News

Apr 08, 2025

Shop Solutions – April 2025 - Engine Builder Magazine

Engine Builder and Engine Pro present Shop Solutions in each issue of Engine Builder Magazine and at enginebuildermag.com to provide machine shop owners and engine builders the opportunity to share

Engine Builder and Engine Pro present Shop Solutions in each issue of Engine Builder Magazine and at enginebuildermag.com to provide machine shop owners and engine builders the opportunity to share their knowledge to benefit the entire industry and their own shops. Those who submit Shop Solutions that are published are awarded either a prepaid $100 Visa gift card or a shop stool. Submit your Shop Solution at [email protected]. You must include your name, shop name, shop address and shop telephone number. Submitted Shop Solutions not published will be kept on file and reevaluated for each month’s new entries.

Variable Height Fixture

It is often necessary to space the work piece up in the mill vise or off the machine’s table when drilling or boring, etc. In addition to typical set of milling parallels, these shop-made variable height fixtures have proven to be very handy.

Tom NicholsAutomotive Machine & Supply, IncJoshua, TX

Spray Washer Recharge

When I’m recharging my spray wash, I have a coffee can with small holes that I use to dissolve the detergent. It allows the water to fill and mix with the detergent and lets me stir it if needed as I’m adding. This prevents the detergent from setting and caking on the bottom of the machine.

Ron FloodCedar MachineNorth Branch, MN

Little Sander

Freshly bored blocks leave a sharp edge on the bottom where the skirts protrude. I’ve found one of these little belt sanders are perfect to break that edge and add a chamfer. The outboard side I do from the crankcase and the inboard side I put the sander through the bore from the top of the block.

Big Don KincaidBig Don’s Racing EnginesPoint, TX

Chaser Checker

Sometimes, when chasing the head bolt holes on Chevy blocks, you’ll hit a casting knob. Then, you think, will the bolt thread in far enough? I use a 7/16ths valve guide and some washers to mimic the cylinder head thickness. This saves time by not having to measure every time it’s in question. The outer bolt holes on big block Chevy’s seem to be the worst.

Randy TorvinenTorvinen’s MachineMenahga, MN

Add a Little Light

As we get older, our vision gets worse, and I have found these inexpensive sewing machine lights help a lot. I have several around the shop in places like at tool setting fixtures, the ring grinder, the valve grinder and more.

Arus Kinney AK’s Engine And Machining Covington, GA

Balancing Mock Weight

Sometimes, it’s nice to be able to test what affect adding weight will have to a crankshaft balance. Since modern balancers also read cross planes, the placement can sometimes get tricky. This is especially true if the opposite side is close to the edge of the counterweight to begin with.

In this picture I’m out of the size slug I needed to finish this crank, so I used this mock weight to allow me to rough it in close until the slug shows up tomorrow. I have a few different sizes and weights. Just drilled and tapped holes to use a jack screw to hold them in place. You can also change the radius to have more or less effect to hit your goal.

Jake SampsonSampson Racing Engines Inver Grove Heights, MN