Rebuilting an engine

[Carmen]

Just for discussion since I had my engine rebuilt about five years ago. But if you guys could have your stock engine rebuilt what would you do differently. While looking at shows like Hot, Rod and Two Guy Garage they port out the exhaust holes etc. Would you uses different rods and headers, how about the crankcase and cam shaft. What about the timing gears and the head.

I guess anything that would help make the engine run smoother and cooler. While at the same time keeping everything stock.

Thanks


Carmen

[Lifer]

I had one rebuilt last year, and the only alteration I had made was to have hardened exhaust valve seats installed (for use with straight unleaded gas).Essentially, then, I have a stock engine. I'm sure you could port, polish, and balance to the Nth degree, but you probably wouldn't gain a whole lot in performance. Our trucks were designed to be workhorses, not thoroughbreds, and blueprinting will not change that. I think that you would just pound a lot of sand down a rat hole with negligible results, but that's just my 2¢ worth.

[CREEPING DEATH]

I have an old Hot Rod how-to book, close to 50 years old. It states the best power increase in the Mopar flathead 6s is to port-match the block to the manifolds, it seems Chrysler wasn't in to precision casting much back then.

CD

[Teoma]

A flathead is basically a lawnmower engine on steroids. The fact is that you are looking at a rev limit of around 3500 rpm due mainly to the long connecting rods. Porting and polishing, hi-perf cams etc aren't going to change any of that and may in fact decrease the life of the engine by overstraining the stock rods. If you want a hi perf truck, go with a V-8 because you will get more revs and more ponies per dollar. If fuel economy is a factor then you could even jerry rig a 2.2L engine and get comparable power to the flathead and many more revs