Can You Machine a Flywheel with a Brake Lathe??

The answer, yes you can. In this video I show how I use my BendPak brake lathe to machine the flywheel for my Fairmont.
There were some parts I cut out of this video that might be helpful. If the flywheel starts to chatter, I recommend taking an old brake pad and holding it on the flywheel while it's being machined. This will help reduce the chatter for a better finish. I cut that part out because past experience has taught me that many viewers are concerned about making contact with moving parts on a machine like this. A valid concern for sure. If you're careful, you should be fine.
Want to know more about my brake lathe?
www.bendpak.com...
Dowel Pin Remover: www.jbtoolsale...
Camera: Brian Kast
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Tool Review Disclaimer: ETCG is not paid to do tool reviews. Yes, I get to keep the tools after the review, but I do not receive any financial compensation for any reviews. The views expressed in this video are my own and unsolicited.
Due to factors beyond the control of EricTheCarGuy, it cannot guarantee against unauthorized modifications of this information, or improper use of this information. EricTheCarGuy assumes no liability for property damage or injury incurred as a result of any of the information contained in this video. EricTheCarGuy recommends safe practices when working with power tools, automotive lifts, lifting tools, jack stands, electrical equipment, blunt instruments, chemicals, lubricants, or any other tools or equipment seen or implied in this video. Due to factors beyond the control of EricTheCarGuy, no information contained in this video shall create any express or implied warranty or guarantee of any particular result. Any injury, damage or loss that may result from improper use of these tools, equipment, or the information contained in this video is the sole responsibility of the user and not EricTheCarGuy.

[@craigspakowski7398]

Hi Eric. Try slowing down the rotation speed. This will help with both chatter and keeping the cutter cooler. This is how the machinists deal with both those problems. Thank you for taking the time to make the vids you have saved me a fortune over the years.

[@matttrotta57]

This is the only Flywheel/Brake lathe video on KZbin. I have an AMMCO 4000 and searched and only found this.

[@rhkips]

We had a neat little custom-built anti-chatter rig for machining flywheels back when I went through automotive in college. It was one of those pinchy metal salad tong things, with an old brake pad on one side, and a small drum brake return spring pulling the two sides together. Our brake lathe had a stud sticking out on the other side of the cutter bar that the other side of the tongs would clip onto. For anyone that's wanting to be extra-cautious, or just doing a lot of flywheels, it's a worthwhile hack! :)

[@ericthecarguy]

+rhkips Neat idea. Thanks for the comment.

[@jimzivny1554]

I spent a few years at a Chevy dealer also ten at an International truck dealer. Yes no specs were ever given except for Cummins diesel flywheels. What I learned in both Chevy78-81 and International 81-92 was you could remove material until the bevel at the edge of the wear surface was gone, usually at the outside edge. What I used to do to save tool bit wear was first run the flywheel with a jitterbug Sanders with approx 80-100 grit paper to remove burnt on dirt ect that the parts washer wouldn't remove. The discolored spots are hardened areas that have overheated the steel or iron and caused it to become crystallized, only shallow passes with the carbide cutting bit or a grindstone will cut through. Some older brake drum cutting machines had powered grindstone attachments. Love the videos, my son got me started watching, thank you.

[@ferdinandaugustifson4424]

Keep up the well done and informative videos, you're easy to understand and you obviously do know of what you speak. I too was a mechanic for 30 years and retired about 12 years ago, mostly due to arthritis in my back after breaking it on the job, just could'nt take the pain at the end, (or before the end) of each day. Getting old sucks, don't do, I'm telling you. I have found that like most of you it's in my blood. Every night I'm out in my garage doing something else on my '88 Toyota p/u, but I've found once in a while I need to brush up on some repair that after this much time I've forgotten certain details here and there. I was glad to find Eric's videos as like I said, he seems to know his shit. And we used to turn flywheels back in the 80's at a brake shop I worked t then and you mentioned about every issues we came across do so, and resolved them the same ways we used to. Anyway, keep em coming, I'll keep watching. Later and God Bless.

