Tricky cylinder head nut tool
Following some posts on VV about the super two in one cylinder head nut tool that Snap On and Mac (and maybe others) made for Corvairs, I recalled there was a description in the CORSA Tech Guide for making your own. Since I have several engine projects in the works, and one just ready to torque a head on, I decided to make one up. I've also read a few other tips regarding sockets to use on the head nuts, so I combined all of the info I had together.
Basically, the tool is two sockets that can nest inside one another, with a 3" piece of 3/8" square stock and a spring joining them. That way driving one turns both, and the spring automatically extends the inner socket for you. For the sockets, I used a 14mm, which gives a snug fit on the top 9/16" nuts, and a 13/16" spark plug socket for the rocker studs. On the 13/16 socket, I filed the chamfer off since the hex on the rocker stud is so short.
Once assembled, I taped a 7/8" socket on the drive hex at the end of the spark plug socket to drive the whole shebang. There's just enough room under the intake for the tool to fit, and with the tight 14mm socket it helped to spray the outside of the upper nuts with WD-40 so the socket would slip on with the light spring pressure (a stiff spring would make the tool tough to use).
The result was good, although maybe not worth the time if you're only building one engine. Since I have a couple engine projects lined up, I think it was well worth the investment.
Photos:
Basically, the tool is two sockets that can nest inside one another, with a 3" piece of 3/8" square stock and a spring joining them. That way driving one turns both, and the spring automatically extends the inner socket for you. For the sockets, I used a 14mm, which gives a snug fit on the top 9/16" nuts, and a 13/16" spark plug socket for the rocker studs. On the 13/16 socket, I filed the chamfer off since the hex on the rocker stud is so short.
Once assembled, I taped a 7/8" socket on the drive hex at the end of the spark plug socket to drive the whole shebang. There's just enough room under the intake for the tool to fit, and with the tight 14mm socket it helped to spray the outside of the upper nuts with WD-40 so the socket would slip on with the light spring pressure (a stiff spring would make the tool tough to use).
The result was good, although maybe not worth the time if you're only building one engine. Since I have a couple engine projects lined up, I think it was well worth the investment.
Photos:
posted by Bryan Blackwell | 4:32 PM
1 Comments:
Thank you :)
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