Budget SBC Valve cover resurface on the Metal Shaper.

[@whodat90]

Ha! An unexpected Wednesday release! And man, I love watching the internals of the shaper working.

[@RocklandPaul]

Wow! A bonus mid-week video! Thanks Steve!

[@Uncleroger1225]

WOW Steve, Elizabeth a video and its not Saturday yet. Thanks for taking the time to share your journey and passion. "I am doing this on the shaper because I want to!" Thank you and God Bless

[@revtmyers1]

Nice job. I love watching shapers run. I agree that on many occasions, other equipment can be more efficient but not the same satisfaction.

[@nicholasviney5975]

Shapers are very soothing even the chips are well behaved, where a mill is just waaaaaaahhhhhhhhh

[@robertginther9248]

To make them leakproof cut an o-ring groove around the cover. Glue in a .090 linear o-ring & you're set for life. Installed this in my magnesium hemi covers in 2004. Still leak proof today in 2022 @ 3086 hp @ 10,300 rpm. (Alcohol dragster).

[@SteveSummers]

That's a cool idea👍. 3000hp is pretty serious 😁

[@halfstep67]

@@SteveSummers A 3000hp engine would be a good way to test out your frame repairs. lol

[@charlesangell_bulmtl]

@@halfstep67 😁😁😁

[@matambale]

Wonderful treat for a snowy Groundhog Day, thanks Steve

[@jeremycable51]

Love midweek videos

[@mdvener]

BONUS VIDEO, would have seen it earlier, but wife was in the hospital. 2nd hip replacement. All good. Lookin good with those chrome valve covers. So what else can be chrome under the hood, not to much, air cleaner, brake master cylinder cover, clutch master cylinder cover. Just a little. See you tomorrow.

[@cschwad559]

You give me incentive to go out and use my 24 inch G&E. Only mine is a 1918 model. No bells and whistles and strictly hand lubricated. Thanks for the lesson!

[@dlfabrications]

I never could figure out how the return was faster than the forward stroke. Now that I got a side view of the mechanism it makes sense. On the return stroke, the distance between the arm and the pivot point is shorter making the arm move faster. Learn something new every day. Thank You!👍👍

[@aceofheartz101]

As much as I want to find fault with your technique ( such a bully ), I fail every time ! its that and the fact your both so graceful with animals that keeps me coming back for more Keep teaching me ;)

[@Melw44]

Great to see the shaper running. I love those old machines work.

[@TheTacktishion]

Maaaan....! I was holding my breath hoping that vice was was going to hold until your final cut.... Nice Job! Enjoyed the midweek Video!!

[@ron827]

I have found that shiny valve covers make an engine run better. :-)

[@Farm_fab]

I had an old Mazda B2200 truck that had blown the head gasket. I took it to a machine shop and instead of decking it, the took a belt sander to it, and it wouldn't sit flat, but rocked. I took it back and then they did a true machining of it. I had that truck for a while and finally sold it to a guy that really wanted it bad.

[@tda2806]

😀 Nice surprise on a Wednesday lunchtime

[@jonathangriffin1120]

I'm assuming you're in the UK as well.

[@tda2806]

@@jonathangriffin1120 🇬🇧

[@robertfountain4856]

When on the machines you shine with confidence & satisfaction. So good to see the Steve Summers I once knew back again.

[@robjchristopher]

A nice mid-week surprise video. Thanks Steve - good to see you machining again.

[@hilltopmachineworks2131]

Good to see the ole Cincy earning her keep. I have enjoyed my shop woodstove this year too.

[@chrisrhodes5464]

Taking a pair of swap meet specials and making them work well is always a good thing

[@mkegadgets4380]

Glad to see you cutting chips again. Great video. Just one thing be careful with the strings from your sweatshirt hoodie, recently we had a young man pulled into a lathe and killed by his hoodie strings. I came home at night and took the strings off of my hoodie and shot them away. Stay safe stay warm.

[@jonathanlynch4996]

I have watched your work since makin big chips on the shaper and before.. never missed one. Keep going my friend ..

[@ramosel]

Really glad you choose to do these on the Shaper. It just gives a much better visual of how uneven things are.

[@bcbloc02]

.060" is the thickness of a big flat washer. That is a whole lot of gap for oil to run out! You did the right thing trueing those up first. Should be more beefy than the stamped tin stockers anyway.

[@SteveSummers]

I agree Brian, it would have been asking a lot from those bolt and gasket to get a good seal. Should make a decent valve cover now👍😁

[@t.d.mich.7064]

Nice flat covers! Now to mill the head's rough cast mating surface flat! On it goes! Good to see you mid-week!

[@budlanctot3060]

Ignore some of these comments. Every little bit helps to seal those problem areas. I just pulled my 3rd gen HEMI valve covers off. They're amazing. They're a phenolic thermoplastic and molded with a groove in the flange for an o-ring. And the lower edge has a molded-in raised "drip-edge" to deflect most of the oil off of the gasket. They seal perfectly (and the gasket is perfectly reusable), but then they also have 10 bolts holding them down. New tech has its advantages.

