I've mentioned you could port the EFI exhaust manifolds for a little more performance. And I can't remember who but someone was asking for pictures of ported manifolds.

I ported a couple sets of manifolds before but that was quite a few years ago and I didn't have any pictures. Last fall I bought a single EFI exhaust manifold off ebay for $10 or $15. I bought this just to do some porting on it.

I was bored today and it was dry out ( but still cold ) so I thought I'd start on this. I spent around two hours working on this. I just did a quick rough cut on it. I worked on the port openings and the outlet. If I was going to run this I'd do a much more thorough job( farther in and more detailed ) and would also polish it.

What I used to port this is a Makita electric die grinder. I also picked up an old speed controller off ebay. I also used a couple carbide burs and some 80 grit sanding rolls.





It's a E7TE manifold. Here's some pics of what I started with.





Port openings before:







Port openings after:














Outlet before:





Outlet after. You could go larger on it but it would remove some of the sealing area. If I was going to run this myself I would probably go larger.






I also ground down the exterior casting lines.

 

Hey Fordman, thanks for posting this! I've been toying with this idea for my engine build. I love the idea behind the EFI manifolds and want to open them up for my engine, so this kinda stuff is right up my area of interest.

 

No problem. I like doing porting & polishing a whole lot more then the actual mechanical work. That and metal fabrication. Most people think it's tedious and boring. I don't know why, but I really enjoy it. I just start working on the stuff and kind of get in the zone. I've got 6 or 7 240 heads and a couple 300 heads just waiting for me to go to town on them.

If you want to try porting the manifolds, I say go for it. If you port your manifolds and they don't perform the way you want, they can always be swapped out for headers. If you want to go all out on the porting of the manifolds. Make sure to have a good light and you'll want the 6" long sanding roll mandrel. And the 6" carbide bur isn't a bad idea either. This will allow you to get farther into the manifold and in the runners. You'll also want the 4" mandrel and 3" carbide burs. You can also use grinding stones, cross buffs, etc.

When you are porting let the tools do the work don't apply much of any pressure. Also always keep it moving. Don't sit in one spot. Otherwise you'll dig a trench. Just keep removing a little material at a time until you get it where you want it.

 

I was asking, or at least one of them. Thanks for posting!

Could you post a pic of the carbide bits you used?

 

Agreed, that'd be great! I'm putting a list of tools together that I need to get.

 

I didn't take any pictures of the carbide burs I used. If you guys want to see them, I'll take some pics of them tomorrow.

The carbide bits I used were a 3" & 6" double cut tree shaped carbide burs. I got mine from Eastwood tools a long time ago.

Here's a link to the 6" one:

Carbide Burr SF5L6 Tree Shaped 6"


This link is for the short one I used.

Carbide Burr SF-5 Tree Shaped

 

Thank You! Those links are great; no need to take pics of the ones you used -

 

Thanks for this! I've got a set waiting to go on the truck and they are definately getting ported a litte beforehand. Its nice to have some pics to reference

 

Don't get that set from Eastwood. They are junk. I bought a set of them a year or two ago. Three of the four failed within seconds after touching metal and the other one I haven't used. They replaced them and one of the replacements did the same thing instantly. Haven't used the others. Not worth the effort to get another replacement. Buy some good ones so you can actually get through a job with them. I also got their set of extended shank cutters and they are so far out of balance you can't use them in anything other than a low speed cordless drill. A die grinder is out of the question.

 

Like I said, I bought these a while ago ( over 5 years ) . And I didn't buy mine in a set of burs. They use to offer a deluxe porting kit with sanding rolls and a bur. My electric die grinder turns 25,000 rpms at full speed. It just explodes the sanding rolls at full speed. That's the reason I bought the speed controller. I set it about 3/4 speed with the burs and 1/3 to 1/2 speed for the sanding rolls. Never had a problem with the balance on the burs. The only one I've ever broke was a single cut one for aluminum. I was working on a part (non automotive ) that was aluminum cast on a steel shaft. I slipped and bumped the steel shaft.

If they list a speed limit on the burs where you buy them, you need to follow that limit. Over the limit and they will likely break.

But there are definitely better quality burs out there. But the price is also going to be much higher. If you can afford the better ones they are the way to go. They will cut better and last longer. But not everyone is going to want to spend what the good burs can cost.





If you have a source for some good burs feel free to post the link.

 

These were rated at 30,000 rpm and my grinder turns 25,000. I notice they now advertise them with a 20,000 rpm limit, but seeing how they are assembled I doubt they will survive there either. They are two piece cutters that have the carbide cutting head JB welded to a plain steel shaft. The vibration of cutting will eventually weaken that bond and they will come apart. One of mine bent when I hit a void in the material I was working on because the shafts are cheap steel. That is also likely why the extended shank cutters are out of balance. The shaft steel is too soft and flexes enough under its own weight to cause an imbalance. For just a few dollars more you can buy one piece carbide burrs without these issues. There was a time when you could depend on Eastwood to sell quality products at good prices, but that doesn't seem to be the case any more.

 

That's not what I've got. Both of mine are 1-piece and are made in the USA.

Here's what I've got:




I have noticed Eastwood's customer service has gone done the crapper. The past couple orders I've made from their website I haven't received any shipping confirmation or tracking info. And when I emailed them to find out what was going on, nothing.

 

I'm not talking about what you've got, I'm talking about the set you posted a link to. They are junk.

 

They probably are, I never said they weren't

I posted the links to show the type/shape of bur I used. I wasn't recommending anyone buy those. But you can settle down I went back and edited/deleted the link to the set. I was able to find the link to the one I actually have. So I posted that one, does that make you happier?

 

And I posted that the set was junk just so nobody would buy them and think they were getting a deal on quality tools. Instead of leaving it at that you starting talking about all the things that had to be done to get them to last and implying that they broke due to misuse. I'm not unhappy, just don't see why you felt the need to make me defend my statement about the set. But now I do remember why I left this site years ago. Some things never change.