Hello I'm about to port my exhaust manifolds while i have my engine out for a swap to a different car and i was wondering if any one had any tips or tricks on what to use grinding stones or sanding drums? or something i might not have even thought of.
anything will to help and make it easier will be appreciated.

thanks in advance

Ryan

Die grinder or a Roto-Zip (if you do not have a compressor) and carbide burrs:

And of course you will wear safety equipment. Dust mask, gloves, eye protection and clothes that you dont' mind getting all sorts of tiny metallic burrs in.

Assuming 2.8 stock manifolds, do not go too deep grinding inside the tube - i think that is where they are welded. - If i remember correctly, the outside of the tube is not welded and can crack if you grind the insides too far.

You could weld up the outside where the tube an flange meet and then grind away the insides without worry..

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87 Formula Clone, 3800SC, 3.4 Pulley, 4T65E-HD, HP Tuners, AEM Wideband, 12.98 at 103.4 1/4 mile, Regal GS Gauge Cluster, S-10 Brake Booster Upgrade.

thanks i wouldn't have thought of using these ill go grab a set

Ryan

If this is your first time porting, go cautious. Yes use the carbide burrs but no, don't use the die grinder or air tool. Use an electric drill. It works slower and you'll get better results. Also, for the finer finishes you need a Dremel or the equivalent.

The 120 grit flap wheels finish metal off nicely. If you can find one, a compressed paper bit for the electric drill is a nice way to get a polished surface. In fact, if you don't want to spring for carbide burrs and you have a Dremel, they can do a pretty respectable job too.

Just don't go at it like you are a pro. Use caution.

Arn

I've posted these before but here's a quickie photo log of what you want to do:

DimeMachine mentioned he thought the welds were on the inside, but they're actually on the outside. From this picture you can see how oval holes were punched into the collector tube when they should have been round holes.



You don't need to buy expensive burrs to do the job, although they will make it easier. I used a small grinding stone on my die grinder to grind away the restrictions in each port:



Here's a pic of the rough finsished product:



After the grinding stone, I used a sanding drum on a Dremel tool to knock down the last few millimeters and smooth out the rough edges.

I used small grinding stones on my die grinder to grind away the restrictions in each port:
Didn't take long at all and a lot cheaper.