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To precisely shorten bolts in the lathe, I made slotted collets for each bolt diameter. They are fractional in length to measure off the end, so you know where to cut for your length. I’ve used large O.D. valve guides and aluminum round stock. Just make the collet big enough to clear the bolt flange, hex or socket head. Wnrf Flanges
Randy Torvinen Torvinen's Machine Shop Menahga, MN
Improve the grip on cast parts or multiple parts in a milling vise by inserting gasket paper between the vise’s moveable jaw and the part. Gasket paper is thick enough to conform to irregular cast surfaces and/or compensate for small differences in multiple parts, yet it still compresses tightly to grip the work piece(s). Plus, it withstands coolant and cutting fluids. We pre-cut business-card sized pieces from gasket paper rolls, so they’re handy and ready to use.
Tom Nichols Automotive Machine & Supply, Inc. Joshua, TX
When installing aftermarket rod bolts, in addition to checking the under-head radius clearance, if the nuts are flanged, always check for clearance on the cap where it seats. On some rods, the O.D. of the flanged nut will hit before the face does. It will stress the fastener and distort the housing bore when torqued. A simple piloted spot face is all that’s needed to fix the issue. A slight radius edge spot face is best, if available.
Ron Flood Cedar Machine North Branch, MN
I can’t be the only one who opened a brand-new can of carb or brake cleaner, set it on a workbench and it gets knocked off and “snap,” the nozzle is broken and it’s useless. I started taking the nozzles off the popular yellow and blue canned WD40. Remove the red nozzle off the brake cleaner, gauge the hole with the back of a drill bit. Then, by hand, just bump the hole in the new nozzle out to fit. No more broken aerosol plungers and the straw is always there. Once it’s empty, I just switch it to a new can.
Big Don Kincaid Big Don’s Racing Engines Point, TX
Many older, inline engines have water pump bolt holes that go all the way through the front of the block and can easily contact the front cylinder, if the incorrect bolts are used. I have seen a few engines ruined from having the incorrect length bolts pressed against the outer cylinder wall. It’s important to verify that there is bolt-to-cylinder clearance or add this to the required checklist if the customer is assembling the engine’s accessories.
Dave Matton D and D Auto Machine Bloomington, MN
This helps save me time, money and storage space. Honing oil is not just for honing, it is a cutting fluid. I use it on taps and dies, for cutting lifter bushings and machining on my lathe. I also use it for surfacing aluminum heads on my CBN surfacer for a nice finish.
Darrin Anderson Don Gross Warehouse Kansas City, MO
High-frequency fatigue, also known as harmonics, are a ubiquitous challenge in racing engines and can potentially wreak havoc on the valvetrain if left unchecked. Well-designed valve springs play a pivotal role in managing this, ensuring essential stability, and minimizing wear on valvetrain components.
If you want to properly control the movement of your engine’s intake and exhaust valves, you’re going to need valve springs. Precise control over valve timing and lift is essential for optimizing engine compression and overall performance, and in high-performance engines, valves open and close at very fast speeds. For that reason, valve springs also play a significant role in maintaining stability within the valvetrain. They counteract the forces generated by the camshaft, pushrods and rocker arms, ensuring the valves follow the camshaft’s profile accurately.
Engine shop tips and tricks.
Engine shop tips and tricks.
Engine and machine shop tips and tricks.
Engine and machine shop tips and tricks.
For racing, a common trend to eliminate the problems associated with hydraulic lifters are the use of limited or short-travel hydraulic lifters. A reduction in plunger travel, which is usually about half that of a traditional full-travel lifter, reduces the amount of oil required to fill the lifter, which in turn reduces the compression of aerated oil.
Determining the correct pushrod length is often regarded as one of the most intricate aspects of the selection process due to the variability in valvetrain geometry and design.
Not only are customers asking for higher quality, they’re also becoming accustomed to having to wait a little while longer to get it. And, on the aluminum rocker side of things, the trend for customers has been a desire for lighter rocker designs.
If you go back to the 1900s to 1940s, the common place to start WAS the camshaft lobe. Engineers and engine designers drew one circle for the base circle, one for the nose, and then connected the two with arcs in-between. Eventually that was improved by shifting their focus to the lifter or tappet rise from the base circle.
Forged Stainless Steel Flanges Content for engine professionals and enthusiasts