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Depending on where you live, what vehicle you have, and what stage of port and polishing you are wanting to be done, the cost ranges from $200 all the way up to $2000. Most people would be perfectly happy with a Stage III port and polish, which generally costs about $500.That could be a $1,000 question, if you go the fully ported route. On the low-end, you’re looking at around $200 for a professional three-angle valve job with the existing 1.94/1.50 valves. Add bowl-porting and a set of big valves and you move up into the $500-$700 range.In fact, a good port and polish job adds an additional 10 percent in both horsepower and in fuel economy, so it’s worth it. Start by cleaning the ports and then painting them with layout fluid. Place the high-performance intake manifold gaskets and exhaust gaskets in place and secure them with the bolts or nuts.
Contents
How much does it cost to have your head ported?
That could be a $1,000 question, if you go the fully ported route. On the low-end, you’re looking at around $200 for a professional three-angle valve job with the existing 1.94/1.50 valves. Add bowl-porting and a set of big valves and you move up into the $500-$700 range.
Is porting and polishing worth it?
In fact, a good port and polish job adds an additional 10 percent in both horsepower and in fuel economy, so it’s worth it. Start by cleaning the ports and then painting them with layout fluid. Place the high-performance intake manifold gaskets and exhaust gaskets in place and secure them with the bolts or nuts.
How much HP gain from port and polish?
Don’t expect huge leaps in horsepower; results obviously depend on the original state of the cylinder head and the quality of the workmanship. If you believe online forum chatter, LS1 cylinder heads can give anywhere between 10 to over 50bhp extra from a port and polish, so it is by no means a linear process.
What does porting and polishing heads do?
“Porting” or “Port & Polish” refers to the reshaping and smoothing of the intake and exhaust passageways in engine cylinder heads. Polishing heads, or removing flaws that restrict airflow, is not difficult or costly. Beginners can polish their engine and realize horsepower gains of up to 10%!
Are ported heads worth it?
If you want the full potential from your motor then yes they are worth it. I’m not sure on the exact gains, that will depend on how much porting is done. Even with cams on stock heads, the better you can make the N/A engine breath the better it will be overall.
Why do we port cylinder heads?
Cylinder head porting refers to the process of modifying the intake and exhaust ports of an internal combustion engine to improve their air flow. Cylinder heads, as manufactured, are usually suboptimal for racing applications due to being designed for maximum durability.
How much does it cost to port an intake manifold?
How Much Does It Cost To Port a Manifold? Generally, it costs about $250 to have a manifold ported. This procedure generally includes port matching and plenum blending. Remember, every cylinder head has an intake manifold that will also need to be ported.
What is porting 2 stroke engine?
Porting refers to the process of enlarging and shaping the intake, exhaust, and transfer ports around the cylinder of your 2-stroke engine.
What does a ported throttle body do?
A ported throttle body is intended to optimize air flow and promote air velocity which will provide benefits on any engine, but if the throttle body is too small, it will still be a choke point.
Port And Polish Heads Cost [DIY Vs. Pro]
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How Much Does It Cost To Port And Polish Heads In My Area
How Much Does It Cost To Port a Manifold
Do Porting Heads Really Make a Difference
Does Porting A Cylinder Head Work
Does Porting A Cylinder Head Increase Horsepower
How Much Horsepower Does Porting And Polishing Add
What is The Head On An Engine
What Happens When A Head Is Ported
What Is An Exhaust Port
What All Is Involved In Porting And Polishing Heads
What Tools Are Needed To Port And Polish A Cylinder Head
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Porting Engine Heads – GT Alley Performance – Car Craft Magazine
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- Most searched keywords: Whether you are looking for Porting Engine Heads – GT Alley Performance – Car Craft Magazine Updating We attempt to answer the age old question regarding whether or not porting your engine heads are a good, cheap way to increase horsepower out of your GMM engine. Only at www.carcraft.com, the official website for Car Craft Magazine.
