BIGGER is BETTER.....RIGHT?

Here's the important question regarding cylinder heads and porting. Is bigger really better? The same could be asked about tires, carburetors, brakes, and bumpers, even sandwiches for that matter. This will be a short post now that I brought up sandwiches.

With heads here is the key: Everything in moderation. Bigger valves and ports breathe bigger air at bigger RPM. The question, however, is what does your engine need for the way it will be used? Make sense? The Ford 351 Cleveland 4-barrel engine had huge intake valves and runners. You could park a bus in those runners and still have a passing lane. And how did they perform? Terrible! They made very little power until 3500RPM. So they were sluggish at low RPM. The cure was to use the 2-barrel heads. The local dirt oval track racers that use 351C's never use the big heads. With valves, if you go too large, they will be shrouded up against the wall of the combustion chamber. Air will not flow in any volume in that area. With ports or runners some would-be porters just "hog" everything out as far as possible. Many times this will slow the air flow... not what we're after. We want velocity. Anything that slows the air flow is something we want to remove, not create. My next post I'll say some things about gasket matching and port matching. I can't wait. - Dr.Denny

Dr. Denny does custom head porting & polishing. For more information go to DR.DENNY.COM

TORQUE MOVES YOUR VEHICLE

It is true! Torque is what actually forces you down the road. When you step on the pedal, and your vehicle moves, what you are feeling is torque. What you need is lots of torque whenever you feel like it. That includes towing, racing, cruising, or just goofing around in traffic like we all do. The question is how to get more. There are many answers. Here are some: More cubic inches, longer stroke, higher compression, turbos, superchargers, blowers, headers, bigger valves, high rise intakes. Here are some other factors in getting that lovin' feeling from your gas pedal pushing: Lighten-up you car. Use aluminum or fiberglas body parts like doors, fenders, hood, trunk and bumpers. If you lighten up you car then less torque will be required to move that weight. This is an old trick. Another trick is to put an engine out of a big lead sled like a Lincoln or Cadillac into a smaller lighter car. It's that power to weight ratio we are trying to improve. So, less weight and more torque. Also remove any restrictions inside the engine that requires torque. Examples are; use roller rocker arms, light weight connecting rods, light weight flywheels and torque converters, aluminum engine parts, light weight and efficient exhaust systems, balance the rotating assembly, and port and polish the cylinder heads.

About that last one, an awful lot of power is used to move air through the head. Streamlining the air flow in the head is something that can't afford to be overlooked. I've ridden in cars with professionally ported heads and thought they had a turbo. I was stunned to find out there was no turbo or blower. I've ridden in small block Chevy trucks with ported heads and found out there wasn't a Big Block under the hood like I thought. Porting and polishing adds a lot of torque to your ride.

Dr. Denny does custom head porting & polishing. For more information go to DR.DENNY.COM

Port And Polish FAQ's

Q. How do I get my head(s) to you?
A. If you are within 200 miles, I'd say drive them here. Otherwise use UPS or a trucking company.

Q. Can I send my head(s) uncleaned or untested?
A. We highly recommend heads be tanked and magna-fluxed to check for cracks, that way many problems can be avoided.

Q. What is port matching or gasket matching and do I need it?
A. It's hard to tell without having your manifolds and gaskets here with your heads. Port matching is simply aligning the ports in the head with the manifolds, while removing any gasket material that gets in the way.

A completed Dr. Denny port and polish job

Q. Should I have my valve seats finished before the porting or polishing process?
A. Yes, that way we can shape and contour the valve bowls to match your seats.

Q. What if I have an old car like a Rambler or a Corvair or Dodge Dart, can they be ported, and is it worth while?
A. Yes! The power and RPM gain is like day and night. We've seen mileage increases of 50%, and RPM gains of 2,000 RPM. It's all about unleashing the potential.

Q. Do I need both porting and polishing?
A. Almost always the answer is definitely yes.

Q. Can you do one without the other?
A. Certainly. It's your call to make.

Q. Can I get a quote by phone or e-mail?
A. Yes. After we have looked over your heads.

Q. How much horsepower can my V-8 gain?
A. Anywhere from 25-150 horsepower

Q. What about gas mileage?
A. You will have more potential for fuel economy if you lighten up on that gas pedal and stop using that 25-150 extra horsepower.

Note the difference between the left and right sides of this job in progress.

Q. How long does it take to port and polish?
A. Usually between one day and one week.

Q. Can you port and polish based on by budget?
A. Yep! In the end we will give you more than your budget allows, (more bang for your buck), but yes, it will usually be based on your budget.

Q. When it comes to polishing, is shinier better?
A. Not always. It depends on where. Some places yes and some no.

Q. What if I still have questions?
A. We'll answer them! Contact us here.

Dr. Denny does custom head porting & polishing. For more information go to DR.DENNY.COM