self porting any done this?

[bradslt5]

well times are tight , but its winter and i got to keep busy. so i thought i might try to port the injector housings and plenum my self . has anyone tried this and what does one need to do the job. any guidence i would be very gratefull for . I am not trying to take money away from anyone ,I just cant afford to send this out right now .

[flyin ryan]

don't go too BIG. try to keep the taper around 4% best you can. have you ever picked up a die grinder?

[bradslt5]

thank you for the info . no i need to get a di grinder what one is best plus what type of attachment will i need . would removing most of the injector hump create the biggest gain ? i have a done set (by corey) on my other car would having those in front of me help?

[GrayZ]

Brad, this is just my humble opinion, but, throughout
my many travels, it seems most of the time, i attack
a mechanical problem, without the aid of an expert
it ends up, costing me, the parts
i screw up, plus the cost of the initial mechanic fee.
jeffvette, has got a "Honey" of a deal, goin right now.
Him and LocoBob have done ton's of these porting jobs.
I'd go with the pro's. Or not.

[blackjack]

the thing is to make all those holes similar,and believe me,it aint easy...i port harley heads,only 4 holes and i have to retouch a couple of times...i bought goldstein's plenum and injector housings from his drag car,and recontoured it myself around the injector nozzle...thats when i realized i dont have the patience for 16 ports !! like we say in the harley world,dont play jerry branch unless you ARE jerry branch
first thing youll do is slip with the die grinder,and notch the valve seat !!...
next,your injector housing port wont align with the plenum and/or the heads...then you will drop chips in the motor,'cause you will forget about that little pocket full of debris...
you can still go ahead and do it,but remember....we told you so !![-X
jmho
bj

[bradslt5]

thankyou guys . i would be a fool not to listen to you.:thumbsup: so I guess i will have to find another project . i am very thankfull that you guys were honest enough to tell it like it is . merry xmas to all:cheers:

[flyin ryan]

thankyou guys . i would be a fool not to listen to you.:thumbsup: so I guess i will have to find another project . i am very thankfull that you guys were honest enough to tell it like it is . merry xmas to all:cheers:i port NHRA/IHRA legal Super Stock & Competition Eliminator heads weekly & there is way, way more to it than a lot/most people want to believe. i get into conversations with customers & they say you make it sound so easy, i tell them it ONLY took me 20 years. i think your being smart/honest with your self. nothing wrong with that:thumbsup: .

[cuisinartvette]

Im with Ryan...There are a million guys out there that say they can and then there are those in the industry who stand out in my mind as "gifted" (and Im not one of em).....Although I do enjoy doing my own stuff and some for a few friends believe me if I had a real high buck piece that Ive never tackled before and I had the cash Id put the ego aside and pay for it, these LT5 pieces are too expensive for one to learn on. Gotta know your lmits..

Dont listen to the stuff you read on other forums who read the back of a $20 standard abrasives cartridge roll kit and know it all :sign10:

True talent costs $$

[Locobob]

Brad

I started my porting side business by doing my own intake a few years ago so I can give you some good insight.

First off you'll need a fair amount of tools and equipment, if you have to buy all of this stuff just to do one job it is not cost effective unless you have other uses for it. You will need the following: air compressor, 1/4in die grinder, cutting bits (the big ones are spendy), dial caliper, telescoping gauges, safety glasses, dust masks, and a multitude of sanding bits (I use drums, rolls, and flap wheels). This is just a bare minimum list, I have a host of other specialized stuff that I use. For example I have a angle grinder mounted on several feet of hard line with a valve at the end that I use to work the inside of the plenum through the throttle bore holes.

Second: time - it will take you at least 50hrs to do a decent job. The first few hours aren't bad but after a few days of breathing aluminum dust you may start to curse yourself for starting the project - been there.

Third: This is precision work, you'll need great patience and skill with small hand tools. Rush the job and you'll make costly mistakes.

I'm not trying to discourage you from doing it yourself but make no mistake - it is a big undertaking. If you choose to go for it read up on the subject as much as possible before taking tool in hand. I have a few threads floating around here and on the Corvette Forum which will be helpful to you. Also Jim Milstead did a great write up some years ago on CF but I'm not sure if it's still in the archives. Another guy to talk to is Bob Bloyer, he did his own intake several years ago with some internet guidence from yours truely.

