Boss 429 Cylinder Head Straightening

[MotorsportsX]

420 degrees and around 90 ftlbs torque? message me if im close lol

[serchmarc]

isnt suppoust that a warped cylinder head is a useless head,and you have to buy a new one,,, YOU CAN STRAIGHT IT BACK UP???? WHAT??????

[azrios]

John, I can show you how to Heat Straighten aluminum cylinder heads within 15 minutes (floor to floor) instead of 2-1/2 hours (as demonstrated in your video) then waiting for cooled down time....

~Rico - ASE Master Machinist

[Stealth12343211]

You can do the same thing with a piece of MC Iron Channel, some feeler gauges, and an acetylene torch. Is alot more efficient on time, and cost. You dont actually have to heat the entire head (no loss of guides or valve seats from getting it too hot) you heat specific points to relieve the pressure of the warp. The reason you remove warpage insted of milling it away is it would create uneven chamers and on OHC engines it creates binding of the cam shaft. Warpage= pressure, which in turn = Cracks

[fiatnutz]

@Stealth12343211 Dude, you need to review you technology. By localizing the heat, as with a torch, you get a wave in the head that is nearly impossible to remove. The head must be heated uniformly and cooled evenly.

[Stealth12343211]

@fiatnutz I am well aware of my technology. It is considered an accepted and by most shops prefered way to do it. Gives you quicker turn around, causes less problems, and allows for more profitablity. It just takes some skill to learn how to do it. Look up "getting your head straight engine builder" on google. It will give an article that they discuss it in.

[jeffrey19621]

I was told that this had to be done on our VW diesels but never witnessed the procedure until now . Thanks for a great post.

[jjenson2006]

@5191keith I would think the most obvious reason is so you don't have to mill too much metal off it. Each time they warp, you'll have to mill a little off. Eventually, they can no longer be milled. So you'll want to remove as little as possible.

[O7ROADKING]

you have some great videos. very interesting Thanks for posting

[dwnrety1]

do you not mention what the torque on the bolts and the temp of the oven is because its proprietary?

[fiatnutz]

@dwnrety1 - Yes.

[dwnrety1]

@fiatnutz hm. interesting.

as for the cylinder head i didnt know you could just straighten them out, not to mention the fact that they would warp that much..

[fiatnutz]

@dwnrety1 - The 429 do not use a standard head gasket, the use a nitrogen filled ring and several quad-rings to seal the coolant - good idea, but bery expensive to buy those bots no days. I have welded all the receiver grooves and machined the head for a standard 429 gasket - work real well and the gaskets are cheap.

[RReaper100]

Well that works , but do the bolts on you clamp also stretch with heat ?

[PlayTilTheyBleed]

John, you rock!

[scdevon]

You saved a pretty rare cylinder head. Nice work, John! Love your videos, man.

[dnl5649]

can i have my engine sandblasted to clean it??

it has grease from 1977 all over it and is just nasty.

[fiatnutz]

@dnl5649 - No get it cleaned to remove the oil and grease first, themal cleaning would be the best process.

[dnl5649]

@fiatnutz when you are thermal cleaning a engine, does the flame make direct contact with whatever is being cleaned? or does it just get really hot in there?

[fiatnutz]

@dnl5649 - There is direct contact with the flame, but the parts are rotating at the same time.

[dnl5649]

@fiatnutz thanks for answering my question! i am making a oven and wasnt sure wether i should have the flame right on the engine or have it under a metal plate or something so only heat makes contact with the part being baked. thanks

[ericsyutubeaccount]

this guy looks and sounds like vietnam tom

[CoolasIce2]

@ericsyutubeaccount He's one bad mutha...

[KEEPINITRIL]

@ericsyutubeaccount

hahaha, I gotta tell john when I see him tomorrow

HAHHAHAA

its funnier because actually john sent me that video

[AutomotiveAficionado]

I never even knew this existed! Thanks again John and keep up the great work!

[Shazee083]

is that sand blasting

[KEEPINITRIL]

@Shazee083

no, this was placed in the 1 stage of the 3 stage cleaning system

1st - Oven

2nd - metal blasting

3rd - into the rocker

[1dockthorwho23]

That was very informative thank you for posting this video.

[1974Alfa5Spd]

And I used to think a warped head was scrap...

[12agent47]

that is a FAT ass head. wow.

[harpreet928]

this is great to know that aluminum head can be straightened too

great info video

[firelake1942]

I've watched a few of your video's and wished you were in Canada B.C.

You are good at what you do.

[biglift1]

smoke it with mesquitte and drape is with honey :) LOL

[PackedFunk]

Boss 429 is one bad, but rare engine.

Love these engines.

[ezcondition]

it was the go to engine for Ford. i wished they'd made more hemi-Bowtie blocks. i'd love to have one, but it be way to much for any 'just to do' project, more like a rare Barret-Jackson stuff. though on the real, the 4.6 or LS series engines are way better for performance and cost. i'd bid on the LS series myself, though i know the 4.6 3V is a better design as far as deflection and induction, those old push rod LS's are the shit!! 12 degree heads make them what they are... the Boss : )

[chrilla1980]

i know ;)

[mplsfarmerjon]

@PackedFunk

[insonita55]

is like making chiken

[ucernie15]

anyone know were can i buy a 1969 boss 429

[ncsnathan]

Internet

[ozphil]

look in hemmings motor news. Hope you have plenty of money. originals fetch 6 figures

[mustang50dominates]

barret jackson lol

[chrilla1980]

I have one on renovation tho but i don´t think you afford it so sorry ;)

[dragus213]

eh i just grabed two mustang engines with those type of heads from a junkyard O_O" didnt know the heads were rare

[mustangman46052]

hey man the BOSS 429 was only made 2 years not into the 90 get your facts strait there is just recently a guy that makes new boss heads that will fit the 385 series ford big block

[JSRmontcalm]

i never said the BOSS 429 was made into the 90's you moron. LOOK WHAT I TYPED> 429's built from 68 into the 90's NOWHERE did i say BOSS! that "guy" you talk of is Jon Kaase. if you knew anything you'd know that. i have my facts straight, i guarantee i know more about ford big blocks than you could ever hope to know about them. nice try though.

