Competition Porting

[Joseph Donnelly]

Porting is one component of air flow improvements needed on your 12-valve engine when you add a lot of fueling and power. On a diesel, porting does not add fuel so the improvement back-to-back will be seen as a reduction in egt. I did my own 12-valve head porting, but I have done head porting off and on for thirty years. Therefore, I am not recommending that everyone do his/her own porting work. I found porting to cut maximum EGT by around 200 degrees at the 400 HP level. With a big turbo and a better camshaft (now sold by Diesel Dynamics) I could dyno at 700+ HP with 1300 deg. EGT. After runs at 700-800 HP levels, I removed the head and found no cracks.

Even stock 215 hp engines can experience head cracks between intake and exhaust seats, and between intake seats and the injector hole, if run hard (heavy towing, etc. ).

 

[JR2]

I was told by two people that I respect alot that if all I was going to do was drag race and goof around on the road then not to bother with porting. If you are going for a full bore MAX HP then porting is a very good thing.



Those two people... . Piers and Nowel Thomas (RIP).

 

[RobertP]

I was told by two people that I respect alot that if all I was going to do was drag race and goof around on the road then not to bother with porting. If you are going for a full bore MAX HP then porting is a very good thing.



Those two people... . Piers and Nowel Thomas (RIP).

i agree, many people are making good power with stock heads.

 

[RacinDuallie]

Porting is one component of air flow improvements needed on your 12-valve engine when you add a lot of fueling and power. On a diesel, porting does not add fuel so the improvement back-to-back will be seen as a reduction in egt. I did my own 12-valve head porting, but I have done head porting off and on for thirty years. Therefore, I am not recommending that everyone do his/her own porting work. I found porting to cut maximum EGT by around 200 degrees at the 400 HP level. With a big turbo and a better camshaft (now sold by Diesel Dynamics) I could dyno at 700+ HP with 1300 deg. EGT. After runs at 700-800 HP levels, I removed the head and found no cracks.
Even stock 215 hp engines can experience head cracks between intake and exhaust seats, and between intake seats and the injector hole, if run hard (heavy towing, etc. ).

I have experienced bone stock untouched heads that had multiple cracks from the seats... .

Joe, There's more to it than a ported head, bigger turbo and a better camshaft... ... . these items alone won't net these numbers. Its also incuding the rest of the engine built around the level your expecting to reach.....

Keep in mind when I say and 'all out effort' I'm speaking of 1000+ horses and to do it correctly, it's involving every engine component for durability considerations... ..... Buddha Power has been developing the diesel hi performance attributes long before there was a 'Diesel Craze', and he still continues to do so.....

There's more than enough street folks out there with 7-800 hp on tap.

 

[COMP461]

Head work is imperative as a basic foundation to a good durable engine combination. There is a lot of misconceptions that the more you port a diesel head , the more you lose street ability as in the gas performance. The reason you lose so-called street ability in gas engines when you enlarge the cross section in a port you decrease velocity thru the port. When you decrease velocity, you allow some of the entrained fuel to drop out and wet the port wall, this causes the mixture to vacillate between lean and rich , this goes on until the motor gains RPM and the velocity thru the ports get to a point that the fuel stays in suspension . These condition doses not exist in diesel engines!!!!!!!





Project X has as good or better head then my Cummins drag motor. This was not the plan , but the new head flow technician at RayMac, Chris put in the mid night oil and used the new design port he was developing for all out motors on Project X . this head flows right at double the flow on a super flow 600 as a stock head , and 50 % better then a non intake removal head. Project X with an Industrial Injection silver bullet turbo is very streetable. So out the door goes that old tail.



You don’t have to put a cam grind in to take advantage of head porting, just as you don’t have to put a ported head on to take advantage of a cam swap. The both accomplish similar results. To be continued , got a run



The same thing stands true for cams, a good designed cam program will not affect the drivability of a diesel, and is reality enhance the spool and acceleration of a larger turbo, here again the top HP produces in CR Cummins are using these types grinds. The problem with most diesel cams is that they use cams ground off masters. The best way is to use a CNC grinder, this was you can have the option to decide ramp profiles.



I have heard that anyone can port a diesel head. The real pro in Cylinder heads IE RayMac and John Russin both use cut up sections of the head , and even casting number of the head to determine the room to port. I know that Ray ports about 10 to 12 lbs out of the head. I know that seats are also an option you should strongly look at. the result is an incredible performance increase. The cost is not cheep but in the end you get what you pay for . the head on Project X Diesel is about 10 lbs lighter after porting, and has over 5000 miles on it along with 50 to 60 hard passes in the 11 second zone, with not one problem.

 

[RacinDuallie]

Problem with max porting a currently available cylinder head for the street would be core thicknesses... ... . which would rear itself in cracks... ... .

 

[Devan Manis]

I have experienced bone stock untouched heads that had multiple cracks from the seats... .



Joe, There's more to it than a ported head, bigger turbo and a better camshaft... ... . these items alone won't net these numbers. Its also incuding the rest of the engine built around the level your expecting to reach.....