[@peanutbutterisfu]

Ammco makes a grinder that attaches in place of the drum bar for machining flywheels. If you have hot spots the lathe will not cut the hot spots they are too hard that’s what the grinder is for. They also make an attachment to use rather then using the twin cutter which works better when doing a stepped wheel.

[@FrustratedBaboon]

I bought a welder and saw Eric with Mr. Tig and loved that channel. Then many years later I bought a lathe and I see Eric and almost didn't recognize him. Looking good and very interesting project.

[@robertstevenson1179]

Yes sir you can.. and note to self, next time after the finish cut, take your 90' grinder with a skuffy wheel on it, and with the lathe running put a uni-directional polish finish on the new surface, when the tech that set ours up and gave the introduction to brake re-surfacing schpiel, he made a believer out of all of us.... I'm always about doing the work in house if possible, and this is a great tip... Thanks man....

[@Nipplator99999999999]

the serviceability specs for most flywheels involves a percentage based visual damage check followed by a deflection survey performed by applying a specific load (in aviation, maximum operating load) to the work surface, and measuring the deflection amount for entire circumference recording highest and lowest amount by dial indicator. The max allowed can't be exceeded by the highest amount, and the average from both being under 0.01 inches. TBH I personally haven't had any flywheel pass visual damage specs and then fail for deflection threshold. I'm not certain this even applies to Automotive though, the manuals for ground based transport only used visual damage inspection of the tempered tooth ring insuring less than 30% of teeth missing, and under 30% of the teeth having no more than 30% of contact surfaces damaged, and then a relaxed state deformation check.

[@1ronztoys]

Eric, nice work , just a observation, keep track of how much you remove from the flywheel . some hydraulic systems only allow for .010 -.025 in material to be remove before it can be a problem. They offer shims to take up the amount removed so you can keep it close to the original specs. Also remember to make sure the fly wheel is flat all the way across. some have a raised portion that you need to take the same amount off both surfaces.

[@jamesseagraves5630]

I said this to my old boss a million times. He kept saying it couldn't be done till I did one without him knowing. then we did all of them in house. Me and my big mouth lol. Great tip Eric.

[@GeneCarrasca]

I'm a first year college student working to get my degree in autos and I operated this lathe machine last semester. I used the old brake rotors provided to play with the machine. It's simple and fun to watch the process

[@brentoconnor6127]

I'd recommend mounting it so that the portion of the flywheel that rides against the crankshaft is your flat reference, instead of the opposite side.

[@billmiller7138]

Absolutely

[@Smedleydog1]

Years ago I worked in the machine shop at a local NAPA store. I used to resurface flywheels this way. We would cut it and then make a pass or two with a grinder that mounted on the brake lathe to take care of any hot spots. We later got a dedicated flywheel grinding machine.

[@Zak-uf6mq]

Hey Eric, on semi flywheels, we put the flywheel/ crank bolts in the flywheel loose, on the bench and put the friction disc on the flywheel to see if the disc clears the bolts and if necessary measure the gap between the bolts and torque springs to see how much material is left to machine.

[@8700s14]

That dangly looking jacket made me nervous every time you lent in toward the flywheel spinning!

[@ChrisBrown-dy8ts]

I’ve machined loads of flywheels on my Harrison M390. Some are flat , some are stepped , need to remove the 3pins and skim usually with a Diamond tip, cause they have hard spots and carbide leaves raised spots, you can skim them on a surface grinder also. I have also removed lots of material on the backside of the flywheel so it spins up to revs faster (on race car flywheels). When done replace pins” if not damaged “ if they are use silver steel , job done.

[@dominicpetruzzelli3134]

This is a great idea, UNTIL you encounter hard spots. That cutting tool will glide right over them leaving a bumpy finish. The only way to remove these "hard spots" is to grind them out.

[@mikem8904]

been doing this on the old classic Annco brake lathes for years, a similar set up but not nearly as nice as yours. never had a manual for a lathe, wouldn't be surprised if more of them can manage it. always start with a fresh bit and try to wrap the flywheel or do whatever you can to minimize chatter. Great videos man, keep them coming!

[@jacobbatchelder344]

I did this very thing today! I put the disc side out though, then I googled to see if anyone had done it and found you. Great minds think alike! Lol

[@jameswoodsist]

my only concern would be getting the flywheel square to the tool travel. if the mounting surface isnt square with the face of the flywheel you can run it out of balance and do some real damage. most places would indicate the face of that part first before machining.

