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
When I’m porting cylinder heads or otherwise using the dividers, once the size is set, I put a couple witness dabs with a high visibility pen, so I can see if I’ve inadvertently bumped it and changed the setting. It’s a time saver over checking it occasionally...
When you’re grinding Titanium valves, if you want a super shiny finish, grind them with the green wheel and "Mirror finish". Wipe them off before pulling them from the chuck and give them 30 seconds of spinning with a microfiber towel and some Mother's polish. Wipe...