by Donnie Hurt | Mar 1, 2022 | TOOLING
TRAVEL DIAL For lathes without a DRO, a 2″ travel dial indicator to measure carriage travel is handy. I quickly made this simple compact indicator mount clamp from two pieces of scrap aluminum. To eliminate the need for a wrench to tighten or loosen it when...
by Donnie Hurt | Mar 1, 2022 | DISASSEMBLY & CLEANING
BACK TRACKING To save my old shoulders and back I had to come up with a way to get the big diesel blocks in and out of the spray washer. This track, with short pieces of angle iron welded on, catches on a brace. It lets me pry them in and out until the chain hoist can...
by Donnie Hurt | Mar 1, 2022 | TOOLING
MAGNETIC INDICATOR On my surfacer, I use a simple popular universal magnetic base with a dial indicator to tram my work piece or index fixture. This dials the actual head in dead-on and works great for machines without an indicator rail. It also allows you to tram...
by Donnie Hurt | Mar 1, 2022 | CRANKSHAFTS & CONNECTING RODS
PRIMING PUMP You can make a GM-LS engine priming tool using just about any oil pump. I used a new big block Chevy M77 pump that I already had. I tapped the inlet and outlet to NPT threads and installed fittings to adapt to rubber hoses. The pressure side needs to...
by Donnie Hurt | Mar 1, 2022 | CYLINDER HEADS
USE THOSE HOLES Most people use just the outer two bolt holes when fastening a cylinder head to a mounting fixture. If there are additional holes in the plate that line up with the threads in the fixture, then consider using the extra threads for increased rigidity. ...
