oval or rectangular ports on heads?

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Oct 20, 2006 | 11:29 AM

cjben

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From: Midwest

oval or rectangular ports on heads?

I am needing to order a set of header gaskets for my '85 351w windsor in my 78f100. when i go to place the order,I need to know if the exhaust ports are rectangular or oval. how do i know this if I don't take the exhaust off? what years were oval and which were rectangular thanks,Ben

Oct 20, 2006 | 11:54 AM

loudfords

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From: Beachville, Ontario

I thought oval vs. rectangular was big block Chev stuff. I believe the Windsor exhaust ports were the same (or close) all the way from 60s to 90s?

Oct 20, 2006 | 12:37 PM

Conanski

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From: Ottawa, Ontario

All the windsor heads have small rectangular exhaust ports. Only the big block stuff has oval ports....

Oct 20, 2006 | 08:30 PM

cjben

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ok,thanks guys. the summit racing website offers rectangular or oval port gaskets for the 351w,i will go with the rectangular.

Oct 20, 2006 | 09:05 PM

TigerDan

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From: The hills of No. Calif.

For some reason they make headers and gaskets with oval ports for these engines, and have for years. I would suppose it's a better configuration for anti-reversion...

Only get oval port gaskets if you have oval port headers (which still fit the rectangular port heads.)

Oh, and there is an oval port head, it's the GT-40P as found on the '97-up Explorer/Mountaineer 5.0

Last edited by TigerDan; Oct 20, 2006 at 09:08 PM.

Oct 21, 2006 | 08:54 AM

P51D Mustang

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AFR's SBF heads use an oval exaust port too.

Oct 21, 2006 | 11:49 AM

Conanski

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From: Ottawa, Ontario

I assumed the OP was using factory heads.....

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Nov 15, 2006 | 06:07 PM

Fordbyford

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From: North Carolina

Hey there I have a 1996 Ford Bronco 351W EFI auto trans and I have bought a pair of hedman long tubes for it and when they came in today I relized that the ports on the headers are oval and the ports on the cylinder heads are square, do you think I could still use these headers on my application?

Nov 15, 2006 | 06:09 PM

#10

baddad457

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From: south louisiana

Yea, the ports are larger than the head's ports. Not a problem.

Nov 15, 2006 | 06:21 PM

#11

Fordbyford

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From: North Carolina

You know where I can buy the right gaskets that will make these seal nice and tight?

Nov 15, 2006 | 06:31 PM

#12

baddad457

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From: south louisiana

Use Headmans gaskets, or try your local Advance Auto, Autozone, etc to see what they stock. I used a set of aluminum "sandwich type" gaskets on mine, don't recall who made em, but they work great and are reuseable. Expensive at 20-something dollars a set, but worth it. Bought em at Autozone I think.