[@jonathanlynch4996]

A midweek update … good work indeed .. loving it from Sheffield UK

[@TrPrecisionMachining]

good job steve..thanks for your time

[@GeorgeEI7KO]

Nice job Steve. Nice surprise midweek vid.

[@jimdean7335]

Deep valve covers usually indicates roller rockers and perhaps a stud girdle, which usually means a high lift cam. Hmmmmmm. Can’t wait to see whats coming.

[@paulcopeland9035]

It would be stupid to put a "high lift" cam in that 4 wheeler.

[@111000100101001]

Awe feeding the shaper and helping us to Love it more :)

[@helicopterdriver]

I used a shaper years ago and did a lot of long and big diameter parts. I found that if you run the ram out as far as you need you can use parallels to rough align the part to the bottom of the ram ways. Saves a lot of time on odd shaped parts. I used to surface a lot of big valve bodies (12" - 14") parallel on a regular basis. Lots of odd shaped electric motor castings too. Just a memory. :D

[@CwazyWabbits]

Excellent surprise :)

[@badvlad9861]

I always glue the gasket on the cover with silicone, then set them on a flat surface for the gasket to set up one day before I put them on. Gasket doesn't move when installing and won't squeeze out. Same on engine, glue and lightly press down and let set for one day, then screw down to spec. Never had one I installed leak, yet still comes off fairly easy.

[@paulcopeland9035]

....or you could machine them flat!

[@gregm312]

nice to see some machine work

[@ypop417]

Nice Job Steve. Nice looking valve covers.

[@lukemeisenbach1964]

Back in the day there were some must have performance accessories, full race muffler bearings and chrome reversed valve covers.

[@pauljrogers2885]

Presumably when you tighten up the bolts to fix it to the cylinder head, the rocker cover will distort. So it is entirely possible that the best geometry to minimize the possibility of oil leakage is only flat after you torque the bolts and not before.

[@randytravis3998]

most of the valve covers I see leak on chevy's 4 bolts are tight and no pressure in the middle of the valve cover ,, you would have to over tighten the covers too get the centers to hold the gasket from popping out ,, so he did it the right way ,, should not leak when done ,,

[@CapeCodCNC]

If you don't want leaks use Ultra Gray RTV. Put a bead on the valve cover, mist it with water and wait 10-15 to put them on. Both surfaces MUST be spotless with no oil....

[@DPezzy19]

nice seeing you machining again

[@airgead5391]

Nice!

[@hpda44]

Nice to see some videos about machining.

[@kaydog2008]

Keepin them vids coming. Done the right way. GJ!🤔👍

[@tosselton291]

I think it is suppose to be a little more clearance in the middle, the old (stock) ones lifted up on the ends leaking the oil out so high in the middle ensured a good seal as it torqued down.

[@handyandy4x4]

Always loved the shaper .. was trained in 1987 at age of 17 but never used one since . But it's on my bucket list to do so

[@anthonyjones657]

Those do have a nice look to them.

[@RiccBallard]

Okay Steve you caught me off guard with this one thanks man!

[@MrTryingtodobetter]

Glad to see the machine shop being used with the pickup rebuild. Really enjoy the videos.

[@j.j.clingman4083]

Awesome job Steve!! I laugh every time I hear someone say hey I found a real nice set of valve covers and they were cheap!! For me working at a machine shop I don’t think I could count how many valve covers we had to fix to make them flat again so they would seal properly!! People don’t realize how much a perfectly flat valve cover will help them seal up properly and will not leak!!! Definitely makes a big difference for sure!!!

[@jobos98]

Its great having the equipment to be able to do that work. So cool..

[@cannon440]

I am surprised you didn't put machinist jacks inside the cover.

[@larryedwards8723]

That's what I was going to say. Much better setup also.

[@PSUK]

Hey Steve! Back in my day (1980’s) we used to call a rawhide mallet a “soft persuader”. 🤣

[@rexmyers991]

As usual Steve, you show us how to do it right. Thanks

[@jacobfoxworth]

Cool to see the shaper again. Great video Steve.

[@212caboose]

Great vid! Watching that shaper work is just too cool!!

[@joandar1]

A good result for you Steve. For those without a machine that can do this, you can do this with hand tools. You do need to persist as that is how the First Machine Tools were made! John, Australia. PS: I think the shaper is a better choice than a Mill as vibrations from a mill cutter may cause the part to move with this light clamping situation.

[@SteveSummers]

A file and a flat surface to check progress would work just fine for these if a guy was careful. Slow and easy with the shaper worked well. I just kept the clamping and cutting pressure low👍.

[@shanegray1846]

oh yeah this guy is is a machinist . Smile

[@milt7348]

Stay healthy.

[@andrewevans1658]

Mill the cast valve cover surface of the cylinder head because they are rarely flat and create problems with a rigid valve cover.

