@@HeadFlowInc Does the 5/8" Tree bur work well on the stock bowls of the 706 head? I know in you've said it works well on the 2" valve bowls, but am asking about the smaller 1.89" and the 1.55". Thank you in advance!
The key word will be “Potential” power gain or loss. Cylinder head flow is potential HP, ie each cfm of flow is roughly 2hp of potential power. CFM x 2= Potential Power If you want to build 450Hp or less at the crankshaft stock LS heads will support this level. 862/706 = 450hp 243/799 = 500+ hp Just a camshaft upgrade alone can add 50-100+ hp depending on application and size. If all you want is 350-450hp Max then you don’t need ported heads. A ported head flowing 300+ cfm will support 600+ hp. JD
Cool vid.after I finish porting intake side vavle work done angles lapping etc.i put intake vavle back in fill port full off water to get cc number also i twist valve around to mimic running engine check sealing for leaks also that's a good way to check concentricity between valve and seat poor man run out gauge. Also I'll open valve wacth water exiting port Especially at low lift and how quick water clears port gives a gauge vavle port work our done water and air both fuild .and I'll measure from seat to back up port 1.5 to 2 times vavle diameter there ya port for a 2 vavle head which will probably run back into intake manifold. If ya don't share ideas you'll never grow as cylinder head technician or as a person.have a good Xmas.peace
The swirl ramp was used as a way to improve low lift flow to help with torque production in a stock application. The current porting project on the channel maintains the small 1.89”/1.55” valves and the swirl ramp; yet out flows the LS6 243 heads. For max performance applications the swirl ramp is removed to increase volume and flow. JD
Excellent well done instructional video. Hey, years ago you worked on a set of Ford 427 Tunnel Port heads that someone destroyed, were you able to save them???
Not me please tell me your not confusing me with Tony Sizemore! There's a guy with a channel called Headbytes who unfortunately ripped off several people a few years ago; that's not me! JD
@@HeadFlowInc LOL, I had to go back looking through hundreds of saved videos to see if it was you or not. Your right, I did have the two channels confused. I'm sorry.
Iirc the burr I use for a lot of the bowl/throat cut is a double cut 5/8” tree. Mine is only 3” long but i have extended arbor die grinders. You have more control with the shorter burrs etc. JD
@@HeadFlowInc No one sells a 5/8" burr. They always have at least 3 dimensions listed, sometimes 4. It's a burr diameter, burr length, shaft diameter, and sometimes overall length. You said you are using a 3" overall length. It doesn't matter if the shaft diameter is 1/4" or 1/8", because either will fit in a drill. The other dimensions (burr length and diameter) would be most helpful.
The Tree burr I use measured .6140” max diameter and 1.0460” length on the double cut area. Overall length 3.00” w/ 1/4” shaft. I do not think they make this burr with an 1/8” shank. This would be like a 15.5 to 16mm by 26.56mm tree. I really need to buy a new one of these burrs myself. JD
@@HeadFlowInc I just received my order today. I got a set of 6" long shaft burrs (ball, tree, and cylinder shapes), and a single 5/8" bur. I think it's the same one you have. Once I clean the heads, I will go back and watch more of your videos. Thanks!