[bradslt5]

locobob , thankyou for the insight . i had decided against doing it my self after flyin ryans post . i had just wanted to get started on my red cae especially after buying kellis burn vic which gives me an extra engine and trans and 3rd member but not much else . but unexpected expenses. having to take on my sister house payment , the need for a full set of dentures, and a upcomming heart operation has stk me financially, my wife would kill me spending any extra money (rightfully so) so i had thought it was something i could do during my recovery. i will just ahve to wait till things loosen up to send them to you . what is the cost of the porting and powdercoating? thank you also for your honesty , very classy indeed

[Nick]

Another guy to talk to is Bob Bloyer, he did his own intake several years ago with some internet guidence from yours truely.
And I can vouch that Bob has more than Rob's 50 hours in his one and only porting job! It was a "grind!" :D
I was likely Rob's 1st guinea pig on the hand porting job (besides his own car). Rob did a terrific job on my parts. I know he put a great deal of time and effort into the job. I'm sure he's much more efficient at it now. Best to go with those who know. :thumbsup:

[cuisinartvette]

Heres a good example of why not to do it yourself (not mine)

http://www.pnwzr1.net/Jeff/DIYporting.jpg

http://www.pnwzr1.net/Jeff/DIYporting1.jpg

[DaveK]

Reminds me of the old joke:

Tourist admiring the lawns at Cambridge University, they're flat as a billiard table and incredibly manicured. He spots a gardener and tells him how amazed he is and that he wants a similar lawn, so what's the secret. The gardener smiles and says "well, you just need a little grass seed.. and about 500 years experience.." :)

[Nick]

Heres a good example of why not to do it yourself (not mine)
As opposed to mine:
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a1/skedadl/TopEndPortingPictures038.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a1/skedadl/PortedPlenum.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a1/skedadl/TopEndPortingPictures023.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a1/skedadl/TopEndPortingPictures017.jpg

[bradslt5]

wow that is beautifull , i will have to save so i can get him to do my wifes red car . i had the heads on y black car done by a ford guy that does mod motors . but i would rather spend my money with a true zr1er . i can tell by this work i see hear that he is a real lover of these cars . thankyou for the pics . does he do the heads too?

[GOLDCYLON]

I think locobob only provides the porting service with Jeffvette if Im not mistaken. And if I also not mistaken I think you kinda burned that bridge too as Jeff wants nothing further to do with you. :rolleyes:

[bradslt5]

well I am sorry he feels that way . I did nothing to him. what did i do so wrong . ? might be best to pm me what I supposedly did that was so bad . i have allways tried to only say nice things about him. but there are other that can do the work . guess when i am ready i,ll go there .
ellw

[GOLDCYLON]

well I am sorry he feels that way . I did nothing to him. what did i do so wrong . ? might be best to pm me what I supposedly did that was so bad . i have allways tried to only say nice things about him. but there are other that can do the work . guess when i am ready i,ll go there .ellw

I have no idea im reffering to what has already been posted. Apparently you need to mend some fences is all im saying.

[bradslt5]

well thankyou for the heads up. have a great holiday

[Jim Nolan]

Locobob did the porting on mine and did a very nice job. I elected not to have them powdercoated and repainted them myself with rattle can paint from Lingenfelter. I also masked and tied off all around the cam covers and repainted them. Then I repainted the lettering red to match the car and Samco hoses and it turned out very nice.

[4DSZR1]

Locobob did the porting on mine and did a very nice job. I elected not to have them powdercoated and repainted them myself with rattle can paint from Lingenfelter. I also masked and tied off all around the cam covers and repainted them. Then I repainted the lettering red to match the car and Samco hoses and it turned out very nice.

Any pictures of the "after"?

Thanks
Rick

[GrayZ]

Brad,
I'm a little confused, which in reality is nothing new.
I noticed in another post, you, posted some very very good ET time slips
and stated that, Corey had ported and set up your car. along with dick
gulstrand, tweaking your suspension. but now your asking for info, on
porting your car. Do you have more than one zr1. ??
You also stated that you have been doing cam timing work.??
could you elaborate on that statement, for those of us, that are looking for a few extra ponies.
i'm not trying to pee on your cornflakes here, but the numbers you have posted, are better, than many of the fully ported, chipped, headers, exhaust, and shifter dr. equiped cars. My car is stock other than, headers
corsa, 410's , a pair of fuzzy dice, and my best ET at Bowling Green
was 12.72.. what type of tire are you running??
maybe i weigh more than you... :mrgreen: ,

[Jim Nolan]

Any pictures of the "after"?