[@DrewLSsix]

jameswoodsist But.... the whole point is the face isn’t flat and parallel 🤷‍♂️

[@ianrutherford878]

@@DrewLSsix There are other videos showing flywheel specialists taking a lot of trouble to set the ''back' of the fllywheel's inner face that sits tight against the crankshaft,co-planar with the cutter.This set-up looks a bit open to run-out due even to dirt or burrs.I don't trust it even though he gets so pleased by the finished look.

[@Backyardmech1]

Makes total sense now. Never would've done it until now. A buddy was freaking out about getting his flywheel machined years ago. Should've told him to go to a Mieneke with it.

[@andreim841]

Great job as usual, but please lose the sleeves when using any lathe.

[@J_Madison]

Yeah, no kidding. I've seen too many lathe accident training videos to ever look away from someone wearing long sleeves while machining. I came to the comments just to see how many others would say something.

[@dnlmachine4287]

Ive seen long hair get grabbed. The people were very lucky to escape. Stay gold.

[@adamsroka432]

If I can only keep my shirt out of my Creeper!

[@slome815]

I'm a teacher CNC and conventional machining and the funny/sad thing is, we are not allowed to work with short sleeves anymore. A full overall is required. On a safety meeting with the lady from the insurance I questioned this and she said it was because of hot chips. I answered that I personally find hot chips on my arms better then losing an arm. But well, rules are rules I guess. A accident will probably have to happen before they change.

[@deezelfairy]

Sander Vercammen That is lunacy, I'm not a machinist at all but a forklift engineer, any who, rule number one I've always been taught is when working around ANY sort of rotating machinery is no long sleeves, hair, ect.. Followed by no gloves, jewellery. Sounds like a typical clip board warrior who 'knows best', they see a safety issue but not the real dangers as they have no clue. It's sickening.

[@superrodder2002]

My Van norman machine has attachments for turning flywheels. sometimes the flywheel will have hard spots from excessive overheating and a lathe won't do a good job of resurfacing flywheels with hard spots. That's when a surface grinder or flywheel grinder is needed to ensure a smooth flat surface. Also outside mass flywheels are hard to do on a brake lathe because you need to machine the wear surface and the pressure plate mounting surface by the same amount to keep the pressure on the disk the way it was designed originally.

[@ericthecarguy]

+superrodder2002 Agreed. I've seen the exact same thing. Thanks for your input.

[@TheRealMrCods]

I have no idea why I like these videos as I have no interest in mechanics but I watch every one. :)

[@ericthecarguy]

+MrCods. I appreciate it!

[@jefferybuchan4235]

for a better finish slow your cutting feed down to about 3-31/2, Also while it is still on the lathe take some fine emerycloth or a 3m wheel and finish by lightly sanding it by hand or with a block, that will give you a non directional smooth finish

[@kenpryor4440]

I been a mechanic for 29 yrs and have done it many times and worked just fine

[@ClubXrock]

Did this too, but had problems with the cutting tip bouncing over the hot spots that were work-hardened from the slipping clutch. The hot spots were raised like welts on your skin - looking at this video, I suspect maybe we needed to get the cutting tip into a new point position for a shaper cut. Anyway, we clamped an angle grinder to the lathe arm and turned on both the grinder and the lathe to grind the flywheel. The finish was fairly rough and coarse, however, to our surprise, it worked a treat, with the clutch engaging smoothly and without shudder!

[@ChrisBrown-dy8ts]

Rob S we use ceramic or diamond edged carbide tips , no raised hard spots

[@patamos7019]

I always used to love running the brake lathe. Also used to love grinding valves and seats for valve jobs too!

[@ericthecarguy]

+Pat Amos Yea, that's fun too.

[@UncleBubbles94]

In regards to stopping to let the tool cool off, if that's a carbide insert (which it looks like it is), you need not worry about heat. Machining at that low speed will never produce enough heat to hurt the tool. They do wear down and will eventually just shatter the tip off but it's not heat related failure. In the machining world carbide will get run at 6000+ RPM dry sometimes (no coolant) if the logistics of getting coolant to the insert are too difficult. Source: I am a machinist.

