TONING UP AN LS On LS Crankshaft’s we are balancing, I always use a tone ring alignment tool to check that the alignment is correct. Then we place two equally spaced welds to ensure the ring stays aligned. High RPM LS engines have been known to spin the tone ring....

SNUG HAS A NUMBER When using the stretch method on rod bolts that ARP and many other manufacturers use, they want you to snug the bolt before applying load to the fastener. I found a way that myself and any of my employees can duplicate “snug.” I first measure all the...

BALANCE HOLE PLUGS Balancing a crankshaft by drilling large holes in counterweights can leave an appearance of the counterweight that is not pretty. To improve the appearance, we keep a supply of disc style freeze plugs in the diameters of our balancing drills so we...

STROKER CLEARANCE When checking rod to cam clearance on stroker engines, you will often find interference. To find out “where you are at”, make a clay "hatchet" on the rod journal and roll it over. Put a little oil on the cam lobe first. It will give you an exact...

COTTER PIN CATCH PIN Sometimes it is necessary to remove bearings from the engine without removing the crankshaft. We have a flattened cotter pin that we slip into the oiling hole to rotate the bearings out. Simply put it into place and rotate the engine. The head of...

SOFT SPOT FOR YOU To improve the appearance when balancing connecting rods or other metal objects adding a “soft spot” to one end of your belt sander can help. Machining the end of the platen down about 1/8” will give you a “soft spot”. Finish sanding the part in the...