Grinding valve seats - a question or two

IMHO, while the seat grinders are old tech, they are often affordable, and this is great for people who want to work on and learn about their toys rather than having to take everything beyond wrench turning to a specialist with a zillion dollar Serdi or whatever.
Plus, this is a job you can try out on a modern scrap cylinder head or a cracked flathead block while you figgerout how all the stuff above actually works. The amateur grinder also has the advantage of not having to finish fast to make money...everything can be scrutinized and measured until the goal is reached regardless of time invested.
And--you don't have to show that 25 year old at the machine shop where the valves live and how they go together...
 
Well said, and you don't have to search for someone who will take pride in a job well done .
 
Bruce Lancaster said:
IMHO, while the seat grinders are old tech, they are often affordable, and this is great for people who want to work on and learn about their toys rather than having to take everything beyond wrench turning to a specialist with a zillion dollar Serdi or whatever.
Plus, this is a job you can try out on a modern scrap cylinder head or a cracked flathead block while you figgerout how all the stuff above actually works. The amateur grinder also has the advantage of not having to finish fast to make money...everything can be scrutinized and measured until the goal is reached regardless of time invested.
And--you don't have to show that 25 year old at the machine shop where the valves live and how they go together...
Click to expand...

Amen! I could not have said it better. Whenever you can do it yourself, you add to your repertoire of skills.
 
I was away from this for a while. The main reason for attaching the degree wheel to the cam, is that the cam is lying bare naked on my bench, the block is off in Paterson being finessed. Or I guess I could just wait a while for it to be done, it is real hot out there in the garage these last few days.
 
Ronnie said:
Any body up for a little friday nite valve grinding 101 "LOL"
Click to expand...

How about Saturday night 101?

I picked up a unit a few years ago, but have never been brave enough to try it out.

Mine came with several stones and pilots (looks like many are spares) and two seat drills.

Sure would like to learn how to use the stuff properly.

Hate to tell you how I've been doing them in the past...;) Suffice to say no power cord needed, and sure is slow.
 
OK, well, of course I don't plan to degree it, that would be impossible; I just want to get a better sense of its lift and duration, enough info so I can maybe identify it. A couple v-blocks, a dial indicator and the degree wheel should be enough for my modest needs.
 
Bruce-
How the hell are you? As a matter of fact I am P.H. since you mentioned it, the roadster is moving slowly, as I guess you can tell from my rather intermittent posts. I would actually like to get you together with my dad one of these evenings, but I will send a pm re that.

I have a bunch of stuff of yours that I haven't used yet, suppose I should get my s**t together and rebuild the rear end, that is mostly what it is about. I know you are a devotee of the year 1932 which I will never be able to afford, but my dad has recently agreed to give me the 1927 model T that he used to bomb around the back roads of Dutchess County back in about 1950. He got it around 1947 I guess, when he was about 15, he made it into a speedster (45 mph = speedster???) but hey, those were more innocent days. Totally off topic but I have to get my s**t together, sell the 1955 Studebaker Speedster I bought in a moment of madness, get the model T over here, paint the house, meet a woman, get a job, pay for daughter's college, and quit drinking & etc. Guess I will have a beer and think it over.
 
I got together the HRM 1956 3 part series by Don Francisco on "building a flathead the right way", the DF "Better Valve job" article, and Racer Brown article on rings for you. Will bring'em over.
T's..that's an opportunity! I actually try to avoid Model T's...too interesting and weird, cannot handle any more strange hardware and extraterrestrial tech...
 
This is about the best thread I've found with info on cutting seats, so I'm bringing it bttt with some new info I just got. Radioflyer gave me good info about ordering from Neway, so I should be getting the same set of pieces he got soon. But, I was talking to my machine shop today and they told me how they like the Neway cutters, also. They advised me to shoot for a .080 to .090" width band of contact area for the intakes and .090 to .100" for the exhaust. The use of the calipers mentioned earlier in this thread was not clear to me, but now that makes sense as to what one should shoot for. Any elaboration here on the widths of those bands? Thanks, Lou
 
I like about .060 wide on exhaust, same or a bit thinner on intake... On a lot of Fords, the seat is on the outside edge of the valve already. You have to have the outside of the seat under the valve, I start by cutting the 60 degree- just enough to see a line around the circle, then the 30 degree to narrow the seat, last the 45- and usually more of the 30 to narrow the seat... Karl
 
Lou

When you want to see the finished width of the seat before your last 45 deg cut mark the seat at 4 quarter places "3 6 9 12 o'clock " with a felt marker do a lite cut about 1 turn very little pressure and bingo there is your seat configuration looking rite back at you. Don't lap it is a waste of time neway don't recommend it either.Wipe seat clean with brake clean and move on . After a few practice runs on an old head you will be good to tackle the flattie. You may have to get an old block as the flathead pilot and one for a over head that you practice on are not the same. You will figure it out.
Hope this helps any more info you need just ask. .060" intake .080 exh widths will work others will chime in here.

Ronnie
 
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