LONG TAP EXTENTION Chasing threads at the bottom of deep holes in engine blocks can be done with a pulley tap. Pulley taps are made with an extra-long shank. However, if you do not have a pulley tap, you can make a tap extension. Here's how: Cut off the threaded end...
RUST PITS When rebuilding vintage engines, a person must deal with rusty components. When I have rust pits in the cylinders that do not require sleeving, I treat them with rust dissolver jelly right before honing. It may take a few times to get it and a small...
REVERSE SCRIBE TOOL When port matching intake manifolds, I make some different shaped "Reverse Scribes" to get in and scribe mark the dye on the intake manifold flange side. It works great, is often easier than marking and transferring an intake gasket pattern, as...
ROCKER ARM ADJUSTMENT AND LIFTER PRELOAD Many engines and all but a few Chrysler engines were equipped at the factory with non-adjustable rocker arms. Anytime a solid lifter roller or flat tappet camshaft is used, you must also use adjustable rocker arms and the...
OTTER USE THIS SEAL If you are rebuilding Ford V8 marine engines from the 80's and 90's, the marine reverse rotation 1-piece rear main seals can be expensive and almost impossible to find. The late model PTFE rear seals are non-directional and make a great seal to use...
CHAMFER FILE After surfacing heads, I like to chamfer the bolt holes and chambers. For the bolt holes, the common chamfering tool in a hand drill is great. For chambers, I’ve found that while a razor blade works excellent for aluminum, a file works best for iron. I...