Porting 596 Heads

[MOPAROFFICIAL]

Where it is marked "Grind " in red--I would caution that there is water under the "Huber hump". You cant square that S.S. area up that much. Ask me how I know. J.Rob

That much, as in fully square, but you can remove what I've designated in red.
That side will stay taller still than the dog leg side. Basically making a straighter approch, taking it a tad lower, but getting a stronger short turn. Making round rolling radiused floors "don't hold air".

 

[rumblefish360]

How do you rate the MP porting templates? I do Believe they were considered “Just basic.” and did t go very far, “Conservative?” But effective?

 

[trigger_andy]

Well, I’ve had a few more hours on them. I thought I’d err on the safe side till my pics have been assessed. Hopefullu they are looking better.

 

[trigger_andy]

Good enough as is for a '73 340?

 

[Abodybomber]

Seats can help or hurt you on the exhaust.
If they cut too deep or the cutter removes a ledge above the cut, or how it wipes out a lot of that little ledge on the outside short turn ... None the less the ex short side has it's taller side, inside ssr, that comes off the wall, and with grinding can be exploited to deliver substantial flow increases.
From the seat... light radius, almost minute, then straight up and just smooth the top where it turns into floor. On the tall side that angles upward and becomes the wall....port straight up off the seat on that side of the bowl and then widen the ssr width by grinding into that wall, same idea as the intake near the head bolt. You'e creating more ssr. Open the far side bowl almost to the seat, grind the guide flat to the roof, don't gasket match exit, grind roof kink some, beware of water....then just polish it all.

That makes things a lot clearer to me ,after porting a few sets of heads ...Thank You ..

 

[trigger_andy]

Well I managed to get a few more hours on the first head. Think I’m getting there now. I really need Porting Sandpaper to get to areas the Dremal can’t reach.

 

[IQ52]

Remember the head bolt goes through there, though it can be tubed if you go through the casting.

And if you go through into the head bolt hole that carries oil pressure up to the rocker arms, how well does that sleeve hold up to 70 PSI oil pressure? I'd avoid those bolt holes unless I was working on Magnum heads.

 

[trigger_andy]

DISASTER!

Started on the second Head and within the first two hours I’ve broken through into waster. This head has a few noticeable casting flaws and as you guys can see in the picture there was a bad one right behind the valve guide. It was noticeable quite a bit higher up and I chased it down. Very porous and ground out very easily.

Anyway, I’d there anyway of saving this head?

Would liquid metal work or could it weld up as it’s such an accessible area?

 

[MOPAROFFICIAL]

DISASTER!

Started on the second Head and within the first two hours I’ve broken through into waster. This head has a few noticeable casting flaws and as you guys can see in the picture there was a bad one right behind the valve guide. It was noticeable quite a bit higher up and I chased it down. Very porous and ground out very easily.

Anyway, I’d there anyway of saving this head?

Would liquid metal work or could it weld up as it’s such an accessible area?

View attachment 1715109182

Removing that much from behind the guide was unnecessary. Tapering it is okay, but no help taking it out completely.
That head, toss it. You could try block rock, but you'd have to find a way to isolate the rock to that port and not the enitre head and or around the exhaust ports.
I will pull a tester head from under the bench and show you.

 

[trigger_andy]

Removing that much from behind the guide was unnecessary. Tapering it is okay, but no help taking it out completely.
That head, toss it. You could try block rock, but you'd have to find a way to isolate the rock to that port and not the enitre head amd or around the exhaust ports.
I will pull a tester hear from under the bench and show you.

Thanks for the reply. Thats what I thought and Im a bit gutted really. Heads are not that easy to come across here in Scotland.

Interested in this Block Rock. I was also wondering if I could press a Steel Rod into the hole if I size it up right? Or maybe an engineering firm could Weld it?

Anyway, a good learning curve.

 

[MOPAROFFICIAL]

Thanks for the reply. Thats what I thought and Im a bit gutted really. Heads are not that easy to come across here in Scotland.

