AW CRAP! Okay, so for the last few days i've been working on porting the heads of my 460 engine from an '89 F-450 Super Duty. Well, i figured out just how much material i could safely remove, or more specific, what was TOO much material to remove.

On one of the inake ports, i ground through into one of the coolant passages (on the bottom surface of the port, just as it curves down to the valve seat). Now, i realized what i did instantly, so i didn't make that big a gouge, most all of the material is sill there, it's just buckled in a little bit with a small sliver of an opening (I'll try to get a pic later)

Now, can this be fixed? Seeing as this is an intake port, so there's no 2000f exaust gasses, and while it will be subjected to the pressures from the coolant, it won't be takeing the pressure of compression or anything, my first instict is to putty some JB Weld on there, and count myself lucky. However, will that work? I haven't done anything to it yet, so i'm wondering if i can fix this, or would a shop need to fix it, or do i just junk the whole head? This was on the 4th inake port that i was porting, and i've spend about 3 hours per port (12 total), so i'd like to not have to junk it.

Thoughts?

 

If you went through that port I would wonder if you went too much on the other ports. Otherwise if you aren't proficient in welding or brazing i would take it to a shop and have them do it.

 

You can have this fixed most likely by a machinist. He can weld it back up. You are taking way too much material out. You might opt for a set of used heads from the junkyard and try again. This time talk to some of the guys in the 460 forum and see what they recommend for porting. You can remove a dustpan full of meatal from a set of heads and end up with less power than you started with. The idea is to make the path of air flow as straight of a shot as possible while still retaining as much port velocity as you can.

 

Eeeek, wasn't what i was hopeing to hear

Basicly what i was doing is griding the valve stem walls down a bit, removeing the sharp edge and makeing the general wall of the valve stem guide (or whatever it is) smaller, and where the passage turns to go down to the valve seat, that 90 degree turn or whatever it was, i was smoothing out that angle, removeing some of the material to make the turn a little straighter. I'll post pics the next time i'm in front of the heads.

Also, opening up the hole on the side where it meets the intake to be just smaller then the gasket hole. If i can't find a preformance intake for this engine, i'll do that to the intake as well.

On the 460, the port also jobs up a little bit before it goes down to the valve seat, and it was that little job upwards that i was trying to remove before i realized that it was there for a reason.

 

If you hit water I would junk them. Welding cast is a crap shoot at best. especialy when there is pressure, heat & water involved.

 

Welding cast iron is indeed an art. I think epoxy is the more common repair method.

 

Hey I might have a set of heads that you can have if you pay shipping I was building a 460 and changed for a small block heads have valves but no rocker arms

 

Your better off starting over with fresh heads, as Mark a said, welding cast iron in a port on the short turn radius doesnt usually work. Epoxy in an intake port wont work either, it just wont hold up, again that pressure, heat and coolant combo.

Before you get started on your new set of heads,You'll probably want to read as much information as you can on port work, as you can end up with worse flow than you started with if you dont port the heads properly.

 

AW its not that bad, I've seen guys grind them that far and epoxy or weld them back up. Just take it to a qualified machine shop.

 

Yeah midgett you can have them welded or epoxyed, but they just dont last, back to those heat, pressure, gasoline, and coolant issues.You will also end up blocking the coolant passages in the head under the short turn radius when you attempt to repair them. They may look purty when you get them back, but they will stat leaking within a fairly short amount of time and then you've wasted your hard earned dough and alot of labor, better to just chuck them and stat fresh.