Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) porting the head?

[BigYellowIron]

Ok how much should it cost to port a 12 v head?



Local head shop qhoted me 450 bucks to port and flow?



I really don't know. I know what I can get one from piers for!



Adam

 

[Todd T]

porting is really not worth the money and barely worth the time if you do it yourself.



and you can do it yourself. clean up the castings inside the intake plenum. remove the numbers and letters on the bottom and smooth any edges. number one has a bump that needs smoothed out. match port it to the exhaust man. and so on. dont get too crazy and dont smooth it to a polished state. just clean it up.



a basic clean up job is all you need. get a hold of me if you need help.



BTW: I'll do it for half that and pick it up and deliver it

 

[Forrest]

Hey Todd ... I assume that offer applies to Reno ...

 

[Strick-9]

Adam,



I've got to admit that I didn't see any noticable gains from a ported head either.



My exhaust ports were gasket matched which means you lose quite a bit of wall thickness. This is what the head of my truck looks like today.



#ad




I'm sure there are several problems that caused the head to break like that, but gasket matching the exhaust ports definately didn't strengthen it any.



FYI, my next head won't be gasket matched.



-Chris

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

I ported the head over 4 years ago. I saved 200 deg. in egt, gained zero hp because it adds zero fuel.

 

[HoleshotHolset]

Chris: Funny how #1 failed..... it's the one that's notoriously 'hot' due to that nice restriction on the intake side.



Matt

 

[HVAC]

$450

Adam, I'd say $450 for the port work and flow match it is a steel. I did my head and it's a long tedious task. One hot stuff head porting outfit here in the bay wanted a grand to do my 24v head

 

[MY6EATSV8'S]

i'd say that 450 is a good price depending on the numbers they produce, mine was over,,, well quite a bit more than that but I got big numbers also.

 

[SlyBones]

http://www.piersdiesel.com/DodgePortedHead.htm



I see you can get a stage 1 thru stage 3 head from Piers. All stage 2 and 3 heads come with 60# springs, etc.



What kind of head is this? A stage 3 head for $450 would be a steal. What about the valve grind? Does that include a 3-angle grind ? Seals? O-Ringing ? or any of that?



Dont know what those items are really worth, just comparing apples to apples.

 

[Strick-9]

Matt,



What's even funnier is that with a couple of years of 1600°+ EGT it never cracked with that lump in place. Then after the lump in #1 was removed and the exhaust ports gasket matched, THEN it fails. FYI, number 2 is also cracked, but hasn't broken completely out yet.



-Chris

 

[Reb.B]

$450 is okay, i got mine portered, gasket matched, and put hardened seats and shimmed the springs all for $500, ... on a 24V, double the work! The reason i say $450 is okay, is because they are not really going to open up the intake. They will open the exhaust and clean up the intake around the valve area. To do any gas motor head, u do both intake and exhaust. So, take it for what its worth. Oh, on the 12v that broke the head, ... i'm sure that it is do to the stock ex. mainfold. Anybody making that much heat should have a ATS 3 piece manifold. The reason #1 broke is because #6 and #1 are affected the most by the ex. mainfold shrinking.

 

[zjones]

The reason #1 broke is because #6 and #1 are affected the most by the ex. manifold shrinking.

My stock manifold broke both bolts on #6 & the bottom bolt on #1 had to be cut off (it was in a bad bind, I did'nt want to take the chance of damaging the head). Guess if the head had been ported it might have taken out the head?? I've since installed an ATS 3-piece.



Has anyone had any other bad experiences with a ported head due to the porting? I've been wanting to get this done & would like to make sure this is a good way to go.

 

[HoleshotHolset]

Note to self: Leave #1 cylinder 'lump' intact. Powers beyond human comprehension will cause cylinder head failure.



Weird.



Matt

 

[F8LDOSE]

Who else has cut off the intake plenum of the head to get a good port job on the intake side, then weld it back on????

 

[HVAC]

Huf, porting provides little in return IMO. So spending a lot of time and money on stage 7 port work is not a wise choice as far as I'm concerned. It would follow that cutting the intake off and adding to the time necessary for a port job is further unnecessary expense. The exhaust is the place to focus when porting. For better intake performance, just add boost. This is not a normally aspirated engine.

 

[zjones]

HoleshotHolset what would the lump in the intake side have to do with a failure on the exhaust side? Or are you referring to a different failure?



I with Reb. B, I believe the broken & cracked ears are due to the stock manifold shrinking which the gasket matched ports (weakened) were not able to take the stress. I've heard (not seen) from others that stock manifolds will break stock heads (the ears). I was just lucky my bolts broke before the head.

 

[Todd T]

Originally posted by Forrest

Hey Todd ... I assume that offer applies to Reno ...

Ha ha ha, NO!



that offer applies to Adam, who is a member of our truck club around these parts. i dont expect him to take me up on it and if he did i wouldnt even charge him that much.

 

[Todd T]

Huf I have tossed the idea of cutting off the intake tract and building my own plemun but as HVAC said it really isnt worth the effort. a little flow bench time will prove that.



the ears broke off due to heat expansion and contraction "PERIOD" it had nothing to do with a few thou being taken off the port.



so holeshot, throw that note to self out and make room for one that matters



for example "jagged edges around hole in floor used to press pedal down further, should be filed smooth if driving with sandels"

 

[HoleshotHolset]

Chris' head failed due to voodoo and I think Gene had something to do with it.



Leaving that lump in the #1 intake tract may have kept Chris' head intact.



I said all that stuff about the lump as a joke..... seems like only a few noticed that.



Goin' fast costs $$... . how fast you wanna go?



After all... . if it breaks... . then you'll know how to make it work better next time.



Matt

 

[SlyBones]

HVAC,



OK I will be reaching a bit here, but if ported heads are not worth it, then why to 24vers do so much better on the EGts that 12vers. I think there are several factors, but the fact the a stock 24v head flows better that a stock 12v head is one reason. It takes a stage 2 ported 12v head to flow the same as a stock 24v head.



For a 24ver maybe a ported head is not worth is unless you are really pushing the fuel, but for a 12ver I wonder why a stage 2 head would not be a worth while investment, expecially if it only cost him/her $450.