Author Topic: WANTED: FT500 Cylinder Head  (Read 19120 times)

Swatdoc

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WANTED: FT500 Cylinder Head
« on: December 10, 2014, 08:15:30 pm »
Hey guys if anyone has a FT cylinder head I need one for a project bike I'm building. You can contact me at:

SWATDOC@Hotmail.com

or shoot me a text message to my phone:  808-779-3810

Thanks

John

J6G1Z

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Re: WANTED: FT500 Cylinder Head
« Reply #1 on: December 11, 2014, 07:50:15 am »
There was a nice ported head on eBay recently. It was expensive though. I'll keep an eye open.

Good luck
J.

Swatdoc

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Re: WANTED: FT500 Cylinder Head
« Reply #2 on: December 12, 2014, 12:55:20 am »
Yea I've been searching eBay

Thanks J.

Swatdoc

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Re: WANTED: FT500 Cylinder Head
« Reply #3 on: December 12, 2014, 12:57:17 am »
J I just realized this should be in the first generation classifieds - could you move it for me?

J6G1Z

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Re: WANTED: FT500 Cylinder Head
« Reply #4 on: December 12, 2014, 06:29:27 am »
J I just realized this should be in the first generation classifieds - could you move it for me?

Yes & done.

I believe that the XR & XL 500 cylinder head from the same years may interchange.

Good luck
J.

Swatdoc

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Re: WANTED: FT500 Cylinder Head
« Reply #5 on: December 14, 2014, 08:25:01 pm »
Yes they will interchange, you are correct. I'm building an XR500 for motocross using a C&J frame.

Like in the attached pic

My motor builder suggests using an FT head due to the heavier duty studs/bolts, and the overall design.


scottly

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Re: WANTED: FT500 Cylinder Head
« Reply #6 on: December 14, 2014, 09:04:44 pm »
The '82 XR head had a rectangular intake mounting, with a reed valve. White Bros sold a "reed valve eliminator", which smoothed the entry to the valves. The FT, and possibly the XL, had a round intake. The overall design is the same. I don't know about heavier duty studs and bolts.
 

J6G1Z

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Re: WANTED: FT500 Cylinder Head
« Reply #7 on: December 15, 2014, 07:49:22 am »
That is one Bitchin Moto-X bike!

It looks almost too pretty to take out in the dirt. I like that reverse megaphone tail-pipe.

J.

Swatdoc

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Re: WANTED: FT500 Cylinder Head
« Reply #8 on: December 16, 2014, 02:24:09 pm »
Pretty much every high performance motor builder I have heard of recommends the regular intake and not the reed intake.
Currently I have an 81/82 lower end with a 80 head ( all XR ) that I'll be using unless I can find an Ascott head.
Supposedly the Ascott gears are a little more beefy too and fit fit right into XR cases.
My motor builder is also going to attempt to adapt and install an Ascott ignition into my motor. Electronic advance verses mechanical and much higher voltage output

scottly

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Re: WANTED: FT500 Cylinder Head
« Reply #9 on: December 16, 2014, 11:11:33 pm »

My motor builder is also going to attempt to adapt and install an Ascott ignition into my motor. Electronic advance verses mechanical and much higher voltage output
I've never seen a mechanical advance on any version of these bikes? Does the 80 head have the same rectangular intake with the reed valve as the 82? As far as the trans gears go, I've never heard of any failures with the XR parts.

Swatdoc

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Re: WANTED: FT500 Cylinder Head
« Reply #10 on: January 11, 2015, 05:39:30 am »
no the 79-80 heads have the regular intake like the ft500 head has.

Found an ascot head on ebay so i snagged it!!

J6G1Z

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Re: WANTED: FT500 Cylinder Head
« Reply #11 on: January 11, 2015, 09:09:56 am »
Found an ascot head on ebay so i snagged it!!

Ah... Good for you. Any plans to perform some port work? If so, could you document your process?

Thanks
J.

Swatdoc

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Re: WANTED: FT500 Cylinder Head
« Reply #12 on: January 15, 2015, 05:26:06 pm »
Having Jerry Cheney build my motor. He will be doing extensive head work.

J6G1Z

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Re: WANTED: FT500 Cylinder Head
« Reply #13 on: January 16, 2015, 09:06:20 am »
Having Jerry Cheney build my motor. He will be doing extensive head work.

I'm not familiar with that name. I take it that he's a talented engine builder? Do you think that you could take some before & after pictures of the port work? I've seen one modified FT Ascot head. It was a beautiful piece of work. Supposedly the bottle neck is the actual entrance of the intake port. On the head that I examined, they had welded a larger diameter spigot type of mount to the heads intake port entrance & then opened the port accordingly.

Are you considering a higher performance camshaft? Those needle bearing camshafts from MegaCycleCams look to be real trick!

How about bore size & compression?

J.