Loose NOS Valve Guides

R

RonLey

Member
[FONT=&quot]If I didn’t have problems with engine rebuild I would still have hair. Anyway, I had a set of NOS valve guides that I had planned to use. This morning began testing the fit and the guides just slide in without any effort. Sliding a valve up and down, one set slid down. [/FONT][FONT=&quot]I had to drive out the old valve guides.
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[FONT=&quot] Searching Fordbarn I found different posts on the required friction fit of a valve guide but I believe these are too loose.
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[FONT=&quot]I had planned on going back with the original valve setup. Now I believe that I have two options:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]1. [/FONT][FONT=&quot]1. Take my punch and peen the two piece valve guides to provide a poor man knurl[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]2. 2. [/FONT][FONT=&quot]Purchase AER modern one piece valve set[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]I searched Fordbarn.com and saw using locktite but that doesn’t really appeal to me.[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Has anyone tried to peen a valve guide, concerned that they could crack.[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Thanks for input and thoughts.....
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[FONT=&quot]Ron
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Had a set of guides once that were nice fit on the ID with the valves but the OD was loose in the block , so I chucked them up in the lathe and ran the knurling tool over them.Made for a nice snug fit. New guides would have been better but...........at the time it worked (and is still running real good) . Phil
 
If they are loose, THEY ARE OUT OF SPEC or the block is worn out of spec.
The valve won't seal properly.
Get parts that fit right.
Knurling is Mickey Mouse. The guide will feel tight but not seal around the outside.
 
I noticed these have numbers on each half, are the numbers suppose to
match to keep the halves together? These are suppose to be NOS Ford.

Bob
 

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I would just go the one piece guide route. Order one stock size one and see how it fits
in the guide bores. If all is ok then order the rest. If the guide bores are loose you can
order over size ones to compensate.
 
Into our 31 Ford pick up, I just installed a complete one piece valve guide and modern valves set from Mike's Affordable A Parts. They have a money saving package price for A Ford valve rebuild. The installation was easy to do and I know that I now have quality modern valves and the one piece valve guides that I will never have to be replace again in my life time. My old two piece valve guides along with their worn out valve stems had a lot of blow by into the crank case. I re-sized the one piece valve guides to their right length before installing them. I then used a guide driver on my air riveting gun to send the guides home in the block. Installing eight of the one piece valve guides took me a whole ten minutes. Then I reground the valve seats. Setting the valves by grinding the valve stems took another 90 minutes. Putting the two piece keepers on the valve stems took another hour. I would do it all the same again if I had to choose between the valve guide options.
 
I think you fellas are forgetting that many companies made Ford A valve guides in earlier years. Thompson, McQuay Norris, Jambor Mach., Toledo, and many others. They were of good quality. The numbered ones on EBay may be such guides. I would stay away from the China guides, but I have knurled original valve guides with knurling arbors which swell the i.d. and reamed them with a 5/16 reamer with no problems.
 
Ten years ago I installed a set of NOS guides packaged 4 sets to the small square Ford box. They were all numbered as in the picture with matching numbers on each piece of the pair. I recall they were kind of a loose fit but a old guy told me not to worry about it. No problems since.
 
this appears to be the original question:
"[FONT=&quot]Has anyone tried to peen a valve guide, concerned that they could crack."

[FONT=&quot]yes they could crack since they are cast. Knurling is not percussive and is way less risk. But i'd still suggest better fitting guides

[FONT=&quot]many who [FONT=&quot]skimp on an engine build[/FONT] regret it later
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