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What a Port and Polish Does and How to Do it Yourself – Autos.com
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- Most searched keywords: Whether you are looking for What a Port and Polish Does and How to Do it Yourself – Autos.com Updating A port and polish job is one way to increase the power output of any internal combustion motor. Many people have heard the term before but fewer people
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What Is Cylinder Head Porting, And How Does It Increase Horsepower?
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how much does it cost to port and polish heads
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Port And Polish Heads Cost – In 2022 – The Pricer
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- Summary of article content: Articles about Port And Polish Heads Cost – In 2022 – The Pricer The most basic form of porting and polishing is Stage I and it costs around $160. In … …
- Most searched keywords: Whether you are looking for Port And Polish Heads Cost – In 2022 – The Pricer The most basic form of porting and polishing is Stage I and it costs around $160. In … The cylinder head is a significant part of your vehicle’s engine and plays a key role in the internal combustion process. The cylinder head is used to control
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How much does it cost to port and polish heads
Port and polish heads details
What are the extra costs
Important things to consider
Average costs of porting and polishing heads? – LS1TECH – Camaro and Firebird Forum Discussion
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- Summary of article content: Articles about Average costs of porting and polishing heads? – LS1TECH – Camaro and Firebird Forum Discussion An experienced shop would p/p them for $500 or so. madpwr1’s Avatar. madpwr1 , 01-22-2005 12:07 PM. …
- Most searched keywords: Whether you are looking for Average costs of porting and polishing heads? – LS1TECH – Camaro and Firebird Forum Discussion An experienced shop would p/p them for $500 or so. madpwr1’s Avatar. madpwr1 , 01-22-2005 12:07 PM. Average,costs,porting,polishing,heads,avearage, average, avg, cost, head, heads, kit, ls6, polish, polished, polishing, port, ported, porting, price, work, Average costs of porting and polishing heads?, LS1Tech – Forum and Community for GM Performance Vehicles – LS1Generation III Internal Engine – Average costs of porting and polishing heads? – I am going to be doing a cam swap soon (TSP 233/239) and was thinking of having the heads ported and polished while I’m at it. Any past experience on the costs associated with this? I know what the cam swap and associated costs are with…
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How much to port and polish heads? – MustangForums.com
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- Summary of article content: Articles about How much to port and polish heads? – MustangForums.com GT S197 General Discussion – How much to port and polish heads? – Hey, How much would it cost to port and polish the stock heads? …
- Most searched keywords: Whether you are looking for How much to port and polish heads? – MustangForums.com GT S197 General Discussion – How much to port and polish heads? – Hey, How much would it cost to port and polish the stock heads? 04, 46l, 92, cost, diy, heads, mustang, polish, polished, polishing, pollish, port, porting, v6, youtube, How much to port and polish heads?, Mustang S197, SVT, Shelby, Ford, GT, Mustang6G, Fox BodyGT S197 General Discussion – How much to port and polish heads? – Hey, How much would it cost to port and polish the stock heads? If I decide to do this then I will take the heads off myself and take them to a shop. Does anyone know of a good shop i nthe southern California area? Thanks.
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What does it cost to have your heads ported and polished? – Third Generation F-Body Message Boards
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How much does it cost to port & polish stock LT1 heads? – CamaroZ28.Com Message Board
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- Most searched keywords: Whether you are looking for How much does it cost to port & polish stock LT1 heads? – CamaroZ28.Com Message Board $1500-2k. Of course.. there’s alot more to cylinder head stuff than performance. Lots of people want to skimp & run mediocre stock replacement parts like valves … How,much,does,cost,port,amp,polish,stock,LT1,heads, How much does it cost to port & polish stock LT1 heads?, Camaro,forum,camaro forum,camaroz28,camaro z ,z, z28,ss,rs,v6,v8,ls,lt,ls3,lsa,parts,sale,reviews,chevy,chevrolet forum,chevrolet,f-body,5th genLT1 Based Engine Tech – How much does it cost to port & polish stock LT1 heads? – I might consider getting it done.
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How much does it cost to port and polish a cylinder head? – TheKnowledgeBurrow.com
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Port And Polish Heads Cost [DIY Vs. Pro]
Porting and polishing your vehicle’s cylinder head is an effective way to increase high-RPM air flow into your engine. When your engine can take in more air, it can also burn more fuel.
