[KenDogg]

is it possible to port/polish cylinder heads on your own?
can you install a stroker kit in your garage as long as it keeps factory bore?
i'm definitely getting ahead of myself but hate giving my car to people to work on and would like to put some work into the stang come summer when i have more time, just wanted to know if it was possible. was thinking about even buying a boneyard engine to work on so i can still drive while i mess around with it

 

[07 STROKER]

porting heads takes time...equipment and experience...take it from me ...you dont want to slice into a water jacket.

 

[05stanggta]

i dont know how much experience you have had with this kind of stuff, but unless you have ported/polished cylinder heads before, imho i wouldnt recommend doing that. unless you know how much area you have to work with, it is very easy to break into the water jackets. if you do decide to do this, you will also need to know what angles the seat cut, top cut, and throat cut need to be at. about the stoker kit, that could get pretty time consuming and you would of course be tearing the engine down to the block. it would pretty much be like a complete rebuild. there are also a lot of measurments that need to be taken with micrometers. hope this helps in you decision. not trying to detur you or anything, just giving you the facts.

 

[05stanggta]

porting heads takes time...equipment and experience...take it from me ...you dont want to slice into a water jacket.

+1 you beat me to that. lol

 

[07 STROKER]

I would build a stroker before tackling heads imo

 

[1RápidoZorro]

If you have the time, tools, and expierence its doable. but like said above this is a very complicated process and I definitally wouldnt attempt it if you have never done it before. Whats the most complicated thing you have ever done on a car?

 

[KenDogg]

mm yea the p/p sounds a little rough, i didn't realize there was that little metal to work with. i've changed heads, timing chains, flywheels, stuff like that, nothing down to like bare block but some experience. i'm not worried about it taking time to do things i'm just worried about destroying something. i appreciate the info, it may be a stroker kit then before p/p heads. changing a cam is def doable though right?

 

[05stanggta]

mm yea the p/p sounds a little rough, i didn't realize there was that little metal to work with. i've changed heads, timing chains, flywheels, stuff like that, nothing down to like bare block but some experience. i'm not worried about it taking time to do things i'm just worried about destroying something. i appreciate the info, it may be a stroker kit then before p/p heads. changing a cam is def doable though right?

it is if you know how to degree a cam. making sure that the intake and exhaust valves are opening and closing when they should be etc.

 

[KenDogg]

ok so definitely gives me something to think about then, the first job will be headers though in a couple months, but after that we'll see. i have a cousin who's a mechanic so if anything he should be able to help me out. thanks again guys

 

[05stanggta]

it really isnt that hard to degree a cam. i just learned how to do that in my class at wyotech.

 

[KenDogg]

can't it just be done by noting which cylinder is at top dead center and which valves are opened/closed before swapping out the cam and making sure they're like that again when you reassemble? i mean, it might not be the best way to do it but it would mean everyone should work right?

 

[1RápidoZorro]

no...

 

[05stanggta]

you do need to figure out where TDC is and go from there, but to properly degree a camshaft, you will need a degree wheel and will need to make sure the camshaft is installed in the correct position. if you are off by not even a couple degrees, the car will either run like crap, or it wont even start.

 

[05stanggta]

you will need to figure out the duration, camshaft lift, valve lift, there are a lot of things that you will need to know and figure out.

 

[KenDogg]

gotcha. well, like i said def gives me food for thought, i think i'll do some reading then before i attempt some in depth work, i would definitely like to do the work on my own eventually but absolutely do not want to blow my engine. thanks 05 for the advice

 

[05stanggta]

gotcha. well, like i said def gives me food for thought, i think i'll do some reading then before i attempt some in depth work, i would definitely like to do the work on my own eventually but absolutely do not want to blow my engine. thanks 05 for the advice

hey not a problem. if definately is a great experience to do the work yourself, it just helps if the person doing the work knows what they are doing. glad i could help.