[@masterchief2318]

Omg is a super idea, i now is not the etcg1 but is my bithday,an thanks a lot your videos help me to repair a Ford Ranger 98 and that ranger was a gift from my grandfather,i love your videos

[@ericthecarguy]

+masterserch lolol Happy birthday!

[@eliduttman315]

Eric, If the flywheel is cast iron, you should (as you showed) machine it dry. OTOH, if it's steel you're dealing with, use a little cutting oil brushed on prior to each pass. Yes, smoke, AKA "shop fragrance", is generated, but the cutting insert will last longer. Eli D.

[@ericthecarguy]

+Eli Dustman If you set the bit on the outside of the flywheel, instead of the inside like I did in the video, it won't be an issue as you won't cut too much off and heat up the bit.

[@MEANlowGREEN]

I think your tip of setting your depth of cut on the outer section is excellent. You might also try slowing the RPMs as you get closer to the outside. You are covering a lot more surface area as the diameter increases. Does your machine click onto the speed settings in notches or is it variable where you could gradually slow it a few RPMs at a time?

[@chucknix1129]

Bits will overheat on cast when making shallow cuts. Most lathe and bit manufacturers recommend cutting at a moderate depth. By doing so, much of the heat is carried away from the tooling into the project material.

[@ericthecarguy]

+Chuck Nix Set the bit on the outside instead of the inside like I said in the video and it won't be a problem.

[@chucknix1129]

+EricTheCarGuy Even then, making the cut more deeply, such as in one pass rather than 2 passes, will keep the bit cooler because the bit is making enough contact to transfer the heat. On shallow cuts, the tool retains more heat effectively decreasing the tool life by about 50%.

[@1fnjo790]

Not sure if a some flywheel run out is as big a deal as a front brake rotor run out. The appearance looks good , but if equipement was a questionable older lathe like many shops have, to play it safe before removing larger size brake rotor (or in this case a flywheel with a lot of labor involved) A run out check with a dial indicator on the vehicle with the high and low spots marked, and then see if the high and low spots on the rotor or flywheel mounted on the machine correspond to the same place position as when mounted on the car. By marking the high and low point locations on the rotor or flywheel before hand and just re- mounting and re-clocking of the work on your Lathe a few times to best match what you measured , you'll be surprised how much re clocking the work on machine can make .

[@jamiesimpson1786]

Great video Eric. I will try this on my Ammco brake lathe. We often don't machine flywheels because of time constraints as our shop is in rural New Zealand and we would lose a day sending it to a machine shop. I'll find an old one and have a go.

[@bbsmyname]

Best. Channel. Ever.

[@1995dresser]

I have cut them on a Engine Lathe (Machinist by Trade) and also sent them out. they used to Grind them on a small Blanchard Type Grinder also sometimes the small Heat Checks on the surface after machining I would not worry about. its the cracks that are a concern. But that is Cool doing them on a Brake Lathe I have often wondered about doing that if it was Possible now it is

[@LACounty8l8]

about to fall asleep.. nice 1 Eric... just got an alert for KZbin...

[@DENicholsAutoBravado]

That's a classic comment on Mighty Car Mods. That's props to Eric, man.

[@Darren.G]

one of the main reasons I had to to notifications off lol. Can't get anything done for any length of time......

[@LACounty8l8]

I only got like 4 hours asleep because I randomly woke up to dogs barking next door lol. But video was really good like always.

[@sayujraphael]

+DE “AutoBravado” Nichols you watch mcm too?

