I've been trying to build this 390 for a year now. Between the shop burning down and loosing 1 motor, and having some health issues, I finally have the bottom of the motor put together. I'm running 343901 cam, KB150 pistons, edlebrock performer rpm intake.

They put all new valves, springs, guides, seats, surfaced, and maged the heads. I went to put them on the block and noticed that some of the exhaust seats looked like they were different depths in head. So I put a straight edge across the stems and it looked like the rocky mountains. Not one valves is the same height. Is this bad? I figured that I could adjust with pushrods, but that is going to be a pain. Is there anything else that I can do? Or should I take the heads back down to the machine shop that did the work? They are C8AE-H heads.

Also does anybody know of a good machine shop that still does Fe heads? I don't think that I have one within 500 miles of me.

 

Did you do the work or have a machinist do it. I'd be up their *** if B. The valve job should include stem height correction. With new seats they should be in really close, I'd be "way ****ing concerned with the work at this point" Geometry is an issue with pushrod bondo. JMO...Right is right and you paid for right. Have'm make it right!

 

Do the valves have a margin sitting above the seat? You have to convince me these jokers won't make things worse than they are.

Where does Scouder get work done? It has to be closer than Colorado.

 

x2---it's even more important with an FE cause of the shaft rockers, some engines can tolerate a little variation but not an FE.

 

Sounds to me like the shop was a ho hum shop... Sounds like they ground the valeve seat the old fashion was just with a couple of quick change stones a Guide and an Air drill ... the way I have done it ..was in the mill with a stop set for depth of cut at different angles... and then taken the tallest valve when the heads were mocked up with the valves.. "That" would be the valve sitting deepest in the seat..and ground tipped them all that length on that side and repeat on the other side !

Also when useing the Hand grinder..with a new set of Valve's or even Valve's that have been re-faced all the same.. In a Serdi Valve lathe...when grinding your angles in the seats you take a fresh Valve and make 4 chalk marks all the way around the valve..slide it in the seat..give it a 1/4 turn, and pull the valve back out to see "IF" your seating angle in the seat is in the center of the Valve ! Sounds to me like some hack did your valves job... Have you yet pulled the Valves to make sure that there all the same length?

~Russ

 

ABout 6 months ago I also had my heads redone complete and I found, just like the shop found that there are different valve spring retainers that hold the springs on. My valves also looked like the Rockies and I took the heads back. EPW was the parts house and the stocker/puller of parts did not look when he pulled the parts. There are at least 3 different types of retainers for my 429 so I would really look at these. You can see the difference with the naked eye.

 

The machine shop did all the work. They really don't want to stand behind it though. This machine shop has been in town for quite a few years, and I had quite a few recomendations to go there. Now after the fact I learn that they do mainly chevy motors.

They did a good job boring the block, but they installed the cam bearings wrong. They gave me a new set of cam bearings, which I installed the right way.I haven't pulled the heads apart yet to see if the valves are the same length. I think what they did was install the hard exhaust seats different depths in the head. It is pretty plain to see with the naked eye. And all the valves have a margin above the seat. I have another set of heads, just need to find a good machine shop. I will be taking this machine shop to court.

 

Retainers won't make the valve stem heights different, just the SPRING installed heights.

Sounds like a bad valve job. There's two ways of setting valve stem height. Get the valve seats all the same, or grind the valve stems.

Is it possible they had to grind the valve tips to straighten them out? Or are the seats themselves installed at different depths?

Usually, or at least, what I did on my 390 heads, was to setup the valve machine once for one seat and than do all the seat pockets to the same depth, using the same seat inserts, they all came out level.

But they do have to make sure the valves themselves are all the same length and that the valve lips are all ground the same.

Dunno, sounds like the shop is for ****.

 

Well Art even if they they put in new seats..Its not a garrantee all the seats were the same depth.. As to my mention of doing them on My mill and some shops do and some dont...and also when done in a hack job that makes you head CC's worse than they were from the factory also..

