X-Head Porting....

[yellow rose]

Here are the burrs I use. They ain’t purdy.

The two burrs in the left have been bent SLIGHTLY to try and get the burr finish like Larry Meaux and Chad Spier (and others) use. I haven’t been successful with the burr finish. Also, using those burrs make the grinder vibrate in you hands and that makes it near impossible for me to use them for very long.

Once you figure out what shape and size of burrs you need to get the shapes you want, it doesn’t take very many to do it.

I have paper rolls, flapper wheels and a small belt sander is use pretty much for intake manifold work.

I also had some cross buffs but I used them up and never bought any more. Guess maybe I need to get some more of those because I like them for certain things.

 

[DentalDart]

"That's a good idea! Shoot by the time I'm half *** good at doing this... I won't want to do it on the X heads haha."

That's what we were trying to tell you Doc. LMAO

I know, right now I'm just playing with the J heads.

 

[DentalDart]

Got some smaller bits... thanks @yellow rose. My favorite one is the oval egg shaped one... one slightly larger than the one I got might be the perfect one to accompany it...

I also bought some stones (which die fast) to smooth where I have a hard time doing with the burrs. Im going to cut the bigger Christmas tree down where it vent and then use that.

I also agree, variable speed is the way to do this...i used my air pneumatic grinder today, kept running out of air really fast, but it worked better.. Im going to get the harbor freight variable speed electric grinder...

Im having a hard time getting this hump..

 

[Phreakish]

What do you mean the stones die fast?
Do you know what kind of stones they are? Alum oxide (usually pink) will outlast polishing stones (usually green or blue). Dark brown stones are often harder than woodpecker lips. The colors aren't hard and fast rules though, and even hard stones will wear fast if you get them too hot or press too hard.
It's also good to have a dressing stone on hand so you can clean them if they load up and you can reshape the stones too for hard to reach spots.

But it looks like you're getting the hang!

 

[DentalDart]

What do you mean the stones die fast?
Do you know what kind of stones they are? Alum oxide (usually pink) will outlast polishing stones (usually green or blue). Dark brown stones are often harder than woodpecker lips. The colors aren't hard and fast rules though, and even hard stones will wear fast if you get them too hot or press too hard.
It's also good to have a dressing stone on hand so you can clean them if they load up and you can reshape the stones too for hard to reach spots.

But it looks like you're getting the hang!

I bought a variety pack of stones from the industrial hardware store... didn't know which kind I was supposed to get so I grapped the variety pack... apparently I need the pink ones lol.

Yea using the small burs was much easier to shape everything and get all the harder to reach spots..

 

[512Stroker]

Got some smaller bits... thanks @yellow rose. My favorite one is the oval egg shaped one... one slightly larger than the one I got might be the perfect one to accompany it...

I also bought some stones (which die fast) to smooth where I have a hard time doing with the burrs. Im going to cut the bigger Christmas tree down where it vent and then use that.

I also agree, variable speed is the way to do this...i used my air pneumatic grinder today, kept running out of air really fast, but it worked better.. Im going to get the harbor freight variable speed electric grinder...

Im having a hard time getting this hump..

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Dam Boy that looks alot better.
Who knows in a few years of grinding on teeth you may be able to give up your day job.

 

[gzig5]

Dam Boy that looks alot better.
Who knows in a few years of grinding on teeth you may be able to give up your day job.

His patients are going to **** kittens when pulls out that big old HF die grinder with a 6” burr hanging off the end of it. “We’ll have that cavity taken care of in no time.”

 

[yellow rose]

Got some smaller bits... thanks @yellow rose. My favorite one is the oval egg shaped one... one slightly larger than the one I got might be the perfect one to accompany it...

I also bought some stones (which die fast) to smooth where I have a hard time doing with the burrs. Im going to cut the bigger Christmas tree down where it vent and then use that.

I also agree, variable speed is the way to do this...i used my air pneumatic grinder today, kept running out of air really fast, but it worked better.. Im going to get the harbor freight variable speed electric grinder...

Im having a hard time getting this hump..

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MUCH IMPROVED ALREADY!!! Once you get burr speed under control you get really good results. It’s really not much different from grinding teeth.

It then becomes time behind the grinder and trying different burrs to get different shapes.