[@DENicholsAutoBravado]

Sayuj Raphael I sure do. :)

[@dylanhartz8473]

i think it might help to take an angle grinder with a mild abrasive disc to the flywheel after you cut it, and while its still spinning on the machine, it would remove the almost microscopic 'record' cut that the bit will make as it backs out... i know disc brakes tend to make more noise and also grab the pads a little too aggressively if they are left with a directional finish, i would assume that a clutch, being a large brake pad itself would do the same, except in this case it would cause the clutch to grab early in its biting point and make for some uncomfortable pedal feedback during the breaking in process

[@andrewkiwi1]

That brake lathe is a good one. You are going to make money with that one. Looks like a very versitile machine. One shop i worked in we had a customer with a common toyota hiace van. It was an ex post office van. We had to tow it into thee shop one day with a seized front brake. A very rare thing to happen to a toyota. What had happened , someone had machined the discs when the front pads had been changed. Min thickness is 24 mm and it was machined to 20 mm and most of it off the outside. So thin you could the marks on the outside of the disc from the ribs. So the brake pad when it had got warn, it came out of the caliper mount and jammed between the mount and disc locking the brake and spinning the van. We think the disc was machined to remove gouges from going steel to steel. Its scary when you know that some idiot with a brake lathe had caused that.

[@ericthecarguy]

+andrewkiwi1 That is a head scratcher. Thanks of your comment.

[@andrewkiwi1]

The van had been a mail van so it had been thrashed and the owner at the time was a builder and knew a lot about houses but sweet f. a. about cars. ha ha He was lucky. They are exactly the same brakes as a 2wd hilux from about 1990. just scary.

[@shahsmerdis]

+andrewkiwi1 My ex mechanic jammed replacement pad in when there was rust on the caliper mounting points were ( of course didn't tell us because he didn't know any better). trashed the rotor which was already trashed to begin with. replaced with oem, One happy brake. Its important never to skim on quality on brakes, even if you have to cough up dealership prices for it. But watching vids like ETCG, we can at least go in knowing what to expect...

[@rustedratchetgarage6788]

Eric having also resorted to this ill say the drum cutter arm works better than the disk cutterson bigger flywheels in my opinion just mount it and run it like a disk with the drum blade on it works great

[@andrewduff4719]

I know this is very old video but to help with chatter you can take an all lead wheel weight and lightly hold up to the surface will help cut down noise

[@ziggassedup]

Yep..Done it before with no issues set for drum cut..

[@DoctorPhoto]

Well Eric..... I have half a dozen chevy flywheels and a brake lathe.... I'm gonna have me some fun at work today.

[@mportklr]

5:55 ... the moment when you find out one of your favorite tools can do more than you thought. Time to show the world!

[@humidbeing]

That flywheel out of that 5.0/T5 combo is supposed to have dowel pins. I suggest you get replacements before reinstalling the pressure plate or it can cause headaches later.

[@ericthecarguy]

+Chad Bob Actually I'm using a new flywheel.

[@MEOWMEOW-wz2ql]

+EricTheCarGuy just for video purposes I'm guessing

[@ericthecarguy]

+MEOW MEOW Not initially, I was going to use it in the car by my machinist wanted to go with a new flywheel for my build.

[@Jerkwad152]

In the olden days when I worked in the auto parts, I'd do it backwards at first. I'd line the bit up with the outside, and manually crank it through slowly until the surface was kinda-sorta even. Then I'd crank it all the way inside, set the bit it in some more and set it to auto. Rotors, drums, flywheels, they'd come out as smooth as glass every time.

[@kdodge213]

never thought of that used to work at a machine shop, turning rotors on the lath and flywheels on a fw machine, but that's cool.

[@Robbievigil]

If those bits are carbide you don't need to rotate them, the belt for chatter is a good idea but you can slow down the lathe, take a smaller cut or lower your feed rate as well.

[@macmaniacal]

Oreilly's decided it was a great Idea to start machining flywheels. Nope. Too many people come in to get it done and the thing needs it shaved down to the limit to get rid of the surface hardening. Not one person knew what a dial indicator was when I told them they needed to check for run-out after installing. I'm surprised you don't scratch and give the flywheel a spin before starting. you should also be able to throw the clutch friction disc on a lathe as well to fix the run-out on those. I've seen it in some datsun manuals lol.

[@theUBERKron]

tried this recently with my pro cut. works well for flywheels up to about 2 liter. the bigger ones go on the surface grinder. wear on the cutting tool is much higher than when ma hining a rotor but maybe i just need a shallower cut as the rate is not adjustable.

[@Zak-uf6mq]

If there isn't sufficient gap we have used bolts with shorter heads or ( not recommend ) machine/grind the head of the bolt a bit.

