BIG D HEAD HANDLE Diesel cylinder heads are heavy and can be dangerous to move around. I use a rocker arm shaft and bolts from a Detroit to make a handle for carrying Detroit heads around the shop. It helps keep my fingers in working condition and keeps the head in...
MYSTERY OIL CONSUMPTION Sometimes we get engines in the shop that have unexplained oil consumption. The rings, valve guides and seals all appear to be just fine. Valve guide replacement, spring cup modifications, heavy porting and machining rocker arm bosses are just...
PVC CAN BE A WONDERFUL TOOL I have a 6 inch length of 3/4 PVC pipe I have used for maybe 25 years. I use it for pushing floater wrist pins out of pistons with no damage. I use it to bottom washers on studded heads. I have used it to carefully push head gaskets onto...
IMPROVING THE BLASTING EXPERIENCE Like most machines, our glass beader has two 75 watt lightbulbs hanging down from the inside top. These cause a lot of shadows, glare in your line of sight and every once in a while, when you least expect it, a bulb shatters as if for...
PTFE REAR MAIN SEAL SERVICE PolyTetaFlouroEthylene sounds impressive, and it is. This is the latest material used for rear main seals and was originally developed for the over-the-road diesel engine market, for maximum life. Care must be taken when installing these...
REDUCE – HEAT, PRESSURE, STRESS In the machine shop business we often consider stress, heat and pressure, as it relates to combustion, compression, bi-metals, etc. But when the weather gets extremely hot, like it’s been this summer, it’s also important for Managers to...