Porting cylinder heads to optimize engine performance | Hagerty DIY 

This head ended up on our Tri-power Pontiac Redline Rebuild. Check out the video to see the whole process and hear the engine run! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-dpEzczHlmBQ.html

Davin would make a good dentist. Just needs a smaller grinder.

I have ported several sets of heads over the years. Definitely is an art that takes patience. And well worth doing.

This man is pure gold. We need people like this to teach us, amazing content! Thank you!

Keep this guy. He has a great voice, super clear, and engaging.

When you said “just use your common sense” I had to chuckle thinking about how a lot of people don’t seem to have any sense, let alone any common sense. I didn’t let it go there, I thought about it a little more and realized that most of the folks that watch this channel actually have a lot of sense when it comes down to it. If anyone doesn’t think so, just read the comments! Thanks Davin for a good video to watch, happy grinding!

I always put a vacuum cleaner in the other end of the port I’m grinding, helps keep things clean removes any debris. Makes it easier to see what you’ve done, a good head light helps too.

Another option along the lines of a Dremel tool: the professional’s version of a Dremel...the Foredom flexshaft grinder. They sell a handpiece with a 1/4” collet, perfect for burrs. Used one many times for ski boot fitting, nice part about them is they come with a foot pedal speed control.

A good tip when porting heads is to occasionally dip the burr in Johnson's Paste Wax. It helps keep them from clogging up with material especially aluminum.

Slide a short length of vinyl tubing onto the shank of the long burr to protect the valve seats

I really just appreciate you Davin and the team. It keeps me motivated to get back to the shop and do all the little things to be able to enjoy my cars! Keep up the great work

You are the first person I have watch with a diy. That explains that you can mess them up. And you can get more performance for taking it somewhere. Very nice diy!!

I would never try this on my own but my biggest takeaway from this video is that trick with your flashlight. Absolutely genius.

As always, professional advice from Davin. Thanks

Love these longer videos, indepth and well explained!

I have a cylinder head I'm planning to port and polish for the 292 six in my hot rod 1-Ton Chevy, and I really appreciate the time and detail that went into explaining how to do it! Thank you very much.

Oh wow, that last bit about shaving off the casting to help oil drain is a gem. Thanks for the tip!

think its funny that the insurance company that refuses to insure cars with modified engines is posting vids on how to modify your engine for performance

Thanks! This video is amazing... pure information here. No BS/garbage, straight to the point with tips and pointers that only an experienced mechanic would know. Keep up the good work!

Great mini-tutorial for folks that have heard talk about porting and polishing the heads but only had a vague idea of what it really meant. Thanks again for the high quality content!

Amazing video! I know how challenging it can be with recording the tiniest of details whilst still being able to work on it and show us what you are doing. I believe you did an excellent job on showing us the fundamental basics to the process in such a digestible manor that a beginner could easily understand and would be able to replicate the process exactly as shown.

I've done this process to several small OPE engines in the past. It makes a world of difference in the aspects of overall performance. Never done this on a automobile but I do have a set of heads I pulled off my Subaru and a block that I want to build up for a spare engine :-)

You sir are the one that majorly improved my understanding of head flow and porting. I watched this video years ago but just now found it again. Thank you for all you have taught me with only this one video. Oh and I have no clue why I didn't subscribe years ago.

Always learning something new here. The details that make all the difference. Thanks!

I love porting. You get so much satisfaction from doing it and good free power that makes a difference, porting with a cam is the best. The exhaust side is the best but the longest to do when it's all polished up nice and shiny

I did this then polished the ports as well myself on my Chrysler slant 6 in 1976 as well as the headers. It took a while but awsome results. 🇭🇲🦘🐨🇭🇲

I was real surprised at both the toque and power gains I got out of my Honda Civic 1.6 16v head after I ported it, 3 angled the seats and backcut the valves. People said I would use up a lot more fuel. Rubbish I only loose about 1 kml. But now accelerates going up hill in 3rd gear. Not bad for just a daily driver.

Great video! I’ve ported heads before, but this shows the basics, and you explained it clearly. Kudos!

Finally something not fake!! Thanks for the great video! Sure beats watching the news feeds! I like all your productions their educational and entertaining. Thank you, I recommend them to everyone.

What's fun if you have access to a bench flow tester is what the numbers are before and after deburring the ports and if you want to know the percentage difference polishing effects the flow also you can check it.

THANKS! Your guidelines and showing the process translate to lots of different porting jobs.

You would make a great lecturer in mechanics. Thanks again.

My dad is an engineer at Ingersoll Rand, so every-time I see a car show or some sort of famous car company using or representing IR, it's awesome.

Great job, good to see some basic performance stuff out there! 👍

What I like is your no B.S. approach to porting and the tips are those from an experienced engine builder. Thanks

Definitely an eye opener and great instruction to a novice and or pine that's curious. I'm in to doing it yourself more than paying so this tid bit helps. I always feel it's better to know even if you pay for work. Knowledge is far less costly just time consuming yet a greater satisfaction. This helps greatly in building my own motorcycle engines abd racing them. Thanks a bunch

Thanks davin for the info I can imagine the performance you will get from just porting cylinder heads, thanks nicholas.