Burning more fuel means producing more power. Porting and polishing a head provides this effect for the air/fuel mixture at higher RPMs.
The cost for the procedure can vary widely from as little as $200 to more than $2000 dollars. A Stage III port and polish, however, is generally the best value and provides the most performance for your money.
This type of port and polish costs about $500, depending on the type of vehicle you have. If you get a port and polish, you can expect a performance increase of somewhere between 25 and 75 horsepower.
Port and Polish Cost Breakdown
Pricing is all over the place for engine porting. Generally, you have to get a quote based on your engine. There is, however, a community of shops that maintain somewhat standard pricing for traditional V-8 cylinder head pairs.
Stage I: This most basic form of porting and polishing generally costs about $150. This is just the minimum recommended porting stage and includes a bowl port and port match.
Stage II: This is generally around $300 and is coequally known as a ‘street’ or ‘strip’ port job for drivers on a budget. This port and polish stage includes bowls and intake opening port match.
Stage III: A stage III port is really the minimum ‘full port and polishes’ you can get. It costs about $550 and, due to the law of diminishing returns, also ends up being the best value port and polish to get.
This procedure blends all of the castings in the head for drastically improved air flow. A Stage III port will generally include porting of the bowls, a port match, and complete profiling of the combustion chambers.
Stage IV: Most hot rod drivers opt for this higher stage of port and polish. This stage is almost essential for those running nitrous or high-pressure turbochargers, or superchargers.
This stage includes all of the above plus a fully ported exhaust, bowl ported and port matched intake and more precise profiling of the combustion chambers. A Stage IV port and polish will run you somewhere around $750.
How Much Does It Cost To Port And Polish Heads In My Area?
Below is a table of the average price for a Stage III port and polish in various states. The price can vary quite a bit depending on where you are.
US Location
Average Stage III Port and Polish
Cost California $680 Georgia $495 Virginia $430 Michigan $400 Vermont $310
The cost for any given automobile work is generally more expensive the further west you travel. This is because California has very advanced emissions control laws that help to keep the air cleaner and to do its part in stemming climate change.
This and other reasons will cause the price for a port and polish to vary from state to state.
Cost of Ports and Polish (Quotes)
The cost to perform a port and polish varies depending on what level port and polish you want. The parts cost is usually small and fixed, while the labor cost can range depending on how difficult the job is.
This is because most shops go on a $85-$125 per hour labor rate.
Below is a table of the price for a Stage III port and polish for various popular automobiles.
Vehicle Make & Model Port & Polish Cost Honda Accord $375 Honda Civic $335 Dodge Dakota $450 Ford Mustang $400 Acura Integra $350 Toyota Camry $280 LS1-based Chevy $500
Factors That Affect Costs for Port and Polish Replacements Level of engine wear
Stage level of port and polish requested
Type of vehicle
State of repair of related equipment
How Much Does It Cost To Port a Manifold?
Generally, it costs about $250 to have a manifold ported. This procedure generally includes port matching and plenum blending. Remember, every cylinder head has an intake manifold that will also need to be ported.
Port And Polish Heads Cost Conclusion
Getting a port and polish of your vehicle’s cylinder head is a great way to increase your engine’s high-end power. Porting and polishing an engine allows it to take in more air and thus burn more fuel and produce more power.
Depending on where you live, what vehicle you have, and what stage of port and polishing you are wanting to be done, the cost ranges from $200 all the way up to $2000.
Most people would be perfectly happy with a Stage III port and polish, which generally costs about $500.
It’s an upgrade that seems to be well worth the money considering the fact that a ported and polished cylinder head typically nets an engine an increase of 25 to 75 horsepower.
We hope this article helped inform those interested in the cost to port and polish cylinder heads.
Do Porting Heads Really Make a Difference?
Absolutely. What Are The Benefits of Porting And Polishing a Head? Porting a vehicle’s cylinder head is an engine modification that will most certainly increase engine performance to some degree.
In fact, it’s one of the best engine upgrades you can get for the least amount of money.
