Were still talking ported heads, so I think were on track here! And this is a good point that might need to be brought to others attention for explanation purposes! The potential for CNC is unlimited,considering you have the maximum number of axis' needed for head porting. Most companies that specialize in head porting, have equipment that can move the head(or part) in (5) different axis' to reach every concievable spot on all the surfaces of it. There are many neat videos on YouTube that people have posted showing heads and blocks being machined from a solid billet of aluminum. Just type in the words : 5 axis CNC, and you will be amazed at what is possible with this technology. Not all heads will need 5 axis' to be ported or be copied. As Curt mentioned, his 848 head only needed 4 axis' to have its ports scanned and probed. I personally have never had a head scanned or probed, so as far as cost to have that portion of the process done,I couldn't say. Maybe you could PM him, and he could give you some input on the process and whats involved in having it probed. The cost to actually reproduce the head once all the data is gathered is usually based on the machine "run time", plus any fixturing that needs to be made to attach the head into the machine. If it is a different type of head than they have done before, they might not have fixturing and will have to make it. Since aluminum is the most common material, and the fastest and easiest to machine, cast iron is going to be more costly, just from the simple fact that the speeds and feed rates in which your tooling operates will be slower, generating more machine "run time". I see your username, and figured that you are inquiring about a 300 Ford head. My friend Cotton Perry raced against another Comp racer that had an awesome 300 Ford in a roadster, and now that racer(Ambrose) has probably the fastest 300 Ford in NHRA. Those engines have great potential. Hope that answered your questions, and thanks for joining in on our discussion!
