What Plugs for SE Stage 2 Heads?

Discussion in 'Race 400/430/455' started by wormwood, Jan 13, 2008.

  1. wormwood

    wormwood Dare to be different

    Ever since doing a port job on my heads (TA SE stage 2) and intake (TA SP1) and putting in a new cam (TA "The Gibson"). my car went from 11.9 to 13.4. it now seems to like ALOT of timing like 30 deg. initial and 50 total. my mechanic friend suggested that my plugs may not be long enough. anyone have ideas? could i have done THAT bad a job on porting my heads? all i did was take out the rough spots and gasket match all the runners.
     
  2. Thumper (aka greatscat)

    Thumper (aka greatscat) Well-Known Member

    Either your timing light is FUBAR or something else is amiss.Don't try to run with that kind of timing.Blown gaskets and other damage is sure to occur.
    gary
     
  3. standup 69

    standup 69 standup69

    check the cam position maybe degreed wrong that would really hurt it.also do a cranking compression test
     
  4. wormwood

    wormwood Dare to be different

    im 90% sure that the cam position is correct. i will do a compression test.

    I called the technicians at Quick fuel (the makers of proform carbs). they say that my 1050 cfm carb is WAY to big for my application. yet i see alot of guys using them on our big buick v8's, whats the story, are they right, or are we?
     
  5. Thumper (aka greatscat)

    Thumper (aka greatscat) Well-Known Member

    With your combo the 1050 is ok,everyone thinks based on the "table" that we shouldn't need over 850cfm on our 455's,but the 1000TQ always outperformed any 850 or tricked out 850 I ever tried.You have enough HP and head flow to handle it.
    gary
     
  6. wormwood

    wormwood Dare to be different

    ok, thanks for the tips guys. I finally went out and bought a compression tester. here's what i came up with....

    Cylinders:
    1) 215
    2)195
    3)190
    4)200 (went up to 240 once)
    5)
    6)210
    7)205
    8)205

    so what do these numbers tell me? will this tell me if my cam is degree's correctly?
     
  7. LARRY70GS

    LARRY70GS a.k.a. "THE WIZARD" Staff Member

    Well, that is plenty of cylinder pressure. Are you sure that the intake ports are aligned with the head ports, and that the intake port is a little smaller?
     
  8. wormwood

    wormwood Dare to be different

    actually, no im not sure. all i did was gasket match the ports. i dont see how it wouldn't line up?
     
  9. LARRY70GS

    LARRY70GS a.k.a. "THE WIZARD" Staff Member

    It doesn't always line up. Any block milling or head milling also affects alignment. If the intake ports are larger than the head ports, or if there is a ledge on the head side, it seriously affects air flow.
     
  10. wormwood

    wormwood Dare to be different

    ok. ill have to keep that in mind. the car ran fine BEFORE the port job so if it lined up before could it not be lining up after the porting?
     
  11. LARRY70GS

    LARRY70GS a.k.a. "THE WIZARD" Staff Member

    The intake ports are normally smaller than the head ports. That ensures that no part of the head port will stick out into the intake port. You enlarged the ports to the gasket. If there is any mis alignment, you may have created a problem. Hopefully, this is not the case.
     
  12. DaWildcat

    DaWildcat Platinum Level Contributor

    Even a port mismatch isn't going to knock an 11.9 second car all the way to 13.4. There's a whole lot more going on.

    Please tell us the cam timing between the old & new, gearing, stall, etc. Weren't you also having trans problems? Hasn't this engine combo been together since 2005 or something like that? It sounds like the cylinder head work and cam timing has put your operating range out of whack with your converter & gearning...but I still can't imagine it being so bad as to drag you down that far. Were you running the Gibson cam for the 11.9 run?

    Devon
     
  13. LARRY70GS

    LARRY70GS a.k.a. "THE WIZARD" Staff Member

    Oh, I'm sure there is something else going on. 1.5 seconds is a lot to lose. The only changes were cam and porting. What cam was he running before.
     
  14. DaWildcat

    DaWildcat Platinum Level Contributor

    But he also says he's had the Gibson cam since 05. :Do No:

    Devon
     
  15. LARRY70GS

    LARRY70GS a.k.a. "THE WIZARD" Staff Member

    1st post said he put in a new cam:Smarty:
     
  16. DaWildcat

    DaWildcat Platinum Level Contributor

    I shouldn't have assumed it was a cam upgrade...:TU:

    Devon
     
  17. wormwood

    wormwood Dare to be different

    yea, the prior cam was tha torque tech sp235 (lunati grind 112 lobe seperation, 492 lift duration 296 in 306 ex.). i figured that the gibson cam was especially made for the stage 2 so it would be a better fit then the tourqe tech. im running 373 gears and a 3200 stall speed converter made especially for my set up by J.W Transmissions. im not sure what you mean by cam timing. the cam was degreed in by someone that claims to know what they are doing. yea i was having tranny problems, but they seem to be fixed. (WOW you have a good memory)
     
  18. gusszgs

    gusszgs Well-Known Member

    Wow.....something funny going on for sure. That thing should be flying now. How about a time slip? Trap rpm's ect... maybe something telling from that info.
    Back to your orginal question, TA recommends NGK BPR7ES for the Stg 1's (aluminum) not sure if it's the same for the Stg 2's. What plug are you running?
     
  19. LARRY70GS

    LARRY70GS a.k.a. "THE WIZARD" Staff Member


    Yes, post the time slips. It will tell where you are losing the most time.
     
  20. wormwood

    wormwood Dare to be different

    Jim N. i was using ngk 6's. but i just purchased the 7's. the reason i asked that question in the first place is cause a friend suggested that maybe the spark plug isnt getting all the way into the cylinder head. which may be why it likes so much timing. but im figuring that that isnt the case because those are the plugs most people are running in those heads.
    I have an appointment at the chassis dyno, do you guys think that its a good idea to do that? or would it be better to pull off the heads and put them on the flow bench?
    cant find my time slips, i will keep looking.
     

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