Does Porting A Cylinder Head Work?
Yes. Porting and polishing a head will increase the flow of fuel and air and fuel running through the engine. This will allow the engine to burn more fuel and increase its power output.
Porting and polishing a cylinder head is not always about bigger being better. If your car engine can take in more air, then it will also be able to burn more fuel and reach higher engine speeds.
These higher speeds allow the air/fuel mixture to mix more completely as it enters the cylinders.
Does Porting A Cylinder Head Increase Horsepower?
Yes. Stock cylinder heads are designed to be functional and reliable rather than powerful. A stock cylinder head has to be manufactured economically. Of course, the manufacturer also wants their part to have the highest possible performance.
So, there is a trade-off between production time and part performance. The air channels on the inside of a standard intake manifold are designed for consistent results and to be cost-effective to manufacture.
So, spending a little more time and money than your auto manufacturer did on your cylinder head will increase horsepower.
How Much Horsepower Does Porting And Polishing Add?
The amount of horsepower that the port and polish of a cylinder head provides varies quite a bit depending on your engine setup and other upgrades that you may have.
Generally speaking, however, you can expect anywhere between 10 and 75 horsepower to be added. Cylinder head porting is one of the most critical upgrades you can get.
What is The Head On An Engine?
An Internal Combustion Engine, or ICE, requires a component called a cylinder head, or simply a head to function. The cylinder head generally sits right on top of the cylinders and essentially forms the top half of an engine.
The intake and exhaust valves, along with a portion of the combustion chamber is located in the cylinder head.
What Happens When A Head Is Ported?
Cylinder head ‘porting’ refers to the removal of a small amount of extra material inside the intake and/or exhaust portion of the cylinder head in order to optimize airflow into the engine.
What Is An Exhaust Port?
An exhaust port is a passage in the cylinder head that pneumatically connects the exhaust valves in the cylinder head to the exhaust manifold. The engine’s exhaust gases pass through the exhaust port of the cylinder head to the exhaust manifold.
From there, the exhaust gases are directed to a muffler and then a tailpipe.
What All Is Involved In Porting And Polishing Heads?
Anything connected to the cylinder head must first be disconnected. These are things like air hoses, fuel rails, sensor wires, ignition cabling, and quite a bit more.
The process of porting a cylinder heat itself involves scrubbing the mating areas very thoroughly.
You may be able to perform a basic port and polish on your own, but a full port and polish (Stage III) of a cylinder head requires special tools that most people are not going to have commonly available in their garage.
If you plan on doing this job on your own, the main tool you are going to need will be a Dremel. You are also going to need the right Dremel extensions and bits.
You are going to need more than the standard sander bits to get this job done. In fact, for port and polishing a cylinder head, you will have to invest in carbide and stone bits so that you can grind away all those burs and casting lines.
Dremel whip extensions will be extremely useful for getting into those hard-to-reach areas much easier.
And remember, you are going to be grinding metal into a fine powder. So, make sure to get yourself some PPE (Personal Projection Equipment) for your eyes and lungs. Metal dust is not so fun to breathe in.
Also, you are going to need all the tools that one needs to remove a cylinder head and all the associated components attached to it. So, that means you are going to need a valve spring compressor among other specialty tools.
Also, the cylinder head will need to be nearly fully disassembled and small pieces of metal and other debris can end up the valve seats, so you are going to need a way to clean the heads properly when you are done with the port and polish.
Porting Cylinder Heads
The process begins by firmly affixing the intake gasket to the cylinder head and scribing the openings. After that, the gasket is taken off and grinding tools are used to gradually widen the port on the cylinder head to match the port on the gasket.
Great care must be taken to not overdo it because there is no going back.
The goal, here, is to match the port size of the cylinder head to the size of the gasket you are using. This helps the air flow better through the cylinder head. Remember to work gradually, little by little. Take your time and go slowly around the edges.
This is when you want to be using a carbide bit in your Dremel. If you use an arrowhead, it will allow for easier tapering.
Note: After you use any carbide bits, make sure to go back over your work with a stone bit or sandpaper to smooth out any rough areas.