Thanks
Rick

No! I didn't take any pictures, but I just ordered a new modded e-prom from Marc Haibeck and when I install it I'll take a few pictures.

[bradslt5]

Brad,
I'm a little confused, which in reality is nothing new.
I noticed in another post, you, posted some very very good ET time slips
and stated that, Corey had ported and set up your car. along with dick
gulstrand, tweaking your suspension. but now your asking for info, on
porting your car. Do you have more than one zr1. ??
You also stated that you have been doing cam timing work.??
could you elaborate on that statement, for those of us, that are looking for a few extra ponies.
i'm not trying to pee on your cornflakes here, but the numbers you have posted, are better, than many of the fully ported, chipped, headers, exhaust, and shifter dr. equiped cars. My car is stock other than, headers
corsa, 410's , a pair of fuzzy dice, and my best ET at Bowling Green
was 12.72.. what type of tire are you running??
maybe i weigh more than you... :mrgreen: ,no problem to clareify, yes i have 2cars numbers 1564 the blk car bought on 8-04 and the red car number 2924 bought 12-05 . the blk car is the car with all the work done to it and the car I race . it recently had the heads ported by a friend , the cam timing was set the factory way, another friend tuned it after the head work . corey henderson ported the injector housings and plenum and did the original tune the car in that state made excellent power the figs were 409.9rwhp and 373.3 tq with a flowmaster exhaust and jeal headers. I did some playing with the exhaust and before the head work the figs were 426.8 and 381 2.. i was very happy with coreys work and his tunning abilities are second to none. the car in this state ran a best of 11.88@119 @famoso in bakersfield . the new time are a result of the heads and suspension improvements . I hesitate to share all thats been done on open forum due to the abuse that follows . i have been wife ordered (rightfully so ) to keep it simple and those that would like to find out more in depth info to get ahold of me personally. basicly she said who do you race your car for them or you . since i race for me and i love her , plus hard to dispute her logic. she is jealous that my car is so much faster and wants hers done , but cash being a little tight right now thought that maybe i might be able to do them myself , but i will listen to those wiser than me and send them off .I also have an extra drive train that i can play with . bought a low mile engine trans and rear. so i guess that can keep me busy . but i better make my redheaded brides car faster by spring . she wants to go drag racing too. heck she got in it and first time out with the current setup ran 11.75 with a1.86 60 ft..I mean she had never been down the 1/4 mile before ever. just love my tomboy bride .proably better than me.:wink: eek opps the tires I am running mt et street radials . I am also going to try some 390 gears at dicks suggestion

[4DSZR1]

No! I didn't take any pictures, but I just ordered a new modded e-prom from Marc Haibeck and when I install it I'll take a few pictures.

Cool!

[cuisinartvette]

Which car was the (Kellys?) burnt motor put in you got running last week, the red one?

[bradslt5]

yup ,we put the marshmellow(her knickname for it ) in the red car . had to use theold inj all the electronics and wireing out of the red car plus water pump and alt ,air conditioner, plus replace the crank seal . and she thankfully purred like a kitten . now she wants the ported injector housings and plenum headers . my wife i think is a bigger car nut than me:wink: so i guess the work will never be done . but thats ok dont have to beg for cash for the cars , which is good by me.

[Vette Guy]

Yes, I've ported my plenum and injector housings... The first time I went into the plenum, I simply took out the casting marks and port matched the plenum to the IHs... My Z went from 318 RWHP to mid 340s on the porting alone - roughly 25 RWHP gain. After adding headers and adjusting the chip, I made 372 HWHP at SGC in 2004. After seeing a few other porting jobs from some of the known porting guys, I decided to go deeper and siameese the plenum and open up the IHs to 36mm. While I have not dynoed the Z since my last round of porting a few years ago, I believe I've gained quite a bit more RWHP, but at the expense of my mid-range torque. Looks great on paper in that I could never use all my mid-range torque with the 4:10 rear without spinning tires. Now I have a different "problem"... I don't spin tires very much in the mid RPM range, however the rear tires break loose in the upper RPM range.... so at 55mph, I lose traction. Seat of the pants, it is much faster in the upper RPMs, but I sure do miss the low/mid RPM torque. I may be able to work it more in the chip, but have not had time for it... Before you get started, you need to ask yourself what you want from your Z.... Believe there is some give and take with every mod. I've attached a few photos taken along the way.... I used my trusty die grinder, the bits in the photos, and my homemade 36mm porting ball... the red line around the ball was made with a red sharpe and left a mark exactly where I needed to grind to make a uniform 36mm port job.

