TAP-TAP DOWEL REMOVAL When attempting to remove a locating dowel pin from a connecting rod, screw in a tap with the same diameter as the dowel pin. Then use a punch or drift to hit against the tap from the other side. The tap will grip the dowel pin and keep you from...
SPARKPLUG BOOT MELTDOWN When working with extreme cylinder head overheating issues, the spark plug boots can melt onto the spark plug, thus making it impossible to remove the plug. The best solution we have found is to remove the electrode at the combustion chamber...
FREE UP ONE HAND I found an easy way to bleed hydraulic lifter buckets in the vice. I stick a small hex bit into the socket head bolt that holds the jaws to the vise. Then you just need to hold the lifter in 1 hand and work the vise with the other. Josh Alexander...
GET IT STRAIGHT When balancing crankshafts, I feel I is imperative that the crank straightness be checked and corrected for before any balance work is done to ensure accuracy. I have an offset indicator that I’ve come up with that mounts right in the mill drill on the...
BLUE BE GONE Metal parts that are exposed to too much heat will turn a shade of Blue. I found that brushing white vinegar on the eye of the connecting rod, after heating to install pistons, removes the Blue. Put vinegar in a plastic container for dipping small parts,...
WATCH FOR THE GROUND STRAP This happens far too often. After servicing late Chrysler Hemi heads, they’re back within a day or 2. If the installer is not careful, they get the ground strap between the head and the gasket during installation. Once they are torqued down...