Great explanation of the work involved with the installation of new guides, machining the oil-seal down, and getting the new valves ground and fitted.. Great work sir!!!
I do think I should say more. Before you pandemic I was never a RU-vid watcher. I started looking for and watching RU-vid standing in my garage at an old iMac, I am an IT guy and sit all day. I found you and have watched most of your videos and learned lots. Between you and ViceGrip Garage, and VG friend channels I found relief. I found you very informative and instructive. It was a heck of a 2020 summer, fall, and winter for all and I thank you for your maybe unknowingly support. Again Thank You. Regards Brad
Thanks, I forgot what casting number I had. 427 is a no brainer. My friend was totally happy with his 325hp 396 build with the 787's. Ran smooth all the way to California and back. Since he ran a Q-jet it was a functional near # match with the $50 back of a truck barn find. The Long block. Only needed 10/10 polish. Seats and some guides. Very slight ridge so, Hone and stock bore. You gotta love guys who did oil and filter, like clock work. And sadness when the car is insurance totaled.
Enjoying your videos ,very informative . great advice on cam selection . still waiting for that clevor.nice that they make heads for this combination now.back in the day we had to modify iron heads. Manifolds were almost nonexistent.but they made great power.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge I got a couple sets of 781 head guess I better hang on to them! I got a 468 with goog parts and balanced along with hyd roller cam from Howard's Cams I've always gotten great performance with them ! Great machine work and instruction on how to correctly install large valves.
HAve followed your uploads - thoroughly enjoy the content. Just noticed, your channel has eclipsed 100K sub! You definitely earned it. Congrats to you! Thanks for sharing and keep the content coming.
I am between shops right now sold my property a while ago looking fr new house/shop so it's kind of tough to do Vid's but I do plan on resumeing I am about to do the 351Clevor engine Video at a friends shop
I appreciate all the videos you put out, long time subscriber and avid viewer. Could you do a video on piston knurling? This is kind of a lost process that could potentially save someone hundreds of dollars when they are refreshing a motor that could clean up with a honing but drive it a touch beyond piston to wall clearance spec. Thanks!
For lowest buck build use the 236 peanut port heads. Have the intake valve swapped for the bigger 2.19's. Leave the exhaust alone. Open the ports up slightly by bell mouthing the port about a inch in. You can then clean up the bowls for better flow, especially the ridge just under the valve. When done you got an incredibly responsive head that will make power to 5500-5600 rpm. Perfect for the street. Then, start saving up for Brodix Race Rite aluminum oval port heads. 😳👍
I really enjoy your vids, ( I think those cam selection ones superb ) thanks for all the good info. I have a question from "Blocks 101" but it came out in 2014 and I didn't think you would see it. ( I don't know how youtube works ) I have a straight edge, and the feeler gauge test shows the line bore to be good on my 454 with the main caps torqued down and not torqued down. ( it's about a 1" ground rod for this purpose ) They mic round with my dial bore gauge. The part that bugs me is when I hold two main caps together (the bases that mate to the block ) they're not square. There's an air gap of about .006" starting at the hole and tapering to the end on both sides. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you for your videos! You definitely help people understand how things are done and why they cost us. What are your thoughts on the 241 casting and did they have induction hardening on the exhaust seats?
Man you make it look so easy! I guess that’s how it is when you really your stuff huh! Where are you located I need some work on a couple of my engines
Thanks for the great video...very educational. I have a set of 215 (109cc) semi-closed chamber oval port heads and a stock 454 block with flat tops and a mild cam(268/280 .520 110). I'm looking for a good pump gas street engine. Calculated C/R is around 9:1...mill the heads to bump that up or leave it as is?
Do larger valves always help? Do big valves help or hurt bottom end? Does a small cam benefit from larger valves? I have theories, but want to hear more.
well it kind of depends on the engine on a 454 or 496 thet definitly help the bigger the valves are the more lift your cam needs the is actually a ratio between lift and valve size
I have a question about the induction hardened seats. Can an older head have them hardened or do you have to have hardened seats inserted? I have a pair of ported and polished194 fuels and they need guild work. I read it's not worth the cost. I'm figuring since they need work and they need to have the guilds cut adding the seats should not add to the set up time as much. I read if, I just put in the additive that's going to work fine since this is not an everyday driver. What is your take on this matter?
My buddy in high school had a 396 Chevelle 70 model I had a 74 Nova 350 2 barrel stock.. I would pull away from him every time from a dead stop both vehicles were pretty much all stock nothing no power adders...
Quick question, did the 73 Ford 302 typically come with hardened seats? I’ve gotten mixed answers but I’m sure you’ve seen your fair share. I’m glad I found your channel, I’ve definitely learned a lot. Thanks, keep it up sir.
chambered heads, they make 9/1 compression with flat tops and steel shim gaskets. Plus you get good swirl for better combustion. What's your take on closed chambered heads?
