FINE BALANCING

FINE BALANCING

FINE BALANCING When you are balancing a crankshaft and you need to add a small about of metal in a spot where there is no hole, I use what I call “pixie dust”. Pixie dust is tungsten shavings that I’ve saved from machining slugs to size in the past. Drill a hole...
MULTI-PURPOSE STORAGE

MULTI-PURPOSE STORAGE

MULTI_PURPOSE STORAGE In our shop we have multiple crank grinder stones, and we were always tripping over them. We had them leaning up against a wall or the crank grinder, which is pretty reckless considering their value. Before we could actually have an ac­cident, we...
PRESSED FOR FAST BLEED DOWN

PRESSED FOR FAST BLEED DOWN

PRESSED FOR FAST BLEED DOWN When reassembling late model Chrysler heads with roller follower/hydraulic lash adjuster type lifters, I found that they bleed down much faster when turned upside down. When I used the vise it would take 2 or 3 squeezes and sometimes they...
PULL THE PLUG

PULL THE PLUG

PULL THE PLUG Removing press in oil galley plugs from blind holes, like a Ford FE block, is a little more challenging be­cause you cannot just pound them out from the back side. First I center drill them with a 3/16” drill bit. Then I install and tighten a lag screw...
PRESSED FOR FAST BLEED DOWN

CAMSHAFT INDENTIFICATION

CAMSHAFT INDENTIFICATION Our shop has had a cam analyzer for over 28 years. Recently I was at an friends shop and had to remember how we did it in the old days. He needed to verify which of the three customer-supplied cams to install because the previous shop had...