I use some large water pump pulleys to hold valves while glass bead cleaning them. I rest the valve on the rim of the pulley, the overspray also cleans some of the other valves at the same time. This also saves wear and tear on the…
Wes Schell Schell Engine & Machine Gregory, SD
The easiest way to remove a protruding pipe plug, like rear cam galley plugs, is to use a stud remover socket of the appropriate size. These have a very aggressive, tapered left handed threaded inside that really digs into the outside of the plug making removal simple. These…
Timm Jurinc Tuf-Enuf Auto & Marine Performance Avondale,AZ.
When cleaning valve train parts it is so easy to lose the tiny keepers. We always keep any extra keepers we have in case of losing one, but there’s always that one head that you don’t have extra keepers for. We purchased a very inexpensive item on Amazon…
Ronnie Myers MAR Automotive Philadelphia, PA
To make the glass in our glass-beading machine last longer, we cover the inside with duct tape, leaving a small open port to view the work. When this gets cloudy, we remove another small piece of the tape. Our glass lasts much longer now before it needs…
Al Ramirez L & B Connecting Rods Anaheim, CA
Allen head bolts get stripped out easily. If they are showing signs of wear, before trying to remove them fill the recess with lapping compound then install the proper allen bit. This will make it a little tighter and have better grab so it doesn’t strip as…
Chris Canale C3 Automotive Machine Foxboro, MA
Many Toyotas and Hondas have spark plug tubes on their cylinder heads. When these heads get over heated, it can melt the spark plug boot in the tube. Some of these tubes do not come off. There is a way to get the boot out quickly and…
Jimmy Casares Hubbard Machine Hayward, CA
Exploding Piston Trick One of the more distasteful disassembly jobs in our shop involves hypereutectic pistons. It seems that no matter what fixtures we use we still end up with the occasional piston “explosion.” I believe we have come up with a few workable solutions for the removal of press…
Timm Jurincie Tuf-Enuf Auto & Marine Performance Avondale, AZ
Hollow Dowel Removal Tips To keep hollow dowels from collapsing, insert a short bolt or stud, either an American or a metric, before clamping the pullers collet on to it, or just use a pipe wrench or locking pliers to twist it loose. We sometimes just thread the inside of…
Timm Jurincie Tuf-Enuf Auto Performance Avondale, AZ
Ball plugs that can’t be accessed and knocked out are difficult to remove. I use my Heli- arc welder and heat the ball until it is red hot. Then I weld a filler rod to it. When cool, it is usually loose and can be pulled out. If…
Randy Torvinen Torvinen’s Machine Menahga, MN
When removing spark plug tubes from heads like the Chrysler Magnum’s, it is important to not damage the tube if you want to reuse them and have a secure fit. These heads have usually been in service for a while and will have a rusty bond to…
Darrin Anderson Sterling Bearing Inc. Kansas City, MO.