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CRANK STROKE CHECK
May 1, 2019 | CRANKSHAFTS & CONNECTING RODS
CRANK STROKE CHECK I have a quick and easy way to check or measure the stroke of a crankshaft. I put the crank on some V-blocks on the vertical mill table. I chuck up a BB Chev fuel pump pushrod or any similar round stock in a drill chuck. Position the rod throw...
IT’S ALL BALL BEARINGS THESE DAYS
May 1, 2019 | CYLINDER HEADS
IT’S ALL BALL BEARINGS THESE DAYS When checking volume on large chambers or ports, I fill them with precision steel ball bearings. It requires less time to fill and less fluid. Simply calculate the volume of the ball you’re using and multiply by the number added. Add...
FUEL LINE CRACKS
May 1, 2019 | ASSEMBLY
FUEL LINE CRACKS When rebuilding large diesel engines like Caterpillars with high pressure fuel lines running along the blocks or heads, make sure to install all of the factory line clamps and hold downs back in the factory location. They are designed to hold these...
ROD AND CAP CUTTING DONE RIGHT
Apr 1, 2019 | CRANKSHAFTS & CONNECTING RODS
ROD AND CAP CUTTING DONE RIGHT When cutting the parting faces on rods and caps for resizing, make sure the bearing locating tang is facing the same way for both on the cap grinder. This way, if the parting surface is not perfectly 90° from the side, cutting the cap...
NUT CLAMP
Apr 1, 2019 | OTHER SHOP WORK
NUT CLAMP When you need to shorten or chamfer a bolt, it can be difficult to mount it in a lathe Chuck without boogering up the threads. An easy solution to this problem is to take a nut of the same size and pitch as your bolt and make a slot in it with a hacksaw or...
TWISTED DOWEL PULLER
Apr 1, 2019 | OTHER SHOP WORK
TWISTED DOWEL PULLER Removing stubborn open dowels is easy with a spiral bolt extractor. Just give it a light tap, twist and gently pull up. The force is evenly distributed all the way around and most of the time, the dowel can be reused. Dave Matton D and D Auto...

