Teach me how to port a plenum
Drifting
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 1,428
Likes: 7
From: Chewelah Wa
Thanks Rodj......good reading.....I am now convinced I need better heads. My stock heads are fresh, so I may consider doing some light porting on them. I just read a old article in Chevy High Performance magazine on how unshrouding the valves and some bowl porting under the seats can be of benefit. I also want to lose the exhaust valve rotators by shimming the springs. I am thinking that siamesing my eddy base and max porting some SLP's may be in order. I am currently running a Summit TPI cam with .420 intake .442 exhaust lift. Some 1.6 rockers on the exhaust side, and I should be good to go until the time comes for new heads, cam and some long tube headers. The search is on now for some used SLP's.
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 24,014
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St. Jude Donor '10
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 8,838
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From: Australia
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 773
Likes: 2
From: Minneapolis MN
They do when the hood is open
Seriously though,on Hosepower tv they said that some engine performance engine builders do paint underside of intake to possibly lower intake temps.Whether this is true i'm not sure.
Come on surfnsun,don't the lt-4 intake look alot better than the black one on my lt-1?Also I believe if GM made their intakes white they would stain & get dirty/ugly quickly.I do some research & see if painting something black will cause it to stay/keep heat longer.I think its hotter in my car(all black interior) than a white or beige interior when its sunny/hot outside.I heard growing up that black cars are hotter inside & paint attracts more heat.If this information is incorrect,set me straight.
Seriously though,on Hosepower tv they said that some engine performance engine builders do paint underside of intake to possibly lower intake temps.Whether this is true i'm not sure.
Come on surfnsun,don't the lt-4 intake look alot better than the black one on my lt-1?Also I believe if GM made their intakes white they would stain & get dirty/ugly quickly.I do some research & see if painting something black will cause it to stay/keep heat longer.I think its hotter in my car(all black interior) than a white or beige interior when its sunny/hot outside.I heard growing up that black cars are hotter inside & paint attracts more heat.If this information is incorrect,set me straight.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 5,146
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From: The Motor City
Also I believe if GM made their intakes white they would stain & get dirty/ugly quickly. I do some research & see if painting something black will cause it to stay/keep heat longer.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 8,838
Likes: 31
From: Australia
The best mod for the underside of a intake is a deep splash shield; stops the hot oil transfering heat to the intake.
That is why the latest trend in engines is to have a valley cover and the intake seperate so as to reduce heat transfer to the incoming air like on the LSX engines
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 24,014
Likes: 633
St. Jude Donor '10
\Whether this is true i'm not sure.
Come on surfnsun,don't the lt-4 intake look alot better than the black one on my lt-1?Also I believe if GM made their intakes white they would stain & get dirty/ugly quickly.I do some research & see if painting something black will cause it to stay/keep heat longer.I think its hotter in my car(all black interior) than a white or beige interior when its sunny/hot outside.I heard growing up that black cars are hotter inside & paint attracts more heat.If this information is incorrect,set me straight.
Come on surfnsun,don't the lt-4 intake look alot better than the black one on my lt-1?Also I believe if GM made their intakes white they would stain & get dirty/ugly quickly.I do some research & see if painting something black will cause it to stay/keep heat longer.I think its hotter in my car(all black interior) than a white or beige interior when its sunny/hot outside.I heard growing up that black cars are hotter inside & paint attracts more heat.If this information is incorrect,set me straight.
They don't paint them white b/c it doesn't matter.
The reason black cars get hot is b/c black absorbs all of the colors in the visible light spectrum while white reflects all colors of visible light. When your hood is down everything is black as there is no light.
Paint your intake whatever color you want but don't do it for performance as you won't get any.
Go back and study they types of heat transfer convection, conduction, and radiation.
Last edited by SurfnSun; Oct 6, 2009 at 06:24 PM.
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Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 773
Likes: 2
From: Minneapolis MN
Its not true.
They don't paint them white b/c it doesn't matter.
