Tool Forum

[promac850]

Well, I pulled the compressor's head apart, and this is what the valve looks like...

I reckon that is going to either need some weld build up and regrind/remachine job or a replacement valve (good luck finding one, this thing is from around 1916) to make it service ready again... it's obvious this thing has been used, and a lot.

Towards the top of the stem, notice the threads that got stripped... apparently there used ot be a nut on there, but someone f'd it up, so they cut a little bit of the top of the stem off, and then drilled a hole for a little pin and put that in there, then staked the pin in spring retainer. It worked, only problem is that flipping that little compression release lever doesn't push down on the valve, since the stem is that much shorter.

Towards the bottom, you can see that the stem is very worn... it rocks a lot in the 'valve guide', which is really just the cast iron head itself... there is no bronze valve guide like on an automotive engine...


Any ideas?

 

[Metals406]

Well, I pulled the compressor's head apart, and this is what the valve looks like...

I reckon that is going to either need some weld build up and regrind/remachine job or a replacement valve (good luck finding one, this thing is from around 1916) to make it service ready again... it's obvious this thing has been used, and a lot.

Towards the top of the stem, notice the threads that got stripped... apparently there used ot be a nut on there, but someone f'd it up, so they cut a little bit of the top of the stem off, and then drilled a hole for a little pin and put that in there, then staked the pin in spring retainer. It worked, only problem is that flipping that little compression release lever doesn't push down on the valve, since the stem is that much shorter.

Towards the bottom, you can see that the stem is very worn... it rocks a lot in the 'valve guide', which is really just the cast iron head itself... there is no bronze valve guide like on an automotive engine...


Any ideas?

Contact Eaton Compressor in Ohio. . . They make their stuff from scratch USA style, and might be able to hook you up. They're a family business, and know a **** ton about compressors.

They might have a valve on hand that will work, point you in the right direction, or possibly rebuild it for you?

 

[srcarr52]

Well, I pulled the compressor's head apart, and this is what the valve looks like...

I reckon that is going to either need some weld build up and regrind/remachine job or a replacement valve (good luck finding one, this thing is from around 1916) to make it service ready again... it's obvious this thing has been used, and a lot.

Towards the top of the stem, notice the threads that got stripped... apparently there used ot be a nut on there, but someone f'd it up, so they cut a little bit of the top of the stem off, and then drilled a hole for a little pin and put that in there, then staked the pin in spring retainer. It worked, only problem is that flipping that little compression release lever doesn't push down on the valve, since the stem is that much shorter.

Towards the bottom, you can see that the stem is very worn... it rocks a lot in the 'valve guide', which is really just the cast iron head itself... there is no bronze valve guide like on an automotive engine...


Any ideas?

Post some dimensions. If it's got a 11/32" guide I bet a 1.55" or 1.60" SBC exhaust valve can be used, I think BBC guides are 3/8". I have a valve grinder so I can take the head down to the size you need, and if you send me the head I could grind the seats. I bet you could get the head drilled and put in a new valve guides as well.

Also most cast iron heads don't have bronze guides from the factory and most replacements are cast iron as well. Racing applications run bronze.

 

[promac850]

Post some dimensions. If it's got a 11/32" guide I bet a 1.55" or 1.60" SBC exhaust valve can be used, I think BBC guides are 3/8". I have a valve grinder so I can take the head down to the size you need, and if you send me the head I could grind the seats. I bet you could get the head drilled and put in a new valve guides as well.

Also most cast iron heads don't have bronze guides from the factory and most replacements are cast iron as well. Racing applications run bronze.

The stem measures .2177" in diameter, the valve head measures .878", and the overall length from stem tip to valve head is 2"

It's a lot smaller than it looks in the pic... might have to do some looking around at replacement car valves, maybe one from a Honda engine would work better, since it should be closer to the size I need?

I'll be doing some valve size cross referencing for the next hour... there's gotta be something out there close to this size...

Thanks for the ideas... last thing we need is my mom saying "Since you can't find parts for it, are you gonna scrap it?" and then proceeding to poke me with a cattle prod until it is indeed at the scrapyard...


Waitaminnit... I just remembered I've got all kinds of small engines laying around here... including a couple destined to go to the scrapyard... older Briggs & Stratton engines... Should I pull the valves out of one?

 

[promac850]

Pulled the exhaust valve out of a Briggs 8hp vertical... I realized I tore it down a couple years ago, so I pulled the valve. All that Briggs needed was a new governor. When I saw the price tag on one of those, and considering it's plastic and would probably break again, I said forget it... so it sat on a shelf disassembled... waiting...

This is a newer aluminum block Briggs anyhow... can't get more than 50 bucks for a runner, and if you do get 50 bucks, you're lucky.

