Porting of FE heads and intake manifolds

[Joe-JDC]

I would like to let folks know that I am still getting requests for hand porting work from several sources asking for special combinations and information on who is out there that will actually port an iron head, or new aluminum heads and manifolds.  I wonder if it would be possible for a line item that would list specific shops or individuals that are still operating machine shops or porting shops that would answer the need for FE hand/CNC porting?  I know there are several folks here that perform gasket matching, hand porting, and sell performance parts, but no one specifically says that they actually accept porting jobs.  I could still stay busy 6 days a week with the requests, but I am 80 years old and have developed arthritis in my left hand that is getting to the point it is difficult to lift iron heads and turn them over as necessary for porting and do a professional job.   Jay is this a possibility for a section for services strictly for FE porting or machine work?  Do you the FE guys think it is needed?   I hate to keep turning folks down, especially those who have been customers in the past without a recommendation for someone who does quality work at a reasonable price.  Location, state, services available, and contact information would be a bonus or is this a can of worms?  Joe-JDC   

[bsprowl]

I feel our pain.  I'll be 81 later this month and cannot do many of the things that were routine a couple of years ago.

It would be helpful if you could post before and after pictures and flow numbers of manifolds that you have ported if you have them.  Any hints you could ad would be nice also.
 
I know we couldn't expect to get your results but it would give us a goal.   

[chilly460]

I think it’s a great idea, I recall for many years Les Schmader was well known for porting iron heads at a reasonable cost, but other than him I don’t know anyone offhand that are head specialists that do iron FEs.  I know there are a couple places to get CNC work done on iron heads, but in many cases, IMO, guys want to use iron heads as a budget consideration and full CNC jobs may not fit that case. 

[wowens]

80 the first week of December.  Working is no longer a priority.

[Diogenes]

I wished I would've had the opportunity to been an apprentice for one of you seasoned and skilled head porters. About 25 years ago I worked at a speed shop/machine shop that had a lot of potential, but a short-sighted owner. I was porting heads and learning the flow bench and machine work aspects of cylinder heads, did some work on some cool old FE stuff and some crazy one-off tractor pull heads (as well as a lot of the at the time, burgeoning import performance sector). Tried starting my own business porting heads and tuning carbs, but things didn't work out. I've often thought that a home-based business in the automotive field that focuses on the "dying arts" would be great. There are always people needing carb work, distributors built and recurved, interior upholstery done, and heads ported. There are fewer and fewer with these skills (and even fewer willing to acquire the skills), and it's a damn shame that we are losing these great skills/arts to the sands of time.

[pbf777]

      The availability of "professional" quality hand porting work 'is' one of the casualties of this so-called modern era!  As this is laborious, dirty, noisy, menotonous and even "bad for your health" type work;  and then that only some possess the finesse for, and even fewer that will develop the skill, that will allow them to produce a truly professional result for.  So it just doesn't sound like a calling for the young people of today.  Then aid in that it doesn't even pay well!   

      I've got literally decades of my life given to porting heads & intakes, cast iron mostly early on, as there literally weren't any aluminum heads for Fords, except the BOSS 429, relatively scarce FE and then some "really" rare Cleveland and of even 'greater' rarity 385 series (canted valve) stuff that you just 'never' saw.  So back then, with only the O.E.M. cast iron stuff being readily available, this meant that only with a set of well ported heads were you going to be competitive, therefore there was a greater incentive to fill this "need".  But now it's just mostly a "vintage whim" practice, or someone looking for a cheaper option than buying a set of more modern aluminum heads, but in any case no longer presenting the "requirement" as in the past.  And then, as soon as you try to get paid a reasonable sum for the many hours of time you've invested, not that I even considered porting work as truly profitable in the shop, but rather just something that had to be done, first thing you hear is:  it'd be cheaper to just buy a new set of (chinese) heads off ebay!   

     Would you suggest to your child, that this might be a good career choice!   

     Scott.

[fekbmax]

Is Jeff colvert still doing cnc port design ?

[SSdynosaur]

Jeff is currently recovering from a major health incident and, likely, won't be back to his usual schedule for quite some time

[CaptCobrajet]

I hate to hear that on Jeff.  I pray he can bounce back.  We still do iron heads.  If you have nice castings that aren’t “used up” it is still reasonable to do some hand work.  With the cost of labor in today’s world, the cnc machine is your friend.  In my world at least, the cnc ports we have are digitized from ports that I do by hand to begin with.  It is much less expensive to let the machine copy me, than to sit and grind every port extensively.  For a little blending, straightening up around the guide boss, short turn, and a good valve job, we can still do it reasonably.  Old iron heads usually need guides, all three sides surfaced, and a few heli coils.  We do all of that also.  I have a young man that has been here learning the craft for 4+ years.  He is pretty darn good at this point, and I work with him pretty close.  Not many 21-22 year old guys are interested, but he is.  If I do a port, he can duplicate it.  Nowadays if I turn him loose, I don’t have to make too many suggestions on stuff he has done before already.  I am glad to have him.  Some day when I quit, he will already know his way around the FE head pretty good. 

Same with manifolds.  The grinder fits his hand pretty well.  I can relate to Joe’s comment on fingers and arthritis.  I am 57, but my shoulders, arms, and hands work harder than a walking man, and I am not as productive as I used to be.  Having a young and interested man here without a phone addiction is a blessing.  I have two younger guys, and one 40-ish here, and none of them have phone problems while working!  Rare nowadays…….