One important thing to remember is that once you port your cylinder head to the exact shape of a particular gasket, you should not switch to a different type of gasket later.
And remember, porting is something you only want to do on the intake side of the cylinder head. It is normal for exhaust manifolds to have far larger ports than on the cylinder head.
This is to create a ‘pressure step’ to lower the pressure and help draw the air out of the cylinders. So, if you port match on the exhaust side, you will remove this low-pressure area.
Polishing Cylinder Heads
Polishing is the easier part as compared to porting. Most cylinder heads are cast with many imperfections and a very rough finish. There are also many casting marks or burs that are left on the cylinder head during manufacturing.
So, your goal, here, is to get the interior surface of your cylinder head to as smooth of a finish as possible. The best way to smooth the surface is to work in a swirling motion from the outside moving inward, toward the valves. The wear marks that you leave behind cause a swirling effect on the air as it moves into the engine.
This helps better mix the air and fuel before it is delivered to the engine, and therefore will make things run a lot more effectively.
Porting Engine Heads
Fully ported heads are one of a high-performance engine’s most expensive components. Are they really worth the bucks, or can you get by with just a valve job and bowl work?
To find out, we worked with Charlie Hupp at GT Alley Performance, a unique facility where you’ll find 600ci Merlin big-blocks going together alongside 750hp Honda DOHC V-6 engines. For our portwork comparo, Hupp selected casting No. 3947041, a typical factory small-block Chevy head with 1.94-/1.50-inch valves and 64cc combustion chambers. Originally installed on many ’69-’70 350ci/300hp engines and (with larger 2.02-/1.60-inch valves) on 350ci/350-360-370hp engines, the 041 heads’ general port layout is similar to millions of its ’60s and ’70s small-block siblings, so our findings will be applicable to most other factory small-block Chevy heads from this period.
Baseline: Dead Stock
Hupp began by flowing the head in bone-stock configuration. The intake port peaked at 208 cfm at 0.650-inch lift, while the exhausts became saturated at 0.550-inch lift, and 137.4 cfm were recorded on GT’s Super Flow flow bench. However, as shown in the Cylinder Head Flow Data table, the heads are essentially done by 0.450-inch lift, with little flow increase beyond that point on either the intake or the exhaust side. From the original GM designer’s viewpoint, this is perfectly acceptable because production hydraulic cams all have under 0.450-inch lift.
Three-Angle Valve Job
The first improvement was a basic NHRA-legal, three-angle Pro valve job. Overall, the Pro valve job resulted in gains of 2.8 percent on the intake side, and 4.4 percent on the exhaust. Below 0.450-inch lift the intake improved by about 5 percent, while the exhaust was up 6 percent; above 0.450-inch lift, the improvement was only 1 to 2 percent.
Bigger Valves
The next step was to install larger 2.05-inch intake and 1.60-inch exhaust valves. On the intake side, the 2.05 valve flowed less than the 1.94 valve, except at 0.700-inch lift. Average flow numbers for the big-valve intake were less than those achieved with the 1.94 valve. Average flow numbers were also down on the exhaust side. Looking at actual numbers, the 1.60 valve flowed less than the 1.50 valve from 0.350 lift on up.
With an otherwise stock port, these results show that on small-block Chevy factory cylinder heads, big valves aren’t effective-the question is, why? The answer involves the concept of Critical Area (CA). Think of CA as the minimum restriction or cross-sectional area in the port. The CA establishes the port’s flow potential. GM factory engineers designed the head to flow down low to complement mild production cams, establishing this flow coefficient by the cutter diameter used with the stock-size valves. With factory ports, the smallest part of the bowl is the main flow-limiting factor.
With 1.94/1.50 valves, the three-angle valve job improves on the ’69 factory valve job-it helps blend the CA of the port to the valve, and opens it up at the valve-but the throat-to-valve seat transition remains relatively smooth, maintaining the factory’s original design intent. Big valves upset this relationship. Flow won’t improve until you make the CA bigger to match the larger valves.