The swirl ramp helps promote torque by directing part of the incoming air directly at the back of the valve. Also the ramp forces the air away from the back wall behind the guide helping velocity. I’m getting ready to flow test a set of ported 862’s retaining the swirl ramp and 1.89”/1.55” factory valves. JD
Depends, what engine, camshaft and heads do you have? The gains can be substantial depending on where you’re starting. Let’s say you had 243/799 heads and they were ported to 225cc w/ 306 cfm of flow you’ll add +- 52 cfm of flow or 112+ hp of potential power if your engine combo can use it. It’s all about the combo, nobody who knows what they’re doing can give a blanket estimate of power you will make. If they do it’s a sales pitch just trying to get your money. JD
Yeah it’s confusing some people use throat, bowl interchangeable. I’m referring specifically to the bottom of the valve seat as it transitions to the port. If you think about it the area surrounding the valve guide resembles a bowl which makes it even more confusing. I’ll do some research and see what terminology works best. Thanks for watching! JD
My least favorite part of max porting the LS heads, removing the rocker bolt lump! It’s a pain in the butt and is hard to reach. I’ll have to make a video on removing the lump. You can leave the lump and just smooth it some without poking through and still end up with a 215-217cc port on a 2.00” valve port. I don’t remove any material unless it’s part of the math percentages, blending or smoothing; the lump is a mystery to me I only remove it on 220cc+ runners. I’d like to see what the flow is with the lump, smoothed lump and lump removed, this would be interesting. JD
Why would I waste time/money flowing a head before porting? You can Google what a 243/799 head flows any minute of the day! Flow bench time cost money it’s not cheap. I have developed these ports and know how much they flow on a bench. Intake port w/2.00” valve out flows the factory at “All” lift points exceeding the Max by .425” lift. 306 cfm @.600” lift. Exhaust port w/1.55” valve exceeds the factory port at all lift points flowing 207+ cfm. JD
Geez, you’re persistent in wanting to see my flow numbers. lol You’re in luck, I happen to have more recent flow numbers. JD We’re working on converting the data sheets to digital so It’s easier to understand. Showing pictures of the flow data sheets wouldn’t work well.
At first I thought I had removed too much material and ruined my 799’s. But after watching all your videos, I’ve realized that I have barely even got started. If anything I’ve only just cleaned up my heads and removed some of the unnecessary spots
When experience speaks , I stop and listen ...... Nice Vid !
Thanks for the support stayed tuned! JD
Wow, absolutely golden information and Video quality!!
Thank you for your time involved making the videos and passing along some of your storage bank of knowledge. I'm currently getting ready to start on set of heads for a '84 Chevy 2.8.
The bowl cut percentages apply to any cylinder head, blending to the port while not digging down, smooth the short turn and reduce the valve guide boss. Go slow take your time! JD
Nice video! I followed an older video you put out and had great luck porting my first set of ls heads. I have another project and this taught me where to be more careful! THANKS!
Thanks for the kind words, keep making power! Stay safe and have a fest Christmas and New Year! JD
Great video. Regards from Brazil
Thanks for watching and the feedback I appreciate it! I don’t see many from Brazil very cool! 😎
Man I really don’t want to screw up any volumetric flow to bad and I’ve watched enough of your videos to have the courage to attempt some head work so I’m just gonna smooth intake long radius and sides, probably finish short radius with like a 320 grit and work the swirl ramp a bit but no bowl cut just smooth. Raise the roof on the exhaust side and mirror finish the port as best I can. Only building an lq4 NA with 585 lift cam and 243 heads. Thanks for making these videos!
Nothing smoother than 60-80 grit inside the intake runners/ports!
Just clean up the port textures and slightly reduce the valve guide boss and run it!
If you’re not comfortable yet with throat/bowl work don’t worry about it. 👍😎
Love your videos! Thanks for the quick reply. I’m literally working on the heads now so this is a big help.
Awesome video thanks for being so thorough!
Love these videos Jeff. This video answered every last question I had
Maybe 1 more, how do U keep Ur burrs clean. Mine are already gummed up with aluminum. Heard something about maybe keeping them cool with wd-40
@@chriscase6341 I use mig tip grease, anti splatter dip and clean the burrs with a stiff wire wheel/brush. Treat before porting; stop every once in a while and cool the burr by dipping it in the grease.
Hopefully you can get all the aluminum cleaned out, it can be difficult. JD
Great video. This is the best video I've seen and is very helpful!
Great Video and narration looked correct. I used an angle grinder quite a bit and for me it is about tool control and comfort.
I like using the angle die grinders with aggressive burrs, it’s easier for me to control. My favorite angle die grinder finally died after 16 years! lol.
Thanks for watching and the feedback! JD
@@HeadFlowInc The work around the guide is excellent ... I've seen those guides get nibbed and can leave less boss to sit on. lol mind numbing .... I have fixed and polished Alum and stainless trim.... I notice the burr has a radius close to that of the bowl, just easier to maintain the radius and remove material.?... To start with anything much smaller would possibly leave grooves or trails as you shaped it?
You can do the entire port job with a 3/8” double cut burr but it would take for ever. Definitely using the right size & shape burr makes the work easier. Also, helps avoid ridges etc hard to smooth. JD
Good tips and pointers here.
