Shop Solutions January 2021
QUICK DRILL CLAMP A very handy drill press clamp set can be made in about 15 minutes from 1˝ angle iron, two carriage head bolts (they fit the t-slots), a couple valve guides for spacers, and two wing nuts. It has a wide operating range and is very quick and easy to adjust or remove
Shop Solutions – December 2020
Before machining, remember “Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance,” and Murphy’s Law will have less of a chance to get you.
Shop Solutions November 2020
Most of us know that magnetism on parts such as connecting rods is a very bad thing. Heat and friction can cause used rods to become magnetized.
Shop Solutions – October 2020
When resizing connecting rods, I set the oil stream to where I want the stroke to end. That makes it simple and is an easy visual reference.
Shop Solutions September 2020
A simple way to chuck pistons into the lathe is to make a draw rod assembly that goes through the head stock of the lathe.
Shop Solutions August 2020
When I build my bobweights, a simple piece of PVC for a stand makes it easier. Just zero out the scale and add the weight.
July 2020 Shop Solutions
Balancing a crankshaft by drilling large holes in counterweights can leave an appearance of the counterweight that is not pretty. To improve the appearance…
Shop Solutions June 2020
When checking rod-to-cam clearance on stroker engines, you will often find interference.
Shop Solutions May 2020
We do a lot of crankshaft snout rebuilding. To make the process easier, we keep some homespun mandrels that screw into the snout of the crankshaft so it is held secure for welding and machining.
April 2020 Shop Solutions
This saves a lot of time when centering the mandrel on blocks with bed plates.
Shop Solutions – March 2020
VACUUM TESTING FIXTURES When vacuum testing valves on some heads there may be obstacles in the way. In many cases there will be some exhaust studs in the way like this 3.4L GM. Rather than opening up a can of worms trying to remove the exhaust studs, I look through my pressure testing plates to
Shop Solutions, February 2020
Tips and tricks from the industry’s engine and machine shops.
