Here are some inexpensive digital read outs (DRO) I’ve added to various machines in the shop. On the seat and guide machine it’s great to be able to set seat depths for different cutters on the same head without setting the end stop for each one. You…
Ron Flood Cedar Machine North Branch, MN
When my ratchets get noisy or sluggish I soak the head in 90wt. gear lube overnight and drain them the next day. The ratchets work like new. I find that 90wt gear lube lasts longer than engine oil and gives smoother operation. Will Samples S&S Imports Dallas, TX…
Will Samples S&S Imports Dallas, TX
Yes it's great to have the proper tools to install a press-fit pick-up tube onto your new oil pump. There are times when you may be helping someone in their shop and you need to improvise a quick tool to get this job done. With two simple…
Mike Segar Segars Engine Building Bloomington, MN
For 7/16” holes, take a 7/16” rocker arm stud, weld a metal pin at 90¨ on end and it becomes a T-Handle. Make 2 of them, this way you don’t need a wrench to take a lift chain off of an engine block. For ½” bolt holes…
Kimberly Duncan Reid's Automotive, Inc. Whitman, MA
I use a set of machinist Transfer Punches to help me set up on an existing hole that may have a broken bolt or even broken drill bit, that is below the surface. The Transfer Punch is designed to drop into a hole by specific size, and the…
Lewis Andrews Andrews Automotive Savannah, MO
Dzus fasteners come in various sizes, and slot radii. Although tools are available for R&R, many people use screwdrivers which do not engage fully, can slip, gouge paint and damage the finish. They also do not have enough leverage for stubborn fasteners. Many of us have damaged…
Archie Frangoudis Archies Racing Service Nashua, NH
To repair a set of heads that had been threaded and tapped for screw in studs, and where we could not use a shouldered hex stud or guides plates, I locked the studs in with set screws. Whoever had worked on these heads before had tapped…
Darrin Anderson Sterling Bearing N. Kansas City, MO
I use a worn-out tap to clean threads in blocks & heads. I chuck the tap in a cordless drill that has a ratchet clutch. This way I won't break off the tap if it hits bottom. This greatly speeds up thread cleaning jobs. Wes Schell Schell…
Wes Schell Schell Engine and Machine Gregory, SD
Do you have a balancer puller with stripped out threads? Don't throw it away! You can make a universal engine turning tool out of it. We turned a 1/2" drive extension down in the lathe to fit the inside the bore of the tool, cut it to fit…
Dan Matton D&D Auto Machine Bloomington, MN
Three tips to make your drill bits last longer.1. choose the right bit. A black oxide coated bit helps reduce friction and increase chip flow but shouldn’t be used on nonferrous materials. TiN is a titanium nitride with a gold color that can run faster than…
Steve Rich Sterling Bearing, Inc N. Kansas City, MO