Grinding the guide down takes huge time and patience. You can’t crowd the burr or it will chatter and hate you.

 

[DentalDart]

Dam Boy that looks alot better.
Who knows in a few years of grinding on teeth you may be able to give up your day job.

Let's hope not, hopefully my day job makes it to where I become the new Tony... buy CNC heads then build big bad *** 340s... I mean 360s lol

 

[DentalDart]

MUCH IMPROVED ALREADY!!! Once you get burr speed under control you get really good results. It’s really not much different from grinding teeth.

It then becomes time behind the grinder and trying different burrs to get different shapes.

Grinding the guide down takes huge time and patience. You can’t crowd the burr or it will chatter and hate you.

Thanks! if my air didn't run out so fast I think air would be a great way to do it... also people get some kind of stand for your heads, its a little tricky getting everything without moving the heads around a ton and your body around a ton... at least for me right now.

Yea im trying to figure out which bur is best for that guide... I actually like the tree shaped one for that but the larger tree shape is just a touch to big.

I also think if I can do variable speed grinder it would be easier as well.

 

[Demonracer]

They have fixture stands for the heads, they consist of 2 upside down "U" brackets with tapered spikes welded to them. Once you get the hang of moving them for your comfort they work out well. As far as running out of air, get one or two old compressor tanks & put them between the compressor & your work area to increase the air volume. That way your compressor doesn't work near as hard.

 

[MOPAROFFICIAL]

Here are the burrs I use. They ain’t purdy.

View attachment 1715668075

The two burrs in the left have been bent SLIGHTLY to try and get the burr finish like Larry Meaux and Chad Spier (and others) use. I haven’t been successful with the burr finish. Also, using those burrs make the grinder vibrate in you hands and that makes it near impossible for me to use them for very long.

Once you figure out what shape and size of burrs you need to get the shapes you want, it doesn’t take very many to do it.

I have paper rolls, flapper wheels and a small belt sander is use pretty much for intake manifold work.

I also had some cross buffs but I used them up and never bought any more. Guess maybe I need to get some more of those because I like them for certain things.

Slow speed, drill motor with the standard worn bearing deal is magic for that...otherwise its time consuming decelerating and letting it bounce around to divot.

 

[DentalDart]

Slow speed, drill motor with the standard worn bearing deal is magic for that...otherwise its time consuming decelerating and letting it bounce around to divot.

Slow speed drill motor with worn bearing? What is this? Just a regular hand drill?

 

[yellow rose]

Slow speed, drill motor with the standard worn bearing deal is magic for that...otherwise its time consuming decelerating and letting it bounce around to divot.

I actually tried that. Then I called Chad Spier and he said no divots. He says you want a burr to stand up, not a divot.

I should call him again, as I read some things yesterday about what I found on my junk when I pulled it apart I didn’t like. I was stumped. Now I think it was a smooth surface finish that caused the issue.

Everyone else said it was ring seal, but I knew it wasn’t.

 

[MOPAROFFICIAL]

I actually tried that. Then I called Chad Spier and he said no divots. He says you want a burr to stand up, not a divot.

I should call him again, as I read some things yesterday about what I found on my junk when I pulled it apart I didn’t like. I was stumped. Now I think it was a smooth surface finish that caused the issue.

Everyone else said it was ring seal, but I knew it wasn’t.

Similar, but not in such fashion getting that finish..as when the burr bites in a little leaving sharp raised material.

 

[MOPAROFFICIAL]

I actually tried that. Then I called Chad Spier and he said no divots. He says you want a burr to stand up, not a divot.

I should call him again, as I read some things yesterday about what I found on my junk when I pulled it apart I didn’t like. I was stumped. Now I think it was a smooth surface finish that caused the issue.

Everyone else said it was ring seal, but I knew it wasn’t.

Were you finding signs that were just under the seat in the port or was it in the chamber?

 

[yellow rose]

Were you finding signs that were just under the seat in the port or was it in the chamber?

Both.

 

[DentalDart]

Started another port with using only my hand drill... the 1 speed die grinder offers to little control...here is where I got before the battery died...

Also some nice templates courtesy of MoparPfficial and STRange i think his name was.

Now I got this new grinder.. a nice HF special!

 

[yellow rose]

Started another port with using only my hand drill... the 1 speed die grinder offers to little control...here is where I got before the battery died...

