Porting and polishing heads on the 1uz's..

[jibbby]

I've asked this question before and I must ask it again because I never got a clearly defined answer...Has anyone polished and ported the heads successfully on an early model 1uz-fe motor?

If so were any gains noticed?

I have read the early model heads on the 1uz-fe's are lacking in flow in comparison to the newer model heads.....Like everyone else, I am looking for inexpensive ways to improve performance and wondering what porting and polishing will do for a lexus junky like myself on an early model 1uz.....

Is it a waste of time and money on an N/A 1uzfe? (Nitrous running)

Is it mostly benificial for the boosted motors only, and should this procedure only be considered for that forced air applications?

 

[Blizzy]

Is it a waste of time and money on an N/A 1uzfe? (Nitrous running)

Is it mostly benificial for the boosted motors only, and should this procedure only be considered for that forced air applications?

With your nitrous spinning the motor hard, you could definitely derive more efficient flow from the engine head with some head work.

Would it be a waste of money? Well, that would depend on the amount of money you spent.

I have a buddy of mine that did his own headwork with a dremel tool on an old Ford Bronco motor having never done such a job before in his life. His truck is putting down like 350wtq having invested some $400 into the motor itself.

He used software to determine the optimal head structure for his engine, took careful measurements, marked off his porting lines, and went to work...carefully. With the proper amount of research, you could determine the perfect head modifications for the early 1UZ on stock cams and valvetrain.

For such a job, I would definitely suggest salvaging a 1UZ head and giving it your best shot rather than tearing down your running motor. I have seen 1JZ heads for sale around $100. I am sure you could get a 1UZ head for a hell of a deal with a little searching.

The key would be doing the proper resarch to make sure you wouldn't port the heads to flow way more air than you would need. But, regardless, I am certain there is throttle response and top end performance waiting for you in the head of the engine.

I know my buddy used the Eastwood head porting kit (~$30). Again, if you were using a salvaged head, you could work relaxed and patient, taking weeks if that was all the time you had.

 

[jibbby]

Blizzy thanks for the solid reply...Your statements are right in line with my way of thinking...

With the older Chevy Small blocks I use to port the heads using a dremel tool... I would perform the work by eye and carefully grind out each port hole and then smoothe sand and polish to create better flow mainly where the heads meet the gasket areas.. That would usually make a difference.. Now, I was thinking of doing the same with the more advanced 1uz-fe heads...Carefully and consistantly widening, porting and polishing each port hole opening consistantly...

I wouldn't be using computer software, but I do have a good eye and I think I defenitely could create a better flowing passages with the heads... Hmmmm? Sounds like a good weekend project to me...

I may hit the yards up today to see if I can pick up an extra set of heads and start toying around with them....

I would love to know if someone has tried this on the 1uz-fe motors? It is such a common performance upgrade among the older American made small and big engines blocks and it is so seldomly talked about on this forum concerning on the xuz-fe motors.. The funny thing is, is that it is commonly known the head flow is some what restricted on the early model 1uz-fe heads..Hmmmm, go figure???....Most members just inquire about installing and or upgradeing to the newer heads which don't mate up anyway...The vvti 3uz's, etc...

Cams and head work is what is on my mind of late...

 

[TOBES]

jibbby, check this out...

http://www.v-eight.com/

 

[4000GT]

Refer the 20th Century Performance book, there are flow number and pics of how to port it.

I am looking for a set of heads right now to unleash a friend on mine on them.

the early heads have a different combustion chamber design conpared to the later ones which are similar to 3S heads.

 

[ed_ma61]

for what its worth, ive just got around to an edit of that article, and have just uploaded it with more discussion on more refined point of intake flow, with a bit more discussion and 2 new pics.

even if youve read it before, it might be worth a second look. update just this evening.

as for nitrous spinning the engine hard? that changes the intake flow how exactly? the redline of an engine is still a fixed number, nitrous doesnt change this limit. the intake will require zero extra intake port flow as the fuel and oxidizer are squirted in, its not a gas flowing in.

certainly the exhaust should be SIGNIFICANTLY modified on a serious nitrous engine to cope with the massive increase in exhasut volume, but unless you plan on running nitrous ALL the time (ie dedicated drag car) youll spend 99.99% of your time requiring a NORMAL intake/exhaust flow ratio.

jibby, read that article, and THINK about what youre trying to achieve. waving a die grinder randomly at a head just because you can, doesnt make it smart

cheers
ed

 

[jibbby]

Tobes excellent article....Thanks...

