I want to pick up a head porting kit, where can I get one of these other than Mopac? I used to deal with Best Buy Perf. on Center St., but I think they have since folded up shop, or moved and changed name.

How about hot tanking? May as well have the ports cleaned out before they get cleaned up

 

not 100% sure but i think best buy perf. has moved AND changed names to:

Performance Parts Centre
1695 32nd Ave NE
403.520.7658

 

Tate, par or Napa in town have a good selection of dies and stuff. I wished that I picked up a set of cutters the other day. You in town buddy? I have BigD head on a table in my garage. Come try a port or two I almost have the intake plenum cut off. There more metal there that I originally thought. I like weekends.

 

I was just gonna take the head to Moores or D&W in town for the machining part. I haven't decided on if I'm going the fire ring way or orings.

 

I'll be interested to see what Kev's head looks like when he gets it back from Trac. My head was the first one done by them, which is why I think it was so far out from one groove to the next, not to mention across the groove itself. I was able to get all the rings down to .011-.013", except one ring which won't stay in place. Its also the shallowest groove, which is only about .020" deep. Need some glue and a ball peen on that one.

Oh, I'm getting my porting stuff from Summit. 92 piece polishing kit for $30, 2 short and 2 long cutters for $67. Mopac and that Performance plus both wanted $70 for a 30 piece kit, without any cutters.

 

Tate, does trac do head machining as well. Valve, guides, decking. You could cut of the work off if the head is in good shape, but most need work at the mid life of the head. At that point is cheaper to buy new... These days I cut corners...though...

 

FYI

I was checking out that ZZ fabrications website and curiosity got the better of me and I called them about a 12v head with one of their intakes all ported up. 1500 for porting and 1800 for one of their 6 runner manifolds. Plus a little here and there for whatever extras. Looking at well over 5 grand and possibly into the 6 range.

 

Yup, not cheap. The price for porting is all labour. If you can get a shop to mill the intake off for you, then you can save a lot of coin. Hellmann has a billet intake that looks nicer than ZZ's, and is cheaper. If I were gonna go full out, thats who's I'd go for. But I don't think I will ever get to that point.

 

tate I might be ble to drop the head in the hot tank at work over a weekend for you. I have a SBC block I want to clean too. i just have to clear it with the boss.

 

I dropped my head off at precise yesterday.

Can you hot tank aluminum at your work, or is it iron only? I have a 460 table I want to have cleaned up, but the pistons are aluminum.

 

Just a note,, Marting from AFI Performance will port our heads for us. If I remember corectly he told me around a thousand dollars to port.

 

Swamp, how far you gonna go on the porting? Cutting off the intake isn't expensive, you just need a cut off saw. You can build an intake easy. If your not planning on reving the engine up to 5000 + rpms, its a waste of money and time the ZZ. The port clean up pretty nice just with simple hand tools, just be carefull on the seats. I'm not trying to break any speed or HP records anyways. Its just time and beer to me.

 

Haha, I love reading up on what cool stuff you guys are up to and checking out.
Every morning I read your posts and then I read the obituaries. Actually I find the combination very inspirational and motivating!!

 

I was reading on competion diesel that extreme head porting will move up your peak power and you might loose some bottom end. I had a PDR stage 2 done a few years ago, I thought that it was a nice streetable piece with no down sides. So I don't know about that intake. I'm sure you can build one from plate 3/8 steel and some new exhaust pieces. I'll giver a try anyways. Its can't be any worse than building air tubes for twins or an exhaust manifold. Just might have to watch the speed bumps or the big hit road pot holes. I'm gonna also put in 1/4npt bungs for methanol spray/nos nozzles on mine.