Interested in this Block Rock. I was also wondering if I could press a Steel Rod into the hole if I size it up right? Or maybe an engineering firm could Weld it?

Anyway, a good learning curve.

Well if there is enough material there, tap it, pipe plug it with red loctite.

Scotland? Careful would have been something to keep in mind. Bigger isn't always better. Those 1.88 versions can flow 240 without a ton of porting.

 

[trigger_andy]

Well if there is enough material there, tap it, pipe plug it with red loctite.

Scotland? Careful would have been something to keep in mind. Bigger isn't always better. Those 1.88 versions can flow 240 without a ton of porting.

Good idea! I'll see what Im left to play with material-wise.

I thought Id be safe grinding there but when I seen the rot start maybe 3-4mm (1/8"?) I had to chase it.

Im getting quotes for Welding as well. I think I'll carry on then, no point in sending it off for repair only to bugger it up somewhere else later.

Do you happen to have any remarks regarding my last set of pictures? You views are most welcome.

 

[MOPAROFFICIAL]

Take some short turn pics.
No more far side bowl work, dont open to bowl too much, leave some venturi shape.
If you stick with whay i said, it will flow good enough and save you from destroying your first set.

 

[trigger_andy]

Thanks for the feedback

 

[Killer6]

Thanks for the feedback

As IQ52 mentioned, You have to watch trying to take that unfortunate "lump" tied to the guide boss out because it is there to make room for the counterbore for the headbolts & some space for the oil passage. If You notice the other unfortunate SB trait, Mopar cheaped out on us by not switching to dedicated headbolts
for the 340/360 heads, so there is one tall & one short headbolt between the intake ports on each head. The long ones have the drilled passages in them, but they all
are cast with the same bump in them. Had they used two long bolts, more room in the ceiling could be had, esp. on the ones w/o the passage. And easy on the exhaust
floors, don't touch them other than polishing only, You have to preserve as much SS on them as possible.

 

[yellow rose]

As IQ52 mentioned, You have to watch trying to take that unfortunate "lump" tied to the guide boss out because it is there to make room for the counterbore for the headbolts & some space for the oil passage. If You notice the other unfortunate SB trait, Mopar cheaped out on us by not switching to dedicated headbolts
for the 340/360 heads, so there is one tall & one short headbolt between the intake ports on each head. The long ones have the drilled passages in them, but they all
are cast with the same bump in them. Had they used two long bolts, more room in the ceiling could be had, esp. on the ones w/o the passage. And easy on the exhaust
floors, don't touch them other than polishing only, You have to preserve as much SS on them as possible.

I just grind until I break through on the short stands, machine some aluminum spacers use a bit of sealer on them and run it. Same thing on early W-2's.

 

[Killer6]

I just grind until I break through on the short stands, machine some aluminum spacers use a bit of sealer on them and run it. Same thing on early W-2's.

I proposed doing that to a set of heads for someone, they chickened out tho',lol! I may be doing a set for Myself for a 360 headed for the Duster's engine bay, guess I'm
up for Guinea Pig duty , I was going to use a steel insert tho'.

 

[trigger_andy]

As IQ52 mentioned, You have to watch trying to take that unfortunate "lump" tied to the guide boss out because it is there to make room for the counterbore for the headbolts & some space for the oil passage. If You notice the other unfortunate SB trait, Mopar cheaped out on us by not switching to dedicated headbolts
for the 340/360 heads, so there is one tall & one short headbolt between the intake ports on each head. The long ones have the drilled passages in them, but they all
are cast with the same bump in them. Had they used two long bolts, more room in the ceiling could be had, esp. on the ones w/o the passage. And easy on the exhaust
floors, don't touch them other than polishing only, You have to preserve as much SS on them as possible.

Thanks for the reply. Yes, that makes sense now. There is a lot of new terms and definitions that Im getting familiar with. Having made a start on my first set of heads Im much more familiar with these now. I'll know to leave more meat behind the guide Boss in the future. Onward and upwards,lol. If I cant economically save the Head I'll slice it up as a guide and for curiositys sake. Im just glad I started on this port and not the opposite end. :O

Interesting info regarding the Head Bolts.