Ed - Those were my concerns from the start. As with the older SBC heads, suttle port hold grinds that were probably un even slightly really didn't make a difference on the older iron block engines from what I could tell... Always saw an improvement, regardless... Was thinking the same with the 1uz.. heads..

Now the precision of the 1uz-fe heads and flow rate always had me concerned about doing an eye job...However, where the heads meat the gasket I can clearly see there is room for some improvements that can be made...I am not talking about major uneven in the port hole grinds...Just a few suttle ones where it appears it matters like where the heads meet the gaskets.. Carefully measured and even grinds by eye mainly, sand and polish...

Yes, the Nitrous is a gas that is mixed with the liquid fuel when it combusts..The combustion that occures will obviously be more potent thrusting the piston action creating a faster engine and head operations when the nitrous is in use... That is only on occasion like you said maybe 2% of the time.....

I was still thinking a better flowing head may be a little more beneficial even to an N/A 1uz and or Nitrous run motor as apposed to stock... After reading the article on the 3uz heads it appears that there is a lot more to it... I may be causing more harm then good when trying to do it my way by eye if the 1uz-fe heads are some what comparible.....

Ed your comments are well noted...Thanks...Back to the drawing board...

 

[jibbby]

Blizzy I do like the Eastwood porting kit for $30 with the link you provided... That's what I got, and that is what I was planning to use..

 

[jibbby]

So how does one improve the Head flow on the early model 1uz-fe heads with your basic backyard set of tools, bench table and some decent mechanical knowledge? Does it really have to be computer software managed, blue printed, machined, calculated and measured with each change, etc?

So much for my caveman style of thinking....I am so rock and hammer and so not software and machinery.. Urrrrrrr....

 

[ed_ma61]

port matching is not head porting

i would stick to the basics of cleaning up casting dags, smoothing transitions (in particular the short side radius) and ensuring that any machine mismatches in the valve throat after seat cutting are blended back

theres enough work right there to keep you busy on 32 valves, and if any improvement is going to be made in a stock-ish setup, it will be with the simple things like this

 

[jibbby]

Thanks Ed, I will ponder on all of this... Port matching is what I had in mind...

 

[Smitherz]

Port matching is something you can do without much difficulty. They use a dye that they apply to the gasket and slap the parts together, pull them apart and grind away at the marked surfaces... provided that you checked to make sure the gaskets were even with the ports first. There are some gains to be had here as my machine guy removed material from every port mating area on the intake. Every engine will be a little different so everyones case will be different. I would have done it myself if he didn't volunteer on my project.

 

[Smitherz]

Ok I meant to say cut back to the marked surface that the die covered gasket mates to. This is obvious and requires just an air die grinder with a light metal grinding HSS bit. Material was removed from every single port on my intake and exhaust to maximize the flow. Here is the lower an upper intake after I had just got them back.



I wouldn't recommend touching the heads yourself. I wouldn't even do this. If you go through the trouble to take the heads off make sure you have a pro do the port matching. They do this stuff in their sleep and working on 1UZ heads is fun for them as they are high quality and not common in the way of performance engines.

