How much horsepower can be gained from polishing and porting the stock heads? Are there different degrees of p & p? Are there any good replacement heads? What kind of prices are we talking about? Along with my mods below, I will be adding a custom cam at the same time as the heads.
typically there are 3 stages of porting and polishing depending on who is doing the work. stage 1 isn't worth it. stage 2 usually works great for N/A and forced induction. stage 2.5 is geared more towards forced induction and track. and stage 3 is all out FI race. gains can be significant and vary by other mods.
check out the following
patriot performance heads
fox lake racing
VT engines
T&J performance
There are many levels of port and polish and different types. The two types are CNC and hand ported. CNC is a computer process which removes aluminum from your head based on computer software and the results depend on how good the program is...some do this better than others. Hand porting is just like it sounds, all done by hand with a die grinder with various cutters to remove material.
As far as the levels, you can get what many vendors refer to as Stage1, Stage2, or Stage3. Stage1 typically is gasket port matching, Stage2 typically is gasket matching with bowl work, and Stage3 is gasket matching, bowl work, and runner work. The biggest improvement in my opinion is the bowl work.
Horsepower levels will vary depending on what level and type of port and polish you go with as well as cam selection. Remember...it's always OK to go to small on the cam. If you go to large...you may have a race only car! Just depends what you are looking for.
typically there are 3 stages of porting and polishing depending on who is doing the work. stage 1 isn't worth it. stage 2 usually works great for N/A and forced induction. stage 2.5 is geared more towards forced induction and track. and stage 3 is all out FI race. gains can be significant and vary by other mods.
check out the following
patriot performance heads
fox lake racing
VT engines
T&J performance
Since I plan to stay na, I will probably go with stage 2 porting. T & J Peformance offers this service for $1600. Is this a good price? Do they do the work directly on your stock heads or do you pay a core charge until you send in your heads? What kind of horsepower gains can be expected from stage 2 porting?
BTW, my Hooker headers will be installed in two weeks.
Since I plan to stay na, I will probably go with stage 2 porting. T & J Peformance offers this service for $1600. Is this a good price? Do they do the work directly on your stock heads or do you pay a core charge until you send in your heads? What kind of horsepower gains can be expected from stage 2 porting?
BTW, my Hooker headers will be installed in two weeks.
T & J can work with your heads i believe. you'd have to check with Tim Barth. i can't tell you if it's a good deal or not because i'm not sure what all it includes. IE: bigger valves, bronze guides, stronger springs... but i can tell you that i've never heard a complaint about them. i'm not sure what kind of power they are making n/a. ask mogs01gt. i think he gained 25-30rwhp but i can't remember for sure. i couldn't find the thread.