Cylinder head porting and rebuilding

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Old September 1st, 2012, 07:39 PM
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Cylinder head porting and rebuilding

To all my friends and members on classicoldsmobile. I recently retired and will be doing Olds and Pontiac only cylinder head porting on a more frequent basis. I have very affordable rates and packages and can do everything from simple bowl hogging to all out cylinder head port and polish. I also have a great machine shop that does all my head work including valve jobs, guides seats and whatever you may require. I have several core sets of heads if you dont have any including, 3-8 and B-J sorry dont have any D,F,H. PM me for more info and to obtain my contact number.

Sal
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Old September 1st, 2012, 09:18 PM
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Originally Posted by L69
To all my friends and members on classicoldsmobile. I recently retired and will be doing Olds and Pontiac only cylinder head porting on a more frequent basis. I have very affordable rates and packages and can do everything from simple bowl hogging to all out cylinder head port and polish. I also have a great machine shop that does all my head work including valve jobs, guides seats and whatever you may require. I have several core sets of heads if you dont have any including, 3-8 and B-J sorry dont have any D,F,H. PM me for more info and to obtain my contact number.

Sal
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Old September 1st, 2012, 09:28 PM
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Hey Sal! Sounds like a great way to retire! I've recently bought an all original 70 Cutlass S with the 2bbl 350. I'm going to drive the car for one season,(I'm from Canada, only 6 months that I would drive her!) Then I would like to rebuild the original motor hopped up a bit with a 4bbl and whatnot. I definitley want to keep the original heads, but clean them up like you describe. Whereabouts are you located? No matter what I have to ship my heads out to be rebuilt,as no one in my imediate area specializes in Olds iron. Sounds like you're the guy I'd like to have doing my work. Sure sounds like its something you enjoy!
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Old September 4th, 2012, 06:37 AM
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What are your credentials? Do you have a flow bench? Give us some examples of your work and the power you've made.
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Old September 4th, 2012, 06:39 AM
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I'm interested....350 #5's from a '68. Any idea how much shipping would be? And maybe some pricing ??? thanks a bunch
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Old September 4th, 2012, 06:59 AM
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Originally Posted by boese1978
I'm interested....350 #5's from a '68. Any idea how much shipping would be? And maybe some pricing ??? thanks a bunch

PM Sent
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Old September 4th, 2012, 06:04 PM
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Originally Posted by chadman
What are your credentials? Do you have a flow bench? Give us some examples of your work and the power you've made.
Was thinking the same thing.
Never heard of the guy.

Can you post pictures of your cars and where you raced?

Sometimes even guys that have been around for a decade or so and have had fast cars have been known to really screw up a set cylinder heads.

I know this because I have ground into places you not suppose to go but atleast I show pictures of my mistakes.
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Old September 4th, 2012, 06:27 PM
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No race cars and I am not claiming to be Bill Trovato. I do have access to a flow bench and have been porting Olds Heads for well over a decade. I have several heads that are machined at my local machine shop (seats, guides, valves reground etc) after a simple or Mild port job from me. My last 400 E block that I did was a mild port and polish and she made 422hp and 475Tq. Nothing crazy just a retired guy doing something he likes to do.
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Old September 4th, 2012, 06:31 PM
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Originally Posted by L69
No race cars and I am not claiming to be Bill Trovato. I do have access to a flow bench and have been porting Olds Heads for well over a decade. I have several heads that are machined at my local machine shop (seats, guides, valves reground etc) after a simple or Mild port job from me. My last 400 E block that I did was a mild port and polish and she made 422hp and 475Tq. Nothing crazy just a retired guy doing something he likes to do.

No need to defend your self sal. I have seen several of your heads including, Jerry's, Joe's and Gerard (the miser) and you do great work. Your totally justified in Southern CT. How do you like your youtube vids. Sounds Perdy
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Old September 4th, 2012, 06:34 PM
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Then you can have the ported and built heads sent to me for conversion to D, F, or H castings, at an affordable rate!!

I also do the conversion before the valve job, but it must be after a machine shop blast clean and crack check, of course.

L69, if this is stepping on your toes, I will remove or edit it accordingly. Just bumping your thread and spreading the word that alternatives to castings made of Unobtainium are available.

