I was reading something the other day about not running SS valves directly on a cast iron head or guide.
Article stated the Cast material needs a chrome stemmed valve to prevent excessive wear.
I have never had any issues running SS valves but they have always been in a bronze guide.
Never heard of anything like this. Have I been living under a rock all these years?? (don't comment)
Comments?
blwilliams wrote: ↑Sat Feb 04, 2023 1:43 pm
I was reading something the other day about not running SS valves directly on a cast iron head or guide.
Article stated the Cast material needs a chrome stemmed valve to prevent excessive wear.
I have never had any issues running SS valves but they have always been in a bronze guide.
Never heard of anything like this. Have I been living under a rock all these years?? (don't comment)
Comments?
Most guides are iron, so most valves will be compatible, exhaust valves have been stainless steel almost forever.
Ignorance leads to confidence more often than knowledge does.
Nah, I'm not leaving myself out of the ignorant brigade....at times.
Rgalajda and Tom.
Thank you for your response.
That is what I thought.
Person stating what I questioned was pretty emphatic about his statement. So much that it made me doubt myself. As I have aged Istart to question my memory.
Thank you.
Chrome stems but it's not very thick fyi, so used SS valves with cast guides may not be ideal.
I was actually reading something the other day that said Steel valves are harder than some SS valves, until higher temps 800+ I know places like Manley used diff SS for diff lines of valves or for the exhaust.
Stainless Steel has its place in our world, it is the go to metal for many applications (IE) resistant to weather, many chemicals and is used in cook ware, flatware, and and on and on. When S.S. metals are used in our equipment you better be damn sure you have the correct Molecular make up for the specific application. Take Crowers S. S. Rocker Arms for example, why they would use S. S. to manufacture any of there rocker arms i don't know, but you can rest assured it was studied / tested a lot before the Molecular make up was decided . I am gonna guess the reason they used S. S. is because a lot of people think the sun rises and sets in S. S. Mark H.
One piece 'stainless steel' valves ...... EV8 21-4N or EV16 21-8N ...... generally have poor 'rubbing' characteristics', not uncommon with most materials that have a fair percentage of Nickel
Do the stems work as is, yes, as millions of engine attest, do they work better flash coated with chrome, certainly .......
In mass production OEs friction weld 'stainless steel' heads to alloy steel stems to alleviate several problems
Years ago I ran a set of non-chrome stainless valves in a stock set of 186 heads with cast guides, wore the guides right out of those heads. Put in new guides and chrome stem valves and put over 50K on those heads with no more guide wear. I think what the OP is saying is true.
1980RS wrote: ↑Sun Feb 05, 2023 3:03 pm
Years ago I ran a set of non-chrome stainless valves in a stock set of 186 heads with cast guides, wore the guides right out of those heads. Put in new guides and chrome stem valves and put over 50K on those heads with no more guide wear. I think what the OP is saying is true.
In theory, yes. But who's selling unchromed stainless valves today?
Jack Vines
Studebaker-Packard V8 Limited
Obsolete Engineering
Where can you buy stainless valves WITHOUT chrome stems?
Literally I don't know.
I think it's probably just.........sometimes cheap parts are junk, no matter what the parts claim to be made of.
All the cheap valve sets that I have, seem to have chrome stems. At least by the looks of the top stem part color change just under the lock grooves or maybe I'm wrong if someone cares to explain?
1980RS wrote: ↑Sun Feb 05, 2023 3:03 pm
Years ago I ran a set of non-chrome stainless valves in a stock set of 186 heads with cast guides, wore the guides right out of those heads. Put in new guides and chrome stem valves and put over 50K on those heads with no more guide wear. I think what the OP is saying is true.
In theory, yes. But who's selling unchromed stainless valves today?
Not sure about who sells them these days, but I got mine form Competition Products back then.
Pretty sure it's hard to find non-chrome stems SS valves these days. I bought some NOS Sealed Power Speed Pro that look like chrome stems.
There was a recent thread that I listed several brands with links showing they all have chrome stems, tho someone said a few of the Manley lines don't. viewtopic.php?f=1&t=66300&p=935344#p935344
I was the one who posted up excerpts from my
Manley catalog.
In the details about some of there valves it’s specifically stated that they have chrome stems, now weather all of there valve lines have chrome stems and it’s just a over site in there printing of the catalog, I don’t know.
I guess if you where shopping for there valves a call to then would answer that question.
You can cut a man's tongue from his mouth, but that does not mean he’s a liar, it just shows that you fear the truth he might speak about you!