[@jacquespoirier9071]

yes, you can machine flywheels and even refacing hubs on a brake lathe but.... for a flywheel, the induced runout is very important, on a rotor or a drum, usually, a runout of 0.004 to 0.006 inch is acceptable but on a flywheel, it is sufficient to cause an important imbalance. on this setup, the result have chance to be better if you minimize the adapters between the cranckshaft mounting face and trust face of the lathe spindle so the machined face should be outside relative to the lathe not in the inside as showed on this video By the way, it is important to indicate the flywheel on a non worn surface , loosing the spindle nut, rotating the flywheel and retighten to be sure that the readings are consistent so the mounting is OK before taking any cut

[@berardiracing92]

I tried that years ago and the brake rotors bits would not cut through any hot spots on the flywheel. I suspect that is why a flywheel grinder is a stone. I do use my brake lathe to custom grind pistons in automatic transmissions. Works ausome to add extra clutches and get precision clearances.

[@hyeloque3537]

carbide insert are actually quite hard to burn they will usually just chip and break before "burning up" just use a bit of cutting fluid next time and you will have no problem

[@professorpizza69]

I've always wanted to see this. About to install my T5 and new fly wheel (and clutch) today Eric!

[@ericthecarguy]

+Pat Haugen Have fun. Sounds awesome.

[@genecoppedge5972]

If you make a deeper cut that will make more contact and transfer the heat to flywheel which keeps your cutter cooler. Don't cut any less than .004 at a time and that will save your cutter. Like the shop it has plenty of lighting👍

[@waderyun.war00034]

Yes you can I have done it a few times

[@SERMAD1]

excellent result Eric.

[@Nat-gh2tt]

Been a technician for 6 years and I have to say I had NO IDEA that you can machine a flywheel or that it's even a good idea.

[@mrfrog3350]

+Barbados Joe I've turned the flywheel on every clutch job I've ever done in the last 40 years. You want a new clutch disc to have a nice uniform surface on the flywheel and your new pressure plate.

[@Nat-gh2tt]

Mr Frog Question for ya. Is it more common to machine flywheels on a manuel transmission or does it not matter? I ask cause at my shop there's only 1 transmission guy and I've never seen him go near a brake lathe except for the occational gravy brake job.

[@mrfrog3350]

Just to clarify,manual trans has a flywheel,auto trans has a flexplate.I always machine or "turn" a flywheel for a new clutch.Most techs send the flywheel to a parts store or other shop to have it turned on a lathe.If the lathe is big enough,you can turn a flywheel.Check out mrpete222 on youtube.He's a retired machine shop teacher and has 700 videos on working with metal.

[@jackrichter6400]

+Barbados Joe It is prefer d , you do not want a uneven surface on you'r new clutch and pressure plate, that can cause it to shutter. Do it right the first time, its a bitch to do the same job twice. I do it on engines i build for customers free off charge just to save myself a head ace .

[@mrfrog3350]

Absolutely.I would also see alot of flywheels damaged by the clutch not having any friction material left on it.I did also see some flywheels cracked between the crank bolts and center of the flywheel-time for a new flywheel.

[@Midnight_Rider96]

as you face out the diameter, the cutting speed increases with the diameter. if you slow down the spindle speed as it goes out you will save your cutters and get a better finish

[@bushratbeachbum]

You can't change the speed mid cut on a lathe. Totally unnecessary here too.

[@sptrudell9]

eric I learned the hard way you must ad a spacer ring on the other side when mounting the same amount you cut off or it will slip I know it happened to me I had to take it right back out

[@PacAnimal]

Doesn't the uneven cutting sound when you start machining at 2:26 mean it's not mounted straight on the spinning axle? And doesn't that in turn mean that when you finish making the surface uniform to that angle, the balance will be off once it's back on the car?

[@mccarrollmotors6922]

No, the uneven cutting noise is because of the uneven surface of what is being machined (the flywheel). It is either warped or worn.

[@krisn8820]

You can use vacuum hose joined together with a piece of brake line as vibration /silencer bands.

[@garretts91]

Cool video! You got yourself a clean and "light weight" flywheel now. lol

[@markbunn8576]

Very cool to know! I can remember 23 years ago in shop class i used to love running the brake lathe. lol.