Port-Matching
Port-matching the head’s intake entry and exhaust exits to their respective gaskets is an enduringly popular modification, especially because it’s one mod the average car crafter can do at home. Hupp uses enlarged dimensions based on his intended performance window instead of any specific gasket outline, transitioning down to the original port diameter about 1 1/2 inches in from the entrance. The exhaust ports are merely “squared-off” rather than enlarged, with the final shape based on Hupp’s years of experience.
Based on the previous CA discussion, it’s no surprise that-whether with small or big valves-port-matching provides little airflow benefit. As Hupp puts it, “A chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and a port will flow only as much as its smallest part.” With the CA in the bowl still smaller than the port opening or exit, opening up the intake face and exhaust exit doesn’t help. However, match-porting can be beneficial when the throat CA is ported-out larger than the intake entry or exhaust exit sizes.
Bowl Work
Hupp next ported the bowl and short-side-without port-matching-and once again compared both the large and small valve sizes after porting. “Every experienced heat porter knows how to make a head flow at low lifts or at high lifts,” Hupp says. “One takes from the other.” He chose to port this head for high lifts, “where most street race guys run, anyway.”
Hupp believes that “for every valve size, there is one and only one perfectly designed port.” The optimum port has “all the top-secret curves and angles, and it blends. It does all the fancy high-velocity, highflow fuel atomization and special angle of attack stuff. But ultimately it is directly related to the size of the valve. When you have got this perfect, the flow will jump in size from lift to lift, and when it doesn’t, there is a restriction somewhere else.”
Achieving an optimum runner shape mandates considerable metal removal from the bowl, the CA, and the short-side radius. For example, the stock 1.580-inch intake CA diameter was moved out to 1.710 with the 1.94-inch valve; the 2.05 valve required removing an additional 0.110-inch of metal (for a final 1.820-inch diameter) to maintain the “perfect” port.
After the bowl work, the 1.94 intake port flowed slightly better at low lifts but really came alive above 0.350-inch lift. It achieved its peak 225-cfm flow number at 0.650-inch lift. The big 2.05 valve’s intake port was still down compared to the 1.94 valve below 0.350-inch lift, equal to the 1.94 at 0.350-inch lift, slightly better between 0.450 and 0.460, and about equal from there on up. The 2.05’s average flow numbers-at low lift, at high lift, and overall-are marginally superior to those of the 1.94.
The exhaust side is a different story. There, the 1.50-valve runner demonstrated over a 30-percent max flow improvement compared to stock, while the 1.60 port was up over 45 percent! A peak 180.4 cfm blasted out of the 1.94 port at 0.700 lift, while the 1.60 port hit 200 cfm at 0.650 and 0.700.
Yet, the big intake and exhaust valve ports become saturated at 0.650-inch lift. On the intake side, that’s because with the big valve there is now a new critical area-namely, the runner’s pushrod bulge. That’s also why the 2.05 valve shows only marginal gains over the 1.94, even with bowl work. This is an example where port-matching the intake face would be beneficial.
The exhaust side doesn’t have a pushrod bulge, but for this test the port exit was not enlarged, either. Nevertheless, further improving the exhaust flow without corresponding improvements to the intake flow is not recommended because it would be detrimental to optimum intake/exhaust flow balance (see sidebar).
Fully Ported
Finally, Hupp completely ported both the big- and small-valve runners. “Full porting” included the good valve job, intake entry and exhaust exit port-matching, bowl and short-side porting, and complete runner shaping and polishing. On the intake side, this resulted in peak flow numbers of 249 and 263.6 cfm at 0.700-inch lift for the 1.94 and 2.05 ports, respectively. Of course, the really big gains occur over 0.350-inch lift, but both valves are up throughout the entire tested rpm range. Flow peak to flow peak, we’re looking at a 19.7 percent increase compared to stock for the 1.94 port, and a whopping 26.7 percent increase for the 2.05 valve. The port saturation problem has been eliminated at least through 0.700-inch lift, the highest lift point tested.
