Head tubing report. 80 grit flex hone report

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pittsburghracer

pittsburghracer

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So I don’t step all ove Early A’s Speedmaster head testing I figured I would keep this separate. I had bought a couple more flex homes from Amazon in hopes of shortening the time I have invested in tubing a set of heads. I wanted to try an 80 grit but honestly I’m still probably spending 15-20 minutes honing the two head bolt holes (easy) and the 4 pushrod holes. Whatever they use to cut these holes in leaves a very tight fit on the cut-away to end. You are probably better off taking a 3/8 sanding roll to it before honing it. The tube has to come in from the head deck side to the last thing you want is the brass tube tightening up the last 1/2 inch. Kinda sucks because I include the brass tubing and labor to install them in my porting price so you hate losing an hour on each set of heads. I’m pointing where it gets tight.

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mygasser said:
couldn't you put an adjustable reamer in a drill press to keep it straight?
neil.
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Trouble is you have to do everything from the deck surface because of the way it’s machined or cast. Safety holding the head with the rocker shaft on the drill press could be asking for a major opps under drill press power. Kinda making a mountain out of a molehill here. Plans are to cut back on head porting jobs in the future and stick to more intake manifolds because of the time involved. I will not take on as many Speedmaster drop offs as I did last year for sure. Two stalled projects because of not being able to get parts really put me behind the 8 ball.
 
pittsburghracer said:
Trouble is you have to do everything from the deck surface because of the way it’s machined or cast. Safety holding the head with the rocker shaft on the drill press could be asking for a major opps under drill press power. Kinda making a mountain out of a molehill here. Plans are to cut back on head porting jobs in the future and stick to more intake manifolds because of the time involved. I will not take on as many Speedmaster drop offs as I did last year for sure. Two stalled projects because of not being able to get parts really put me behind the 8 ball.
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I thought you have a seat and guide machine?

I can do tubing by hand but it’s far easier and quicker to do it in the machine.
 
Newbomb Turk said:
I thought you have a seat and guide machine?

I can do tubing by hand but it’s far easier and quicker to do it in the machine.
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I’m trying to cut time, not increase it. By time you set up and level each head and reset it for valve jobs how much time are you saving. Probably another time I should have just kept some ideas to myself. Plus cleanup time
 
pittsburghracer said:
I’m trying to cut time, not increase it. By time you set up and level each head and reset it for valve jobs how much time are you saving. Probably another time I should have just kept some ideas to myself. Plus cleanup time
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True, if You had 3+ sets lined up and set up to do them, it'd be worth it to run 24+ holes in a row. Then go about tubing/porting/VJ's.
 
pittsburghracer said:
I’m trying to cut time, not increase it. By time you set up and level each head and reset it for valve jobs how much time are you saving. Probably another time I should have just kept some ideas to myself. Plus cleanup time
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It wasn’t a critique. I just wondered why you didn’t use the machine.
 
Newbomb Turk said:
It wasn’t a critique. I just wondered why you didn’t use the machine.
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It wouldn’t save me time and it’s a low labor job. Just would have liked to cut the time some. It’s something I really should charge for especially with the cost of the 3 sticks of brass now. I just try to keep my costs down then I get pissed at myself for putting to much time in them.
 
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This is an industrial Ford 5/8"-7/16" iron guide in the mule Olds head, offset from the OE....which of course varies from port to port...so the potential depends on what the worst of them is. But it allowed this;
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Left mirror port I hit the roof for some "grind & find"..red streamer water, green leaf rocker screw, purple Doomsday Cult shroud lots of meat. The one on the right is sleeved with the guide till I just popped thru', combined with the other stupid stuff I'm doing to it, ..We'll see..
 
pittsburghracer said:
So I don’t step all ove Early A’s Speedmaster head testing I figured I would keep this separate. I had bought a couple more flex homes from Amazon in hopes of shortening the time I have invested in tubing a set of heads. I wanted to try an 80 grit but honestly I’m still probably spending 15-20 minutes honing the two head bolt holes (easy) and the 4 pushrod holes. Whatever they use to cut these holes in leaves a very tight fit on the cut-away to end. You are probably better off taking a 3/8 sanding roll to it before honing it. The tube has to come in from the head deck side to the last thing you want is the brass tube tightening up the last 1/2 inch. Kinda sucks because I include the brass tubing and labor to install them in my porting price so you hate losing an hour on each set of heads. I’m pointing where it gets tight.

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I can see some scoring right where you say the hole narrows up.
 
Hey John, I made two aluminum blocks to bolt to the valve cover sealing area out on each end. Then clamp down deck surface to the mill and take a cut on the aluminum to make it parallel with the deck surface. Now you have a fixture to work the head with the deck surface "UP" facing you. If this will help you, take care
 
pittsburghracer said:
It wouldn’t save me time and it’s a low labor job. Just would have liked to cut the time some. It’s something I really should charge for especially with the cost of the 3 sticks of brass now. I just try to keep my costs down then I get pissed at myself for putting to much time in them.
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That always happens when You care about what You do, been feelin' that way most of My life..
If You're cutting back on the heads, it probably won't be worth fabbing a drill-guide fixture that bolts to the head, but that'd let You rough them in & move hole to hole relatively quickly. Then touch them up w/the hone. I made a temporary one for the Olds head above, but will have to do a couple of permanent ones for the real deal heads.
P.S. Agree with sand roll relieving the top close to the amount to be removed, it will help mitigate the "push" towards the unsupported side, & the tight section.
 
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