POLISHING THE BIG END Starting to see more and more cracked (powdered metal) connecting rods these days. After checking to make sure the size is correct, I use a plateau brush with a few drops of oil to clean up any rust or dirt. If you have a finished set of rods...
BLOW THROUGH VACUUM If you end up chasing threads or tapping on a machine and don’t want to make a mess blowing them out, here’s a quick tip. Drill a hole in your vacuum cleaner nozzle and feed your blow gun nozzle through it. Now suck the chips up as you blow the...
INDICATOR ADAPTER Most Co-Ax indicators have a 3/8" or 1/2" diameter stem. Instead of wasting time closing the lathe chuck to hold the indicator and then more time opening it back up to hold a larger diameter work piece, make a simple stepped adapter with a precision...
SEAT SPUD For machining custom valve seats, in addition to the expansion arbor, I have a simple aluminum spud and lock. I can quick machine it down for whatever seat I need. It started out as a 1-foot-long piece of round stock, and I just keep drilling and tapping as...
POWER ADJUSTMENTS To save time, we use a half inch cordless drill to power our stroke and counterweight adjustments on our crankshaft grinder machines. Adney Brown Performance Crankshaft Ferndale, MI DECEMBER, 2021
SET UP BLOCKS Keep your tape measure in the toolbox when doing set ups that you repeat time and time again. Make some gauge blocks or fixtures, whatever it takes to save time setting up your machines. Randy Torvinen Torvinen's Machine Menahga, MN DECEMBER, 2021