D.Hearne
New Member
Shouldn't be any intake fitment problems after milling an 8.229 deck block. The mill will bring it down to what it would be on any other 302 block.
by SoCalCruising:
Since you will be decking the block, you will be changing the mounting position of the intake - the intake will sit higher on the heads than with the original deck height. So, when you have the heads on during mock-up, mount the intake with a gasket and torque to about 15 ft/lbs. Check the clearance between the block end rails and the intake surface. There is a chance that the intake will mount flush (no space between block end rails and intake). If this is the case, you must have the intake milled.
Many of us use silicone to seal the end rails and this is especially good if the clearance you have is small (e.g., <0.100"). The cork gasket may sit too proud and not allow the intake to seal against the head if you have little clearance and use the cork gasket. If you have lots of clearance, you can use the cork, plus some silicone to get a good seal.
Ideally, you will mock up the shortblock with at least four pistons - one at each corner. Measure the piston-to-deck height at each corner. This is a good idea because the deck may not be square (i.e., not perfectly parallel to and equidistant from the crank mains). You will want to find the shortest piston-to-deck measurement, tell the machine shop how much you want removed from that height, and then tell them you want the decks squared up on that dimension. Frankly, a zero deck is great, but asking for 0.005" will allow a fudge factor and not affect compression very much
AFR 165s and 185s have standard exhaust and intake port positions and bolt patterns, so any header and intake made for the factory head will work. Just be careful when tightening the header bolts into that soft aluminum
it will ruin your day if you strip a bolt hole.
I'm sure a torque spec sheet comes with 'em, huh? Does it say if you can use thread lock on the header bolts?
D.Hearne:
Just me, but thread locking compound on steel bolts in aluminum heads is a bad way to avoid having to retorque your header bolts. Leave em long enough and you WILL need thread inserts after you remove the bolts a few years later. All the bolts that go into any parts that are aluminum I assemble get a dose of anti-seeze compound on the threads.
302 coupe
I know a place where you can get better heads, with better hardware, properly "set up" for a better price. AFR makes a good head, but not the best, even for the price.