MORE ON PIPE PLUGS I see a lot of pipe plugs today that don’t get removed or are all butchered up from guys struggling to get them out. I use a torch to heat up the tapered pipe plugs in the block until they glow red. Then I let it cool for a minute or so before I hit...
PASS THE ROAST SLEEVES We do quite a few small single cylinder engine, re-bore and power hone jobs in our shop. Usually going to the next available oversize is all that is needed. However, when cylinders are badly damaged or have already been re-bored to the limit, we...
PIN POINT PISTON MARKER I took these broken off valve stems and ground the tips to a point to mark valve centerlines on pistons for flycutting valve reliefs. Just install the head on the block and insert the stem in the guide point down and with the piston at TDC,...
MARKED FOR REPEATABILITY I always mark the flywheel when I’m done balancing so the customer will install it in the exact same spot as where I balanced it. I always shift it full right on the slop in the mounting bolts, opposite crankshaft rotation. Testing with a...
DIAGNOSING THE CHICKEN AND THE EGG Sometimes a failure or even a comeback seem obvious and we point a finger at a failure point and assume that it was defective. A little investigating might show a cause and effect scenario and what might be thought of as defective or...
TRANSFER PUNCHES I use a set of machinist Transfer Punches to help me set up on an existing hole that may have a broken bolt or even broken drill bit, that is below the surface. The Transfer Punch is designed to drop into a hole by specific size, and the center punch...