Checking Piston Ring Gap (#10)
First, place the correct size wrist pin boss of the piston to use as a tool from each side. Then place the ring to be squared in the cylinder. Be sure not to push the ring down too low. Now, with the piston upside down, push the ring with the top of the piston until
Piston-to-Valve Clearance (#11)
No problem, go buy yourself a Tootsie Roll, and after it sits in your pocket for 20 minutes or so it should be soft enough to use. John Allen Advanced Engine Machine Bakersfield, CA
Grumpy Jenkins
He used a sharp wide chisel. This works great and leaves no frayed ends. Just put the hose on an aluminum block, use your sharp chisel and hit it like you mean it! Jeff Beseth BeezerBuilt Inc. Newton Square, PA
Removing Dowel Pins With a Claw Hammer (#13)
This way can only be a solution if the hole in the block goes all the way through. OR you can use a readily available claw hammer! Here’s how: Insert the dowel pin between the claw and tap on head of hammer with another hammer until the dowel pin is secured, then pull back on
Inspection: Vacuum Check That Engine (#14)
I have found a few brand new castings to have porosity holes in them after they were torqued down. All of these heads were aluminum SB Chevy heads and were made overseas. These heads were “good” prior to proper installation. More than once I’ve found brand new water pumps to have leaking seals at
Taking The Mess Out Of Cylinder Honing (#15)
Once the hone head is in the hole, set the coffee can around the hole and hone away. This greatly reduces splash. Stu Anderson RPM Machine Sturgis, SD
Aligning Cylinder Hone With Cylinder By Using Laser Guide (#16)
Timm Jurincie Tuf-Enuf Racing Engines Avondale, AZ
Pressurizing Camshaft Thrust Oiling On Big Block Chevys (#17)
Use a brass screw because it will drill easily. Put in the set screw withLoctite(tm) and install the metering jet. This works for many other applications where you want tometer the oil. Don’t forget to chamfer the drilled hole. Chris Muhener Expressway Machine Shop Pocatello, ID
Removing Round Wire Wrist Pin Retainers (#18)
Brad Stephens Seagrove Engine Seagrove, NC
Keeping Your Parts Washer Clean (#19)
I keep my 390 oil filter and housing in the parts washer; every few days I will recirculate the fluid through the filter. The fluid outlet connects very easily to the filter using a short rubber hose plugged into the 390 filter housing. I then change the filter every few months when the flow becomes
Welding Cast Iron (#20)
Next, the crack must be fully “V” notched and ground smooth before welding can begin. I use a stick welder with a high nickel electrode, preferably with 85% nickel. This makes the weld softer and less likely to crack and easier to machine. When a high carbon electrode is used the high carbon content of
Engine Builder Shop Solutions: September 2012
Editor’s Note: This coming October will mark the 5thanniversary for the Shop Solutions column, and to help Engine Pro celebrate, we’re putting plans into place to have a “Top Five from the Past Five” contest where you get to choose your favorite Shop Solution from the past five years. Send your favorite Shop Solution to