What’s the Best Penetrant? A recent online article provided some information on various penetrating oils. A subjective test of all the popular penetrates with the control being the torque required to remove the nut from a “scientifically rusted” environment resulted in the following numbers.- Penetrating oils ..........Average torque load to…
Engine Pro Technical Committee with special thanks to Machinist’s Workshop Magazine (www.machinistsworkshop.net) and Bert Hitzing
Our brake lathe does not see as many rotors and drums as it once did but we are finding new uses for this great machine. With its large assortment of adapters and cones, it becomes a natural for mounting hard to hold parts…
Jerry McLain McLain’s Automotive Machine Shop Cuba, MO
Many of our company’s jobs are short runs, with setups that needed to be changed sometimes every two to four hours. Work holding setup time was something that became necessary to improve as our volume of work increased. By investing in a quick-change jaw system we were…
Jim Kovach Kovach & Assoc. Performance Engine Building Parma, Oh
Measuring Concave Objects If you need to measure a concave object such as a lifter or push rod and don’t have a ball mike, or don’t have one large enough, you can use a bearing ball in the concave part and subtract the diameter of the ball from the overall…
Lee Johnson Pro Performance Denver, CO
I put an aquarium bubbler in the coolant tank on my crankshaft grinder to keep the coolant moving. This keeps the algae from blooming and keeps the coolant better to work with. I used a pair of old main caps wired to the base to form a stand.…
Randy Torvinen Torvinen’s Machine Menahga, MN
Most popular engines have 14 MM and 18 MM spark plugs. The paper cup type from engine equipment suppliers, or tape, will pop out when engine is turned over. I discovered a cute economical way to plug the spark plug holes. 1/4 pipe loosely threads into 14…
Jim Feurer Animal Jim Racing Lacon, IL.
Installation Tool for Spark Plug Repair Inserts This tool was developed after I got frustrated with supplier installation devices. It is faster, easier and works with most spark plug thread repair inserts, including Perma-Coil, Time-Sert and Heli-Coil. Start with a long reach spark plug, sliding a bronze spacer (metric flange…
Dan Morrison Morrison Auto Machine Glendale, AZ
Keep Chuck Keys in Check This isn’t the most high-tech Shop Solution in the world, but it can save you hours of lost time and aggravation. Have you ever wasted time looking for your drill’s chuck key or fought chucking in a bit with the key tethered or taped to…
Michael Campiere Campiere Customs Chalmette, LA
Avoiding The Skinned Knuckle Syndrome Header bolts and other bolts in tight locations can be troublesome to remove and install, especially in custom fabrications where there is limited accessibility. A solution is to use internal wrenching bolts (Allen bolts). To use allen bolts, taper the head as illustrated, and purchase…
Archie Frangoudis Archie’s Racing Service Nashua and Merrimack, NH
How Do You Slice It If I had a nickel for every time I’ve been asked “What is the best way to cut braided steel hose?” I’d have more money than Bill Gates. While there are about as many answers to this question as there are skilled automotive techs, there…
Lamar Whitman Engine Pro Tech Committee