Goodson Gazette
Valve Lapping 101
Okay, you’ve already cut or ground your valve seats to the correct angles; you’ve ground the valve face in your valve refacer. Are you ready for final assembly of the cylinder head? Maybe, maybe not. The next step in many cases is to lap the valve to the valve seat for a final, perfect fit.
Lapping has been around for as long as engine building has been around. It’s a very simple, straightforward procedure.
Got Cracks? Here's How to Repair Them
Let’s start by saying that not every crack you find needs to be repaired. If the crack isn’t located in an oil passage, bolt hole or other seal surface you don’t need to fix it completely. You do, however, need to stop the crack from growing. If you don’t, odds are you’ll be fixing it in the future. To stop the crack from growing you need to do what’s called “stop drilling”. This means you drill a tiny hole – about 1/8” diameter – just past the ends of the crack. This hole will relieve the stresses placed on the metal and keep the crack from expanding.Pressure Testing and Crack Detection
We’ve talked a lot about crack detection in our Tech Notes – everything from Wet and Dry Magnetic Particle Inspection to Dye Penetrant Crack Detection to Vacuum Testing. Here, we’re talking about pressure testing. This method is often used along with one of those listed above as a final check that all of the cracks or pinholes have been repaired. Of course, just like life, it can’t be totally simple; there are two ways to perform pressure testing – wet or dry. The good news is the procedures are essentially the same regardless of which method you choose.Engine Disassembly : Valve Guide Removal
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.
Torque Plates are key in cylinder boring success
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.
Revisiting: Buyer Beware
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!
Survival of the Fittest – Succeeding in Today’s Economy
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.
Chemical Concentration Essential to Performance
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.