Keep in mind when I say and 'all out effort' I'm speaking of 1000+ horses and to do it correctly, it's involving every engine component for durability considerations... ..... Buddha Power has been developing the diesel hi performance attributes long before there was a 'Diesel Craze', and he still continues to do so.....



There's more than enough street folks out there with 7-800 hp on tap.

ok, i don't need to stick up for joe, but if you read the post he put up, i mean really read it, like the part where he says with a bigger turbo and better cam he could dyno at 1300deg. how many 700-800hp street guys can run that much horsepower on #2 only and have that egt? Im pretty sure that even at the 800ish level joe's old truck was at on diesel only he knew a few things about tuning an engine, and im sure they included more than the aformentioned air flow improvments to "net these numbers".



or when he says "Even stock 215 hp engines can experience head cracks between intake and exhaust seats, and between intake seats and the injector hole, if run hard (heavy towing, etc. ). "



and then you reply "I have experienced bone stock untouched heads that had multiple cracks from the seats... . "



so why are you arguing with him?

 

[RacinDuallie]

Totally NOT arguing with Joe at all, but its more than those 3 items he listed.....

 

[thekidfan]

ok, i don't need to stick up for joe, but if you read the post he put up, i mean really read it, like the part where he says with a bigger turbo and better cam he could dyno at 1300deg. how many 700-800hp street guys can run that much horsepower on #2 only and have that egt? Im pretty sure that even at the 800ish level joe's old truck was at on diesel only he knew a few things about tuning an engine, and im sure they included more than the aformentioned air flow improvments to "net these numbers".



or when he says "Even stock 215 hp engines can experience head cracks between intake and exhaust seats, and between intake seats and the injector hole, if run hard (heavy towing, etc. ). "



and then you reply "I have experienced bone stock untouched heads that had multiple cracks from the seats... . "



so why are you arguing with him?

First off, please DO NOT think I am talkin' smack about or to Joe D!! But how many dynos have you been on? My experience with dyno-jets are VERY QUICK AND SHORT runs and that equals LOW EGTS!!! Like I said not taking anything away from Joe D just another perspective

 

[Devan Manis]

well, in my VERY limmited experience with my truck and friends and seeing other trucks on the dyno, with ALOT less horsepower than 800, i've seen them go over 1400 in that VERY QUICK AND SHORT time with almost half the power. i know they don't get as hot on the dyno, but also know that even 1300 on the dyno is still relatively cool.

 

[TCluff]

thankfully they make compound twins...

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

12 valves gain a lot more with common porting techniques than 24 valves.

 

[Timebomb]

Im glad I took the time and ported mine wile it was off for a head gasket replacment. A friend and I did it (I watched a little) He has what maybe one the fastest Ford 2. 3 turbo 4cly in the country (8. 40's@165) we, should say he had about 13hrs. in it. I noticed a big increase in response and slower EGT rates.

 

[Forrest Nearing]

I used to mess w/ a lot of 2. 3's... where are you (and your buddy) located? I want to try to guess who it is

 

[RacinDuallie]

12 valves gain a lot more with common porting techniques than 24 valves.

If the discussion is along the 2 valves per cylinder, cylinder head, then so does bigger diameter valves- along with porting...

 

[AFarmer]

Here's a good one - Who does the best work on a 24 valve head??

 

[RacinDuallie]

Again- for "all-out racing"- seek, talk, get ahold- of Buddha Power... ... .

 

[AFarmer]

Do you guys really think and a heavily porter 24v head would crack when used as a daily driver and racer??

 

[COMP461]

Do you guys really think and a heavily porter 24v head would crack when used as a daily driver and racer??

NO Project X was a max ported head , flowing almost double a stock head, and we lost a 200,000 mile water pump during HOT ROD Magazines Drag Week, (thanks Illinois Dyno Center) for rushing us parts and extras to the track. this time the truck got really hot and still no problems The 24 valve head is very well suited to porting , the area that can crack are very thick, if you are going to use a head porter make sure they have that head and casting version cut up. I do know that Buddha and Ray both have these heads ,cut up .



Buddha dose not , repeat dose not do work for anyone but dedicated racers , he is only for the serious person, a head from him is the extreme starting out at $8500 and up. Ray charges similar prices for a comparable head. RayMac has a dedicated diesel head porters that will port to you budget level. Speed cost, how fast you want to go. In any form the 24 valve head will live on a street machine in a fully ported version. A note on John Russin he is the absolute best on P-pumps and injectors along with Cylinder heads , with that said if you are lucky enough to have his number , be serious , he will not tolerate a “street Squirrel” and will not answer the phone the second time, he is very pricey and worth every Penney.



I have a invoice from Nickens brothers racing engines , this invoice is from the early 90s and is for $ 35,000 for a 283CID single 750 carb small block chevy racing engine, for a competition eliminator class. A lot of people asked why so much , because the parts , and work were no where close to that. Nickens bros. answered that question on this invoice on the first line “ for what we know that makes you faster then the car in the other lane $10,000” this is in play when you go to the best . John Russin and RayMac are in this category. So one more time speed cost !!!!!!!!!

 

[BPonci]

Comp, I see in the diesel power mag that your head they showed in the pic was not o-ringed. Do you just use studs? How much boost pressure are you seeing?