Zenon is on the Studebaker web site. Even with 3 Studebakers I don't go there. Between the HAMB and Land Race. com I can't take any more computing. But he tells me that he has been told that improving the exhaust flow will not help a Stude V8 make more power. when I hear this I wonder if people are repeating what is "common knowledge" or if they are speaking from personal experience? I would guess that they are speaking of porting by conventional means. Which is a very different thing from this, and I would expect a lesser result by a lot. Or are they saying that because the intake is so poor, improving the exhaust is a wasted effort? Wish I knew what they are saying. I believe that any given engine that can be made to flow more air can burn more fuel and make more BTUs which results in more power. You would need a proper cam to take advantage of the reduced exhaust back pressure. And maybe a compressor to force air past the intake port. I don't know where Zenon is going with the intake. Time will tell I guess.
The exhaust port sure looks good to me, but what do I know. I found a post on you tube of a guy flowing a stock R1 head. Don't know anything about flow benches so I can't say if the test was a proper one but his result was 127 cfm. Here is a link http://youtu.be/Ri9iCX9T8rE One of the Studebaker guys told me there is a lot of meat under the water jacket we cut up to. I already raied the port about .1. The Pictures weren't at all clear and I haven't gone out to take a second set of pics yet. I will post them soon.
Hey, Zenndog; You & this thread have my attention... . The Stude head isn't all that bad, but there are some things to watch out for. The area just above the seats is really thin, so it can only be ported/enlarged so far. & a couple of areas along the port walls, IIRC. Don't remember the intakes being that bad either, but of course, nothing like the new stuff. FWIW: If you want, I have some old tracings of head cuttings, done by **** Datson years ago (70s ?). & porting info, too. If you want, I'll send it to you. PM me w/your address & ph#. I'll ring you. Will have to find, & photocopy info. Am happy to see someone run w/the wilder ideas. **** started something like what you're doing, never finished them. I have one of the sets of heads. Hope you follow thru. Are you planning flowtesting also? For the combustion & seat areas, theoldone.com has some good info. Shape is all important... as is proportion... Mike is correct, better flow in & out, better engine output. Marcus...
The flow bench will tell us if and by how much the exhaust port flows. Unfortunately that wont tell us if the decrease in back pressure will help the intake flow or at what lift and degree of crankshaft rotation. To really test this thing would require dyno time. And I am not going there.
Having the flow numbers, would we talk to the cam grinder about that and hope for the best? That is if we were to proceed with building the Stude engine for the pickup I ***ume the head will need the intakes to flow very well to take advantage of the exhaust mod, but that is only a guess until the head is flowed. Here are some albums by Mike VV showing his Studebaker port work which has been done in a very methodical way http://public.fotki.com/-Mike-/stude_head/ http://public.fotki.com/-Mike-/050-intake-move-porting/ http://public.fotki.com/-Mike-/white-paper-photos/ Here is a thread on porting and flowing an R3 head? This thread is also very informative http://www.racingstudebakers.com/foo/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=2261
Trying to port, realize that I need to get some more tools, specifically the longer ones. Either way, here it goes. These are rough still. Jacks intake so far, two pics Notice the difference in the top of the port, two pics Looking down the intake The intake and exhaust seats, Mikes pictures helped show where I might want to go and also how far I am still falling short, and needing much, much more practice In one of the pics of the intake port above you can see the lip behind the valve seat, I filled it with JB Weld for the flow test. That is all for now. From the pics of the port that I cut the top off of I want to point out that instead, even preferable to, cutting off the top of the port, another route might be to fill the valley between the two pushrod holes with weld as well as the little "gap" above the intake ports ( below the valve cover gasket ) and port the intake as high as I have here. Then you could machine the weld above the intake ports flat and make your own intake. Does that make sense?
My Van burned two weeks before Christmas. I still have to finish the porting and decide what to do about the intake ports I cut the top off of. The whole Van thing took a little of the wind out of my sails. I have the head on my bench, just need to get back on it so I can ship it to the guy who gave it to me and he will flow test it.
Here is a pic of the van post electrical fire I had an extinguisher, it went "phfist, phfist". Check your fire extinguisher! I learned the hard way. The CHP put it out. I tried throwing dirt on it before it really caught. What a mess!
The van is getting cleaned up. Thanks for the comments. I will try to get some work done on the head soon. I need to get the porting done and "re-build" the two ports I cut the top off of. Z
I just picked up a small chunk of aluminum to form the tops of the two ports I cut the tops off of. I would use a bar of cast iron if doing it to run but the aluminum was free so.....
Like this: AMC pro stock heads http://www.yellowbullet.com/forum/showpost.php?p=7729182&postcount=134
sweet! Are those your heads? If yes, what material was used to fill the ports? Epoxy I ***ume, but what kind? I was thinking that the ports need that but it is something that should be done in conjunction with some flow testing. Otherwise there is no reference point. Great pics, thanks.
Zenndog, I've been wanting to try some epoxy on exhaust ports, to see how it would hold up. One of these may come in handy on this very cool project! http://www.cotronics.com/vo/cotr/newprod.htm
I played with Study heads back in 1965/6,NHRA called headers free in FS that I was running,1/4mile all Study;my LARK Daytona 4speed supercharged w/TT rear .=14 flat 102mph. Homemade hearder,the center EX of headers I made a tab as part of headers that went into port,that when they were bolted to heads made center port two/split ,worked very well keeping cross flow out of center ex ports and met rules. Andy Grantatelly Mr 500 [spell?]saw my mod and loved it. Just saying there are ways to meat rules
Long Awaited.....perhaps Here we go. Well....in my mind today was a very straight forward cut a step around the ports, fit the aluminum block, and tap some screws to hold the aluminum block in place kind of day. Started off like this Block fits, so far so good Little more milling.... Nice! Another view Good right? Well Rich came over from working on his 26 Dodge engine and we talked a little about the head. I mentioned that I wished I could push it a little farther.....to try to get over the valve more. Rich said, just do it on one of the ports, it is now or when? Point taken New end mill in mill, cut on sir, cut on At around this point I started forming the notion that if actually doing this modification to a head to run, the block would go longways, and probably incorporate the rocker shaft monut/headbolts. This block wasn't long enough and I decided to keep it "simple" ( :lol:, simple..yeah right ). More cutting, the cut is moving farther back toward the valve That is as far as I could move it, the spring pad is right there now, and I think some guys here are cutting larger spring pads for their valves so they can use larger springs right? I machined the aluminum block to fit, needs just a little more. That is it for now. May be a week or two before more updates.
Found some time to tinker today First off, here is the valve angle, hardly scientific with my $10 angle gauge but...... Looking down the port before starting. I finally pulled out my carbide bits with the 6" shafts, the one I think I needed to use the most was bent and useless, but onward we go I took a minute and trimmed the back of the aluminum block to fit into the cutout area of the head snug I ground off the guide and shaped the top of the port the way I want it to be headed when it meets the part of the port that will be in the aluminum block. here is a view looking down the port Then I placed the aluminum in the head and sprayed some primer in the port to mark roughly the area I will need to cut out on the next visit to the mill I simply wiped the primer out of the port with a rag, here is a view with the painted block in place It was a little disappointing that the small "pinecone" carbide pit was bent, but I will do some work during the week with the other bits which seem to work fine.
I was wondering if you could bend up some sheet steel tops for the intake ports and cover them with epoxy. Should work for a flow bench and should work for a race engine done right.
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