Also some nice templates courtesy of MoparPfficial and STRange i think his name was.

Now I got this new grinder.. a nice HF special!

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LOL...I take that bolt boss bulge out. I hate that thing. Looks like you are getting a handle on it. Once you get your grinder and tooling sorted out, it’s just time behind the grinder.

Then, once you can get the shapes you want, you need to what’s important and what’s not. Lots of webinars out there that are worth watching.

There are things you do that either don’t show up as CFM on a flow bench, or even slow less CFM on a flow bench that make power.

And still, the single most important part of ANY port work is the valve job. And one inch each way from that are what’s really important. Including the chamber. Don’t forget that.

The other thing is not making the air turn a corner unless you have to, and any change in cross section is bad. One example is the “gasket match”. Mostly it’s done wrong and it’s a power killer. You don’t want the runner in the intake manifold to get big at the flange, and the head get big at the flange and the had both be smaller, either downstream on the head and upstream on the intake.

I wish I could draw that out, but a bulge in the port right there is a power killer.

 

[DentalDart]

LOL...I take that bolt boss bulge out. I hate that thing. Looks like you are getting a handle on it. Once you get your grinder and tooling sorted out, it’s just time behind the grinder.

Then, once you can get the shapes you want, you need to what’s important and what’s not. Lots of webinars out there that are worth watching.

There are things you do that either don’t show up as CFM on a flow bench, or even slow less CFM on a flow bench that make power.

And still, the single most important part of ANY port work is the valve job. And one inch each way from that are what’s really important. Including the chamber. Don’t forget that.

The other thing is not making the air turn a corner unless you have to, and any change in cross section is bad. One example is the “gasket match”. Mostly it’s done wrong and it’s a power killer. You don’t want the runner in the intake manifold to get big at the flange, and the head get big at the flange and the had both be smaller, either downstream on the head and upstream on the intake.

I wish I could draw that out, but a bulge in the port right there is a power killer.

These bulges are the ones you are talking about right?

I dont understand what you are talking about with the gasket match. I thought you're supposed to gasket match it on the head, but to leave the air intake (that mates to the head) port alone. (For home porting purposes) due to the air intake port usually being slightly smaller and the head slightly larger, it will help force flow down the intake on the head.

If any of that makes sense... for what its worth, I wasn't going to touch my air gap intake...

 

[DentalDart]

3/4 angle valve job = good. I agree. Its also cheaper to have that done than I have spent on parts

 

[yellow rose]

These bulges are the ones you are talking about right?

I dont understand what you are talking about with the gasket match. I thought you're supposed to gasket match it on the head, but to leave the air intake (that mates to the head) port alone. (For home porting purposes) due to the air intake port usually being slightly smaller and the head slightly larger, it will help force flow down the intake on the head.

If any of that makes sense... for what its worth, I wasn't going to touch my air gap intake...

In the picture that says “blend 60* cut”, just above that and to the right it says “work across the head bolt bulge”...I take that thing out. If you blow through into the bolt hole, you can either press a piece of brass or stainless steel thin wall tubing in there, or, if your block has blind head bolts (it should unless it’s what I call a new block which is from the late 70’s or 80’s when they went away from blind head bolts which was dumb, but cheaper to produce) you can just leave it open.

When I go out to the shop tonight I’ll see if I can get a couple of pictures of what that looks like.

 

[mopowers]

What are you grinding the port opening to? Did you scribe an intake gasket? It looks a bit ovaled on the pushrod side and opened up a little too large.

 

[DentalDart]

What are you grinding the port opening to? Did you scribe an intake gasket? It looks a bit ovaled on the pushrod side and opened up a little too large.

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I'm not grinding it to anything... Just learning how to get it to have a smooth flow at the start of the port... and learn how the cast iron cuts with the different burrs and different speeds.

Also because I dont have any intake gaskets...

 

[yellow rose]

I'm not grinding it to anything... Just learning how to get it to have a smooth flow at the start of the port... and learn how the cast iron cuts with the different burrs and different speeds.

Also because I dont have any intake gaskets...

Your finish is getting better, as in I don’t see as many troughs. You can see the corner radius is huge. That’s because the burr or stone is so big.

Soooooooooo...I have to ask...how similar is grinding a head compared to grinding a tooth, excepting size????