CAM BEARINGS SAVER I use a piece of PVC pipe inside the cam bore when I need to machine a block with cam bearings already installed. The pipe is large enough for the hold down bar in our boring and honing equipment to pass through and the PVC protects the cam bearings...
SPLATTER SHIELD I frequently use my MIG welder to weld nuts onto broken or rounded off fasteners on engine components so I can remove them easily. When welding on a greasy old fastener you will likely get some weld splatter from the process and you do not want that...
BIG D HEAD HANDLE Diesel cylinder heads are heavy and can be dangerous to move around. I use a rocker arm shaft and bolts from a Detroit to make a handle for carrying Detroit heads around the shop. It helps keep my fingers in working condition and keeps the head in...
PVC CAN BE A WONDERFUL TOOL I have a 6 inch length of 3/4 PVC pipe I have used for maybe 25 years. I use it for pushing floater wrist pins out of pistons with no damage. I use it to bottom washers on studded heads. I have used it to carefully push head gaskets onto...
MYSTERY OIL CONSUMPTION Sometimes we get engines in the shop that have unexplained oil consumption. The rings, valve guides and seals all appear to be just fine. Valve guide replacement, spring cup modifications, heavy porting and machining rocker arm bosses are just...
IMPROVING THE BLASTING EXPERIENCE Like most machines, our glass beader has two 75 watt lightbulbs hanging down from the inside top. These cause a lot of shadows, glare in your line of sight and every once in a while, when you least expect it, a bulb shatters as if for...