Easy to port w/o going insane? Bowl work and/or opening up the ports?

Just depends what you are looking for. Out of the box they flow 243cfm on my bench and will go a tad over 315cfm with lots of work and a valve upgrade. It takes a heck of a lot more work than just opening up "the pinch" like most guys do.

This is another one of those "it depends" questions.

As in...... It depends on what you're looking for out of them, and how much power/how fast you're trying to go.

Exactly. To me they are the perfect match with a 2.05 intake valve and some relatively quick porting work to get them in a the 290-300 cfm area. Sure a 2.08 valve and lots of work will flow better but you better have a flow bench and time to find it. I used to open the seats up myself but for 8 dollars a hole I now pay to have it done then open everything else up to grab the gains

Your idea of "easy" and mine are different

Easy to me is: hone the guides, a valve job, back cut, bowl blend, pinch, tweak short turns.......265-270cfm.
Good for 10.5-11:1 500-550hp 408/416's.

Anything more than that requires "real" porting.

Pittsburgh racer, what would you say for guys, first timers, willing to take the plunge on a DIY?
Just some basic work that most anyone can perform that will show some gains.
Where lies a good return for modest work with the OE valves?
I think that A/MP (myself and others) are looking for some base techniques on improving the head himself at home.
A simple how to on the bowl, short turn etc...

Sounds like Fast68 has the answers to this question. Or maybe
he's already given it to us in the past few years.

Running down the list from above:
hone the guides - Can't do that myself without tools
a valve job - ditto
back cut - ditto
bowl blend - I can do this being careful not to screw up seat when cutter grabs and jumps
pinch - I can do this myself
tweak short turn - Ignorance here can cost flow...better let a pro do it.

I love to do things myself but I'd rather not booger up a new set of heads.

R.

Man that's a tough one because probably anyone that has seriously taken a grinder to a head has a few laying around that we messed up. Everyone can port heads till we and I'm saying WE start testing on a flowbench to see what works and what doesn't work. Don't hold me to this but I think it was Ryan (Shadydale Racing) had a number and I think it was .960 that he would take his stage 2 port job to at the pinch. I tube mine then kiss the tube. Now looking down the port you will see the 'funnel effect" of the common wall closing off the short-side which raises port speed way to high so it needs straightened out. Look at pictures and it will help some. Its about impossible to really explain.

http://www.yellowbullet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=129971

"Depending" on what you're trying to do....... They don't necessarily need any port work done.

Make sure the guide clearances are good, valve seat runout not way off...... Bolt em on and go(says so right on the box).

I'm sure 450-500hp would be no problem out of a 10.5:1 408/416 with no additional porting.

Get a set of heads to work?

Buy a flow bench and three heads. One to destroy and two to use the best ports you found while destroying the first head.

I bought three Stage V iron heads years ago. My son destroyed all three.

He then said, "It's okay Dad, 'cause these are a lot like the 906 heads and with what I learned I know I can really make a 906 head work now." Boy could he!

So on second thought, buy a flowbench and five heads.

I saw the Hughes flow #'s for a stock head. Better than stock iron. My initial thought was to check clearance, match the intake to the head and see how much bowl work would be needed. For the time being, I have given up on my Makita die grinder less some rough iron castings. My Foredom grinder affords better control and allows me to tickle my way into delicate and tight areas. I'm just trying to get a 3400 lbs 360 powered M body to run 11.00's in a 11.50 index.

The ports on those heads are not super consistent from port to port.

I think you'd find if you flowed all four ootb..... You'd get four different results.
They wouldn't be way off from each other, but I have seen a 10cfm+ spread from best to worst.

11.00 @ 3400lbs race weight would take 450hp, as it sits in the car, in a very well sorted out package.

11.50 would be about 50hp less.

The farther from optimum the combo is, the more you'll need to exceed those numbers.