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Valvetrain questions

712 views 5 replies 3 participants last post by  triton 
#1 ·
Okay just dropped a valveseat in the number four hole, killed the cylinder... Its in the shop being torn down. Question what horsepower range do you need to start upgrading valvetrain in the head? pushrods, springs, and possibly a cam? I would rather take care of this now and set the truck up to last... whats working for yall?
thanks ahead of time
 
#2 ·
The stock valve train in these motors is very stout. It can handle most of what you'll throw at it .... unless, you plan to run high rpm's and/or high hp.

Your problem... the dropped seat, is very common and is what should be addressed first. You need to be sure who ever rebuilds your head knows what they're doing to install oversized seats. Being done right will ensure they stay in place so it doesn't happen again.

As for the rods, springs.... it doesn't hurt to have heavier duty components in there. A cam will definitely be a benefit for better spooling and to help reduce egt's. You can gain a little hp too.
 
#4 ·
I don't know of anyone who sell seats alone. They're usually installed as a part of a head rebuild through a machine shop. I do know you want seats with a high nickel content and the one shop I know you'll get that from is... Enterprise Engine Performance give them a call and talk to Drew. Their seat builds are proprietary to them after much testing with different applications.
 
#5 ·
might i ask what you were doing when this happened? thanks
 
#6 ·
you really don't have to be doing anything for a seat to drop. It's a common problem with the heads on our trucks. Some last, some don't. Running programmers that add hp and WOT doesn't help. The valves get to slapping the seats loosing them and eventually, they can drop. When I pulled my head for the first time, all the seats could be spun by hand and were barely hanging in.

One way to check them is to visually inspect the tops of all the valves stems. If any are lower then the others, it's a good sign of the seat dropping.
 
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