Chris
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Old September 4th, 2012, 06:36 PM
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Originally Posted by RocketPower442
No need to defend your self sal. I have seen several of your heads including, Jerry's, Joe's and Gerard (the miser) and you do great work. Your totally justified in Southern CT. How do you like your youtube vids. Sounds Perdy

Thanks Mike. I can understand some of the crazy race car fanatics wanted a CNC job like BTR offers, but credentials and pics of race cars well that I cant do. Its not like you go to get a PHD in Cylinder Head porting. I just have done it long enough and have seen enough of my heads before and after on the flow bench to know that I wont impede air flow. Also my port work is more for street cars and not 7-8000 RPM monsters. Thanks for the help with you tube and the MISER'S car sounds insane. I may have that set of D's for sale, pretty soon.
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Old September 4th, 2012, 06:38 PM
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Originally Posted by Octania
Then you can have the ported and built heads sent to me for conversion to D, F, or H castings, at an affordable rate!!

I also do the conversion before the valve job, but it must be after a machine shop blast clean and crack check, of course.

L69, if this is stepping on your toes, I will remove or edit it accordingly. Just bumping your thread and spreading the word that alternatives to castings made of Unobtainium are available.

Chris
Thanks for the heads up. By all means use the thread. I have a few guys that might be interested in your service and I will PM you their contact info.

Thanks
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Old September 4th, 2012, 06:45 PM
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Here is my last set of B's. Prior to finishing and getting guides, seat, valves you know blah blah. But this was a simple port and polish gasket match job teardropping the guide boss and not removing the A.I.R. bump. I have found over the years that only the most serious race applications does the A.I.R. bump hinder any flow. I have Benched several sets with and without removal and flow rates were always within the 3-4%. I no longer remove the A.I.R. bump unless a customer specifically asks and I can do a nice job similar to this in around 12-15 hours. These pics are around 6 hours in and before polishing the combustion chamber.
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Old September 5th, 2012, 04:16 AM
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Nice!
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Old September 8th, 2012, 05:59 PM
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Originally Posted by chadman
What are your credentials? Do you have a flow bench? Give us some examples of your work and the power you've made.
You guys are hard core! L69 enjoy your retirement, if you can figure out how to get rid of that zig zag in the intake port let me know. LOL. Preliminary flow tests on the G head tell me 280 CFM should be no problem.
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Old September 8th, 2012, 06:50 PM
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On G heads........really?
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Old September 8th, 2012, 07:33 PM
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Those r unfinished heads I'll try to post some pics on the next finished set I do. 280 on any big block head seems a bit high
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Old September 8th, 2012, 07:59 PM
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Originally Posted by 380 Racer
On G heads........really?
Really easy.......274 came pretty easy with a 2.07 valve.

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Old September 9th, 2012, 04:03 AM
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Originally Posted by L69
Those r unfinished heads I'll try to post some pics on the next finished set I do. 280 on any big block head seems a bit high
I have a couple friends who have had major porting of iron heads done, that totally agree. 280 is closer to max ported.
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Old September 9th, 2012, 06:21 AM
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Originally Posted by 380 Racer
I have a couple friends who have had major porting of iron heads done, that totally agree. 280 is closer to max ported.
Cutting a 2.250 valve down to 2.070, cutting the seat to 2.059, 35/45/55/65, grinding on the port for about 30 minutes total, 4 trips to the flow bench in between and getting 274 CFM, I thought that came pretty easy, next time I pull that head out Ill be hunting for 280, I think a 2.100 valve and a little refining of the port will get it. You are correct though, it wasn't just a "bowl job."
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Old September 9th, 2012, 06:42 AM
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I am curious and by no means knowledgeable on the subject of head porting.
I have a set of G heads that I bought prob 8 yrs ago. They are clean as a whistle and was told they had a new valve job. I am not racing on a strip. I have a 71 442 conv. that I would like to tweak more HP out of without it being noticeable to the eye. What could I do to these heads and how much more HP could I get? How would they compare to the H heads? And lastly how much would I have to spend? Thanks in advance for opinions.

