RAJO BB-R Valve Guides?

SUHRsc

SUHRsc

Well-known member
Does anyone know what Valve guides I can use in a RAJO BB-R cylinder head?

Thanks
Zach

rajo006.jpg
 
No, but is that a SureMike crank in the background and unmachined front cover for an oil pump? Is this you're second BB RAJO?
 
I would use bronze valve guides. You should be abel to go to any good motor machine shop give them the O.D. and I.D. you need and they can order it for you. The bronze guides are a better material used with todays stainless valves and allow for tighter tolerances on the valve stem.
 
thanks....I'll look into the bronze.....

this is my only RAJO... got a bunch of extra stuff with it....
now if money and time were on my side more, maybe I could actually use it.

it'll be going on a '25 roadster
 
I have a Rajo just like yours and have been rebuilding antique engines along with vintage racing engines for 35 yrs. The bronze that Paul suggests will only work fine if there is a supply of oil to the top of the guide. I have tried bronze in this type of no, to little oil situation before and have friends that have also had trouble on other early cars and motorcycles using bronze.

I have used bronze guide liners in T's enclosed valves with plenty of oil and in that situation it will work well.

Paul, what has your experience been with bronze guides been like??

But on your head which gets no oil unless you oil it or come up with a system you will end up having valves stick.

I would use cast iron, I machine my own if I cannot find something to adapt that will fit. Then get your valve stems hard chromed because if the stems are stainless you may have gauling and sticking. Send them to http://www.calvalves.com/ they will do a good job or have a local plating shop do them for you. You only need .0005 - 1/2 of a thousandth of chrome.

Ream the guides for .003"- .004" exhausts and .002" for the intakes. Set up this way they will work very well with little to no oil. The graphite in the cast iron will help along with whatever oil you can put on them.

I have used this on a lot of T-Head and L-Heads (like an early T with exposed valves) with exposed valves which get no oil and it will work beautifully. The photo shows a new guide machined here on the lathe along with an original one. A piece of cast iron bar and a reamer.

This is what is being done in modern cars and trucks as the modern valve guide seals keep almost all of the oil out for emissions purposes. This is the only way that really holds up well unless a seal that meters just the right amount of oil is used, then bronze might work.

I have seen your head on the Banger thread before and if you are missing the guides I can give you dimensions.
 
Last edited:
My experience with the bronze guides I always had plenty of oil up top. I have used them in several vintage cars with no problems but like I said I always had plenty of oil on those engines.
 
Paul thanks, that is exactly what I have found, bronze works with plenty of oil. That is the trouble with these overheads, you have to oil them yourself manually or put a felt pad under the cover that is saturated with oil, but the problem with that is it gets everywhere except where you need it. I think to keep a bronze guide from sticking you might have to oil the guides like every 25 miles?

If you have an oil pump you can make up a system to get oil on the guides and stems if the excess oil will drain back down thru the push rod tubes.

I put in a photo of my BB Rajo.
 
Last edited:
thank you T-head.... thats great info, I've been unsure about wether or not to add oil lines into the valve cover to spray down....so cast iron is a defonite way to go!

Is there a common supplier of the cast iron bar?

I should be able to sort out dimensions, but if you have them handy and its not alot of trouble, I'd love to know what you have...

thanks!
Zach
 
Jack Innes said:
While takling about RAJO heads, can someone tell me what this one is. Should I know anything special about its care? I have it in the 14 touring pictured & all I really know is that it will go a lot faster than the wheels are capable of. The car is a definite "sleeper". The engine shows its worth on hills.

Oh crap--does this make me a hot rodder ??
Click to expand...

Jack..... oil the rocker arms and valve guides everythine you use it. Other than that just keep the rocker arms adjusted to .010 -.012.

Now that you have blown your cover we may have to report you to all of your purist friends.........
 
SUHRsc said:
thank you T-head.... thats great info, I've been unsure about wether or not to add oil lines into the valve cover to spray down....so cast iron is a defonite way to go!

Is there a common supplier of the cast iron bar?

I should be able to sort out dimensions, but if you have them handy and its not alot of trouble, I'd love to know what you have...

thanks!
Zach
Click to expand...

Zach you can get cast iron from Mc Master-Carr. They have everything under the sun and more. They also have a great website.... here is a link for the cast Iron...... http://www.mcmaster.com/#iron-rods/=7csahk

If you have a lathe you can make them yourself. If not get one and learn how to use it. You will not believe how you were able to get along without one.

If you do, let me know I'll tell you how to do it so they come out really well.
 
t-head said:
Jack..... oil the rocker arms and valve guides everythine you use it. Other than that just keep the rocker arms adjusted to .010 -.012.

Now that you have blown your cover we may have to report you to all of your purist friends.........
Click to expand...

I was afraid of that!

Can you tell me what model of RAJO head this is? It is different than most in that it has the intake manifold cast inside itself.

Thank you
 
Jack Innes said:
I was afraid of that!

Can you tell me what model of RAJO head this is? It is different than most in that it has the intake manifold cast inside itself.

Thank you
Click to expand...

Jack your head is the first one that they came out with in the early twenties.

While I am at it I am going to post photos of all of the rocker arm heads in the racing post so it will show all of the models and be easy to find later.
 
Zach....... I posted the info about how to make guides on the T racing thread but posted this photo of the top of my guides to help you.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top