INSPECTING VALVES BEFORE REBUILDING A CYLINDER HEAD Using a gasket scraper, clean all carbon deposits from valve heads. Follow this by cleaning with a wire brush and solvent. Keep all valves organized so they will be put back in their original locations in the head....
CLEANING BUCKET STYLE HYDRAULIC LIFTERS Unlike their flat tappet cousins, bucket style hydraulic lifters can often be reused if inspected, validated and cleaned. The problem is taking them apart. I developed this hammer tool to separate the plunger from the body....
SPARK PLUG TUBE-ECTOMY When removing spark plug tubes from heads like the Chrysler Magnum’s, it is important to not damage the tube if you want to reuse them and have a secure fit. These heads have usually been in service for a while and will have a rusty bond to the...
AMC DISTRIBUTOR GEARS MATCHED SET Where they may work if replaced individually, the failure rate increases greatly if you don’t replace both the distributor gear and the camshaft drive gear on an AMC V8 as a matched set. There are at least 3 versions of gears, each...
ORGANIZE AND SAVE Organizing your parts inventory in your shop, building or warehouse is difficult whether it’s a few pieces or a few thousand parts. Start by thinking about what it’s going to take to find that part later on. Have an area set aside for just parts,...
MORE ON CAM GEAR CLEARANCING I recently read a Shop Solution about using a cam and cam gear to test for gear to block clearance on late small block Chevy blocks. Well, here is our tool I’ve used for years. It’s an aluminum hub that’s .002 under cam bearing bore size...