Stem is almost 4" long, so obviously, most of that would have to be cut off.

Stem diameter is .3118"

Head diameter is 1.148"

A comparison shot of the two valves... darn it, there's a dog hair in the middle of the pic... :bang:

And a pic of the tools I used to measure the valves...

General brand Made in USA plastic dial calipers (I know... I'm working on getting a set of steel ones for more accurate measurements at some point...) and one of my Central micrometers... 0-1" if you gotta get all fussy and know...

 

[promac850]

Found an even better valve to use... it's out of an even smaller Briggs... probably 3-4 hp...

Many dimensions are pretty close...

Stem diameter: .249"

Head diameter: .9745"

Overall length: about 3.75"

Lol, I know we don't really need super accurate measurements, but I need to keep on top of my micrometer reading skills...


srcarr52, is it even worth running a bronze valve guide in a compressor? What are the benefits?

How much would you want for grinding the valve/valve seat? I'm guessing you might have a real good parts washer too... if that's the case, the block and head could really use a good pulse clean. The parts are a bit too big for my tiny little 3 gallon parts washer.


pete, still haven't gotten around to getting the shipping cost for that box of boat stones... this damn cold has really slowed me down. Feel like there's a 20 lb anvil in my forehead. :bang:

 

[srcarr52]

Found an even better valve to use... it's out of an even smaller Briggs... probably 3-4 hp...

Many dimensions are pretty close...

Stem diameter: .249"

Head diameter: .9745"

Overall length: about 3.75"

Lol, I know we don't really need super accurate measurements, but I need to keep on top of my micrometer reading skills...


srcarr52, is it even worth running a bronze valve guide in a compressor? What are the benefits?

How much would you want for grinding the valve/valve seat? I'm guessing you might have a real good parts washer too... if that's the case, the block and head could really use a good pulse clean. The parts are a bit too big for my tiny little 3 gallon parts washer.

Nope, it's not worth running a bronze guide as long as it has a good oiling system. Bronze guides are used for tighter tolerances where lubrication becomes an issue.

I'll grind the valve and seat for next to nothing just so I can tell my finance that I'm using the valve grinder that I bought and have only used once. Hopefully the guide can just be reamed out to the larger valve stem diameter. If you want to send me everything for the head (spring, retainer, ect) I can get the whole thing setup with the new to it valve.

Yes, I have a jet spray washing machine that will clean it up well.

 

[nick 55]

Nope, it's not worth running a bronze guide as long as it has a good oiling system. Bronze guides are used for tighter tolerances where lubrication becomes an issue.

I'll grind the valve and seat for next to nothing just so I can tell my finance that I'm using the valve grinder that I bought and have only used once. Hopefully the guide can just be reamed out to the larger valve stem diameter. If you want to send me everything for the head (spring, retainer, ect) I can get the whole thing setup with the new to it valve.

Yes, I have a jet spray washing machine that will clean it up well.

Have a rep for helping a guy out!

All this talk about cleaning parts up has compelled me to say something about everyone's parts washers/solvent tanks. If you are using any sort of flammable degreasers, please put an automatic overhead fire extinguisher above your tank. They can be bought online for $60-150 and are cheap insurance in the event you have a rogue spark. This is especially important if your shop is in the garage or basement.

Nick

 

[promac850]

Nope, it's not worth running a bronze guide as long as it has a good oiling system. Bronze guides are used for tighter tolerances where lubrication becomes an issue.

I'll grind the valve and seat for next to nothing just so I can tell my finance that I'm using the valve grinder that I bought and have only used once. Hopefully the guide can just be reamed out to the larger valve stem diameter. If you want to send me everything for the head (spring, retainer, ect) I can get the whole thing setup with the new to it valve.

Yes, I have a jet spray washing machine that will clean it up well.

Cool.

The valve guide is the cylinder head itself, which is cast iron... it probably could be reamed out with little difficulty as you mentioned.

As for oiling, only the bottom end of this compressor gets oiled well via crank mounted oil slingers, otherwise the cylinder head does not have any oiling set up whatsoever.

Not sure if you saw the pic or not, but this is what the compressor looks like...

As for the parts washing, would you do the cylinder and lower crankcase for me as well? The outside of the thing probably hasn't been cleaned in over 30 years. Hard to get that grime off of it with conventional elbow grease methods. Haven't tried soaking the cylinder and lower crankcase in a bucket of purple power or anything like that yet though. Any recommendations regarding that?

Meanwhile, that will give me time to sort out the crank bearings and crank assembly... as well as the saw projects that I am dealing with right now...


How do I cut down the valve to about what it needs to be? Cut off wheel on a grinder? How about cutting the threads for a nut on the top? Lathe, or would a die be hard enough to cut threads into the softer portion of the valve stem? Or should I just shut up and send the head, valves and related stuff over to you?

