Pressure test plate

You could probably get away with 1/4". Use a soft gasket. I use theatrical dance floor material called Marley. I used 1/4" steel for the plate.

Karl
 
I'd make it out of thicker material . . . unless material cost is your big issue. In the end, the coast of the material is small (in my mind) as compared to the time/work put into the end result. I'd probably go with 3/4" myself - but Hey, that is me.

Also, you should take a hole saw and cutout the area for the bore - so you can "see what is going on". If you have time, cut out two 1.5" holes in the valve area. Or, better yet find somebody with a nice big laser or waterjet cutter and cut the center areas out to match a stock head gasket profile.
 
flathead48 said:
Was wondering the thickness require for a aluminum pressure testing plate., 24 stud block. Thanks, Rick
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If you make it thick enough it can serve as a multi-purpose tool??

We made ours to serve as a pressure-plate tester, a block-plate for finish honing the blocks, and a deck-pinning fixture to pin the heads and gaskets to the blocks (photo below)!

We made it 1.500" thick to be safe.

Thanks, Gary in N.Y.

P.S. When working on any Flatheads it is a "must-have" tool for sure!
 

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I believe we finally have a clear-cut, "NO-B/S", definitively-executed, 'manly' winner here! I've often thought that using 1/4" plate for a "home-brew" version was going kind of light. Even though there's not much pressure required to adequately perform the test, it's still pretty easy to deform 1/4" steel plate. If I were so inclined as to make a test plate this late in the game (which I ain't), I'd have to go with 1/2" steel. Pretty hard to distort 1/2" by merely pulling-down with bolts. Plus, 1/2" will take a tapped/threaded hole or two better than a piece of 1/4" will. But, what do I know? NICE frikken' plate, Gary! DD


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To me, it makes little sense to go through the task of opening the bore, without opening the entire valve and combustion area. Doing so makes a good case for having it at least 1/2" thick steel.
 
Russ/40 said:
To me, it makes little sense to go through the task of opening the bore, without opening the entire valve and combustion area. Doing so makes a good case for having it at least 1/2" thick steel.
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I agree.
if you don't expose the valve seats, how do you check to see if the ports/seats are leaking?
 
flathead48 said:
Was wondering the thickness require for a aluminum pressure testing plate., 24 stud block. Thanks, Rick
Click to expand...


I just realized you asked about ALUMINUM. There's absolutely NO WAY I'd consider 1/4" ALUMINUM. 1/2" MIGHT be OK in aluminum. I'd use steel! That aluminum plate isn't cheap, either. DD
 
I’m with #’s 7&8. If the block turns out to be nothing but a bubble machine.....it’d be nice to see where the bubbles are coming from......Mark
 
I made some aluminum plates for my 8BA's. The head plates were fine, but the 1/4" thick plates I made for rhe water pump outlets leaked badly. I made replacements from 1/4" steel and they worked fine.
 
Just got a set from Speedway. Offy brand 3/8 steel plate with rubber on one side. Also two water pump block off plates with all bolts and pressure regulators. I thought $289.00 is cheap.
 
I used an old cylinder heads and some hole saws.. Mad it about 40 y3qrs qgo. Can't use it any more because I modified it for another project
 
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