Fully porting the 1.50 (small-valve) exhaust runner produced no discernable real-world advantage. Overall, it’s a wash compared to just bowl and short-side work. Compare that to the 1.60 runner, which flowed a whopping 217.4 cfm at 0.700 lift, up 58 percent over stock and 20 percent over the fully ported 1.50 runner configuration. The shape and overall contour of the exhaust side is critical; to maintain real-world driveability, the overall area (in square inches) of the exit should be equal to the area (in square inches) of the valve head. This means that the 1.50 port exit should not be enlarged to equal the 1.60 port’s cross-sectional area. The new small-valve-runner critical area is the limitation of the exhaust valve size itself.
Net Worth
These tests showed that stock-size valves work great in a stock-size port (as they were intended to), so long as you get a professional valve job. A good three-angle valve job in conjunction with bowl-porting is the most cost-effective mod; the small valves still perform adequately at this level of modification. For no-compromise fully ported heads, big valves are definitely the answer. If because of rules restrictions you’re valve size-limited, fully porting the intake side while only doing the short-side and bowls on the exhaust makes sense. In any case, match-porting isn’t required until after you’ve done the good valve job and bowl work. Naturally, this data is valid only for traditional small-block Chevy heads. Other makes and models (as well as aftermarket race heads) may respond differently.
Does More Flow Always Mean More Power?
Not necessarily. The big flow numbers must occur at a lift that’s commensurate with your camshaft. For example, if the flow gains occur primarily over 0.450-inch lift but your cam has only 0.447-inch lift (like the old 327/350hp L79 hydraulic grind did), they won’t do you much good. Overall top-end power might increase slightly, but the car might be a dog under part-throttle, daily driving conditions.
Huff points out that it’s important to consider the engine as a total combination. How much air and fuel the intake side of the heads suck in determines the engine’s peak horsepower rpm point. Decide what rpm you want to achieve peak power at, then have your porter optimize intake flow accordingly. Below is the basic equation relating the max theoretical horsepower rpm point with intake port flow, in cfm. The factor “1.68” converts common 28-inch-water-pressure-flow bench readings to 10 inches. Naturally, it can be algebraically reshuffled to solve for any desired missing variables. With the cylinder head flow established, it’s a relatively simple matter to select a complimentary cam, intake manifold, and carb.
You must also pay attention to maintaining the proper intake/exhaust flow ratio. According to Huff, the exhaust side determines the width of the powerband. The greater the exhaust flow as a percentage of intake flow, the narrower the powerband. He offers these guidelines that equate exhaust flow to the engine’s intended maximum operating rpm:
The cylinder head flow table includes both the theoretical peak horsepower rpm points for each stage of the porting mods described in this article (based on a 350ci engine displacement), as well as the exhaust versus intake flow percentages.
Flow in cfm @ 28in
1.68 x 2000 = Peak hp rpm Engine displacement (ci)
No. of cylinders
What’s It Gonna Cost Me?
That could be a $1,000 question, if you go the fully ported route. On the low-end, you’re looking at around $200 for a professional three-angle valve job with the existing 1.94/1.50 valves. Add bowl-porting and a set of big valves and you move up into the $500-$700 range. In terms of performance returned for this investment, the accompanying Price Vs. Performance graph is instructive. It compares the combined maximum intake and exhaust flow observed at each modification stage with the typical cost of those modifications. The data points with locations highest and farthest to the right represent the most return-per-dollar invested.
Also included on the chart are four popular aftermarket 23-degree valve-angle heads: GM’s late-model 350 “Vortec” LT1 head, Dart’s new “Iron Eagle” head, and two Air Flow Research aluminum heads. The combined flow data is taken from our sister publication Chevy High Performance’s recent extensive flow tests of popular aftermarket heads, and represents their as-delivered, out-of-the-box configuration. The purchase cost of used 041 heads is not included because we assume you already have a set of stock heads. Pricing for both the 041 heads and the Vortec heads does not include valvesprings or ancillary components. The other aftermarket heads are quoted as complete assemblies.
What a Port and Polish Does and How to Do it Yourself
What a Port and Polish Does and How to Do it Yourself
A port and polish job is one way to increase the power output of any internal combustion motor. Many people have heard the term before but fewer people know exactly what a port and polish job is or what it does.