[@kiddbrother3]

been there done that! i've done that on ammco brake drum lathe !! & if you have heat spots you back cut until there gone !!

[@mattcyr3342]

You should try and use an insert with a tighter radius, Youd get a better surface finish and most take a .030 cut

[@peanutbutterisfu]

It's better to cut it with the crank shaft side facing in but you can't always get it set up to do that so you have to flip it. When the flywheel has excessive "hot spots" a brake lathe doesn't do a good job to get them out so you would need to bring to a machine shop or get a new wheel. Machine shops have told me this is not a good idea but I have done it with no issues. If you get a good cut you will be fine

[@adamsroka432]

I've also "cleaned up" a transmission basket on a lathe. I've also cut up old hub assembly's, cleaned them up on the lathe for a bolt on lathe adaptor. I.E. really big rotors with 8 to 10 inch centers. just cut up the hub until you can chuck it up in the lathe and bolt the rotor to it with the lug nuts. does this make sense? Its brilliant in my mind

[@pcka12]

What puzzles me is that on this side of the Atlantic we just chuck away brake disks (you call them ‘rotors’) they are fairly cheap after all! Yet you have special machines designed to re-surface them!

[@patrickbradford6223]

Also keep in mind that the radius of the flywheel makes the surface feet of material removal considerably different from inside to outside, I would guess that is why you torched the bit.

[@movieguy7398]

need to roll up them loose sleeves.

[@movieguy7398]

fuck off loser

[@177racing]

I have resurfaced flywheels with a 8inch D.A. with some 36 several times never had an issue. if the flywheel is worn to the point of needing more than a couple thou taken replace it, exception being something exotic or hard to source aftermarket. In addition, rotor turning is a thing of the past, labor costs more than new rotors in most cases.

[@Chartranos]

Nice! good to know, I have one and I'll start doing this instead of loosing the flywheel for a day to be machined at a machine shop!!! But I think that for the last pass I would put the cutting speed a the slowest, just to be sure to have a really perfect surface...

[@jay7264]

i would totally run a whiz wheel over that to get that nice omni directional finish

[@KillSwitchNY]

That would be great for the wow factor if the customer was picking up the part themself, but since he is installing it thats just a waste of time and can make the surface uneven.

[@jeremyjacques]

i quick pass wont hurt it. he can always double check with a surface gauge. And even run it again to take off that 0.01 of an inch if thats the case

[@SteveRobReviews]

Well I didn't know that and would have guessed you couldn't if not for seeing it done. Nice one Eric !!

[@user-yn5kb7ep2l]

Rule of thumb on how much to take off is when its clean, and with flywheels they make shims to making up for what you take off!

[@bobbybentley8136]

if only we had videos 15 years ago that was the first time I turned a flywheel to see you do it now is wonderful

[@Dalank60]

Ive done that with the drum arbor and it set to cut rotors

[@123ABC-Machine-Basics]

The finish between using a lathe as compared to grinding is completely different and when you have hardened spots , the lathe bit won't hold up. Grinding is really the best option in my opinion.

[@IIGrayfoxII]

Could you apply some cutting fluid to keep the bit cool so you dont burn it up?

[@johnferguson7235]

+IIGrayfoxII It would make a terrible mess that is hard to clean up. It's easier to control the turning speed and the depth of cut. Eric forgot that the outside edge of the flywheel is moving faster than the inside. You can get some cooling using compressed air.

[@ericthecarguy]

+IIGrayfoxII Not designed for that. If you do this, be sure to set the bit on the outside to avoid cutting too much.

[@theguywhowouldnt7224]

+EricTheCarGuy There is also a lot more material on the outside part of the face of the flywheel, and more surface feet per minute. So lathe speed and tool feed should both be set to the outer part of the surface to be machined, always. Excellent result tho. Holding another object against the back side of the part you are machining is acceptable if you are careful and think it through properly. A slight film of oil on the face applied before the lathe is turning may also help in some applications. Those are just a couple tips for the future. But I must say, excellent result Eric.

[@ericthecarguy]

+Theguywhowouldn't I started at the inside because that's how I do rotors. There's often more material there. It seems flywheels are just the opposite. Great insight. Thanks for your input.