 

[srcarr52]

Just send the cylinder. The post on the rest would be more then what the compressor is worth.

 

[promac850]

Just send the cylinder. The post on the rest would be more then what the compressor is worth.

Hmm... :msp_confused:

So it isn't really worth it?

 

[srcarr52]

Sorry I meant the cylinder head. Sending the rest of that cast iron beast will cost a small fortune.

 

[Somesawguy]

I found an old vise on CL this week. I think it's a machinist vise, but I'm a newbie when it comes to vises. Can I flip the inserts over for a better surface?

The jaws aren't perfect, but I think it's work for heavy duty work. I'll probably have a smaller vise for small stuff.

 

[Philbert]

I found an old vise on CL this week. I think it's a machinist vise, but I'm a newbie when it comes to vises. Can I flip the inserts over for a better surface? The jaws aren't perfect, but I think it's work for heavy duty work. I'll probably have a smaller vise for small stuff.

It looks like a nice, old machinists' vise. Lots of them have a swivel base, but that looks like a solid, experienced vise that will hold up to a lot of heavy use. Clean off the rough rust with steel wool, and clean and lube the main screw so that it will work smoothly.

You might be able to reverse the jaws, if they come off, but that is probably not necessary. Can't be sure what the other side look like. These tools are not meant to be a precision closure. You can clamp your saw in that by the blade to work on it or to file the chain, hold big things that you want to wrench on, etc.

For finer work, you can pick up an inexpensive set of magnetic jaws (Sears, Amazon, tool catalogs, many home centers and hardware stores). These stick to the existing jaws, and provide a soft or smooth surface (aluminum, plastic, urethane rubber, etc.). You can also make your own jaw pads out of plywood, rubber (cut from an old mud flap or piece of conveyor belt), leather, etc. that are held in place with short pieces of bungee cord or duct tape. (Photos below are to illustrate what jaw pads look like, not to promote these brands, models, or vendors).

Philbert

]

 

[promac850]

Heads up for two wrench brains here...

Pete, your box of boat stones will be weighed Monday, when I bring the old Curtis compressor's cylinder head and its parts in the box to ship out to scarr...



scarr, is there anything else you might need other than the head and its related parts?


I did include a valve keeper from the Briggs engine that the valve came out of... I dunno if it can be used or not, but it's in there if you need it. I also threw in a new spring that matched the old one that holds the check valve closed.

Believe it or not, I actually would like all of the old parts back too. That old valve is just one of those "Wow, it got used that much?" prizes. Old springs, well, there always is something that a spring could be used/installed on.


Again, thanks... both of you. One more reason I (we) like AS.

 

[srcarr52]

Heads up for two wrench brains here...

Pete, your box of boat stones will be weighed Monday, when I bring the old Curtis compressor's cylinder head and its parts in the box to ship out to scarr...



scarr, is there anything else you might need other than the head and its related parts?


I did include a valve keeper from the Briggs engine that the valve came out of... I dunno if it can be used or not, but it's in there if you need it. I also threw in a new spring that matched the old one that holds the check valve closed.

Believe it or not, I actually would like all of the old parts back too. That old valve is just one of those "Wow, it got used that much?" prizes. Old springs, well, there always is something that a spring could be used/installed on.


Again, thanks... both of you. One more reason I (we) like AS.

I don't think I'll need anything else unless you have some Husky 371/372 or 394/395 parts you want to through in the box.

 

[promac850]

I don't think I'll need anything else unless you have some Husky 371/372 or 394/395 parts you want to through in the box.

Wish I could help you with the Husky parts... only Husky I had was a 350. Ported the heck outta it, muff modded it, and never got around to putting it back together, so I traded it for an old NU-17, lol. Guy that got it in the trade said it ran like a sexually abused primate until the muffler fell off again. I didn't know these had a muffler falling off problem at the time of ownership. Oh well. Sometimes bolt holes just aren't enough to hold something in place.


I work mainly with McCullochs as of right now, and don't have all that many parts for those either.

I'll keep an eye out for parts for ya though.

 

[Somesawguy]

After spending a few hours making a hole, and moving some shelves out of the way; I managed to get my newly acquired bench in place. The basement workshop is slowly coming together.

 

[promac850]

Nice... I wish I had space like that.

I'll get a pic of my bench tomorrow.

Try to keep yours from looking the same...

 

[Somesawguy]

Nice... I wish I had space like that.

I'll get a pic of my bench tomorrow.

Try to keep yours from looking the same...

Oh you should see the rest of the basement. It's a mess right now. I just hope I can keep the bench clean enough to be able to use it.