My trick flow heads have a couple of bad valve guides. Do you guys think I should just have new bronze valve guides put in or should I go with the bronze inserts. And where could I get an insert kit from?

 

the inserts are the guides, unless i'm missing something. i've never been gave an option from my machine shop, they just tell me they replaceda valve guide. back in my go karting days the valve guide was a bronze bushing or insert pressed into the aluminum casting.

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ICON Motorsports
1st & 3rd
MM Black Diamond 538 F&AM

 

The only time a guide is not an "insert" is when it is cast into the head (like typical cast iron heads).

You need to get a set of bronze guides and have them installed by a machine shop. This is not a do-it-yourself type of job unless you have machining equipment at your disposal. I have no clue if Trick Flow guides are the same as factory replacement guides. Ask TF directly.

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Theres two different styles of guides. This may be what he's meaning. One is kindof a bronze helicoil. If there isnt alot of wear in the guide, these work well. It will take the slack out and provide a bronze surface with a spiral groove that holds oil for lubrication. This could be called an "insert"

If the guide is excessively worn then "new" guides could be installed. In iron heads a reamer is used to ream the old guide to a much larger size then a new guide is pressed into this larger hole and machined to fit. Aluminum heads just need the old guide pressed out and the new pressed in. Big block heads use press in guides right from the factory.