[@cullendolan5619]

Awesome mid week surprise video

[@davidlakatosh9456]

cool to have a mid week video

[@cup_and_cone]

I doubt leaking will be a big issue, but the rigid steel core Fel-Pro silicone gaskets are great for SBCs. The flange on those new covers is so much more rigid than the factory stamped covers.

[@lsandk3]

Make sure you flatten the head sealing surface too. The heads usually aren't that great either

[@gavinalmeida1994]

Midweek treat

[@andyklove]

you could tap holes in the ends of the heads for extra bolts

[@elsdp-4560]

Thank you for sharing. Enjoyed.👍👀

[@CraigLYoung]

Morning Steve! Hope you're ready for the ice storm that's reported coming.

[@aleastwood1698]

Nice I like these practical projects Steve keep up the good work.

[@JustMe-bu8pu]

Loved seeing the Shaper in action again. Steve, you might want to Make/Buy a set of 'Valve Cover Spreader Bars'. Gives you 8 more pressure points to keep that from leaking. (Something that Chevy's are known for.)

[@Dzon_Jacek]

👍

[@erneststorch9844]

There was a very nice black guy that broke me in running the planer and he used the exact indicator you used. Unfortunately as old he was by now he must. have passed away.

[@derekwilkinson7939]

Looking forward to the engine rebuild, going to be good interesting stuff.

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

Nice one 👍

[@TomokosEnterprize]

Great to see you today old friend. This is a mid week treat. Those pretty covers will make you go faster eh, LOL. Great to see you back as a machinist my friend. Oh how I love the sound of high speed on the stones. I can almost feel the cut.

[@220years7]

Thanks!

[@deakindog7525]

many a cylinder head, engine block, exhaust manifold etc...has been surfaced correctly on a "belt sander" referred to as a platen grinder

[@SteveSummers]

Yeah, a lot of time that is all that a surface needs if done correctly. A belt sander finish on these would work good if it was somewhat flat. 👍

[@seansysig]

Steve a shot on the surface plate wirh the flashlight to show flaws as a before then another shot after.

[@oldavguywholovesRCA]

would like to have seen you check them again on the flat stone.

[@TomokosEnterprize]

Make sure you get a set of the spreaders for the valve cover bolts and the wing nut type valve cover bolts. They not only look good but they all but stop stop any over tightening of the bolts. It is going to be one nice looking engine when you are done with it.

[@lloydbaker7099]

Great video thanks for sharing

[@bulletproofpepper2]

Thanks for sharing!

[@gabewhisen3446]

Finaly got a chance to watch this

[@horstszibulski19]

Would have been nice to see the difference from rocking chair to really flat on the flat plate! Great job for the shaper, I had expected that you would have to cut the short sides seperatly with a new setup in the vise, nice taht it worked out in one setup! Thx for showing! :-D

[@howder1951]

Nice little job, I'm sure they will seal nice now. That certainly was a long cut, I imagine it would take some sneaky moves to do on my smallish home shop mill. Enjoyed, cheers!

[@ralphjonesog7149]

Cool old machine 👍🏻

[@snigeln8376]

Smoooooooth 😍😍😍👍👍

[@malliz1]

Thanks Steve

[@shannonstratton3164]

Did he say he took of 16 or 60 thousandths? 60 seems like a bunch. Love the shaper action. I hope to get my 24 inch cincy up and running some day.

[@SteveSummers]

.060"

[@retromechanicalengineer]

It's a great machine Steve, lots of possibilities. Best wishes, Dean in Oxfordshire, UK.

[@mbbmidwest3556]

For a little more setup confidence, it may have helped to put a couple of machinist jacks on the inside of the covers then snug up the vise

[@user3141592635]

I would then use a reasonable thick cork-gasket, maybe 3..4 mm thick. They are compressible and springy and can seal this type of joint for several years. If in doubt, one can glue them as well, though render them unusable after lifting the cover the next time.

[@oldschool1993]

Lots of guys hoping to become KZbin millionaires now, and competition is driving people to make more videos- the really successful ones are doing fairly short daily productions.

[@glennmoreland6457]

Great video

[@steveholbrook4729]

nice job

[@johnmccanntruth]

Nice little project for a Wednesday surprise. How long do you think you had from start to finish?

[@SteveSummers]

I'm not sure John. I never really paid attention. Lite clamping pressure in the vise made me have to take it easy. But normally a surface that size is pretty quick if I crank the shaper up fast.

[@aintskairtolskol9520]

love the vids ,high bobby do you have a 45 degree table for your mill

[@WilliamTMusil]

Hiya Steve

[@428eliminator3]

Sorry to be a Negative Ned here. Those valve covers have no lip around the bottom to hold the gasket from squeezing out, no baffle over the oil fill cap hole. I love this truck build but those valve covers not so much, some nice oem cast LT1's for me.

[@joeylawn36111]

I believe Steve is stealthily hinting at his Super Bowl pick…. 😉😅

[@floridaflywheelersantiquee7578]

Good job liked the video