PLUG AND FITTING HOLDERS We keep NPT unions by the lathe for drilling pipe plugs for restrictors. We can screw the fitting in, chuck it up and use the lathe to drill the fitting. We use a split nut on conventional thread fittings. Adam Cofer Don Ott Racing Engines...

EMERGENCY FITTINGS In the event you come up missing a set screw or oil galley plug, and need to finish a job, one can be quickly made by threading the head of a stainless-steel hex-socket head cap screw. Then cut off and file the smaller original threaded portion of...

BROKEN TAP OR EZ-OUT If you have broken a tap or easy-out, how do you drill it? Go to the hardware store and buy a few cheap masonry drills. The type with a spade piece of carbide in the end. These drills will put up with lots of abuse and you can drill a hole in a...

CRANK ROTATING STUB I needed a tool for rotating the crankshaft when adjusting valves, and the harmonic balancer was on the engine. I cut off the snout end of an old crankshaft. With the woodruff key or keys installed, I put it into the end of the balancer and then...

QUICK T-NUTS Start with a carriage bolt with a head diameter 1/4" larger than the bottom of the T-slot. Be sure the bolt's square shank fits easily into the T-slot. Chuck the bolt in the lathe, drill and tap thru the head to a depth just beyond the end of the square...

BLUE BE GONE Metal parts that are exposed to too much heat will turn a shade of Blue. I found that brushing white vinegar on the eye of the connecting rod, after heating to install pistons, removes the Blue. Put vinegar in a plastic container for dipping small parts,...