Instead of spending a lot of time grinding your bowl percentage with a hand grinder and valve for a template have your machine shop that’s doing the valve job “ bore the seats “ to the percentage you want for example 87% exhaust and 89 intake it saves a lot of time and will make them very consistent. They can use a 90 degree straight cutter to get the diameter you want for the percentage. You seem to do good work and explain things well .
I would absolutely have the machine shop set the bowls and I do so when the customer requests one or needs a valve job. Amazingly the vast majority of the heads I’ve done didn’t need a valve job, only facing the valves/lapping them to verify seal.
Every once in a while I come across some badly pitted exhaust seats needing work and must have a valve seat cut; The added cost of a valve job ranges from $225.00 to $325.00 depending on whether you want a “Standard” or “CNC Performance” valve job. This added costs simply exceeds a lot of people’s budget I guess.
I’d be interested in just having the bowls cut, but the machine shop won’t only cut the bowls or only “touch” the seating angle to clean it up, they insist your being charged for setup so at that time it’s all or nothing. I agree with you 100%!!! I’d love to be able to save the time and gain repeatability in the bowl accuracy, yes please! JD
@@HeadFlowInc
My brother has cnc mill and lathe I’m going to have him make me a adjustable cutter with a pilot that could be used with a standard drill press , I hear you a lot of machine shops just don’t like doing custom stuff anymore I used to take it to a shop that would but they stopped said it was not cost effective enough, it’s surprising how many people port heads and don’t take the time to set seat throat diameter , some heads are pretty bad from the factory .
Professional porter in the Netherlands. I luckily have my own fully equipped shop. And I know exactly what you mean. Lots of shops just do a complete std job or not. Whereas I fully work on customer request sometimes. Lots of shops think they are " high performance " shops.... but most dont understand flow. Or think that customers think too complicated . I have seen heads completely ruined by wrong valve seat jobs ...only to be fixed by bigger valves or replacing seats and cut them right.
I say : work is work....and I may charge maybe more when cutting seats but the result of the engine performance and reliability is what counts. Not return on investment !!!
Also I see lots of shops with employees who dont really care or dont understand why. I work alone and always in close contact with customers. So no problems in communication and attitude.
Thanks very much for the upload. I have two pair of heads to port, a set I need to pick up from the boneyard and a set 3800 series 2/3 heads.
My porting math videos will help with throat percentages to valve size being conservative is always best. The rest of the port use your judgement on smoothing etc but try not to remove too much from the short turns and don’t make any turns or angles steeper. Go slow and take breaks, good luck! JD
Your videos are very informative and your points come across clearly. I’ve rebuilt quite a few engines but only ported the heads a couple times through the years. I imagine anyone watching your videos has done engine work before. I’m not trying to be a dick, buuuut ,,, several times I stopped the video because your tendency to be long winded, and repeating insignificant parts over and over again... don’t get me wrong, your vids are very good and informative. Just makes me anxious for to get to the point. Folks interested in porting their heads must already have some engine building experience so no need to explain 27 times to not hit the valve seat... ok, done ranting... I do watch YOUR vids when I want info. (And only 1 or 2 others ) camera work and lighting is always good... learned some things from you,,, keep the vids coming,,, just realize,,, we’re not dummies ... don’t take this the wrong way
Thanks I appreciate the feedback, I do catch myself repeating information to many times. I guess I’m stuck on warning people as a disclaimer?
Thanks again have a Happy New Year and stay tuned! JD
@@HeadFlowInc ,,, glad you took it well,,, I’ll be watching hot new videos,,, I’m currently building a Mopar 408 stroker. Have edelbrock performer rpm heads. 176 intake ports/ 2.02 valves. ( 1.65 exhaust, I believe ),,, turns out the horse power I can get with these heads is about 600, but the 408 stroker, with my components combination should get more hp, so I’m porting the heads to like 190 cc,,, let me ask you a question, how much cushion is safe as far as cc inconsistency/differences from port to port ?,,, for harmonics and flow characteristics ,,, in your opinion ?,,, thanks
A couple cc isn’t going to show any real difference. I’d be shocked if a 176cc port could flow more than +- 235-240 cfm. The rule is NA each cfm of air x2 equals power “potential”, so for a head to support 600 hp NA it needs to flow close to 300 cfm.