You are the idiot BTW.

[shovelstevehuh]

Who makes these re-pops?

[VayLoc310]

I would rather use cast iron heads!, with the high performance cfm flow rates, intake/exhaust valve sizes, and heart shaped combustion chamber/number sizes of the aluminum heads....

[JSRmontcalm]

Flow technologies ex 514's. they are an A head casting.. identical to the Aluminum ex 514's just done in iron. same flow characteristics as the aluminum. capable of 450+cfm. Very heavy though

[VayLoc310]

Yeah, I've read about Flow Technology's heads, RHS, DART, and a few other cylinder head manufacturers that make both cast iron and aluminum heads, I've noticed that aluminum are over 1000 dollars more than the iron versions, it could be the same engine, one could sell the motor with iron heads and the same motor with aluminum heads and there's a 1000 dollar difference, people buy the aluminum heads for the weight savings but I'd rather have the strength and longevity of the iron heads.

[SrgReaper]

He didnt really say how this works in any sort of way he just said it works and showed some of it.......

[digzie1]

memory in the material is how it works, also strapping it down does not hurt notice the little blocks at each end of the head with the strap in the middle? then the heat sometimes extreme cold cryogenic freezing works also-seen that done on warped cycle wheels,,,not real sure about something like thick heads ..

[austinden611]

i know nothing about engines......or not enought anyway...but i have a question....what would be a better racing engine the 428 cobra jet or the 429 boss????

[mustang50dominates]

probably the 429 because it was a nascar engine and they didn't call it the "Shotgun" engine for no reason. And they had bigger valves for better flow

[jacktheripped]

Better yet, take the 428 crank and put it into the 429, instant stroked engine :)

[cobra428bigblock]

You can't do that.....the 428 is an FE engine, and the 429 is a 385 series engine. They are two different engines, two different blocks.

[jacktheripped]

...*sigh*

[humantestdummy]

429 is a rare engine only made for acouple years, just get a 460 and bore/stroke it out hahah

[JSRmontcalm]

yeah rare it is...made from 68 until well into the 90's

[humantestdummy]

smart ass look at the disgustion, 429 cobra jet is a rare engine

[JSRmontcalm]

you said 429's are rare. they were used in big trucks for a long time. the 429 CJ somewhat but Cobra Jet heads came on many boats. Those arnt CJ head BTW those are boss heads.  they actually are rare

[humantestdummy]

i guess you are right, which one was a the ford hemi

[JSRmontcalm]

This is the one.. well Its not a full blown hemi head, kind of a semi-hemi. Now of course there are aftermarket Hemi Heads for Ford Chevy and Dodge.  None of the max effort Hemi Engines Resemble anything,

[ducatiss900]

hi John, if the head has been that hot it will lose clamp load on the gasket because of the loss of hardness, straightening this way works but it further softens the alloy. there is another method that most shops in New Zealand have been using for the last 15 years that keeps the temperature down below annealing point. but first we always check hardness, if it's below 60 brinell it is sent for heat treatment or scrapped

[robby844]

here in america our aluminum is strronger than your damn zoo shit.

[ducatiss900]

almost all the V8 engines we work on are american, all aluminium cylinder heads are heat treated, over heating your engine will cause a loss of hardness in the same way as turning a drill bit blue will cause it to lose the cutting edge quickly. it does not matter who made the cylinder heads

[robby844]

ummmmmmmmm ok.our heads are t66 aluminum and ours never lose strength.weve had the same heads on our CORE truck.

[cve70]

robby844, ducatiss is correct. Thermal cleaning or heating an aluminum head over 300-350 degrees will destroy the hardness, even in your t66 castings.

[robby844]

we test our heads for strength each and evertime we straighten them.they stay the same before and after.

[violincellist]

Very cool! That is quite a setup you have! :-)

[pokerdotjearsy]

amazing! iam very impressed, thanks again for such an insightful view into the world of engine rebuilding

[oldmusher]

Proof that the human brain is still the highest tech computer of all. Nice, well thought out process to save milling and the eventual carnage milling can cause.

[enginemasterbuilder]

Unreal warpage. Listen To John guys he is a master. Ask him about the ZYGLO tests

[ztwntyn8]

wow, that's neat. I guess the boss 429 head is aluminum. That is a realy interesting process.

[zachlutes]

Impressive! Are the torque specs and oven temperature common to any aluminum head you straighten or do they vary depending on the head?

[fiatnutz]

Temps vary somewhat depending upon the mass of the cylinder head. Torque remains pretty consistent. SOme heads require 1-3 cycles to get them straight. The aluminum alloys vary between manufacturers and this makes for unpredictable results. With experience you gain a feel for the process.