The reason black cars get hot is b/c black absorbs all of the colors in the visible light spectrum while white reflects all colors of visible light. When your hood is down everything is black as there is no light.
Paint your intake whatever color you want but don't do it for performance as you won't get any.
Go back and study they types of heat transfer convection, conduction, and radiation.
They don't paint them white b/c it doesn't matter.
The reason black cars get hot is b/c black absorbs all of the colors in the visible light spectrum while white reflects all colors of visible light. When your hood is down everything is black as there is no light.
Paint your intake whatever color you want but don't do it for performance as you won't get any.
Go back and study they types of heat transfer convection, conduction, and radiation.
Heres the site tell me what you get from this info-http://www.avweb.com/news/maint/182886-1
By the way I don't believe everything I find on the internet & if I'm not sure about something I will admit it.I'll never claim to know everything.
Thats why I'm here-to learn & share to my knowledge
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 9,758
Likes: 49
From: Houston Texas
Here is what I did to mine before I went HSR using a die grinder and egg shaped bit. NOTE:The runners are SLP
I also used goggles ear plugs and mask, the shavings go everywhere you don't want to add a Docs appointment to the cost off the mod.
I also used goggles ear plugs and mask, the shavings go everywhere you don't want to add a Docs appointment to the cost off the mod.
Last edited by ch@0s; Oct 6, 2009 at 09:16 PM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 8,838
Likes: 31
From: Australia
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 1,672
Likes: 0
From: Hereford AZ
I have a 1986 Early style Corvette. I just purchased a plenum from a 85 corvette. I am going to have one professionally ported by corvette plenum but am going to try to teach myself on the other plenum. What tools do I need and how do I go about doing it. Thanks in advance.
bob
Last edited by Bobwhite85; Apr 27, 2012 at 05:16 PM.
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 1,672
Likes: 0
From: Hereford AZ
Porting tools
The Bit I'm pointing at is the one I use the most. If you can get ahold of "crusinartvette" here on the forum, you might be able to get some pointers from him. He is, by far, one of best in the field. IMO! Good luck with your porting job.
Bob
Bob
Last edited by Bobwhite85; Apr 27, 2012 at 05:16 PM.
Team Owner
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 20,974
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I bought 2 $3 bits, 1 cone, and 1 oval, it took me about 10 minutes to buzz through each port hole on my stock one, I did not even have to oil them, they ripped through and was pretty smooth I just used some fine paper to finish it. With the right tools it can be done in no time. I would cut most out with a wheel or a blade then clean the rest with bits.
Pro
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 702
Likes: 0
the carbide bits you have are for steel, not aluminum
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 1,672
Likes: 0
From: Hereford AZ
Yes, you are correct. I have found that the steel bits work better for me, as they don't remove alumi material as fast as the alumi bits. They also leave a smoother finish (IMO). I'm new to the porting field and need all the extra help I can get Here is some pics of a set of LT1 heads for my stroker build, that I ported with the bits in the pics.
Bob
Here is some pics of a set of LT1 heads for my stroker build, that I ported with the bits in the pics. Bob
Last edited by Bobwhite85; Apr 27, 2012 at 05:15 PM.
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 3,966
Likes: 4
From: Made In America
St. Jude Donor '10-'11
I just took a grinder and sanded down all the humps inside the plenum and the large hump right behind the throttle body it till it was flat. Im kind of scared this might hurt the car since its changing the air/fuel ratio in there since theres no more humps. Umm, did I mess up because that was way to easy....
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 4,328
Likes: 15
From: Jacksonville FL
I dunno, I aint no scientist but seems to me heat absorption of colors has to do with light, not temperature. You know, when ya wear a black Tshirt you feel hotter than when ya wear a white one? Since this idea occurs under the hood, it shouldnt matter. If ya like the painted look by all means paint away but if it does work, it would be so small a difference you couldnt measure it. It would also seem that if you go coating your components on the outside it would serve as an insulator keeping the heat in. Just my .02, Ive been wrong before, lol.
