PLASTIC PRESSURE TEST PLATES I started making custom pressure testing plates out of 1” thick HDPE high density polyethylene (same material as kitchen cutting board). This stuff is cheap, machines like butter and can be worked like wood. I cut it with a table saw and...
CHASING DOWN NEW THREADS If you don't have a thread chaser for the right bolt hole size, it's pretty easy to make one. You can modify a bolt of the correct size and thread pitch. Cut the head off & cut a groove in the threads, length wise. Now put it in a drill motor...
SLING YOUR SHAFT I have muscled crankshafts into place and used various methods of “slinging” them. I found this sling to be simple and easy. I built the hooks out of 1/2” steel rod and slid some heater hose over them to protect the crank's bearing surfaces. I found...
CHEAP AND EASY RING SQUARING TOOLS I made many different size tools for quick and easy piston ring squaring when end gapping. I used scraps from leftover cylinder sleeves and turned them to size on my lathe. They don't take up much space for storage even with more...
PRESSURE TORQUE PLATE For those who don’t have a pressure tester, torque plates work great. Use along with homemade block off plates for the other holes and I use expandable rubber core plugs to seal up the block. I use them in cylinder heads as well. Just have a...
CLEAR COAT IT TO SHOW IT After magnafluxing, cover the magpowder in the crack with a couple coats of clear paint to retainer the powder. This works much better for showing the parts owner, you won't have to magnaflux the part again for them to see the problem. Terry...