Leveling a head on our surfacing machines can test our patience at times. We are placing a perfectly flat level on a surface that may be anything but flat. Sometimes the solution for a really twisted head is to place precision parallels on each end of the head and...

MOUNTED HEADS Mounting certain heads in a seat and guide machine can be difficult. This is especially true if the heads are uneven or the head bolt holes aren't at the same height. I have a few pieces that came with the machine but they don't solve all the problems. I...

VALVE GUIDE SIZE GUIDES I have an assortment of common valve guide sizes that are precision honed on the I.D. that I use for quickly setting up the valve guide dial bore gauge. It takes much less time than using the fixture and you can easily add or subtract from them...

BEAT THE [OVER] HEAT We’re selling lots of new bare castings these days because of overheated, cracked heads. Once a cylinder head leaves your shop you’re at the mercy of the installer to insure the cooling system is in proper working order. A clogged radiator, weak...

A QUICK TIP Sometimes you need to just remove a few thousandths from a valve tip to get clearance on an OHC valve adjust that uses pucks. I found that grinding on valve refacer can sometimes take too much off, especially on very small stem valves. For fine adjustments...

VALVE GRIND TIP If you use a Sioux valve grinder or any valve grinder that centers on the chamfer of the end of the stem of the valve, it is very important that the chamfer is concentric with the valve. When I use the V-block attachment, I use a piece of wood with a...