Ok, so I went to far with the first Exhaust Ports? Will there be a detrimental effect?

Andy

 

[trigger_andy]

I just grind until I break through on the short stands, machine some aluminum spacers use a bit of sealer on them and run it. Same thing on early W-2's.

Do you mind expanding on this, please? I cant visualize what you're referring to.

Cheers,

Andy

 

[MOPAROFFICIAL]

Do you mind expanding on this, please? I cant visualize what you're referring to.

Cheers,

Andy

The guide kink in each intake port sits below just offset from the recessed head bolt.
So when you grind too far, or purposely get into them....youll need to make a washer to jb weld into the head recess to fill the lil hole thats ends up kooking like an eyebrow yoy can see through.

The head on my 410 , j heads, have thise in the head bolt recesses when i went through the roof into the head bolt. Rtv, jb weld. As long as you use a hardened washer and rtc over and around the head bolt once torqued, youre good.

 

[yellow rose]

Do you mind expanding on this, please? I cant visualize what you're referring to.

Cheers,

Andy

On all the pcar heads and early W-2 stuff there is a shorter head bolt in the upper row on each side. It would be the bolt that doesn't have the oil feed to the rockers going up through it.

To get oil to the rockers they made one stand taller on each head. It saved money even though it took three lengths of head bolts instead of two. Bean counters are weird.

The upshot is you can move the roof higher on one pair of ports on each head and not break into the bolt boss.

I just break through and then machine two spacers and epoxy them in. Then I use all the same length bolt/stud in the upper row. And the ports are all the same.

 

[318willrun]

On a mild street engine with factory head castings, I focus on the bowl area, doing very little on the guide, and some work in the ports. No chance of guide movement, no chance of breaking through, durable as can be.... and always excellent results.

 

[4spdragtop]

Nicely done. Again

On a mild street engine with factory head castings, I focus on the bowl area, doing very little on the guide, and some work in the ports. No chance of guide movement, no chance of breaking through, durable as can be.... and always excellent results.

 

[Killer6]

Thanks for the reply. If I cant economically save the Head I'll slice it up as a guide and for curiositys sake. Im just glad I started on this port and not the opposite end.

Ok, so I went to far with the first Exhaust Ports? Will there be a detrimental effect?

Andy

Someone can weld it, but if another core is available at reasonable cost, cut it up! I had that worst case happen on a 906 casting I was doing for a 440 6bbl 'cuda, just
putting 2.14/1.81's in w/the appropriate work, the last intake had terrible core shift adjacent to the headbolt hole, heard that "thin" sound coming off the cutter all of a
sudden....Damnit!! I wasn't even close to the target distance from the guide, bit the bullet and pushed the side of the burr against the wall "pop",I donated one of My "stock" & started over. As far as the exhaust, it's difficult to tell from those pics, I just noted You'd been working the floor. Don't, the SS is almost non existent on them, You have
to go right off the last throat cut of Your valve job straight down into the pocket & roll it with as even a radius as possible to the floor. The exhaust "blow down" dumps
most in the first 1/2 of the lift cycle, the valve face/backcut-contour/margin profile, and the seat/pocket have a much larger impact on flow/output here than "hogging"
out the rest of the port.

 

[trigger_andy]

On a mild street engine with factory head castings, I focus on the bowl area, doing very little on the guide, and some work in the ports. No chance of guide movement, no chance of breaking through, durable as can be.... and always excellent results.

Hey,
thanks for the reply. Your vids and posts are one of the reasons I thought Id give this a go. Ive studied them quite a few times and I should have just stopped there, but Id have always have thought how much further could I have gone. Its awesome I have your vids on my thread, its easy access for me.



I have a set of J Heads in London I can have shipped up and I have another set of J Heads that came of my '73 340 but with over 50 hours in on my first 596 head I dont wanna throw it away just because I bust through my second one. Although I have a much better handle on what Im doing I could easily half that time.