[@theguywhowouldnt7224]

+EricTheCarGuy If there is no wear on the face you are surfacing, then the outside has more material, always. You have been machining brake rotors for a while now and know what to expect. You have already worked out your procedures for doing them. The brake rotors you have encountered have more wear on the outside because of the more surface feet per minute, more friction on the outside of the rotor and more heat equals more wear. The outside of the rotor actually expands into the brake pad and is worn more. Again, great results.

[@RickEde]

I used to do this back in the 80's with our Van Norman Brake lathe, worked OK until you had a flywheel with "hardened hotspots". There were many with the hot spots that did not work well. Flywheel grinder only for those ones. @EricTheCarGuy Have you came across this?

[@jommy1495]

Rick Ede also stepped flywheels would be hard to do on a brake lathe

[@ChrisBrown-dy8ts]

We use Diamond tip carbide inserts or ceramic , no problem on the hard spots.

[@ClaremontClassicGarage]

awesome video, thanks. You just saved me 75 bucks!

[@greasyHands66]

I've a workshop manual from an old truck that says that you should not have less than 0.9mm thickness than the original flywheel thickness.

[@IndianaTom]

we would use a grinder adapter on our aamco lathe. no chatter, grinds up hard spots.

[@mykimikes]

@5:58 your left hand at your middle finger there is a hole that is "filled in" that is your depth gauge for how far you can machine it down. if you cut below that the flywheel is garbage.

[@Kswiencki820]

no honing? like a flex-hone wheel? works wonders on resurfaced rotors!

[@ABeans07]

Some flywheels have a multisurface with a higher pressure plate mounting point. So not all the time.

[@DENicholsAutoBravado]

Wow. The friction material on that flywheel... I wonder if that's the cause of the heat. So, if you were to ever to charge for such a service, plan on them buying you bits too.

[@ericthecarguy]

+DE “AutoBravado” Nichols Just start the bit on the outside and you will minimize the risk of burning up the bit.

[@DENicholsAutoBravado]

EricTheCarGuy Good idea.

[@KingNast]

+EricTheCarGuy Are those inserts made of cheese? Should be able to get a carbide or HSS bit to 1000 deg F (red hot) without damaging it

[@lustfulvengance]

The discoloring and heat marks are usually from someone slipping the clutch because they do not know how to drive a vehicle with a manual transmission properly and or a mechanical issue causing the clutch to not fully engage (improperly adjusted cable in the case of the fox this was installed in)

[@DracoOmnia]

Buy some coolant the guys running lathes use in their misting set ups, throw it in a squirt bottle and go to town. it's a bit more messy but you'll end up with a better finish and your bits will last longer.

[@l4d2160]

that's one pretty Frisbee there, Eric :P

[@ericthecarguy]

+Bryan Young Right?!

[@l4d2160]

EricTheCarGuy I love how you have a sense of humor. It really adds a lot to your videos. Keep up the good work, you're great at what you do.

[@ericthecarguy]

+Bryan Young Thanks.

[@ralfvalcourt9187]

Great Video but you should always run a face hone over the machined surface that will aid in seating the clutch material. I see that part missed on rotors all the time.

[@mikeyjoseph5115]

I have done it before too, problem is if you have hot spots the bit can jump a lot and you have to take a lot out to just get past that

[@DENicholsAutoBravado]

I've already liked the video just for it's good title. :)

[@cesarconh895]

Do a timing chain replacement on a Nissan ka2.4e Hardbody engine. There are a lot of these trucks around, I know I'm interested because I have two of these trucks and one may need the timing chain replaced.

[@MrVM41]

Doesn't your machine run coolant? Still cool to watch and wish I had one.

[@GalileoGalilei-xy5iq]

Nice work, fast and easy

[@nightowlandy]

You need to hone it afterwards. ideally you would use the drum grinder on it. Basically all you have done is cut a very fine thread into the surface, when you ride the clutch it will try and pull the linings outwards. Your machine is a knock off AMMCO, you should be able to get one. The same apply to drum brakes and discs, Brush research make a hone brush that you can run over it once done to take care of this