If you don't have a thread chaser for the right bolt hole size, it's pretty easy to make one. You can modify a bolt of the correct size and thread pitch. Cut the head off & cut a groove in the threads, length wise. Now put…
Rick Lake Lake's Machine Shop Needmore, PA
I have been taking photos of projects as customers drop them off. A picture from all sides will show any sensors, brackets etc. that the customer didn’t remove. A couple times a year a customer will tell me I forgot to give them back a…
Dan Matton D and D Auto Machine Bloomington, MN
I see a lot of pipe plugs today that don’t get removed or are all butchered up from guys struggling to get them out. I use a torch to heat up the tapered pipe plugs in the block until they glow red. Then I let it…
Lewis Andrews Andrews Automotive Savannah, MO
I always mark the flywheel when I’m done balancing so the customer will install it in the exact same spot as where I balanced it. I always shift it full right on the slop in the mounting bolts, opposite crankshaft rotation. Testing with a counterweighted flywheel shows…
Randy Torvinen Torvinen’s Machine Menahga, MN
If you have ever had to clean RTV off of a gasketless oil pan, timing cover or other parts, you know how hard and time consuming this task can be. We have found that running a round ball end Allen wrench, where the ball fits the groove…
Kevin Elam Liberty Auto Machine Shop Liberty, MO
I’ve found that those stubborn press in galley plugs can usually be removed fairly easily with this process. First, and most importantly, you must center punch the plug as close to center as possible.Then, using a Unibit, drill through the plug. Next using a carbide…
Darin Driscoll AMS Automotive Machine and Supply Fort Collins, CO
For best results: Take sample within 10 minutes of using the equipment. (i.e. shutting off the engine or coming off the track) If this is not possible, drain 1 quart of fluid into a quart or larger container, shake for 1 minute before filling the sample bottle.…
Lake Speed, Jr Driven Racing Oil Olive Branch, MS
Removing press in oil galley plugs from blind holes, like a Ford FE block, is a little more challenging because you cannot just pound them out from the back side. First I center drill them with a 3/16” drill bit. Then I install and tighten a lag…
D and D Machine Dave Matton Bloomington, MN
For a nice finish on aluminum, I save my chips from boring ductile sleeved blocks and add them at a 20% mix to coarse glass bead in the blaster. I find that it gives the aluminum a brighter finish that doesn’t stain as easy. It removes carbon…
Ron Flood Cedar Machine North Branch, MN
After porting an intake manifold or a set of heads, there is going to be quite a bit of sand, aluminum, and other things in the port. It is very important that all of this debris gets cleaned out before assembling the engine. An easy and effective…
Ben Hoitink Hughes Engines Washington, IL