Installing bronze valve guides in a set of sbc heads. Have the guides driven in and am ready to size them. Using hard chrome lined ball broaches for sizing. The broaches I have are .3435, .3445 and .3455. My valves have a stem diameter of .3395. Does this mean I need a ball broach of .3405 diameter so that I end up with a .001 clearance between the stem and guide? This is my first time doing this and am trying to learn. This engine will be a mild daily driver. thanks-
Dan, are you doing this on a Mill? (obviously, but one never knows...younger brother has a Chinese 'Universal Drill-Mill', small lightweight white cast iron frame that is NOT stable.) You must have something 'Bridgeport status' or modern CNC? A former boss of mine couldn't wait for the tool man to deliver a ream to do the bronze guides I installed in a Ferrari 12 cyl. GTB. So the dumb **** selected the next size drill bit and hogged all 24 out!!! Smoked worse than when it came in. He acted puzzled when I quit the next payday. I told him that was why they put wheels on tool boxes.
Sounds like you are using a K-Line installer or something similar. The ball sizer will not make the guide that size it is to swell the guild in so it does note move. I start with the smallest one and work up from there to get to clearance needed.
Yes it is k-line tooling... so sounds like I was totally misunderstanding, the ball sizer "pushes" the walls of the insert outwards against the hole in the head?? The i.d. of the valve guide should be the right tolerance for my valve stems? (I totally get that you check the tolerance to be sure ******) Last time I did any guide work was reaming them, so I guess I was thinking of "shrinking" the i.d. of the guide... Thanks!
Nothing saying the bore is straight after the ball broach, still have to ream or hone to size...I thought K-line used a swagger that was like a dull tap, maybe old world..
hold for instlation link...---> http://www.rectiequipos.com/automotriz/culatas/guias/encasquillado/kline/CATALOGO K-LINE.pdf
Unless you can run corn-free gas consistently, you'll want to consider high end clearances on them. Have experienced stem-to-guide seizures recently.
ah fooey its out of focus... AND yes ball stone hone to FINAL fit... valve guide clearance to be between 0.0015 and 0.002 of an inch for standard 11/32 inch valvestem
Yes you can size with the ball broaches. The size is the size of the ball but the guides usually spring back a lil.. use a good sizing lube and a decent air hammer to drive the broach through. Start small and work up. Best to have a guide gauge.. I always used a Sunnen guide gauge. I normally just ran a small broach through to "seat" the guide then finished with a diamond hone but I have just broached with good results. It is important to know the clearance... just guessing can lead to issues! Oh, the above is only for the thin bronze guide liners, the thick one piece bronze guides I only honed or reamed.
What I meant to say earlier is that the only experience I have with valve guides is knurling them...did not mean to say reaming- I don't know why the valve stems are the size they are, didn't even consider that when I ordered them, definitely will the next time- The valves and guides are both Manley, the guide tools are K-Line. So, ottoman, if I understand I need to order some different size ball broaches? How much clearance should I shoot for between the stem and guide?? Thanks for all the help guys! Check that, the valves are Elgin-
Dan... valve guide clearance to be between 0.0015 and 0.002 of an inch for standard 11/32 inch valvestem...
thanks for the info - going to order some different size ball broaches what are thoughts / opinions on valve guide seals?
opinions WILL be ALL over the place... for me its end use for recommendation... your mild STREET depends on miles driven and how hard when doing so.. CAN'T go wrong with the teflon (pc) ones especially if the clearances are on the loose side. other wise the VTO's as seen here ---> http://www.compe***ionproducts.com/VTO-Ultimate-Duty-Valve-Seals/products/46/
I'd check with a race shop but most often the exhuast has more clearance than intake and machined at top for mushrrom seal while the intake gets teflon. On race motor we leave the seal off the exhaust altogether but street gets mushroom.
The stock "O" ring is fine for everyday use. Today we need all the stem lubrication we can get ... no lead plus corn gains us nothing but galling, seizures, gums that won't dissolve, and low efficiency from our older engines.
.3395" is a pretty standard Manley stem size.Every Manley iron XL exh valve stem (nominally 11/32)I ever saw measured .3395".So did all 16 of the Manley valves I just bought for a set of OT sbc heads..0015" will do fine for clearance.Ream and lightly ball hone for final sizing.We got a lot fewer stuck exh valves during the first few miles by coating the stems with Crane red ***embly lube rather than oil .
Dan are you using a press in thick wall guide sleeve or have you simply bored the head to take a removable valve guide? In either case you do not need a knurling tool ,ball broach etc.Once installed you just ream and hone the guide and you are done.I reread your OP, either I missed something(pretty likely) or there was no mention of exactly which method you are using.If you need to buy a reamer by all means buy a carbide reamer! At work we used carbide guide reamers exclusively because they would do literally hundreds of guides and still be sharp.
I am using K-Line tools to press in what I would guess are "thin wall" liners. I have bored out the original cast iron guides and installed new liners. I am going to order some different size ball broaches today to hopefully get a .001 clearance between the stem and guide (.339, .340, .341 ball broaches) My valve stems are measuring at .339, .340 Please keep the help coming. This is the first time I have tried this and am by no means a machinist. No advise is too simple or trivial for me- Thanks
I would try the ball sizer you have. It will not make the guide the size of the sizer it will be smaller than that. You will find that after you drive it through it will still need to be driven in again. If that makes sense.
and measure you may be happy with the results---- I like the FINAL sizing to be from the oil based lube on the ball stone hone...
I do liners pretty regularly. I prefer to use the Rapid Diamond Bronze liners but the K-Line liners are fine as well. When you are broaching with a sized ball or use the sized broach that usually comes in the kit you need to go a minimum of .001 larger than what you want the guide size to be since it will spring back a very slight amount after broaching. Also using the cones on the seats will help center in a worn guide better making the valve job come in easier if staying with the same sized valves as before. Its best to use a air hammer since it does so many hits per second. Doing it by hand will not net the best results but it can be done. Myself I run a sized bronze type reamer down to make sure its sized correctly/straight and I also use a hone to dial in my clearance while creating a little cross hatch for oil. These videos may help. - Part 1 - Part 2
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