On a 408 cid the minimum port I’d recommend is a 210cc+ but you may not get there with your current castings I’m just not sure.
Always good explanations.👍
Great video as always, with your video I decided to port my 862 heads. I picked up a spare set just to practice on, and so far I'm just working those to get the feel for my grinder and my burrs. One question I had -- the rocker arm bolt boss, is there enough meat to get it completely flat, or do I still need to leave a bit of a bump in the walls?
One other dumb question if I may. When you talk about cutting down the bowl, or perhaps you said throat...Are you meaning to grind the actual valve seat insert (Not the seat itself, but the hardened metal part) to the 87% of valve diameter? If so, I was thinking about trying to come up with a hard stop with my burr, perhaps a fender washer with a hole offset for the burr shank to poke through, and then centered on the valve stem? e.g. size the offset hole on the fender washer so that knowing the max OD of the burr and the 87% max you want the hardened metal insert to be? I'm thinking if I did this, then I could poke the burr shank through the fender washer hole, and literally "walk/rotate" the washer with the burr on it around the opening and as long as I held the grinder straight, I wouldn't have to worry about nicking the valve seat.
Thank you very much for the walk through.
Im about to port some 60deg gen2 aluminium heads. They seem very similar in design to these ls heads.
One question about the swirl ramp. Does that ramp create swirl or is it just reducing flow. Does the reduction of if make for less swirl or how would you say the relationship between swirl creation and flow is affected?
Do you ever change the combustion chambers? Can one make them bigger if the cr is too high? Or would you say its too much risk involved?
I don't understand if you blend the valve seat into the head all the way around? I can feel a ridge in mine kinda like my valveseats bottom???
Great content! Valuable info on tools/technique/patience! What kind of incremental flow are you gaining with this shaping and cleaning up?
Contact jeffdubray@ gmail.com NO space
Well I bent a valve on my 440 sbc. I had turned rev limit up to 6800 and here I am. Looks like valve was a tight on the adjustment. Heads are brodix 225 so I think I am gonna get some port work done while I have heads repaired.
Dang that sucks, sorry to hear the issue, Sounds like you had pretty tight piston to valve clearance, was it an exhaust valve that hit? You may want to have a little deeper valve reliefs or a slightly thicker head gasket for safety. Brodie heads are usually very nice! JD
@@HeadFlowInc good valve reliefs. Just not adjusted right my mistake plus its hydraulic roller so no more than 6500 for me. From now on at least. Head gasket is .062 about as thick as I wanna go. I believe by me retarding the cam 4 degrees it adding to the issue. Thanks for the kind words and advice. I will post video tomorrow
Question can you get away with sand rolling no burrs? Like your work and explaining.
You can clean up a set of heads with nothing but sanding rolls, but you’re gonna use a bunch of them. It’s gonna take you a really long time.
Love your information
Thanks, any questions just ask. JD
That was good. I haven’t watched in a while. I have had 8.8 diffs and 4r70w transmissions on the brain but I’m getting closer to doin my first mild port job. I’m curious what you prefer for valve guide material? Factory powdered metal or the fancy bronze manganese ones? I’m an old bearded guy too
I’ve had great luck and longevity running the factory guides. On the newer heads like the LS7 the guides are junk and must be upgraded immediately or valve failure is soon to follow. Good luck on learning to port go slow and you should be fine! JD
I've often wondered why machine shops don't set up a cutter to 90% and sweep the bowl.
I’ve noticed what they call a standard valve job on these cathedrals is cut with a 1.750” throat or 87.5%, but the “Performance multi-angle valve job has a 1.780” or 89% throat.
I’m with you 89% should be standard with any valve job.
It saves a lot of time if the throat is already close.
Would you recommend limiting max speed by dialing down the air pressure regulator? That way the max speed you want is at full trigger
Yes, limiting the pressure to the tool is a common method. You can also use the small regulator at the tool to tune rpm. I don’t have the small setup but I’m interested in trying it. JD
What advise would you give to someone who wants to Port a 5.4 3v aluminum head ?
Start by measuring the throat area of each port then compare the results to the valve diameter for each.
Intake port throat size should be 89-90% of the intake valve diameter.
Exhaust port throat size I use 87% of the exhaust valve diameter.
