by Donnie Hurt | Mar 1, 2021 | BLOCK WORK
CAP MILLING I like to mill my main caps instead of grinding them, when possible. The milling process gets them very flat with accurate stock removal. This “Vice Adjuster” makes it quick to set tilt and I use a precision level along with an indicator to dial-in side to...
by Donnie Hurt | Mar 1, 2021 | CRANKSHAFTS & CONNECTING RODS
CRANK BALANCE SOCKET If your shop has a particular crankshaft design you tend to balance on a regular basis, we recommend using a crankshaft snout socket as a locator on your magnetic attachment for rpm and position on your balancer. This allows you to quickly remove...
by Donnie Hurt | Feb 1, 2021 | CYLINDER HEADS
VW VALVE BREAKAGE It is not uncommon for the Volkswagen 1.8L, 20-valve cylinder head to require several if not all new intake and exhaust valves once it reaches your shop door. A failed belt, water pump and tensioners can provide quick and devastating havoc inside the...
by Donnie Hurt | Feb 1, 2021 | LUBRICATION & COOLING
STOP FRETTING If you work on any high-power adder or high rpm engines, chances are you will see some fretting on the bottoms of main caps and the backside of the upper rod bearing. Even when the tune is right you will still see minor signs of movement between the...
by Donnie Hurt | Feb 1, 2021 | OTHER SHOP WORK
GOOD TO BE FOILED Keep a roll of kitchen aluminum foil handy in the shop. It is useful for many things including shimming chuck jaws, wrapping parts to keep shavings out, protecting parts from weld splatter, covering mill or lathe ways when machining abrasive cast...
