4.6LPoppy

If I have the right tools and am a reasonable mechanic (do my own pistons, rods, etc.) can I port and polish my own heads ('03 PI heads)? What tools are needed? I don't have a machine shop, just good hand tools. Is there a step by step published anywhere? Will I need to port/polish the manifold also? I want to if it is do-able.

MustangChris04

Have Fun!

http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Shop/2341/pandp.htm
http://www.miracerros.com/mustang/port_intakes.htm

99mustanggt

Really the only thing you can do without a flow bench is gasket match them. I wouldnt really port it out other than making it smooth or you can risk making it flow worse. Also you want the intake side to not be perfectly smooth or it wont atomize as well but the exhaust should be as smooth as possible.

4.6LPoppy

Yeah. I was told the intake side issue tonight by a friend, but he said polishing the exhaust is fine and to make it like a mirror. What kind of hp will porting and polishing PI heads make if I have it done at a shop?

Colorado_Mustang

Yes. But you better have an idea of what you should be doing...and practice on junk first.

4.6LPoppy

I don't have an idea of what I'm doing so I probably will just polish the exhaust ports some so I don't goof them up.

99mustanggt

It all depends on how much you have them ported. With F/I you could get up to 60 hp with ported heads and bigger valves.

Aixtreme89

I have never ported and polished any heads. But if you have your heads off already. I would atleast port match then to the exhaust and intake gaskets. Making the transition smooth between the header and intake. Then like you said polish the exhaust port, thats probably as far as I would go..... But if you were very attentive and measured every 1/2" or so at the 12,3,6,9 oclock position and replicated the port size on each cylinder I think you would be good. You can deffinitly smooth out the aluminum around the valve guide. You should call some junk yards and find a set of used PI heads and practice porting and polishing, them. Then mabye after that you can bring it to a machine shop that has a flow bench and see your results just mabye out of curiousity and see what needs improvement. The only thing that scares me about it, that if you take off to much material you will make the wall's between the coolant passages to thin and it cracking and leaking coolant.... But here are some tools that you might need. There are books out there for porting your heads. The only way you will know how to do it is if you practice.

http://store.summitracing.com/egnsea...mp;Nao=0#rstop
http://store.summitracing.com/egnsea...115+4294859801

I found this book on it... You should buy it and read it.. knowledge is power..
http://www.amazon.com/Build-Modify-P...F8&s=books

Chopper

I had a great link to a cut away veiw of a 4.6 PI head but my computer was re formatted and I lost everything.I've been lookingeverywhere to find this website but have been unable to get the exact page.Here's on that might help.
http://www.mustang50magazine.com/how...ing/index.html
This is just the begining of a string of articles about head porting on this website so go to the home page and search for the entire list.

The page I had showed a bump in the top of the intake runner where the lash adjuster lives and,accoring to the cutaway,should be left alone.You can polish it some but don't remove too much metal.There was another in the floor where the water jacket comes close,just above the valve,and you should be careful here also.
I'm going to keep looking and if I find anything I'll be sure to repost the link.
The link I had was mostly about cleaning up the "as cast" finish inside the ports and matching the head ports to the intake and exhaust manifolds.

Fuel

not to highjack this post, but this is kind of on the same lines
a lot of people say that if u just change the intake and cams on a non pi motor and leave the heads u will see substaintial gains. I was wondering if when i change my intake to thepi verision, could i just port match my non pi heads to the intake using the new pi intake gaskets