Installing guides and exhaust seats

Added: 2026-05-11

[00:00:05]If it bounces, you know it's spot-on.

[00:00:27]Hey, I'm back on these small block Chevrolet heads for a subscriber of mine.

[00:00:31]I removed the studs and milled them down and drilled and tapped them for screwing studs.

[00:00:54]Today, I'm going to be installing exhaust seats and valve tips. Hey, happy Sunday. How you doing? Let me get that head up in my machine and get the cutting. Okay, I got it in the head machine. First thing I'm going to do is knock these guides out.

[00:01:09]It already has guides installed in it.

[00:01:12]Spray some WD-40 in here.

[00:01:14]It'll help glide it out easier.

[00:01:17]Okay, air hammer.

[00:01:18]There we go.

[00:01:45]Here you go. The exhaust didn't quite come all the way out. The driver wasn't long enough. I have a longer driver. I'm just going to evict them when I put the new guides in.

[00:01:52]Here's the guides I'm using. That's one of the old ones there. Whoops, dropped one.

[00:01:56]Uh these guides are universal, so I'll trim them down with my seal cutter after installing them. Don't forget to put oil in the guide holes and the guides.

[00:02:04]Got to look around for that guide.

[00:02:06]Damn it, rolled all the way over here.

[00:02:10]Yeah, I went ahead and started them all so it'd be easier to film.

[00:02:43]I put this over my phone and it fell just as that guide come out. I just about took my phone out.

[00:02:49]Okay, so the guides are in. I'm going to put hard seats in it now. Forgot to say that we're going to run some 1 6 exhaust valves instead of inch and a half. Be a little bit more torque for him.

[00:02:58]Okay, the head's level and I'm ready to cut. Okay, inch and 5/8 seat. Got the driver on it.

[00:03:58]>> Here's a look at the shrapnel. Let me back him this off and I'll beat some seats into it.

[00:04:03]I've got to clean it off. I put a little bit of Loctite on them. More of a lubricant than to hold them in.

[00:04:09]It should have a little bit of holding power though. Hey, I I set these seats up to be a little bit proud. I did it on purpose. I'll show you why.

[00:04:45]Okay, there we are. They're in.

[00:04:47]And see, I left them about 10,000s proud. 15. Uh, I did that for a reason by the uh shape of this combustion chamber. So, I hit the tops of them with the 11/16 s cutter.

[00:04:59]Make them flat. First, I'm going to mix the cleanser tight and re-level cuz the head might have moved and gotten loose.

[00:05:06]Here we go.

[00:05:17]There you go. Maybe a bit of an unnecessary step, but I like to do it.

[00:05:20]It makes the It makes it look a lot nicer.

[00:05:23]Now, I'm going to do a throat cut in it before I cut the three angles. I got this tool in the machine.

[00:05:29]It's cut at about 75°.

[00:05:32]And that'll blend this little step right here at the bottom of the seat and make it blend into the into the bowl.

[00:05:38]Here we go.

[00:06:08]>> Here you go. They're all cut.

[00:06:11]Let's take away that edge. I'll go in there and hit the short turn radius and do a tiny little pocket port on these.

[00:06:18]Okay, I changed out the cutter.

[00:06:20]Now we got a 30, 45, and a 60. So, let's cut all them angles. Go.

[00:06:54]So, I go down and cut just a bit. And then if you heard me, I lifted up the cutter and floated the table again to make sure it's absolutely centered. I'm going to finish these with a stone, but let's see how concentric that seat's cut. If it bounces, you know it's spot on.

[00:07:09]So, that would seat just like it is, but I'm going to grind them anyway. Let me cut the rest of them.

[00:07:44]Here you go. Guides and hardened seats.

[00:07:46]Now, I still have to cut the seals, but let me put the other head in here and do the same procedure. I won't film it.

[00:07:50]I'll just show you the process along the way.

[00:07:54]Okay, I got the second head in here.

[00:07:56]And we got a full set of valve guides in them.

[00:08:00]There you go. I got them all cut. Let me beat some seats in it.

[00:08:04]Okay, I got them all seats in. Let me cut the angles on them.

[00:08:07]There you go. I did the throat cut.

[00:08:09]Now, I'm ready to hit the three angles.

[00:08:11]Okay, I got them all cut.

[00:08:13]Now, I'll flip the head over and cut it for positive seals.

[00:08:17]Yeah, I put the chuck in and I got the seal cutter in. Let's cut these down.

[00:08:20]They're way too tall.

[00:08:22]Oh, I'm just going to cut them down to that base.

[00:09:12]Here you go. Let me get the first head in here and cut the seals. I'll be right back. Here you go. I got the second head first head I'm so confused. I got this head in here and I'm going to cut it.

[00:09:23]It's like being in the Twilight Zone.

[00:09:26]And they're all cut.

[00:09:27]So, I'm going to run a positive seal on the intake and an umbrella on the exhaust. They only came with a o-ring from the factory on these early heads.

[00:09:34]Okay, one step closer. We got screw-in studs, guides, and hardened seats ready for the valve job and a surface. There you go. On the next video, I will be doing a three-angle valve job on those heads. Thanks for coming along in this Sunday, you guys.

[00:09:47]Hey, you guys come back and see me again, all right? Be nice to each other.

[00:09:51]Bye.