Virtual Porting discovered March 24, 2008 by Don Dulmage of Canada with Ludvig Fahlgren of Sweden.

Early Easter Monday 2008 Ludvig Fahlgren of Sweden Emailed Don Dulmage of Canada with a question about porting a mopar cylinder head. Attached to the Email was a very detailed picture. Don was trying to describe how to grind it for more perfomance but it is very hard to explain how using words. Because the picture was so good Don got an idea and opened the photo in his Windows Paint program.

Picking a contrasting colour and clicking on pencil he drew the grinding strokes in their proper place and saved it and sent it to Ludvig  saying "Do this much and send me back another photo." When the photo came an hour or so later Don drew in in a new colour the next steps and send it back to Ludvig who promptly went about doing it. Later a photo was returned across the ocean and Don added some minor refinements with a yellow colour and sent it back. Ludwig completed the roughing work which establishes the general shape of the port. All he had left was to blend it together which is pretty straight forward. Next he started in the port itself and again the photos came back and forth across the ocean. Don was amazed at how much the job looked like his do had he been running the grinder. Pictures of both Ludvig and Don will follow as well as some of the actual diagrams (but not all since Ludvig wants to keep some secrets!) Don says the success of this is also due to a large part in Ludvigs ability with the grinder and good, sound instincts around motors. Here is what Ludvig said about it in his own words;

I  also examined a pair of 346 heads from a Rallycar engine builder, and after looking on how he did grind them I figured out from his pictures
and your advices what was the best way to grind. So I did what I thought was good and then I showed it to you and asked for advices,
and it was then we got into virtual porting. I think that it was a bulletproof explanation to draw where I should grind in paint.
A picture really says more than a 1000words."

A cartoon depicting the event

BELOW IS THE FIRST ACTUAL PICTURE EXCHANGED BETWEEN DON AND LUDVIG DURING THIS PROCESS. THE LINES DON DREW FOR ROUGH PORTING ON THE WIDE SIDE OF THE PORT ARE STILL VISABLE IN THE PHOTO EVEN AT THIS SHRUNKEN SIZE.

Canadian Don Dulmage    Swedish Racer Ludvig Fahlgren