Engine Rebuilding: Cylinder Heads

Stage III
Although Stage II will do nicely for any serious restoration, there are those who race at the club drag races and want a little more power and speed. Stage III will accomplish that end. Stage III is basically Stage II plus cylinder head porting where the intake and exhaust ports are ground out to allow more air flow. This work requires a cylinder head expert who knows where to grind and where not to grind. This additional porting can be anything from just "bowl work" (cleaning up the bowl area under the valve) to enlarging the intake and exhaust ports all of the way to the manifold flanges. Minor bowl porting and manifold port matching usually runs about $600. Full porting usually starts at about $1,000 and can be as much as $2,000 depending upon the cylinder heads. One final option is to fill the EGR passages with aluminum. This modification keeps the intake manifold cooler and streamlines the airflow in the exhaust ports. For illustration purposes, we have shown a set of 455 Buick heads that have been given the full Stage III treatment. Cost is about $1,400 and, at that price, they'll be almost too pretty to put on an engine.