Port and polish work is a relatively simple process and it adds power because of some relatively simple principals. First, we’ll look at what exactly port and polishing is and then how and why it adds power output when we port and polish a motor.
What is a Port/Polish Job?
Port/polish work is a relatively simple process that is performed on the engine’s cylinder head. First, the intake and/or exhaust inlets (ports) on the cylinder head are enlarged using a grinding or cutting tool. This extra room helps the engine to draw extra air into and out of the cylinders, mixing it with more fuel which means more power. The enlargement of the inlets is what is referred to as “porting”. The next step in the process is polish work. The enlarged ports are then smoothed over using a sanding or grinding tool. This removes flaws and/or obstructions from the surface of the inlets, allowing air to flow more rapidly into and out of the cylinders. This process is called “polishing”.
How Does this Help Make More Power?
Port and polish work helps the engine to make more power in three different ways.
By making the intake ports bigger, port and polish work removes restriction from the intake stream which makes it easier for the engine to draw in fresh air. The more air that is drawn into the engine, the more fuel can be mixed with it and burned, resulting in more power.
Removing imperfections in the surface of the intake tract reduces air turbulence in the intake port which allows air to enter the cylinder at faster speeds. These faster speeds not only allow the engine to breathe easier, they also help the fuel to mix with the intake air more completely once inside the cylinders, which increases burn efficiency.
Finally, a port and polish job can have the same effect on the exhaust stream as it does on the intake by removing restriction and increasing the flow capacity of the exhaust ports. The engine can rid itself of spent exhaust gases more efficiently, thus by reducing what is called “exhaust backpressure”, port and polish work helps decrease the amount of work your motor has to put in to getting rid of spent fumes.
Once you understand the process of port/polish work and the results of this modification, it’s easy to see how it helps engines make more power by increasing the efficiency of the intake and exhaust streams. Now let’s take a look at how you can do yourself!
Manual Porting & Polishing
Of course, the reason automobile manufacturers don’t port and polish during the assembly process is that, as you will learn, it is very time consuming. Computer Assisted Design has improved the shape of stock cylinder heads in recent years, but there is still some “free” horsepower and fuel economy to be had by “cleaning up” the intake and exhaust ports as well as removing some of the sharp edges from the combustion chamber as well.
Since an internal combustion engine is basically an air pump (and the more air you put in and take out, the more horsepower it makes, and the more efficient it is) the “free” horsepower provided by the porting and polishing operation makes more sense.
First of all, you will need good eye protection. You will also need an air compressor and an air-operated, high-speed grinding tool. It is recommended to use 80 grit sandpaper rolls to smooth the surface and match the ports to the gaskets. 80-grit sandpaper provides an excellent surface finish that is not too smooth and not too rough for the air/fuel mixture. In fact, a good port and polish job adds an additional 10 percent in both horsepower and in fuel economy, so it’s worth it.
Start by cleaning the ports and then painting them with layout fluid. Place the high-performance intake manifold gaskets and exhaust gaskets in place and secure them with the bolts or nuts. Use a scribe to mark the areas to be matched. Now remove the gaskets and use the rolls of 80-grit sandpaper screwed onto the mandrel attached to the high-speed, air-operated grinder to match the ports to the gaskets. Take it easy. If you remove too much material, you can ruin the cylinder heads.
If you need to remove a lot of material from the cylinder heads, it is recommend using a more aggressive tool in the die grinder, but be careful. Use the 80-grit sandpaper rolls to finish the port and polish job. As the sandpaper rolls begin to wear out, replace them with new ones, but do keep a couple of the tapered rolls for use later. Use the short mandrels with straight sandpaper rolls for areas near the outside of the ports, and use the longer mandrels with the tapered rolls of sandpaper for the inside work.
Now use a worn tapered sandpaper roll mounted on a short mandrel to polish the inside of the combustion chamber. Be careful not to damage the valve seat area and not to remove too much material as this can cause a loss in static compression–which can in turn, cause a loss of power.
When it comes to porting and polishing, less is more.
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