Valve guides

[Omie01]

Just need a couple opinions. I got a set of CC heads for a wedding gift, They came with new seats and valve guides already installed. The valve guides are either cast iron or steel, and my engine builder says they may not be able to put bronze liners in them. Are the steel/iron guides ok for a street engine that will see the occasional blast to 6200 rpms?


I will be running stainless valves.

 

[jbojo]

Look at this article. Not sure why they can't put bronze liners in. Bronze liners hold up better and has better oil control, usually you want dissimilar metals on moving surfaces.

http://diyford.com/prep-ford-351-cleveland-cylinder-heads/

 

[Omie01]

Yes, I have that book and read that too, thats why I don't understand what he is talking about. He said he will install them if he can, but he had concerns about the guides that were installed, so I was just hoping to hear a few opinions on steel/iron guides.

 

[Don C]

I'm in agreement with John, I don't know why he can't install bronze guides, if that's what you want.

Here are some other views on valve guides:

http://www.enginebuildermag.com/1996/07/valve-guide-repair-options/

 

[MeZapU]

Cast iron replacement guides are used my many many shops and are not at all a bad option. Some shops even prefer a cast iron guide in a cast iron head as there are often fewer long term issues. All things considered they should last just as long and be able to support the same performance level as an original guide would have. Bronze guides may be a bit better as far as longevity, but since your guides are new, I don't think they are worth the expense to install them. In the end, it's all how well all the tolerances are set up by the machine shop as to how long anything like that will last.