Stud Installation Secret We all know head studs and main studs give better clamping force for our fasteners. Did you know that bottoming out the stud is a bad thing and the stud should never hit the bottom of the hole? Studs should never be torqued into place and should…
Roy A. Maloney Engine & Performance Warehouse Houston, TX
Save Used Head Parts Our shop does a lot of cylinder head work. We keep several parts from old cylinder heads in marked boxes. Sometimes you lose an odd ball valve lock that no one keeps in stock. At this point, that box marked “Valve Locks” is worth it’s weight…
Henry Satterfield Satterfield’s Machine Shop Cayce, SC
It’s difficult to vacuum test the exhaust valves on the 5 valve per cylinder VW cylinder head and many other heads due to the EGR hole in each port. I’ve found an easy solution. Save the dried silicone from the tip of the tube…
Ronnie Myers MAR Automotive, Inc Philadelphia, PA
Unlike their flat tappet cousins, bucket style hydraulic lifters can often be reused if inspected, validated and cleaned. The problem is taking them apart. I developed this hammer tool to separate the plunger from the body. Insert the bucket (upside down) and secure with the…
Dallas Mace Auburn Auto Machine, Auburn, WA
Using a gasket scraper, clean all carbon deposits from valve heads. Follow this by cleaning with a wire brush and solvent. Keep all valves organized so they will be put back in their original locations in the head. Measure valve stem diameters using…
Engine Parts Group Technical Committee with thanks to Toyota Motor Sales, USA (Revised from an article on reconditioning a OHC cylinder head)
I’ve found another use for a deck height bridge. When replacing seats on race cylinder heads, especially Big Block Chev, I use a deck bridge with an indicator extension to first check where the valve was and should be. Then when machining the seats it’s an easy…
Randy Torvinen Torvinen’s Machine Menahga, MN
When making chamber molds for a variety of purposes, including holding up the valves on the assembly bench (As opposed to a beanbag or shop rag) common auto body filler (Bondo) works very well. It’s fast and very inexpensive. Just mix the body filler and fill chambers…
Keith Morganstein Max Effort Engines Sutton, MA
I find that when machining some valve seats my cutter will get a build up and give a poor finish. I use a small knife to scrape the cutter clean, than I smear PAM (non-stick spray) on the seat and the cutter for the last .002”…
Randy Torvinen Torvenin’s Machine Menahga, MN
I found a great tool for deburring combustion chambers after resurfacing cylinder heads. I took a common chainsaw sharpening file, removed the “rat tail” handle, chamfered and radiused this end for a comfortable fit in my hand. I also radiused the business end so it would…
Jake Sampson Sampson Racing Engines (SRE) Saint Paul, MN
Small valve locks, especially those for obscure import applications, can be difficult to get into place and inevitably, if you’re not careful, can pop out and easily get lost on or under your work station. Magnetic sheeting is available in one foot increments and can be used…
Terry Kiehnau Terrys Rebuilding LLC Green Bay WI