Love it - DIY head porting 101.

This would have to be the best video regarding how too port heads I've found! Cheers man

Thanks, Hagerty, most interesting & informative video. Thanks also to Commenters, below, for helpful info . All the best from the UK.

Jafromobile had an amazing diy port and polish job... Thank for the video

Thank you very much for these kind of videos, they are very helpful and gave me confidence to go and try it myself.

This is a great video for a DIY'er like me. Exactly what I need to know - the "low hanging fruit" that is quick and easy (well, my time, maybe a small $ on tools) but gives appreciable performance gain, vs the high fruit of big dollars for a pro shop to do it (not worth it for me). Thanks a lot for a clear and concise video!

Seeing this just in time--will be into that aspect of rebuild very soon. Thanks!

great video thank you! the snap-on die grinders have superb speed control...

Хорошая речь, и грамотные термины. Хотя все это мы знаем давно. Однозначно жирный+! Спасибо.

That was a great tutorial. Thank you for posting it and greetings from Arizona.

Best porting vid I've found. Great explanations also.

Yup, you said exactly how to port the head. I’m glad that you weren’t over the top and making it seem impossible for DIYers to try on our own! So thank you 🙏🏻 well said and well done 👍🏻!!!

Great straight to the point fabrication video!

This is soo interesting! I’ve always wanted to know how to port and polish. Thank uou!

rookie diy'er here, thanks for the info I thought it was awesome info. Thanks for using a flashlight too when demo'g your porting. cheers

Thank you for your tutorial and explainations of... clean is smooth and smooth is faster

Now I know what the Beach Boys meant in their song, "Little Deuce Coup" when they said ..."she's ported and relieved, and she's stroke and bored...". I always wondered what it meant, and now I even could try it on my 1965 Kohler K 241 single cylinder cast Iron engine block when the machinist bores it .20 over. Thanks for the VERY informative video!

Thank you for sharing this technique. 🇨🇦😎

Great Job with the tutorial, I learned a bunch. Thanks a lot.

Hagerty, Awesome DYI! One small request from me and I hope from some of your viewers as well. In a video like this, it would be nice to see the end result with some close-up shots. Also, idea, to reflect how things change performance-wise. Something like before-after.

Thanks for this excellent video. I gave me the confidence to give it a try.

Wow all makes so much sense, nice Video thanks very much.

Thank you for sharing your talent.

From someone with literally thousands of hours on the porting bench, this is a good tutorial for a beginner that wants a decent gain.👍🏻🍻

Very informative and very professional...........! Thank you.

i like this guy no nonsense straight to the point and useful info along the way

I ported a Vauxhall Astra and had head skimmed . Then I noticed the car had been stolen :-) It was an old car , I didnt think anyone would want it . Nice video I can tell you are a decent guy . THANKYOU.

That moment at the end when it cut to Davin laughing and I was laughing the same way ... awkwardly awesome!

You've given the best video on head porting

hit key points and easy to understand. Thank you

I've done several heads cleaning them up it said it has been working on now is on A 318 I figure it'll take me at least 2 days to get them all ported out but just like you said patients I intend to do so I'm going to help make my motor run even better I'll send you comments when I'm finished with it thank you for all the advice

It's also recommended (and required for a machine shop) to do the porting first, and only then the valve seats. This way you don't have to worry too much about damaging the seat, which is a precision machined piece that must seal 100%. As an example of time, I ported a set of sbf heads without prior experience in about 10-12 hrs and lapped all 16 valves in about 5 min per valve - again, no prior experience so it took longer.

Nice video. It makes me think why sometimes you should get a different cylinder head. Take my beloved 5.0. It had a 1985 truck head on it. So bowl work and port work were both needed.

I ported and polished a number of heads almost 45 years ago at my first job out of high school. I did have one Chevy head I blew through the push rod hole. One customer decided to do his own port and polish on his heads "AFTER" we had done substantial work cutting new bosses for his valve springs and new valve guides. He had to buy another 351W head and pay us to port it AND do the machine work that was done on the original head. He also paid me to polish his aluminum intake manifold at home.

Very helpful video. I remember my brother doing this to his 70 1/2 camaro 350 heads back in the day. I now understand better what he was doing and why he was doing it. Thank you!

Thank you for this geat video. It's very helpful, the way you explained everything and showed how to do it . I am very familiar with the Chevrolet small block but never have ported heads before and I want to do it . I believe I can do it now , according to your video of instructions. I know I can buy new heads and /or take them to a machine shop for the porting and etc , but I'd like to do it myself.

This is an excellent video ! Lots of useful information concisely presented, with demonstration, without added "theater".

Excellent video, thanks.

mate your teaching is gold ....... love it

Doing it yourself is the best feeling . Some people can see & feel massive gains . All it will cost you is your time & the price of Dremel kit if you don’t have have one already laying around . even just detailing the ports with a sanding wheel to smooth the casting surface & removing the ridge in the bowl next to the valve seats can give you a few CFM if your careful. Changing the shape changes the flow obviously so you can’t get carried away during the detail job unless you can get them flow tested to confirm your helping/hurting performance. ✅.

