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Valve guides … every engine has ’em and if you’re refurbishing a cylinder head, you’re going to have to remove them. And that is what we’re talking about today.
We’ve talked a lot in the past about resizing valve guides, replacing valve guides, knurling valve guides, etc., but we’ve rarely touched on how to get the little buggers out of the head.
Lightweight block castings have become very prevalent in our market. Since the overall mass has been reduced, the controlled stresses have become an important factor in the block’s integrity. To ensure integrity, we must recreate that stress by using a Torque Plate when boring and honing.
Always begin by torqueing your main caps in place to correct specifications. Next, install a torque plate and torque in place using final assembly torque specifications. Also, we recommend using correct length bolts. If they are too long or too short, they may abnormally stress the block. The future will even dictate correctly torqueing all external motor mounts and related accessory brackets.
Allow .003″ minimum material in the cylinder bore. Remove broken and partially severed material by honing after the boring operation.
If you've been following the blog for awhile, you might remember this post talking about the woes of finding out that sometimes parts you buy second hand might come with an extra story lurking behind that great "deal".
Things haven't changed too much, we still get the occasional call from folks that have bought machinery because it was too good to be true - and as much as we don't want to rain on the deal parade (we don't!) - we still want to urge you to use caution with what you purchase online. Always go into a purchase online prepared to do a little research, always check to make sure the manufacturer hasn't gone out of business, and that if you need replacements you can find them without having to go on a treasure hunt!
That's where our Goodson Techxperts™ come in! They're still here to help you on your replacement parts journey, or for any other technical questions you might have!
We all know it – the economy stinks right now. Sure, there are some areas of the country and the world where things are still okay, but for an awful lot of us, times are tough. So how do you, as a machinist survive under these conditions?
First of all, you have to be good at what you do. If you’re a mediocre machinist, odds are against you. Word of mouth is one of the best advertisements there is and when you do an outstanding job for someone, they’re going to tell their friends (maybe even their enemies) who will, hopefully, bring you business too.
Secondly, diversify. That’s right, try something new. If you’ve always worked only on small block Chevys and the work isn’t coming in, maybe you should take a look at expanding your services. Motorcycles, boats, ATVs, snowmobiles, jet skis … they all have engines. Somehow people are finding the money to fix their toys even if they’re not repairing the family auto. Take advantage of that and keep your business growing despite the economy.
We’re back talking about cleaning again. We continue to get calls from shops wondering why their cleaning solution isn’t working as advertised.
The first question we’ll ask is, “What’s your mix ratio?” Virtually every cleaning solution will have an optimum mix ratio of chemical to water. Our recommendation is that you start on the weak side and see how that cleans for you.
If you’ve read any of our previous articles on parts cleaning, you’ll have seen references to pH testing. We’ve repeatedly encouraged you to check the pH of your cleaning solutions, but never really said anything about why. That’s what we’re talking about today.
The biggest factor in having the proper coolant mix is the water.
What? Water is water right???
Not necessarily. Not all water is created equal and some water is not just water. Contaminated water can contribute to bacteria growth in the machine coolant. Water can be too hard or too soft and can even cause health problems for you and your employees.