# Head Porting,Valve Train,Camshafts,& More



## PontiacJim (Dec 29, 2012)

OK, this post is for the Pontiac car owners, whether you have a bunch of mechanical knowledge or are just learning - or simply want to understand a little more about your engine.

Aluminum heads or cast iron? Roller rockers or stamped steel? Roller lifters, solids, or hydraulic? How do you port a head? What is Lobe Separation, Lift, Duration, & Overlap? Spring Retainers & Rocker Arm Studs? So _how do you degree a cam_? Timing Chain or Gear Drive? Compression versus Cylinder Pressure? Valve train Geometry? How do I get the right push rods? What tools do I need? How does bench flow testing work?

Do any of these questions ever enter your mind or have you ever had your brain all tied in a knot trying to decide what's best for your build based on others suggestions and all the forums & blogs on the internet? Can you say "Heck ya!" 

I am a reader as well as hands-on learner and have a nice library of engine build books of all makes from the 1950's and on up. Everything from engine theory to engine tuning. Reading is great if you have a little knowledge of what the heck you are reading about and hands-on, well,.......great way to learn the hard way especially if you break it or pull it apart and can't get it together again like Humpty Dumpty. Plus it cost more to learn this way!

Purchased a DVD that I feel would be a great asset and wealth of knowledge to you guys wanting to know more about your engine, what you might want to do with it, and a few things to make sure you get it right the first time rather than break stuff or don't get the performance you had hoped out of your engine.

The DVD is based on the Chevy & Ford, but not so much as to take away from the application to our Pontiac engines. Many of the principals in the video apply to all engines. But, once you have the basics down right, you can fine tune your build & understandings to the specific challenges of our beloved Pontiac engines.

The DVD is made by Bad-Ass Cars. They have a whole series of videos, but the one I am talking of here is called *Heads, Porting, and Valve Trains* -this is where your power comes from. You can find it here: Heads, Porting and Valve Trains

This DVD is a 2 DVD set having almost 5 hours running time - a lot to absorb. I enjoyed the heck out of it and learned a few things myself. I also purchased the *Nitrous Oxide* DVD to better understand what I'll be getting into when I buy my kit - and I certainly have plenty of printed material on Nitrous, but the DVD tells it like it is from a guy who successfully builds nitrous motors.

Anyway, I highly recommend this if you want to learn a little more about your engine and perhaps be a little more informed on your build choices. Great DVD for your son/daughter who might want to learn along with you, or heck, your wife/girlfriend might actually understand what you're talking about after watching this DVD -and even embarrass some motorhead wanna-be at a car show or two.

I don't typically go out of my way to endorse much of anything, but with all the questions I see posted here on the forums with concern to head, cams, valves, timing, etc., I think this might help a few. Inexpensive enough to purchase, or ask for it for your birthday or when Santa comes around. :thumbsup:

*PS* - To one of you Administrators: Hope this becomes a "Sticky."


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## Droach6498 (Nov 1, 2020)

PontiacJim said:


> OK, this post is for the Pontiac car owners, whether you have a bunch of mechanical knowledge or are just learning - or simply want to understand a little more about your engine.
> 
> Aluminum heads or cast iron? Roller rockers or stamped steel? Roller lifters, solids, or hydraulic? How do you port a head? What is Lobe Separation, Lift, Duration, & Overlap? Spring Retainers & Rocker Arm Studs? So _how do you degree a cam_? Timing Chain or Gear Drive? Compression versus Cylinder Pressure? Valve train Geometry? How do I get the right push rods? What tools do I need? How does bench flow testing work?
> 
> ...


Thanks PJ just found this and went there also looked at there parts, i.e. cams, lifters etc. Why is there such a price differance like Howards to Elgin. Is it like buying regular wear item and a Gucci? Your paying for the name, does it really that much differance. I mean $800 compared to $250 for cams and or cam packages.


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