At the very least you want to set a performance throat size on all and blend them into the Bowl area and port.
Eventually I have a set of 5.4 4V heads I’m going to port on my channel, subscribe and click the bell so you will be notified! JD
I'm planning on replacing the 873 heads on my 6.0L with some 706 heads and doing some mild porting to the heads and intake. Would I be better off replacing the smaller valves on the 706 heads with the 2.0/1.55 valves from the 873s? Would I need to have the throats bored larger or any other machine work?
It depends greatly on your combo and goals are you trying to build a torque monster or are you trying to build higher horsepower. Factory 706 head will easily support 440 hp, if you plan to exceed that much power and naturally aspirated then yes you would want to do the larger valves requiring a Val job proper throats in both and some on shrouding other valves in the chambers. I do not recommend milling the heads because it’s easy to exceed pump gas running the small chambered hands on a 6 L depending on what camshaft you’re running, the combo Hass to be compatible with the fuel you plan to run.
On the truck heads should I raise the roof of the exhaust runner to be a D port? The factory runner is very narrow like you said.
You can experiment with the D-shape similar to the 243-799 heads as long as you stay inside the gasket opening.
On the truck ports I raise it and slightly widen the port but not so much it ends up fish mouthed or funnel shaped. JD
@@HeadFlowInc Thanks for the help, I just got done gasket matching my intake side and will be doing the exhaust side after I address the swirl shelf and guide bosses. I'm terrified of trashing my seats though. I'm surprised there isn't some guard you can put over the seats to protect them while porting.
@@nickmkkay yes go slow and only move your burr or sanding roll where you can see what it’s touching. Anxiety can build impatience, when this happens take a break. If you use a 3/8” double cut egg to work the throat you can see it working only the very bottom of the seat. JD
You got me hooked .
I hope so! Check out all the videos on porting math and learning tool control if your interested in porting yourself. Thanks! JD
Love the videos, about to try porting my first set of 243s. Would greatly appreciate a how to vid on making your bowl cut guides. I understand putting the old valve into a drill, but not understanding how you are grinding it down to size and keeping it perfectly round against a bench grinder. A video are any help with helping me better understand how you are doing that would be very helpful. Thanks brother, and keep up the great vids.
Good idea, I can show how I’ve done it using a drill and a bench grinder. I chuck the sacrificial valve in a drill and run the drill opposite of the rotation of the bench grinder. You’d be surprised how affective this process cuts down the valve, just go slow measure often using a set of calipers. The sharper and square the valve is the better it will scratch/scribe to the seat.
Intake template: 89% of the intake valve diameter.
Exhaust template: 86-87% of the valve diameter.
Note: Many shops do not like putting 2.02” valves in factory seats so if you are considering larger valves check with the shop first. JD
@@HeadFlowInc Ok, I understand now. You are running them opposite of each other, wasn't sure if you just ran the drill and left the bench grinder stationary. That makes since now. Just so i am understanding bowl cut percentages it is 89% of the overall diameter of the valve i.e my valve is 2.00 so my template would be 1.88 correct? Thanks so much for the info brother. Dale
2.00 x .89= 1.780”!!! Your calculation is way to big!
Great video! I’m currently building a V4 out of LS components, with the end goal a selling them. Would you be interested in doing a set of heads for me if I run out of time myself?
Interesting, I’d need more information for sure. You can contact me if needed at jeffdubray@gmail.com
Where do you purchase the carbide shaped burs? Can you supply part numbers? I'm having trouble finding what you describe. Thank you in advance!
You can find them on EBay and industrial supply retailers like Fastenall, Grainger or Cornwell just to mention a few. I’d suggest doing a Google search to see what’s available there might be some great deals!
I mostly use eBay because they can get pretty expensive, just don’t bother with items straight from China it’s not worth the wait. JD
@@HeadFlowInc Does the 5/8" Tree bur work well on the stock bowls of the 706 head? I know in you've said it works well on the 2" valve bowls, but am asking about the smaller 1.89" and the 1.55". Thank you in advance!
What about the chamber side. Do you leave it like this or what do you use to clean it?
The castings will be clean and any sharp edges or concerns will be smoothed in the chambers. JD
Question is the D shape need to stay for boost or could you cut it to a O shape or will it hurt performance under boost if you cut it to a O?