Did similar back in the late 80s with 2.3L simple 1980 mustang 4spd , standard overhaul and original head . 28mpg decent power for TALL rear gears . 55mph ; 2100 (+/-) rpm STIFF . did similar porting to second stock head and changed over later in same year . no tire squeeling , but the TORQUE went wild . fewer shifts , hill climbs without shifting , loaded at hiway speeds .... mileage dropped to 24 , but it was FUN and more controllable . winter driving in northeast much easier when can leave a gear higher and slowly "walk up" to speed . miss that old pony . 2lane passing was a BREEZE ; just GO!

Excelente demostración Hagerty, saludos desde Venezuela..!

Excellent video .For a beginners. Now get into advanced porting.

Thanks for the helpful video!

Very cool video!! Love the use of the coloring compound to locate valve contact area. Ive always just used a sharpie. Some of my biggest gains, have been from work in the combustion chamber after port work of coarse, by removing any edges above the valve seats, and making a nice smooth radius, all the way around the top of the valve seat for the air to flow over under the valve. Plus removing any pitting in the chamber, then polishing, so you get a nice strong explosion that is able to spread out without resistance, instead of hitting hills and valleys. This also helps lower pinging at higher compressions, pre-ignition, and places for carbon to build up. If your trying to keep high compression, don't remove too much, just smooth it out, but if your trying to lower compression, you can take the bowl all the way out to where the gasket sits, and give that a nice smooth radius to the gasket. You can make a home made flow bench after you carbide all ports, before you move up in grit, to correct any differences in the port flow, to even them out. I like to think of port work, like a water slide. Pretend you are sliding over the seat, and down threw the port on the exhaust side, and upside down on the intake side. The area you would slide is the area you want to concentrate the most on. What is in your way, and what would make you slide faster, rough gritty surface with holes and sharp edges, or a smooth unobstructed polished one? A lot of gains to be made by working around, in front of, and behind the valve guide, so air can flow around it easier too, some heads you can cut them flush with the port. If your port splits into two ports, knife edge the split, so the air doesn't hit a wall, or tumble behind one. Couple tips, don't turn your tool on until your burr is in below the seat, and turn it off before you pull it out, and put a few layers of tape around your chuck, so when your concentration is on your burr, your chuck doesn't knick your seat. New seats can be cut, but your gunna have more machining groves to remove in the bowl after new seats are cut. If you do go threw a oil or water passage, this can be fixed, by welding in new material, or Z-Spar, or Moroso A+B epoxy. These methods have been used at a professional level for port shaping and repairs in race engines for years. When done correctly they can withstand the heat, pressure and chemicals. To fully work a port to polished state, your looking at 6-8 hours each. Good tools and experience can knock that time down a great deal.

Did a set of 318 heads, glass smooth exaust side slight texture to intake side amazing difference, did sring for new valves and guides.

Two thoughts after watching this. First, I’m assuming you’d want to knock that sharp edge down that you created on the intake side? Thats a sharp corner for the air coming in to climb over. Second, when using that long carbide bit, you could always use a small wet rag around the shaft to put your hand on and guide closer to the end, so you won’t get that chatter because you can apply more even force close to your work, and the wet rag would lube and prevent friction. Overall, I’m new to these videos, great work, and of all people on the internet, this guy is near the top of my list of people I’d love to have a few beers with

Thanks Davin. Cheers guys it's interesting. 👍

Great video, head gasket blew on my 2.3T Lima so I may as well get in there!

Definitely an art form. Maestro

An artist always makes his art look easy. This man is an artist and his extensive experience comes pouring as he works.

thank you for good tips in engine porting

extremely well done video

Very helpful. Thanks so much!

CNC, flow bench, CFM digging are insane, but those only exist because of Pure roots, technic and hands-on like this great video!... And we all know the difference between drive/ride a car/bike we did by hand versus a machine-made.

Greetings from Mexico City, teacher of teachers, excellent contribution, very useful, thank you for sharing your knowledge.

thanks for sharing these skills

A lot of good info.keep up the good work

I took a Dremel and removed all the casting defects in a 250f motocross bike and did an overall mild port I polished the exhaust side and just did like you said thought about how the air naturally wanted to move and guys in the forums made fun of me one guy offered to “fix it”but I sent photos of my jetting and Dynojet numbers to the admin of the forum and proved that anyone with the balls and patience can do it ,,,,,,I took a brand new casting and cut into it most guys buy used heads because they want to save money ....and here I am cuttin one up but it worked great and that Kawasaki kx250f has a stock compression forged wiseco piston running pump 93 making just as much power as the guys running 110

Im going to practice with an extra head before i start my build ..great info thanks

Good ins company we in a csr blew up and they paid the claim quick and efficiently great video

Very educational. Thank you.

Interesting, relaxed informative: what a combination!