SINGLE CYLINDER SURFACING Some single cylinders are tough to mount to a surface machine because of their irregular shapes and lack of external bolt holes. On these, I’ll tap a couple of adjacent head bolt holes and use thread inserts to hold them down from the bottom....
PAPER CLAMP PIN CLIP Some piston pin clips can be a bear to install. If not supported right, the first one will push in too far or can be hard to seat. I lube and install the piston pin and then use the arm or wing of a paper clamp to keep the pin in place while I...
TIME IS MONEY With certain jobs in the shop, setup time can be a big factor. I keep detailed notes and sometimes pictures of particular setups to save time. For instance, I have “crib sheets” for many set ups on the line boring machine. Block to machine head,...
TODAY’S TIMING FAILURES Timing components are more complicated then ever. Today’s components were designed to last well over 100,000 miles, with proper maintenance. Sadly, often due to poor maintenance and falsely stated factory oil maintenance claims, many timing...
CAM FIT INSURANCE We often just get the job of installing cam bearings, but we’re not assembling the engine. We keep a supply of old camshafts around to use for a test fit. This is good insurance against our customer having a problem when it comes time to assemble the...
FAST AND FURIOUS FLYWHEEL FIX To all the fast and furious, turbo charged, side stepping clutch crowd, this one’s for you. Many Japanese flywheels are step cut. Often times when a clutch blows up, by the time you surface the face, the step is gone. To keep the factory...