Are you referring to the exhaust port outlet shape differences?
@@HeadFlowInc yes
Curious about this as well
On a 350 horsepower engine how much horses does hand-poured add?? or about.
The key word will be “Potential” power gain or loss.
Cylinder head flow is potential HP, ie each cfm of flow is roughly 2hp of potential power. CFM x 2= Potential Power
If you want to build 450Hp or less at the crankshaft stock LS heads will support this level.
862/706 = 450hp
243/799 = 500+ hp
Just a camshaft upgrade alone can add 50-100+ hp depending on application and size.
If all you want is 350-450hp Max then you don’t need ported heads.
A ported head flowing 300+ cfm will support 600+ hp. JD
Great video!
Thanks for watching and the feedback I appreciate it ! JD
Cool vid.after I finish porting intake side vavle work done angles lapping etc.i put intake vavle back in fill port full off water to get cc number also i twist valve around to mimic running engine check sealing for leaks also that's a good way to check concentricity between valve and seat poor man run out gauge. Also I'll open valve wacth water exiting port Especially at low lift and how quick water clears port gives a gauge vavle port work our done water and air both fuild .and I'll measure from seat to back up port 1.5 to 2 times vavle diameter there ya port for a 2 vavle head which will probably run back into intake manifold. If ya don't share ideas you'll never grow as cylinder head technician or as a person.have a good Xmas.peace
Thank you for the feedback I appreciate it! Merry Christmas stay safe! JD
Where do you get your cutting burrs. I can’t seem to find them.
I’ve bought them from eBay, Amazon, Grainger, Fastenall and Cornwell. Naturally the name brand companies are a lot more expensive! JD
Great info 👍🏻
Is the swirl port a bad thing or is it just volume thing
The swirl ramp was used as a way to improve low lift flow to help with torque production in a stock application.
The current porting project on the channel maintains the small 1.89”/1.55” valves and the swirl ramp; yet out flows the LS6 243 heads.
For max performance applications the swirl ramp is removed to increase volume and flow. JD
Is this your personal work or do you do this for others?
Both I offer port work.
Excellent well done instructional video.
Hey, years ago you worked on a set of Ford 427 Tunnel Port heads that someone destroyed, were you able to save them???
Not me please tell me your not confusing me with Tony Sizemore! There's a guy with a channel called Headbytes who unfortunately ripped off several people a few years ago; that's not me! JD
@@HeadFlowInc LOL, I had to go back looking through hundreds of saved videos to see if it was you or not.
Your right, I did have the two channels confused. I'm sorry.
Hey brother are you located in California
We’re in Raymore, Mo. on the South side of Kansas City.
Thank you for sharing
What size burr are you using? Is 5/8" the length, or diameter of the burr? We need all the specs.
Iirc the burr I use for a lot of the bowl/throat cut is a double cut 5/8” tree. Mine is only 3” long but i have extended arbor die grinders. You have more control with the shorter burrs etc. JD
@@HeadFlowInc No one sells a 5/8" burr. They always have at least 3 dimensions listed, sometimes 4. It's a burr diameter, burr length, shaft diameter, and sometimes overall length. You said you are using a 3" overall length. It doesn't matter if the shaft diameter is 1/4" or 1/8", because either will fit in a drill. The other dimensions (burr length and diameter) would be most helpful.
The Tree burr I use measured .6140” max diameter and 1.0460” length on the double cut area. Overall length 3.00” w/ 1/4” shaft. I do not think they make this burr with an 1/8” shank.
This would be like a 15.5 to 16mm by 26.56mm tree. I really need to buy a new one of these burrs myself. JD
eBay has it, search 5/8” double cut tree $19.99 free shipping.
Grobet USA carbide burr
@@HeadFlowInc I just received my order today. I got a set of 6" long shaft burrs (ball, tree, and cylinder shapes), and a single 5/8" bur. I think it's the same one you have. Once I clean the heads, I will go back and watch more of your videos. Thanks!
How much would you charge me to make the guides?
What is the purpose for the swirl ramp?
The swirl ramp helps promote torque by directing part of the incoming air directly at the back of the valve. Also the ramp forces the air away from the back wall behind the guide helping velocity.