Closed chamber oval ports work great as long as you unshroud the intake valve at the chamber wall. You can get roughly 9.7:1 compression with flat tops, zero decking and mls head gaskets.... My 702’s had 98 cc chambers, but after unshrouding they were 100 cc’s.... they were measured before and after....also have 2.19”/1.88” valves
I had a set of 049 heads redone with these valves sizes and new guides, and had to get seat inserts put in them on the exhaust, my question is do the 049 heads have induction hardened seats like the 781 heads? Mine didn't it had three sunk exhaust valves when I pulled the engine apart.
@@davidcallahan5157 I honestly don't remember it was back in 2006 when I did them. Dont think new exhaust seats and new guides was to bad, I had another guy do the 4 angle intake valve job and 3 angle exhaust and he pocket ported and flowed them. Very impressive flow numbers when he got done over the stock 2.07 and 1.72 valves. I went with 2.19 and 1.880. But I might of went overboard on valves in a 454 as I'm using the engine for a tow engine and maybe I should of went with 236 peanut port heads but I didn't have any at the time just these 049 and 781 heads.
Can the seats be hardened later? Suppose you obtained a set of pre-unleaded heads. Is there an induction fitting that would allow one to harden the seats, or you stuck with grinding the seats out and putting in an insert?
Yeah if you spend countless thousands on the induction machine. You should also temperature set the heads when induction hardening. It is far cheaper for the typical end user to just machine out pockets for hardened inserts on non-hardened heads, or if you just happen to need to repair a hardened seat head.
@@Myvintageiron7512 Thanks! I would love to see you do a video comparing the differences between the ls engines and the differences in bore and stroke between the 4.8 and the 5.3 and the 6.0. And maybe comparing them to the bores and strokes of the older Chevrolet engines. I also really like the Q and A videos you did. Keep up the good work I hope to see more videos from you!
I have closed chambered heads, they make 9/1 compression with flat tops and steel shim gaskets. Plus you get good swirl for better combustion. What's your take on closed chambered heads?
@@Myvintageiron7512 I can vouch for that. I ported a set of 3904390's with bigger valves, solid flat tappet cam, and I had to reinforce the passenger head rest.
I got major geometry issues, I believe my valve length is at least .5 to long for my 1.7 rockers because mid lift put my rocker travel path on the very outer edge of valve, after market heads. Cant find any info
@@Myvintageiron7512 Sorry I didnt clarify that very well, I'm trying to determine pushrod length by first setting proper rocker arm geometry, when I set the rocker arm @90 degrees midlift travel path is on the outside edge of valve stem, now if I shorten my pushrod .75 or more I can achieve travel in center of valve. But I'm not even close to 90deg @ midlift at that point, I either need longer rocker arm studs and a custom size rockerarm or shorter valves, or I just Ignore the 90degrees @ midlift
I have a question about what guides to use. Is there certain materials that don't work together such as you using stainless steel valves. Those thin guide inserts u used were they cast or bronze or what material??
They are a cast Guide, but they are what is called a chilled guide the freeze them to a very low temp during manufacture this hardenes them, they also have an oil spiral cut in them (not a Knurl) for better lubrication they are fine for stainless valves bronze works as well
I got my 454 up and running with the 049 heads and 2.19 and 1.88 valves. I'm really not impressed with the low rpm power or torque on it. I don't think its going to tow shit. Looks like I should of used the peanut port heads and standard valves, what u think for towing, I really screwed up.
the big valve upgrade with 049 is definitely a higher RPM Hot Rod thing the peanut port heads are definitely more suited to towing but it's an easy fix the P port heads are a dime a dozen and the big valve heads can be sold for pretty good money
If you have a mid 70's 454 with flat top pistons, would it be worthwhile to go to 3964290 (101cc) closed chambered heads from 346236 (120cc) PP open heads? Any guess what the increase in compression may be with the 290 heads?
I ran a 454 flat top piston with the 290 heads for years with a mild flat tappet camshaft in a 3200 lb car with a good converter 410 gear in a car always ran 11.20s.to 11.40s
To much motor for the truck? ROFLMFAO!!! Fit just fine in mine, yet ain't enough motor yet!! It will be though!! 781's only flow to 550 lift, then you get reversion! Without extensive port work, there's no way they'll out flow a rec port head! But, if you're a street only guy, then they're the way to go if you're staying in the 6 - 6.5K rpm and below range. If you're looking for big power from an old GM head, and over 6500 rpm, then rec ports are the way to go. And just a note about "cheap" old iron heads... I'm building a set of 781's right now, and before port work, I'll have as much into them as I would if I just purchased a set of aluminum aftermarket heads that would outflow them all day! But, because of the class racing I do, I can't use aftermarket heads. Something to think about.
First off you didn't test the valve guide to see if they were worn. No point in doing all that work if you don't have to. Second, the large oval closed chamber heads give 9:1 compression on a stock 454 with steel shim gaskets.
