Crankshaft grinder

steamgas

steamgas

Senior Member
i am looking for information on a crankshaft grinder i have come across.it will grind the shaft while it is still in the car.it was made in winona,minn.by the winona tool mfg, co.my question is,is this co.still in business or has the name changed or gone out of bussiness.any help will be appreciated.
 
steamgas said:
i am looking for information on a crankshaft grinder i have come across.it will grind the shaft while it is still in the car.it was made in winona,minn.by the winona tool mfg, co.my question is,is this co.still in business or has the name changed or gone out of bussiness.any help will be appreciated.
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Not sure if they are still in business. I have one that I used all the time in my Dads garage. I have some pictures but can not get them to post. I had a post on here with it grinding a Model A crank in the lathe. If you like I will bring up that post.
 
These were commonly but not often used several years ago. The require a means to rotate the engine while grinding the crank. Ive only seen then used on rods. Also more commonly used in trucks, less down time for the rig.
 
george
can you email me the pictures you have?i read your post about the grinder you have.i am going to make a fixture for my lathe and any pictures will help.
tex
 
steamgas said:
george
can you email me the pictures you have?i read your post about the grinder you have.i am going to make a fixture for my lathe and any pictures will help.
tex
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Winona Van Norman

800-533-8008

316-219-3500 Manuals are also available , a place on the Net, that has all kind of Machine Repro books, Herm
 
steamgas said:
i am looking for information on a crankshaft grinder i have come across.it will grind the shaft while it is still in the car.it was made in winona,minn.by the winona tool mfg, co.my question is,is this co.still in business or has the name changed or gone out of bussiness.any help will be appreciated.
Click to expand...

I think I got it to work. They made a fixture for grinding in a lathe, but we never had that. So I just rigged it my self.
 

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Doesn't that grinder leave a lot to be desired. Sure it cleans up the surface, but how do you ensure center line?

The crank is worn off center so this will kind of follow the new center line, right?

So if the above is correct, then the crank is worn 180* out between the center main and the ends so the centers will not be in line.
 
Kevin in NJ said:
Doesn't that grinder leave a lot to be desired. Sure it cleans up the surface, but how do you ensure center line?

The crank is worn off center so this will kind of follow the new center line, right?

So if the above is correct, then the crank is worn 180* out between the center main and the ends so the centers will not be in line.
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It's not the best way, but it does work. For the mains you do not use the hook over the crank. You hold it solid on the tool post of the lathe.
 
i see your point kevin.dose anyone know what the tolerance would be on the radian distiance from one cylinder to another and is it ok or not for the tolerance to acculimate from the first rod jurnal to the last?
 
steamgas said:
i see your point kevin.dose anyone know what the tolerance would be on the radian distiance from one cylinder to another and is it ok or not for the tolerance to acculimate from the first rod jurnal to the last?
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If the journal is out of round .003 you could be out of the center line .0015 not a big deal.
 
A little off the thread, but this brings back memories!

In the early 50's, my dad bought a '31 AA (280A) that had less than 10,000 miles on it. Since it had been sitting for the previous 10 years or so, he dropped the pan to check out the condition of the crank. Thereupon he discovered some surface rust on the rod journals. He polished these journals using strips of emery cloth while his 9-year old son (me) stepped on the starter button to provide the rotation of the engine.

While my dad had owned Model A's before, this was the first I remember, and probably why I own one today. He's 91 now and still gets a kick out of "browsing the net" and looking for old cars.
 
steamgas said:
i see your point kevin.dose anyone know what the tolerance would be on the radian distiance from one cylinder to another and is it ok or not for the tolerance to acculimate from the first rod jurnal to the last?
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--from Ford print

The axes of all pin bearings must lie within .005 of a common plane passing through the center of keyway and center of main bearings.

The timing gear shoulder and the flywheel pilot must not runout more than .001

The face of the flywheel flange shall have less than .0005 runout at the rim. --
I fixed it , I had .005, missed a 0

The problem comes not from the first regrind, but when it is off .0015 each time by the time it is on the 3, or 4th regrind the stackup can get past .005 easy.

the last crank I paid to have ground came back with the timing gear hub off .005, and the flywheel flange off .008 ---when i asked the shop I was told "it's just an old car, it won't matter"
 
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kurt
thank your for you tech.input this is the kind of information i like.i contacted winona van norman co.this morning.the chief parts manager told me that they have not supplied parts for the portable intheblok crankshaft grinder for many years.so if anyone else may wonder about this,this post should answer that question.
 
Hello to all you car lovers! I see some of you are looking for the Winona in block crank grinder.I have a complete kit with all manuals in very good condition.Willing to part with it as I haven't built a early flathead engine in about 20 years!Will post pics today for your viewing.Thanks gentleman,Rick.
 
As was stated earlier, this grinder was intended for repairs to heavy equipment on the job. Furthermore, rather than intending to regrind an entire crankshaft, it was intended to repair damaged rod journals on trucks and heavy machinery on an individuated basis (meaning a single rod or two) not an entire crankshaft - while the engine was still installed in the heavy equipment.
 
Them old grinders were called, "A USED CAR DEALER'S BEST FRIEND"---Nobody worried about a "center" line?? Only worried about WHO had undersize bearings/rods!
Bill W.
 
Chris in CT said:
As was stated earlier, this grinder was intended for repairs to heavy equipment on the job. Furthermore, rather than intending to regrind an entire crankshaft, it was intended to repair damaged rod journals on trucks and heavy machinery on an individuated basis (meaning a single rod or two) not an entire crankshaft - while the engine was still installed in the heavy equipment.
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Chris, I sent you a message on Facebook. Don't know if you saw it.
 
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