And sunken Heads will burn the seat out..and raised valves will burn out the head of the valve.. Its a No win Situation there.. Its not only critcal that the seats be kept the same height..and the lentgh of the valves (unless the heads have been worked) for a different canter (angle on them) and as far as retainer go.. its is possible to mix and match same Dia. reatiners with Ford.. And have a different height not only on the spring steps..But also on the Head Dia. with the same size I.D. for the stem on the Valve..

When I had the shop we saw all kinds of crap come in like that...and some said "IT" came factory like that?? I kind of Doubt it?? But I have seen stranger things happen..And I have also seen 10* retainers with 7* locks in them too.. How about a 10* retainer with a single groove 7* keeper in it!! (Lock)

But too lock the problem down without see the parts myself..Its a Crap shoot at best !! I dont know what you have invested in the heads as they sit? And what you can or will spend on getting a set right? But Never take a Recommended Shop ! a Ford FE part without seeing there work first..I know you dont need to hear that after the fact!

But Every Machinst I know thats Half Azzed and trying to make a buck for his boss and himself will always say !! YEAH...I can do that... But the fact being "IF" they have ever done another in house Valve job..they should have known what the Hell they were doing..

Did they check your old Spring pressures? or did they just shove some shims in ther and call it good? ***** I hate shops that act like that!! Off My soap Box Now Art!! LOL

~Russ

 

I once had a "reputable" machine shop (where I was the mechanic) replace the ehxaust seats on a rare aluminum head. I walked back to the machine shop and saw this idiot they hired working on my head (he had a guilty look on his face like a dog that knows it's in trouble). He was trying to pound out the seats with a chisel in through the port. I grabbed it from him (but not before he had knocked away much of the material under the seat) then grabbed him by the arm, not saying a thing,(he was at least 40, I was 19) walked over to the welder, laid a bead on the seat with the TIG, turned the head over tapped it and the seat fell out, then one word, "SEE".

I didn't work there much longer.

 

I guess I could measure the depth of the seats from the mounting surface of the head, that would tell me if seats are all the same depth, assuming they surfaced the head right. Then measure the valves and make sure that they are all the same height. The valve stems don't look like they have been ground on, but I wouldn't know what one looked like anyway.

They didn't check spring pressure, I just had them install new ones.

 

The still should have checked the installed height and made sure the cam/springs were a good match. On top of that with the majority of FE's having a non adjustable valve train "GMFBA" common sense says the tips should align using a straight edge. And should do so at a height that is a good geometric match for std length pushrods (the tappet should ride the center of the stem) if not it will push the valve stem to one side or the other wearing the guide and other parts out early.

 

Has anyone ever delt with dscmotorsports.com? I'm planning on buying a set of their rebuilt heads, was wondering if they did good work? Thanks

I took my heads back to the machine shop where they were done at. He said he would buy me a set of heads. Apparently they had hired a new guy that didn't know what he was doing. He doesn't work there anymore. Anyway the machine shop is going to buy me a new set of heads. He said he would spend $900 on another set. Just wondering if anybody has ever delt with dscmotorsports.com. Thanks

 

$900 to play with opens up some options. Summit Racing sells the bare 72cc Edelbrock heads for $525 each. You can buy CJ sized SS valves for a tick over $100. Swap your valve springs, get some ARP rocker studs and you'd need spring cups and have a bitchin set of aluminum heads. So if you can throw a little cash in yourself you might want to look into that option. Shop around and you might find some deals. Keith Craft every so often runs some specials on old inventory. I'd rather go that way than to spend $900 on stock iron heads. Since the guy is paying and all!! LOL. Just a thought....

 

Oh I'am with Glenn 100% on that... unless your racing in a class that requiers you to run Iron heads.....which I dont think you are.. for a couple hundred more, just step up to the Edheads..and loose the weight of the Iron and have it all be bran bonny rue new !

~Russ