MANDREL FOR MACHINING OLD RETAINERS I had a different combination of valve stem and spring diameters to work with and I could not find spring retainers to fit. I had previously made these mandrels to hold and modify 7° & 10° retainers, so this job was easy to...

VACUUM TESTING FIXTURES When vacuum testing valves on some heads there may be obstacles in the way. In many cases there will be some exhaust studs in the way like this 3.4L GM. Rather than opening up a can of worms trying to remove the exhaust studs, I look through my...

VALVE CLEANING Take a valve guide liner (K-Liner or other) of the appropriate stem diameter and insert into drill press chuck. This will provide a nice protected grip on the valves while they’re spinning. Have a pan of solvent underneath and grip the head of valve...

EASY HEIGHT TRANSFER When setting up valve springs or checking valve spring pressure I set a spring retainer on my Height Mic and use that to check the springs on the tester. To figure the installed height, bring the tester to the desired pressure and open the Height...

TAPED FOR PROTECTION When working with a customer's brand new cylinder heads, I cover the finish machined ends with painters tape to avoid scratches during any finish procedures and assembly. When someone pays big money for a set of heads, the last thing they want to...

GOOD SOLUTION When checking volume on cylinder heads, I like to use windshield washer fluid as the measuring liquid. To keep it from flash rusting seats and iron heads after it’s drained, I’ll put a splash of radiator coolant additive in the gallon jug. This has...