I’m getting ready to flow test a set of ported 862’s retaining the swirl ramp and 1.89”/1.55” factory valves. JD
@@HeadFlowInc So, how did they do?
How much power will I gain with this port job
Depends, what engine, camshaft and heads do you have?
The gains can be substantial depending on where you’re starting.
Let’s say you had 243/799 heads and they were ported to 225cc w/ 306 cfm of flow you’ll add +- 52 cfm of flow or 112+ hp of potential power if your engine combo can use it. It’s all about the combo, nobody who knows what they’re doing can give a blanket estimate of power you will make. If they do it’s a sales pitch just trying to get your money. JD
I think others call it throat , not bowl. Bowl is different part of port.
Yeah it’s confusing some people use throat, bowl interchangeable. I’m referring specifically to the bottom of the valve seat as it transitions to the port. If you think about it the area surrounding the valve guide resembles a bowl which makes it even more confusing.
I’ll do some research and see what terminology works best. Thanks for watching! JD
Whats the best way to contact you for head work?
Send me a note
Jeffdubray@gmail.com
hey go check out my ls head porting video and let me know how I did for my first time lol
This only makes me wanna go get a set of junk heads to practice on
Yes, get some practice learning tool control building confidence! JD
Nobody knows more about porting then David Visard so go watch the professors videos and make big power and know how and why
Bold statement, you should start porting as well. Mr Vizard is one of several excellent porters. Thanks for watching have a Merry Christmas! JD
👍👍
You don't mention what you do with the rocker stud lump? But great vid otherwise 👌
My least favorite part of max porting the LS heads, removing the rocker bolt lump! It’s a pain in the butt and is hard to reach. I’ll have to make a video on removing the lump.
You can leave the lump and just smooth it some without poking through and still end up with a 215-217cc port on a 2.00” valve port. I don’t remove any material unless it’s part of the math percentages, blending or smoothing; the lump is a mystery to me I only remove it on 220cc+ runners. I’d like to see what the flow is with the lump, smoothed lump and lump removed, this would be interesting. JD
@@HeadFlowInc once the lump is removed do you just use rtv sealant on the rocker bolts studs?
so much explanation
I replied to your other question, I hope it helps. JD
Hey Narrator, you need to show flow figures before and after to make point.
Why would I waste time/money flowing a head before porting? You can Google what a 243/799 head flows any minute of the day! Flow bench time cost money it’s not cheap.
I have developed these ports and know how much they flow on a bench.
Intake port w/2.00” valve out flows the factory at “All” lift points exceeding the Max by .425” lift. 306 cfm @.600” lift.
Exhaust port w/1.55” valve exceeds the factory port at all lift points flowing 207+ cfm. JD
Not even gonna try it . I would just phuck it all up ..
It’s a project for sure, if it’s intimidating it’s understandable. Thanks for watching and the feedback!
I’m scared of stuffing up lol
Stuff and things… 🤦🏻♂️😁
Go slow and watch where the tools tough and how. JD
Post the before and after flow bench numbers, all that talkmeans nothing without results.
Geez, you’re persistent in wanting to see my flow numbers. lol You’re in luck, I happen to have more recent flow numbers. JD
We’re working on converting the data sheets to digital so It’s easier to understand. Showing pictures of the flow data sheets wouldn’t work well.
And people wanna drop thousands on aftermarket heads, lazy lazy lazy.
Wow no wonder they charge up the ass for this . . .
Think ill buy some heads and try this for my LS2 instead of trying the ones in it lol
It’s a slow process but definitely doable. It’s easy to see why CNC porting is beneficial saving countless hours. Good luck, thanks for watching! JD
@@HeadFlowInc ironically i program run set-up etc turrets and laserrs etc just not that tier CNC damn it lol
I don't understand for the life of me these percentages??? Percentages of what? From where???? Wtf
Almost as bad as a woman did a lot of talking and didn’t show nothing of value
Fattening up the right side floor is the flow master area.
92% of seat ID, not valve OD. You will have zero low rpm power at 92%. Lower lift flow will disappear
Everyone gets that smart guy! If you have an ID in your valve you have bigger problems...smh.
Seat smart guy. So overzealous to bully someone to make up for your shortcomings you forgot to read. @@williamdenford4940