intake/exhaust port gasket matching?

[coxie1996]

i was just curious to see what you guys think about gasket matching..

1. is it worth it?
2. can i do it my self?
3. do they make kits(grinding stones, etc.)

these are the only questions i really have towards it.. thanks! 

[FLG]

Depends on the rest of the build..are we talking 600 hp+ dedicated track car where every bit of hp counts, or a daily driver with some track days and a mild build?

If its the latter, than i wouldnt bother. If you dont know what your doing, chances are your going to mess things up regardless.

You can do porting and gasking matching work yourself, but this is one of those things where its a skill, its not learned its taught. Some guys can get away with doing some port work, maybe do a decent job (though usually it takes at least one set of practice heads/intake) but in the end its something you want to leave up to the pros. Also it depends on the rest of the build, are you going to worry about porting/polishing a set of iron heads for a mild 440? In the end, probably not. Something a little hotter, aluminum heads...than yes, but taking a dremel to a set of edelbrock heads is not something i want to "try" to get right myself and risk ruining them.

[Chryco Psycho]

IMO gasket matching removes turbulence & makes sense , you need to cut with carbide cutters not stones though , it would take a months to open things up with stones

[FLG]

Yes it makes sense, but i think we should know more about the rest of the build in order to really see if it would even be worth it 

[coxie1996]

Yes it makes sense, but i think we should know more about the rest of the build in order to really see if it would even be worth it 

here's how it is.. I'm 15 almost 16..(in June) I'm the only guy in high school with a muscle car.. people are jealous 
but back to the build.. I'm wanting a mild build no no not a 600hp build, YET.. maybe in the future.. a very good friend of mine who has ported & polished many drag cars, pro street cars, etc. agreed to port, polish, gasket match, and valve job for $100 ill pick up a cheap set of heads in the future someday and learn before doing it on an engine that'll stay for a LONG time.. I'm on a budget so forged internals, pistons, etc. aren't practical for me.. im looking for between 450-550 hp by the time I'm done with the car.. but around 300 on the first time i fire it up..(you get what i mean) hope this helps

[greenpigs]

If money is a concern I would go with some BIG gears first.

Head work is worth the effort but as Chrome boy (FLG) said at a lower HP level not worth it as much.

I remember something in an older issue of Mopar Action were E booger stated head work was not really necessary until about 500 HP. It would it help at lower levels but the results are not as noticeable until higher demands put on motor.

Since I am old enough to be your dad I wouldn't want my son in a car with a potential for high speeds so a 4.10 or 4.30 gear will give you what you want. I assume you want to burn rubber and stick your buddies in the seat when you floor it.

Don't be stupid and race on the street. 

Goofing around and laying rubber is "harmless" but too much stuff can happen when you add another car.

[coxie1996]

Since I am old enough to be your dad I wouldn't want my son in a car with a potential for high speeds so a 4.10 or 4.30 gear will give you what you want. I assume you want to burn rubber and stick your buddies in the seat when you floor it.

Don't be stupid and race on the street. 

Goofing around and laying rubber is "harmless" but too much stuff can happen when you add another car.[/color][/b]
[/quote]
no no, no street racing, i may be only 15 but i take care of my vehicles.. I've heard some 3:73s would be a good ratio to go after? and yes but i bought new tires last July when i bought the car.. i did 4 (one wheel wonder's) burnouts from then to now and they still look new! got some cragars for $30 blasted them at school.. spent 2 weeks sanding them, spot puttying them and priming them.. gonna be black    cant wait.. i love working on these types of things! 

[greenpigs]

The 3.73 is offered for the Dana but I don't know if you can get that for the 8 3/4 yet. If so then yes a 3.73 would be a good choice.

[coxie1996]

The 3.73 is offered for the Dana but I don't know if you can get that for the 8 3/4 yet. If so then yes a 3.73 would be a good choice.

alright ill research that.. im not too worried about gears right now.. more worried about getting it running, RIGHT before i worry about that

[Chryco Psycho]

3.7 is avaialbale for the 489 8 3/4

[mhinders]

I'm reading a book called "Four-stroke performance tuning" by A. Graham Bell.
He claims that the exhaust side should be mismatched, i.e. the header is bigger than the port and the step created is good for performance. It works to reduce the backpressure wave flowing back into the combustion chamber on low and mid revs with radical cams. He has measured a 2-3% power increase at maximum, about 5% increase at midrange. Most of the mismatch should occur at the top of the port, the bottom can be almost level.
My conclusion from this is that the exhaust gasket should not be smaller than port itself, but any other matching on the exhaust side to remove "steps" is probably bad.

[Chryco Psycho]

I agree that if the manifold is bigger then the port it helps & can prevent reversion , but having the manifold smaller or closing into one or more sides of the port will not help