Installing Valve Guides And Cutting Seats On A Set Of 400 Pontiac Cylinder Heads

[@SouthMainAuto]

What a great video! Very well done sir. 👍

[@MikeB-Android-Teacher]

*Hey check it out! It's Eric O! The king of car repairs!! Ya'll should say hi to him! If you have a master at his craft like Eric O watching your videos and giving you a compliment you know you're making it!!*

[@Andrewlang90]

The blending work on the intake looks great. You can def see what you were talking about when it comes to potential benefits of a little extra work to make it flow nicer.

[@thesmallenginekid]

another great video from JAMSI online.

[@lyndleshelby6291]

Very educational! Thank you for sharing your knowledge and demonstrating your talent!

[@RickBaconsAdventures]

big valve with a small port makes it act like a steeper ramp rate on the cam, those old guys were no dummies. Obviously not going to flow huge numbers for big top end power but I bet it runs really good right from idle

[@cyranox90]

Love to watch your videos. Good job and again clean workshop 👍🏻

[@OlSgtLove]

I'm a big Pontiac Fan and have a RAM AIR 400 myself ,so really enjoyed watching 👀 this one . Hope you will show more on the Pontiac head work . Always greatly enjoy watching your channel. Take care .

[@OlSgtLove]

That's pretty cool with the candle wax . I like using PB Blaster for getting stubborn or broken studs or bolts out . I'll have to keep the candle wax in mind next time and give it a try ..

[@1crazypj]

Paraffin wax was the 'go to' way before any of the 'release oils' were invented. You often see it referenced in manuals from the 1950's and 60's (I haven't got any older than that) 😁

[@billrimmer5596]

I really enjoy u guys!! Your shop build has been real interesting!! Thank u for all your hard work!!

[@dougforeign]

I learn so much Watching these videos and I love this channel. I dont live far from them either. I wanted to get my engine worked on by there shop, but I was told since I'm frequently traveling for work they are not interested. It's a bummer but hopefully one day

[@stephenpoe2037]

Nice Video ! Haven't seen anything from you in a while ! Thanks for sharing !

[@davidmcelroy4552]

I love learning more about the process it takes to clean up a set of heads!!! It makes me wonder what kind of magic y’all could do for my ford 400m heads!

[@1crazypj]

Just subscribed. You Tube algorithm sent me here. Great video, I have a 1976 Pontiac Formula 400 I started restoring (but got hurt in work and haven't had the cash to get far since then) I also got hold of a 1965 Catalina 389 motor with small combustion chamber but that obviously will need hardened exhaust valve seats fitted (I bought some but that's as far as things got) It was really interesting to me to see the fixtures and machines you use, that's some VERY expensive stuff. That head seems to have been worked on but only the top side around valve spring area. The stock casting is pretty rough and always needs work to help oil flow back to the sump.

[@Mikecars2319]

I thoroughly enjoy watching/listening to these videos, I got to do tear down and learned how to deck blocks when I was 18 and 19 and been around cars since I was 3 years old, im a technician now but I still always wanted to machince and the guys at our machine shop next door might take me in on the weekends to get some machining experience

[@spearhead30]

Yes.

[@FaqsChanel]

Verry good👍👍

[@CraigLYoung]

Thanks for sharing 👍

[@NoName-yr1jv]

Good job 👍

[@jwszewczyk]

The wax trick works great as does penetrating oil with carbon tetrachloride. Open and shut is my favorite and it's not flammable so you can use it with heat.

[@shorttrackthing6919]

Yay Pontiac 400 🤩

[@crosswindsheatingandcoolin6299]

Really like watching your videos. Love to see the extra work you put into the guides and seats. On a mostly stock build, are bronze guides better or just a quick way to get a guide in and go?

[@christophertehan5364]

Excellent tutorial. Well done

[@DMR67442]

The theory with the wax is when the wax melts it still has lubricational value, if you spray penetrating oil on it when it’s really hot the oil just really burns away right away. If you were to let it cool down a little bit then the oil would work probably better because it’s not burning away instantly. An old machinist that told me about this trick years ago I believe said to get paraffin wax which I got a big block of at a hardware store in time for just a few dollars. I still have a big chunk of it.