Before I get flamed, I know there are much better porting jobs out there, and done by better experts than I, but I enjoy doing these projects.... May not be as good as others, but better than some I've seen... It's my Z and I take the time to it the best I can.... I hope these photos will help you decide what you want to do.

http://www.corvetteaddiction.com/images/porting/Horner_porting1.jpg
http://www.corvetteaddiction.com/images/porting/Horner_porting2.jpg
http://www.corvetteaddiction.com/images/porting/Horner_porting3.jpg
http://www.corvetteaddiction.com/images/porting/Horner_porting4.jpg
http://www.corvetteaddiction.com/images/porting/Horner_porting5.jpg
http://www.corvetteaddiction.com/images/porting/Horner_porting6.jpg

[Vette Guy]

http://www.corvetteaddiction.com/images/porting/Horner_porting7.jpg
http://www.corvetteaddiction.com/images/porting/Horner_porting8.jpg
http://www.corvetteaddiction.com/images/porting/Horner_porting9.jpg
http://www.corvetteaddiction.com/images/porting/Horner_porting10.jpg
http://www.corvetteaddiction.com/images/porting/Horner_porting11.jpg
http://www.corvetteaddiction.com/images/porting/Horner_porting12.jpg
Best Regards,

Mark

[cuisinartvette]

so i guess the work will never be done . but thats ok dont have to beg for cash for the cars , which is good by me.

Not following that, are you selling your cars?

[bradslt5]

did you also do the painting of the cam covers and plenum. i really like how the polishing and painting offset each other . what type of paint did you use /? that you for the well thought out post . merry christmas to you .

[Vette Guy]

did you also do the painting of the cam covers and plenum. i really like how the polishing and painting offset each other . what type of paint did you use /? that you for the well thought out post . merry christmas to you .

Thanks! I used PPG black base / clear coat with a flatening additive. I like the look of it much better than powder coat. In order to keep the plenum cool, I did use 1/4" spacers. I've been running it for almost 2 years without a problem. Good luck with your project!

Best Regards,

Mark

[bradslt5]

thank you so much for the info on the paint . i like you like doing things myself . we all have to start sometime . and you have given me the inspiration to give this project a try. thankyou and merry xmas

[frank12]

Thanks! I used PPG black base / clear coat with a flatening additive. I like the look of it much better than powder coat. In order to keep the plenum cool, I did use 1/4" spacers. I've been running it for almost 2 years without a problem. Good luck with your project!

Best Regards,

Mark

Congratulations, really impressive the beautiful and refined that is.
Some picture more, bigger and enlarged ideal?
Could you explain as making the polishing?

Frank

[Vette Guy]

Congratulations, really impressive the beautiful and refined that is.
Some picture more, bigger and enlarged ideal?
Could you explain as making the polishing?

Frank

Frank,

Nothing special on polishing.... just lots of time on with a sander and polishing lathe. The water housings polish nice and quickly. You may encounter porosity in the plenum and air horn, which can either be sanded further or filled with some type of low heat aluminum weld. 3M red and blue fiber discs come in handy for getting into the small areas. No small project, but the results are well worth it. I don't have any photos from polishing... sorry.

Best Regards,

Mark

[Zr1 Destroyer]

Gut that motha!!!!
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e346/NITROUSJUNKIE/plenum2.jpg
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e346/NITROUSJUNKIE/siamese1.jpg
IH's to match....
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e346/NITROUSJUNKIE/2007-3-141391.jpg
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e346/NITROUSJUNKIE/ih2.jpg
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e346/NITROUSJUNKIE/ih4.jpg

[Zr1 Destroyer]

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e346/NITROUSJUNKIE/gv6.jpg
Kind of a cool pic....

[kenthompson]

You gotta let me know if that fits under the hood! Or what hood is on the beast.

[Jeffvette]

NJ has a high rise hood.

[Zr1 Destroyer]

NJ has a high rise hood.Now if we could just get him put some coolant and a battery in it i'd be happy!!!

[Locobob]

Now if we could just get him put some coolant and a battery in it i'd be happy!!!

You could almost fit a battery inside those intake ports! :D