I needed hardened seats and bought a set via Advance online and was less than $200 a head, came rebuilt with hardened seats.....since my heads were nothing special was a lot cheaper than having them rebuilt. I have been running well over a year with zero issues. I did have to set up the springs as I am running a little performance cam but no biggie...they were pretty much bolt on for stock applications.

 

I started this thread on another FE Forum with experienced advice


Hardened valve seats on the D2 head question

 

What does post 14 say?

 

Neither one of us really made it clear how deep or shallow the hardened area was and wanted to make it clear that it may not be there anymore and also wanted to make it clear that it wont be a visible ring like an insert is

 

Got it. .Thanks

 

RJP

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  Re: Hardened valve seats on the D2 head question
  
  « Reply #6 on: April 16, 2015, 11:32:43 AM »

As Barry said one has to have a good touch to be able to tell if a seat is hardened. What I do is if the head is supposed to have hardened seats I lightly touch the seat with a gray finishing stone to see if it cuts or just sort of polishes the surface. The cutting sound and feel also will be a little different than on a seat that is plain iron. Most hardened seats should clean up with just a light surface cut and have little or no pitting normally found on unhardened seat. I recently did a set of D2 heads and the exhaust seats cleaned up with just a light touch of the stone. Be careful as the induction hardness is very shallow and any thing beyond a light, quick cut of the stone will grind thru the hard surface.






<hr class="post_separator"> Joe-JDC



Re: Hardened valve seats on the D2 head question

« Reply #7 on: April 16, 2015, 07:39:05 PM »


If you are lucky when the heads are cleaned, there will be a discoloration in a circular pattern around the exhaust seat area that has a blue/black tinge to it if the hardness has not been cut away. Looks like a piece of metal that has had a torch taken to it and then quenched in oil. You can visually notice the difference on a fresh/new head. Joe-JDC

 

Exactly which is why I had hardened inserts put in. They weren't expensive for the piece of mind as well as new guides which cost $85 for them. My rebuilt 360 to 390 including heads (original valves all good), block, all parts except my cam and lifters, including balance of the assembly at $295 cost me $2300. Out here in the Bay Area that isn't bad.

 

Okay any body come up with the real deal on 1975-76 360 heads??/ Do they have the hardened inserts rather than then induction harden

hardened seat insert


area under the valves ( Seats ) I'm trying to find a set of heads for my Fe ford engine that will handle unleaded fuel with out the worry of pounding out the valve seats I was under the impression that the 360 FE from 75 up had a hardened valve seat ( Inserted into the cylinder head not just induction hardened area around the valve seat area )So what I'm asking is do these heads have the hardened valve seat machined into the valve seat area

 

From the reading I've done I have come to the conclusion that Ford never put hardened inserts into any FE engine, and all D2 heads came with induction hardened seats.

 

Yes, that is correct. If you click on the thread titles in post #21, you can go to the thread and read more on the info there. You can purchase inserts and install them but there is a chance of breaking into the water jacket on install

 

Here's a ? Pitting? Black stained spots on the intake seats and black carbon in the intake ports, some carbon on the valley pan.

 

The carbon in the intake is normal, as is some on the valley pan. Even today's fuel injected cars get carbon build up in the intake. That is, unless they are direct injected. I'm not sure about the pitting or stained spots on the valve seats.

 

Thanks 62, I found out motor is a dealer 390 long block, heads have one side guides installed the other side not, head gasket installed backwards from them drivers side , a couple of valve spring shims not there where as 14 others have .60 washer under spring . Rear pass cyl scored heavy grooves