BEAT THE HEAT Too much heat can destroy an engine. Gas engines are designed to operate between 190-220 degrees F, hotter than 220 and you’ve got an overheat situation. As an engine overheats, aluminum material will begin to warp, expand and even crack. A warped...
SPECIAL AND NUMBERED STONES If I need to touchup a seat after machining, even on the Serdi, I go to my numbered stones and holders. I have three numbered holders and always use them as pairs. Sometimes if I just need a quick touch up and the stone is good, I won't...
QUICK CRANK CENTERS To make it quick and easy to mount cranks in the grinder and especially the lathe for polishing, I made inserts for various engine families. Delron or that type of material works great and I give them about .001” clearance so they are reasonably...
CHUCK SUPPORT I made this simple chuck support to help make changing chucks on my lathe & crank grinder much easier. Made from PVC pipe, a farm gate post bolt (or all-thread rod), and hardware, this adjustable chuck support lets the chuck slide off and on the spindle...
SHARPER SCRAPERS I like to keep my super scrapers nice and sharp. Here's an easy little way to touch them up. I squared up a piece of scrap steel in my mill and drilled the hole in the same setup so it's nice and square. I drilled the hole just under the .375 tool...
END GAP ESCAPE PATH I often feel that people will gap the top oil ring rail improperly. The top oil ring rail needs to have a gap that is the same as the 2nd (scraper) ring above it, at operating temp. Gapping it the same is a safe adjustment. The tapered second...