Block and heads clean and check cost?

What should I expect to pay for getting heads and block checked and cleaned on a 460?  I am in S.C. if that matters.

I don't want to do any machine work yet. I want to do some porting and polishing. I have never done it before so would like to learn.  

What about block work at home like smoothing the lifter valley, desstressing the block?  Open or champfer any oil passages?

Glyptol block after final machine work is done???

I believe on the heads you have just some clean up is all you want. Ports are considered by many as being too large already. Knock off flash, rough edges and corners and do a little port matching with intake is about it.

I have not found a good place where I live to get an engine really cleaned in a hot tank, nobody has one anymore, EPA got strict on what they could use. I am sure they are out there. I think most bake them now in oven to remove sludge and oil. You need to take any plugs out before you clean also. After getting all the oil and grease off I would put in molasses to break up the rust in the water jackets. Since you are not in a hurry can leave several weeks and it will be like new cast iron. Pressure wash and use Dawn and hot water several times and soak with WD-40 before it dries to stop rust. Put if big plastic bag on engine stand to keep dust and dirt off.

Grinding cast iron is a dirty job also. Do wear a good mask, not paper, and safety glasses with a full face shield.

I think guys get the cart in front of the horse when they build the engine then work on the body. The engine sits there and the valve springs are compressed on some valves for years sometimes. You should at least move the crank some to different position to give them a break.

I also would not glyptol anything in the engine. I bought some to do the bottom of an intake manifold, and it is very specific, if the part is not 100% clean it will not stick. I decided I didn't want any surprise flakes falling into my engine, so I just polished the iron in the lifter valley for quicker oil return and cleaned up flash marks and burrs. I also agree to not port the heads, they are big enough, and without flow testing your just kind of shooting in the dark. Try a set of Milodon Mega Flow valves, the valve stem gets thinner in the port to allow more air flow. I like them a lot!! Good luck!! Remember, if it's going to be on the street more than the track, most of the little performance tricks have little to no effect, wasted time and money!! Good cam, carb, intake, exhaust, valve train, and machine work are key!!

What should I expect to pay for getting heads and block checked and cleaned on a 460?  I am in S.C. if that matters.

I don't want to do any machine work yet. I want to do some porting and polishing. I have never done it before so would like to learn.  

What about block work at home like smoothing the lifter valley, desstressing the block?  Open or champfer any oil passages?

Glyptol block after final machine work is done???

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Remove the casting flash around the oil drain back holes in the lifter valley. Don't really "need" to do anything else.

The 429/460 passenger car iron head ports aren't "too big." They are perfect for a budget type street build. As far as porting is concerned you will want to do a bowl blend at a minimum. I gave you a link on the other forum to a thread where a professional head porter shows how to port the heads. Polishing is a waste of time. His method involves about 50% of the work of a typical port/polish job and returns 95% of the benefit.

If you want to go one step further have a 2.11" intake valve installed with a good 3 angle valve job.

Don't forget hardened exhaust seats.

I just had my 351CJ block cleaned and magnafluxed for about $150 at a shop in Wisconsin.

I believe on the heads you have just some clean up is all you want. Ports are considered by many as being too large already. Knock off flash, rough edges and corners and do a little port matching with intake is about it.

I have not found a good place where I live to get an engine really cleaned in a hot tank, nobody has one anymore, EPA got strict on what they could use. I am sure they are out there. I think most bake them now in oven to remove sludge and oil. You need to take any plugs out before you clean also. After getting all the oil and grease off I would put in molasses to break up the rust in the water jackets. Since you are not in a hurry can leave several weeks and it will be like new cast iron. Pressure wash and use Dawn and hot water several times and soak with WD-40 before it dries to stop rust. Put if big plastic bag on engine stand to keep dust and dirt off.

Grinding cast iron is a dirty job also. Do wear a good mask, not paper, and safety glasses with a full face shield.

I think guys get the cart in front of the horse when they build the engine then work on the body. The engine sits there and the valve springs are compressed on some valves for years sometimes. You should at least move the crank some to different position to give them a break.

Click to expand...

Before spraying with WD40, clean and paint the areas you want that are exposed.. Paint will not stick to oily surfaces.. Rub WD40 or any micro thin oil onto the bare metal surfaces after painting.

Thanks guys!!  I love this forum especially as random as my mind works.  I probably should have waited on buying this motor.  I have enough to do to get my Mach back on the road with the stock CJ motor!! :shootself:    I soooo much prefer working on a motor though.... lollerz

For the heads.  Would I be better off just buying a set of PROFORM heads??  They are about $1000 complete.  Since my current heads have already been machined for screw in studs and guides I would still need to do valves, springs, seats and 3 angle VJ.  I want to do the ports mainly for the experience.  There is a guy on YouTube that has a whole series on the preform heads that he smoothes and opens the ports as well as inserting sleeves in the head bolt holes that go through the exhaust port so he can smooth out that side of the  passage better.

I'm just thinking cost and is it worth considering for $1k.  The higher name brand edelbrock, trickflow, brodix etc are way out of budget for what I want to spend.  If the iron heads are still cheaper I will just go with those since this is a street tire burner.

For the block, grinding the lifter valley smooth and opening up the oil flow back holes is what I did on a 454 I built.  I was just wondering if the glyptol would be better but good point on the flakes.  I don't mind the labor of smoothing the valley again.  Its actually kind of calming..  ::thumb::

What kind of power level are you shooting for?

The heads you have if properly set up will easily support 450+ hp.

Even if you were aiming for more than that I wouldn't bother with those Procomp heads.

Spend a few minutes over at 460ford.com , somewhere on there are basic engine 'recipes' based on what you are looking for.

I see you were considering a stroker kit, I still think the heads you have will work with added stroke as well.

Anything "PROFORM" is garbage - stay away from it. They literally copy American perfomance company's products and then sell inferior quality items. Heads and valves are the last place I would try to save money. One dropped valve can destroy your entire engine in a flash.