 

[rms]

They do this stuff in their sleep and ...... is fun for them

Might not be quite the appropriate words ..... fun ???... sleep ???? :Eyecrazy: :aargh4:

 

[Smitherz]

Ok, well most machinists wouldn't exactly be so enthusiastic about such work. :cussing: I recommend becoming friends with anyone with such skills, who is actually willing to go through the pain of this process.
:beerchug:

Now if you want our heads fully ported, polished, valves done and such my shop would do another set for me for $1,400. I could probably talk him into port matching another set of intake manifolds for an even $1,500. I haven't gotten mine together to dyno it (adapter plate maker friend just got back from Europe last night) so I can't show the gains quite yet. He does race engines of all sorts day in and day out so he knows this stuff off the top of his head. There is no way I would endure this work for such little money. Even if I had the knowledge to do this I just wouldn't care to do the labor, no way. I can't wait to show my dyno results. Although I'll be running the Adaptronic right off the bat with a manual transmission and straight exhaust so my HP should =] be a little up from a stock engine without the head work. :scratchchin:

 

[vvillium3]

Like previously said, I would not go outside of cleaning up the casting shift and smoothing out transisions. Especially between the throat to valve seat region. It is real easy to get carried away when you starting "cleaning" things up.
Do a lot of research before diving into a project like this. I would recommend fishing around Speedtalk.com forums for a while. Lots of useful info there. The big things to get your mind around is that more flow doesn't mean more power. In all cases better flow equals more power. When you are there search for posts by Darin Morgan.
In reference to the v-eight.com write-up. I would be a little leary of grinding away the exhaust valve guides. Really gives up the reliability/stability of the exhaust valve. By no means am I an expert, but from what I have read that is a no no.

 

[jibbby]

Smithers - nice work..... You know all these cation warning are pressing my patience... How frigg'n bad can you screw a mild grind and cleanup on the heads? Unless you are blind, ignorant, have parkensens, and have never used a grinding tool dremel before, I would say it would be pretty hard too over grind and screw up the port matching up... If it's smoother then before, very even grinds with careful spot markings for the port matching, I forsee no trouble... I am not talking about making groves or chipping out the walls and leaving it like that after sanding.. I really don't see how you can screw up port matching if you have skills, take the time to really smooth out the surfaces evenly after the material is removed.. Smooth flowing surfaces thru out...

I understand you can create a slow down flow effect if too much material is removed and not evened out, groves, dents, indentations, etc... Dye is a good idea as well.. However, what I would do is would be too line up the OEM gaskets and use a magic market to mark out the areas to be removed with the gasket being the guide...Naturally having the gasket in the exact correct place on the head and secured before the marking process... Then remove the gasket and begin the work carefully... Evenly and circular motion grinding til the desired markings are met, sand and polish to make it smooth to the touch.....

Walla, better flowing heads after the work is done... Doesn't that sound doable?... I use to do it all the time with the basic 16 valve cast iron heads on the Small Blocks...

I can do it, will do it, and am going to pick up an extra set of heads at the yards to begin the work this weekend or the following...Wish me luck fellas I will post pictures of the work as I perform the job.. I am confident I will not disrupt the flow but only increase it.... Extra heads at the yards are cheap as I found out yesterday...$125 for a set, plus a new gasket set...

 

[Smitherz]

No no READ WHAT I TYPED. I was cautious about porting the heads NOT port matching. Anyone can do the port matching! Go for it my man.

 

[SCV8]

That's funny about the "boundary layer flow separation" claims in that article; I can clearly see how that would apply to aeronautics, where a wing is a valid control surface, but engines are pumps; different application entirely.

I have sharpened the divider into a more agreeable profile on my SC, and have some decent gains as a result. That was the only change done, and the resulting airflow created a need for more fuel pressure in order to get to the original air/fuel mixture. I didn't think it would make a noticeable difference, but did it while I was waiting to have my starter rebuilt.

The IRL heads I inspected recently had a similar profile as well...

I would also want to be carefull to keep the ports the correct size for the valves, so do your homework in regards to volumes/sizing. I seem to recall that everything is pretty well matched, and that beyond trimming the guides, a better valve job, and sharpening the divider, that you'd need larger intake runners, maybe valves to go further.

 

[rms]

That's funny about the "boundary layer flow separation" claims in that article; I can clearly see how that would apply to aeronautics, where a wing is a valid control surface, but engines are pumps; different application entirely.

I don't think anyone told the air that it was going through a pump and should follow different laws of physics


Jibbby,
We all learn by doing it yourself, you will never never know if you never never go.