Head porting question?

[HAZZARD]

Im about to start my 3.0 build and would like to know what other are people using to port the 3.0 heads to mach the SVT LIM?

Im thinking about using this kit from summit.

http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku

[yamaha racer 686]

those are for cutting iron arent our lims aluminum?

http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku

[DemonSVT]

Your best bet for porting aluminum is sanding wheels. Get them in various grits to step down your finish.

Serious material removal is better with air tools and an aluminum cutting bit. Make sure to use liberal amounts of lubricant so you only have to clean the bit every 10 minutes instead of 3 minutes.

[HAZZARD]

thanks I forgot the heads are aluminum, hopefuly my high speed air drill will make quick work of this.

Your best bet for porting aluminum is sanding wheels. Get them in various grits to step down your finish.

Serious material removal is better with air tools and an aluminum cutting bit. Make sure to use liberal amounts of lubricant so you only have to clean the bit every 10 minutes instead of 3 minutes.

[shavedsvt]

i used carbide burrs on my heads. it doesnt matter if theyre for steel or not just on aluminum use wd-40 to lubricate the burr and dont go full speed because they cut really fast, take your time and start from the rear and work to the port, i made the mistake of port matching it and then smoothing it out, this makes the port have corners in it. and they are really hard to smooth out into a long runner.

[posthuman63t]

those are for cutting iron arent our lims aluminum?

http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku

Uh...yea. But what does our LIM being aluminum have to do with the porting? You don't port the lower plenum, you port the heads.

**DISCLAIMER**
Yes I do realize you can port the LIM, but for this specific topic, the original poster is talking about port matching, aka, porting the heads. Thank you.

[yamaha racer 686]

yeah sorry i only realized what we were talking about halfway through the night

[Swazo]

You can get much of these things at Sears, Home Depot or Lowes. Eastwood Company has the cutting bits for a pretty good deal if you can't find them local.

1. Non-ferrus cutting bit(s)
2. Sanding drums in course grits
3. Flap wheels in medium to fine grits
4. Crossbuffs

When cutting with the cutting bits, cut to 90-95% of your total new port shape. Once you have the shape you want, all the imperfections semi-cleaned up and any other misc. crap (valve seat to head mating area smooted out, under valve area, etc) a
You left some room for minor errors and to be able to use the sanding drums to get the final desired shape and smoothness without going too big. With the flap wheels and crossbuffs, all you're doing is removing the courser grit scratches.

With a project like this, it can make things go a lot faster and better to have a set game plan. Once you've accomplished the desired results with each bit, move on to the next. Just don't rush yourself, or you may have to step back to the previous bit to redo something.

[Jim B]

I've ported a number of heads and I try to get that super smooth finish only in the combustion chambers. Minor imperfections in the ports don't effect flow but if you have the time go for it.
I have used both an air die grinder and electric. For aluminum I found that the electric works best if you built a variable speed control. I have a Sears Craftsmen 1/4 die grinder (20,000 rpms) pluged in to a box with a standard household dimmer switch wired in. I just turn the dial to get whatever speed I need.

[svtkev]

I have a Sears Craftsmen 1/4 die grinder (20,000 rpms) pluged in to a box with a standard household dimmer switch wired in. I just turn the dial to get whatever speed I need.

thats a great idea