Last edited by scrappie; September 9th, 2012 at 06:51 AM.
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Old September 9th, 2012, 07:18 AM
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Originally Posted by scrappie
I am curious and by no means knowledgeable on the subject of head porting.
I have a set of G heads that I bought prob 8 yrs ago. They are clean as a whistle and was told they had a new valve job. I am not racing on a strip. I have a 71 442 conv. that I would like to tweak more HP out of without it being noticeable to the eye. What could I do to these heads and how much more HP could I get? How would they compare to the H heads? And lastly how much would I have to spend? Thanks in advance for opinions.
Some head work would help you squeeze more power, headers, head work, W-30 cam, Q-jet setup right, 12 sec quarters would come easily with your low comp short block.
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Old September 9th, 2012, 07:38 AM
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Thanks for the info. I have AC in the car and would like to keep it along with power brakes. I know the stock exhaust manifolds really rob some power too but I like the stock look. Would a W-30 cam for an AC car be a noticeable improvement?
Here are my thoughts:
Head porting?
New cam
Rebuild carb (maybe bigger jetting or something?)
Pertronix ign.
New intake to work with OAI (Offenhauser 04B?)
Any thoughts on net gain in HP?
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Old September 9th, 2012, 07:49 AM
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Originally Posted by scrappie
Thanks for the info. I have AC in the car and would like to keep it along with power brakes. I know the stock exhaust manifolds really rob some power too but I like the stock look. Would a W-30 cam for an AC car be a noticeable improvement?
Here are my thoughts:
Head porting?
New cam
Rebuild carb (maybe bigger jetting or something?)
Pertronix ign.
New intake to work with OAI (Offenhauser 04B?)
Any thoughts on net gain in HP?
I really dont know, In the 80s I raced a few Oldsmobiles, but never ran air condition or power brakes, these were 70 W-30 cars. I ran the W-30 intake, Q-Jets, hyd cam, factory locked out dist with Accel points, headers by ED, filled in heat cross over, welded ex divider, horrible home ported bowl job. Both cars ran 11s in less than ideal conditions, very inexpensive and had a lot of fun with those things!
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Old September 9th, 2012, 07:52 AM
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Interesting, thanks.
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Old September 9th, 2012, 08:03 AM
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Originally Posted by scrappie
Interesting, thanks.
There is some advice I can give you, and please dont take it wrong, those G heads you have, just because they have a valve job is not a reason not to take them to best machine shop in your area and have the work looked at. A good valve job starts with perfectly round and strait bronze valve guide clearanced right to the chrome valve stem, from there a concentric valve seat can be ground or cut. You will find getting this done in your local machine shop could be a problem, so its very important to find the best shop your local area has to offer.
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Old September 9th, 2012, 09:54 AM
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Originally Posted by scrappie
Thanks for the info. I have AC in the car and would like to keep it along with power brakes. I know the stock exhaust manifolds really rob some power too but I like the stock look. Would a W-30 cam for an AC car be a noticeable improvement?
Here are my thoughts:
Head porting?
New cam
Rebuild carb (maybe bigger jetting or something?)
Pertronix ign.
New intake to work with OAI (Offenhauser 04B?)
Any thoughts on net gain in HP?
Decent exhaust manifolds along with a Performer or similar painted to look stock would go a long way.
And the ancient W30 cam is just that, ancient. There are better, more effective grinds out there. Let me know if I can help.

Doing a full cylinder head port job on an application that has the stock intake and exhaust will only take you so far, unless of course you put serious work into the manifolds as well.
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Old September 9th, 2012, 01:23 PM
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Originally Posted by scrappie
I am curious and by no means knowledgeable on the subject of head porting.
I have a set of G heads that I bought prob 8 yrs ago. They are clean as a whistle and was told they had a new valve job. I am not racing on a strip. I have a 71 442 conv. that I would like to tweak more HP out of without it being noticeable to the eye. What could I do to these heads and how much more HP could I get? How would they compare to the H heads? And lastly how much would I have to spend? Thanks in advance for opinions.
Just an idea, but maybe put those $ into a stroker kit. For $2,000 in the rotating assembly you can have a 496 and nobody will be able to tell the difference. Stock manifolds, low compression, reasonable gear, the torque will be stupid, it will have great manners and be reliable.
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Old September 9th, 2012, 08:13 PM
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Originally Posted by captjim
Just an idea, but maybe put those $ into a stroker kit. For $2,000 in the rotating assembly you can have a 496 and nobody will be able to tell the difference. Stock manifolds, low compression, reasonable gear, the torque will be stupid, it will have great manners and be reliable.
Good Idea
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Old October 28th, 2012, 05:52 PM
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head porting