[@BHondo86]

Old shop I worked at the owner would melt crayons onto everything. Had Crayola boxes everywhere. Never got convinced it worked but to each his own

[@RANDOMNATION907]

I wish there was a machine shop in the state of Alaska that did this quality of work. It's stupid (and stupidly expensive) to have to send heads/blocks to Canada or the lower 48 to get work like this done.

[@1crazypj]

@@davidparker9676 They probably do have machine shops capable of doing the work but aviation pays way more so they don't advertise for automotive work. Last time I checked (about ~18 years ago) many machine shops charged $170 an hour labor rate. Most time is spent in set up rather than 'machine time', if a machine is doing 'one off' it can get uneconomic real fast. (machines 'make money' when running, not sitting in a corner waiting). You need quite a lot of patience to set things up properly if you don't have the correct fixtures (I trained as a precision machinist, 3 micron tolerances) I switched to fixing motorcycles as it was a lot more 'fun' (130mph 'test rides', etc)

[@griffmillerii1885]

Thanks for the Pontiac love! On the subject of porting, is that something y’all do or would that involve a 3rd party? Would such porting logically come before or after the valve job?

[@Hermiwalle]

doesn't really matter. the only downside to porting after is the risk of damaging a seat. but of course if you are doing oversized valves then porting after would make more sense. :)

[@griffmillerii1885]

@@Hermiwalle yeah, I was thinking porting after would make the most sense, so that the valve job could be included in the flow testing, but at the risk of ruining a valve seat. I guess if that happened, you could always redo the oopsie seat.

[@1crazypj]

@@griffmillerii1885 Even though that motor has hydraulic adjusters (probably?) having all the valves at the same installed height will help 'performance' and set up. I 'do' motorcycles, mostly OHC when these things become very important

[@griffmillerii1885]

@@1crazypj I totally agree. I was not in any way, shape, or form suggesting that having individually-adjustable rockers means you don't have to worry about consistent valve height.

[@davidmarshall8628]

For these "stock rebuilds" do you ever talk to the customer about using a better camshaft? Not "hotter" mind you, just more modern lobe designs that allow for better performance with no loss of street manners.

[@countryracer69]

There is a killer stock cam for this motor! But I see what you are saying. Personally unless they ask for a different cam I usually just put stock replacement in for my customers. Im not a full time shop like Nic here but I do lots of race engines and many restoration engines. Numbers matching with correct parts inside and out.

[@stoveguy2133]

Dayum, your tool drawer has cutout for tape measure? Frickin awesome.

[@MechanicalEngineering485]

Good job❤❤

[@countryracer69]

I need to go thru some 6X heads soon. Cool video.

[@somanynamesilltrythis0180]

Is it more cost effective to have old heads repaired/resurfaced, or to buy new ones?

[@j.l.mmachineworks6302]

You guys wanna do a video of a motor start to finish? That be cool to see in a series. I got a Nissan H20 forklift motor you can do your series on

[@tomtke7351]

(-1-) EXPENSIVE MICRO-ACCURATE EQUIPMENT. (-2-) Full education/training in usage of this equipment. (-3-) Strong knowledge of appropriate compensation methods to accommodate variabilities (extensive mechanic's background & or oversight of master mechanic leader.) (-4-) Adaptability to ever changing equipment, engines, parts, technology, and business atmosphere.

[@ZEPRATGERNODT]

Nice work!!!

[@ulfpetri8941]

Concerning press fits of valve guides, bushings and bearings have you considered using cold / hot press fits? Do you not run the risk of distortion / galling of a valve guide when brute force pounding them into the cylinder head. Would it not be safer for the metal lattice integrity by freezing them or using liquid nitrogen and gently tapping them into the cylinder head? I have found it much easier to heat a new ring gear to 350 f in an old toaster oven and then bolting this to the differential carrier. Your thoughts welcome, thanks.

[@Stzer118]

Nice

[@gonebabygone4116]

How do you GET the liquid nitrogen? Do you have a machine that will cool a bit of it down, or is this something delivered by the same guys that bring acetylene and such?

[@Stan_in_Shelton_WA]

Why not set the head square to the machine rather than level to earth. What is the tolerance of this alignment?

