Balloons Belong at Birthday Parties Not in Transmissions I rebuilt a 454 GM engine that went into a motorhome application. It ran well, and no problems immediately appeared. But later on, it was towed in with a main bearing failure in the thrust area. I gave the...
How to Resize OHC Oversize Lifters Occasionally, you will need to buy lifters to make valve adjustments because the one piece tappet is of a specific height and must be changed. This is the case with most overhead cam engines these days. But what do you do when the...
Save Those Old, Failed Parts I suggest keeping a few examples of failed parts around your machine shop so you can show a customer first hand what happens in his engine. Below is a photo of a failed lifter, a prime example and perfect chance to teach your customers the...
Cylinder Sleeve Flange Failures May Go Unnoticed Cylinder sleeve flange failures may go unnoticed if the sleeve body stays in position, but if it is pulled down the cylinder, the result can be catastrophic. Cylinder sleeves are usually made from centrifugally cast...
Making Non-Hydraulic Lash Adjustments Quick, Easy On DOHC cylinder heads that have solid or shim lash adjusters, you can speed up your adjustments by scribing each valve with a number and numbering the corresponding cup. Grinding the valve, cutting the tip and cutting...
Fertilizer Spreader and Kitty Litter: Perfect Match When spreading absorbent or kitty litter around your shop, pick up a hand held fertilizer spreader and keep it filled and ready. When you have a spill, just grab the spreader, give it a couple of quick spins and the...