Originally Posted by L69
Those r unfinished heads I'll try to post some pics on the next finished set I do. 280 on any big block head seems a bit high
Pls give your contact info. Am interested in porting a set of "C" heads also have a nice set of "Ga" heads with stainless 2.07 and 1.625 valves with the heat cross over's filled. Interested in levels/prices of porting. Mainly street(99%) early 400. Exhaust bridges, valve guides, valve jobs, etc.

Thanks, George
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Old November 4th, 2012, 11:32 PM
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#5 Heads

Team,

I have a set of #5 heads on my motor, from a 68 350.
Setup: Headers, TH400 and Q-Jet 800. How much HP should I have?
The specs from 68 say 310.

Is there porting I could do on the heads?

Thanks, Ron
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Old November 5th, 2012, 07:47 PM
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Originally Posted by 380 Racer
I have a couple friends who have had major porting of iron heads done, that totally agree. 280 is closer to max ported.


I know of few people who have achieved 300 plus cfm with production iron heads.

There's even a Olds Vendor by the name of M&J Proformance who claims he has a CNC program that will net 300cfm.

I believe FoxLake, which is a FORD performance/aftermarket supplier, still has CNC programs for both Oldsmobile production heads and Edelbrock heads.

My small block #6 heads flow 258cfm with a stock 2" valve, I could get 280cfm easy with a 2.10" aftermarket valve and make good mid lift figures if I used semi tulip valves.
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Old November 5th, 2012, 08:49 PM
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Originally Posted by L69
Those r unfinished heads I'll try to post some pics on the next finished set I do. 280 on any big block head seems a bit high
L69
It was nice of you to offer a service to your fellow forum members!
Too bad your thread has been mired and besmirched by some
Keep up the good work!
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Old November 6th, 2012, 06:50 AM
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[QUOTE=1971four4two;472880]L69
It was nice of you to offer a service to your fellow forum members!
Too bad your thread has been mired and besmirched by some
Keep up the good work![/QUOTE. I think its important to show what can be done with production Oldsmobile iron head castings, flow is in excess of 330 CFM @ 28 inches. 280 CFM still seem high to you?
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Old November 6th, 2012, 10:32 AM
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330 with iron heads?
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Old November 6th, 2012, 12:14 PM
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Nice work on the chambers. How much time went in to welding and grinding?
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Old November 6th, 2012, 05:23 PM
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Originally Posted by gearheads78
Nice work on the chambers. How much time went in to welding and grinding?
Heres another picture, every part of the head is welded, made into a true raised port race head with no compromises.
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Old November 6th, 2012, 06:14 PM
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Now that's what I'm talking about.

Just imagine what that welder could do with the main webs on a 403 & 455 block.
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Old November 7th, 2012, 06:22 AM
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That's what really needs to be done,whether they are stock irons,or aftermarket aluminums.Everything needs moved UP. The problem is that once you get all of that welding done,remachined,then ported to the moon,you can have a kickass set of ported aluminum heads with all the time & money spent.I had my F-heads ported to the best possible,without altering the outside of them,due to the rarity of the head.If they were something common,like a C or G,it would be cool to do something like that.
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Old November 8th, 2012, 04:51 AM
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Originally Posted by SBORule
I know of few people who have achieved 300 plus cfm with production iron heads.

There's even a Olds Vendor by the name of M&J Proformance who claims he has a CNC program that will net 300cfm.

I believe FoxLake, which is a FORD performance/aftermarket supplier, still has CNC programs for both Oldsmobile production heads and Edelbrock heads.

My small block #6 heads flow 258cfm with a stock 2" valve, I could get 280cfm easy with a 2.10" aftermarket valve and make good mid lift figures if I used semi tulip valves.
I also like this MJ Proformance guy, he was very helpful to me.
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