78 fairmont head just came in.

[68_sixpeashooter]

I just got my 78 fairmont cylinder head today for my 200 engine that I'm getting rebuilt. I'm gonna be taking it to the machine shop tomorrow. I know the head has about 62cc so I would need to mill it to regain the stock compression ratio. I'm rebuilding it with performance in mind so what should I ask to be done to the head? I know I'm gonna want it ported, and I'm gonna be direct mounting a 2v carb as well.

Help is appreciated!

Thanks,

 

[Asa]

Are you removing any material from the block as well?

 

[68_sixpeashooter]

I don't think so. Would I need to remove any material from the block?

 

[Asa]

Quench is also important in building an engine. Basically the flat areas of the cylinder head and the flat areas of the piston meet and "squish" the A/F ratio into a smaller area so that you get a more complete burn, resulting in more power.

Quench is usually achieved by figuring the amount of deck height you have to remove from the top of the block.

 

[68_sixpeashooter]

I will keep that in mind. From what I know the 66' 200 ci engine block I have has never been rebuilt. What's the safest amount of deck height that can be removed?

 

[Asa]

You have to measure everything and do calculations to find out how much to actually remove, every engine is different.

 

[Asa]

There are several factors to measure, this calculator should help you figure out what you need to measure:
http://www.rbracing-rsr.com/squishcalc1.html

 

[68_sixpeashooter]

Thanks very helpful link! Is there anything else I should consider for maxiumum performance?

 

[Asa]

Have you already started a thread asking what else to do? If not, other than the head and airflow, next most important thing would be the cam. You'll have to ask others for that though, it's a black art to me.

I assume it's going in the '68 Mustang?.

 

[68_sixpeashooter]

I pretty much know what else to do with my engine. My questions are just with the head and maximizing its performance.

 

[bubba22349]

If the short block is still together you could measure your existing deck height will give you idea how much to deck the block. You can also tell if the deck is square to the crank centerline.

 

[JackFish]

I would suggest that the porting that will give you the most bang for the buck would be to have them do the valve pockets, and a 3-angle valve job. As afar as shaving the head you'll probably want a compression ratio of around 9:1. The chambers will measure out at somewhere in the 50-54cc range, depending on the head gasket thickness.

 

[Asa]

I pretty much know what else to do with my engine. My questions are just with the head and maximizing its performance.

That's the thing through, the head is only one part of it, and if you don't have the quench setup properly it is lacking a key part of the power cycle

 

[68_sixpeashooter]

I'm gonna be having my block decked to .000
I was planning to get the high ratio rockers, but the price held me back a bit. That's a future upgrade for sure though. I read with these the stock oiling is eliminated. Can somebody explain to me what exactly I have to do to install them?

 

[JackFish]

The roller rockers are a very expensive bang for the buck.
You won't really reap many benefits from them unless you are drag racing and looking for that last 1/10 of a second at WOT. IMHO.
If you want to spend some money you could get oversized SI valves, and they would have to be unshrouded a bit.
I was going to post photos, but the image size limits here are just a problem.

 

[bmbm40]

I would suggest that the porting that will give you the most bang for the buck would be to have them do the valve pockets, and a 3-angle valve job. As afar as shaving the head you'll probably want a compression ratio of around 9:1. The chambers will measure out at somewhere in the 50-54cc range, depending on the head gasket thickness.

That is good to know, valve pockets-biggest return, and the three angle. If I may ask is zero deck that important for a mild performance build, not much more than direct mount 2100, the pocket port, three angle and mild cam probably stock valve size and no header?

 

[68_sixpeashooter]

The roller rockers are a very expensive bang for the buck.
You won't really reap many benefits from them unless you are drag racing and looking for that last 1/10 of a second at WOT. IMHO.
If you want to spend some money you could get oversized SI valves, and they would have to be unshrouded a bit.
I was going to post photos, but the image size limits here are just a problem.

So what type of rockers would you recommend that I get? My car is not gonna be used to drag race but I might take it to the track from time to time. Its my daily driver and I'm looking for some reliablility.

 

[JackFish]

Stock non-adjustable hydraulic rockers work just fine.
But some folks here prefer to play with valve lash so they might suggest an adjustable set.
Parts are fairly easy to come by on ebay.

 

[68_sixpeashooter]

So you think I could get a good set of adjustable rockers on ebay for a good price? My cylinder heads intake is getting milled flat so I can mount a 2v carb. I'm stuck between the autolite 2100 and the weber 32/36. Which carb would you recommend that I get?

 

[bmbm40]

You can buy adjustable rockers from classicinlines.com.