When grinding wire for fitting O-rings I use an air angle grinder and put a piece of shim stock between the head and wire to prevent bumping the grinding disc on the freshly machined head. Arus Kinney AK's Engine and Machining Covington, GA
If you work on Mini Cooper heads, it is important to replace the aluminum plugs, especially if the head has been overheated. These are notorious for popping out after the head has been reinstalled. It's an easy fix with a tapered 3/8 npt plug that is .462” deep. Tom...
I had some FE heads with some pretty decent burrs on the valve tips. Instead of slowly turning the valves by hand to file the burrs off, I grabbed an old valve lapping stick and chucked it up in the drill to spin the valves. It went really quickly, and I was able to...
On race engine cylinder heads that have exotic seat angles, I like to leave myself notes for future reference on freshen ups. I do keep a lot of notes in my folders and build sheets, but I found it handy to scribe the valve seat angles under the cylinder heads (kind...
When valve train clearances are going to be tight, I like to double check my measurements and bench calculations by actually testing the components after they're assembled. I put the valves and springs in this head, then used my quill on the seat & guide machine to...
Sometimes assembling heads with beehive springs and retainers can be difficult because of their size. I find it easier to use a spring shim that fits the retainer and large enough to fit the spring compressor jaws. Randy Torvinen Torvinen's Machine Menahga, MN