DIY porting
11-09-2009, 04:34 PM
#3
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i made one out of a shop vac and an old maf and my snap on vantage pro. doesn't really give any legitimate flow numbers but it will show improvements, which in reality is all a flowbench is really meant to do.
11-09-2009, 05:34 PM
#5
You need to move a serious amount of air to get the airspeeds up to simulate a running engine....then all sorts of interesting things happen like the air skipping across the short turn, having to negotiate turns and valves at 250 feet per second versus 50, and other factors you will never see at lower test depressions and velocity. You will never generate that kind of power thru a vacuum.....possibly three or four large 5 HP versions linked together but that starts getting a little clunky and ridiculous looking. I have twelve industrial vacuum motors in the flowbench that I built (and still use for R&D purposes) and it can pull 550 CFM at 28"......more than the SF600 that we have downstairs in QC and slightly less than SuperFlow's newer 1020 model. I spent almost six months researching and building mine and at the time it was simply because I enjoy building and fabricating and was hoping when I was finished I could port a set of BBC heads with it (which then took another six months....literally). My friends thought I was out of my mind....and in hindsight I tend to agree with them....but it did ultimately change the course of my future because after that I completely immersed myself in cylinder heads and engine development like a guy going 12's and endlessly looking for more with mod after mod....LOL
So while I would be a total hypocrite to advise anyone not to go down a road less traveled (and try building a bench etc.), don't forget the obvious of course which is after now possessing a tool to check your progress, you need to have a clue as how to proceed to improve it. Make the wrong move and you either add epoxy or weld....its a slippery slope and if you look at it as more of a cool project and not expecting great results it may be worth looking into but some things are better left to the professionals, not to mention the time you invest would be far more costly than even the fees a higher caliber of porter would likely charge you (or simply looking at an AFR, TFS, or other quality out of the box product).
Like I said, knowing I didn't want to screw up, I made small moves and flow checked every tiny painstaking detail of the progress hence the 6 month lead time to port one set of heads (literally six months guys with little or no hands on experience at the time). I did manage to get 20 more CFM's than the respected local porter promised me (for his $1500 porting fee at the time). Then a few years later after I had alot more experience under my belt I went back and revisited that "first" set of heads picking up an additional 20 CFM with more time spent and the addition of a slightly larger valve.
Now you can get an even better flowing version right out of the box from AFR though which brings us back to the big question or dilemma of what you really want to accomplish or set out to do building a flowbench in the first place....LOL
One thing for sure....your friends will have a good time bagging on you! (and likely want to borrow it if it comes out OK after your done!)
-Tony
Last edited by Tony Mamo @ AFR; 11-09-2009 at 07:05 PM.
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11-10-2009, 03:10 AM
#8
I may be able to get quite a few vacuums out of work. 
I've been looking at investing in an used superflow, but the roughly $6000 is a lot of money for a hobby. Even if I spend $1000 in vacuums and software that is a lot more budget oriented. If I can take that $1000 + a ton of time, gain knowledge, and go quicker at the same time I don't see it as losing anything.
I've been looking at investing in an used superflow, but the roughly $6000 is a lot of money for a hobby. Even if I spend $1000 in vacuums and software that is a lot more budget oriented. If I can take that $1000 + a ton of time, gain knowledge, and go quicker at the same time I don't see it as losing anything. 