[@rileydalton3958]

How much does it usually cost to have this done

[@Aleks_Mechanics]

notification squad, Have a nice weekend!🔥🔥🔥

[@sammcbride2464]

The problem is that the customer started with a 6X head. That is a crappy low HP head. Buy a set of 62, 12, or some other D port pontiac head to start with for better start.

[@vilmarfrreiracortes5750]

Top top

[@phillipthethird42]

My question is ; What size are the valves that you put in? I had a couple of these 6X heads And one set had the 2.11 intake and 1.77 exhaust . The the other had 2.11 intake , 1.66 exhaust .

[@ronsunde6518]

Curiosity, what are you using as a coolant/cutting fluid when machining your valve seat pockets?

[@jesseduke694]

I'm not judging, but your livelihood is that shop? I think? Why don't you have any penatrating oil? Wouldn't that just be a daily necessary supply to just always have in your line of work??

[@mattmaster2582]

Project farm already proved that using candle wax is garbage!

[@jamesbergman4917]

I have noticed many machine work videos start on the second cylinder in instead of at one end, what is the reason for that?

[@skylinefever]

You didn't have to cut valves down to size this time, did you?

[@wilde.coyote6618]

Are the ram air heads better than 6x?

[@nunomiguelrodriguessilva3028]

Does anyone know all engines manufacturer specs?

[@1ronztoys]

do you check the valve stem height for the nonadjustable valve train as well? Just asking since I remember doing that on a lot of the cylinder heads when I would do cylinder head work

[@griffmillerii1885]

Pontiac V8’s do have an adjustable valve train. Each rocker is on its own stud. Still a good question, though - I would think that you’d want to shoot for consistency across all the valves.

[@1ronztoys]

@@griffmillerii1885 I was asking in general if he did since I noticed he never showed measuring that, not all Pontiacs have a adjustable valve train so I was curious

[@griffmillerii1885]

@@1ronztoys 👍BTW, which Pontiacs don't have an adjustable valve train? AFAIK all Pontiac V8's have a ball/stud rocker arrangement.

[@1ronztoys]

​@@griffmillerii1885 I am not trying to start a argument on here I was just asking if he was checking valve stem height. Most Pontiac engine in the 80's and 90's used a nonadjustable valve train where you torqued the rocker stud to 20-25 ft/lbs and it was set. It could be converted to adjustable with different studs and nuts. The service manuals showed this as well some Pontiac forums talk about that as well.

[@griffmillerii1885]

@@1ronztoys 😀Nor am I. I see now that you are including in the discussion engine families besides "true" Pontiac engines produced between 1955 and 1981, while I was talking about engines that the head in the video is related to. For example, I would not refer to a 403 from a '79 Trans Am as a Pontiac engine - it's an Olds engine. 350 in an '89 Formula? Chevy engine, and so on (but those have the ball/stud arrangement, too). That said, I would think that any valve train that uses individual rocker studs, as opposed to rocker shafts with fixed rockers, for example, is "adjustable". Assuming hydraulic lifters, you can always set zero-lash on each lifter while on the base circle and then add 1/4 turn, 1/2 turn, whatever. Even if you follow the idiot-proof method of torquing the rocker stud nut to some value like 20 ft-lbs, you've "adjusted" it. 🤷‍♂ But again, your question about valve height is a good one - no matter what I would think you'd want consistent height, and I don't doubt that JAMSI pays attention to that (but they can speak for themselves if they wish). Anyway, don't take my comments amiss - I was just trying to make sure there wasn't some Pontiac valvetrain arrangement that I hadn't heard of - again, in the context of "true" Pontiac V8's.

[@jerseyjoe2684]

30 degree intake seats such lol

[@cocopublicnews6766]

Ever work on side valves?

[@1crazypj]

You need machines with a lot of 'headroom' when you have the entire block casting, tends to be a bit tall particularly since side valve motors tended to be 'long stroke' and small bore diameter

[@Syltibob]

It´s a Pontiac 400 so it will probably come back for a rebuild in a couple of months anyway... (shots fired! =D )

[@griffmillerii1885]

Boo! 😄

[@danielsullivan9865]

As Pontiac lovers were highly offended for this remark but you’re probably right