How to o-ring a block using ISKY's Groov-Matic O-Ringing tool.

How to o-ring a block using ISKY's Groov-Matic O-Ringing tool. In this video, which is part one of a series, I will show you how you can o-ring a block, at home and if you are brave, even with the block still in the car!
Don't forget to like and subscribe, and remember I do take suggestions and questions to heart, so leave a comment.
Machining, machinist, automotive machining, DIY, automotive DIY, easy diy tutorials, fix your car, fix your car easy free, machinist tips, cylinder head, cylinder block, headgasket, engine problems, Smokey Yunick, best damn garage in town, faye hadley, all girls garage, pistons and pixiedust, pixie dust, daniel soliz, danny and faye, automotive book club live, Hill Country Performanance & Machine, HCP, flathead, flathead ford, 8BA, o ring, tool, isky,
IG: dansoliz
Facebook: HillCountryPerformance/
Subscribe here: / @mrdanielsoliz

[@n5yiz]

You definitely have the gift for teaching/explaining.

[@FINfinFINfinFINfin]

I never knew there was a tool to O ring by hand. Great video. The tool pays for itself on one block.

[@MrDanielSoliz]

Yes it does! 👍

[@ronaldbaatjes2470]

This takes me back 50 years.My mate,you truly are Old School. OS is best school.Thank you.Sadly,most of the brilliant old techniques/craft have fallen by the wayside.So much for "hi-tech".

[@RaysLaughsAndLyrics]

Hard to stop Dany once he's in the groove.

[@Bluesstreetrods]

Thank you for sharing this. Makes me want to use this on stock iron blocks and see how much of a difference it makes in the amount of boost it will tolerate.

[@deakindog7525]

back in the 70's my grandfather showed me several "cutters" he had made and was using to o ring blocks for some local drag racers. they were all bore specific. aluminum with several cutters held in with set screws.

[@jonhseven133]

Thanks brother for showing us... I appreciate your Wisdom and wanting to show us... God bless~

[@montana1636]

This answers a lot of questions about an engineering concept unfamiliar techs assume, theorize, conclude or speculate about, and avoid.

[@charles_wipman]

Explained and shown like this you make it really easy to understand the why and the how.

[@davidleary823]

I have that exact o ring tool. Great video. Can’t wait to try it out on a Cummins!!!!

[@tomchang88]

Nice and simple to the point video. Thumbs up.

[@MrDanielSoliz]

Much appreciated!

[@cuzz63]

Been using my dremel and it sucks cutting the groove with it. Glad this popped up on my feed, will get this tool right away.

[@montana1636]

A square is part of a circle but a circle is not part of a square, a square is an angle of 90° or the fourth part of a circle & each square has a corner, the hands of a clock at 3:00,3:30, 6:45 & 9:00. Corners in a circle are wherever you want them as long as they are 90° apart, and there are four of them. I got you👍🏼

[@garthhowe297]

Love it! I had never seen a block being o-ringed before.

[@eddiebarrera6159]

Yep,but still confused on why it would be done,what's the reason behind it.engine looks nice and decked,heads are nice and decked, would think a nice quality head gasket is all you need.

[@StephenBrewer89]

@@eddiebarrera6159 this is more common on boosted applications and nitrous from what I’ve seen. Diesels also. Applications with high cylinder pressure. This o ring presses its way into the head gasket making a better seal.

[@eddiebarrera6159]

@@StephenBrewer89 thks now I know,been a mechanic for 45 yrs ,and this is the first time hearing of this.👍

[@StephenBrewer89]

@@eddiebarrera6159 we all learn something new every day! Only reason I know is dealing with high HP 4cyl engines.

[@thebluelunarmonkey]

@@eddiebarrera6159 it's kind of like a one-time-use copper crush washer. for oil pan or brake line-to-caliper. lasts longer than a gasket and isn't subject to deterioration over time compared to gasket material. a metal seal will hold up better to high cylinder pressure than a normal gasket. The normal gasket only has to hold up to 15psi for coolant and 60psi for oil... the compression in the cylinder can be hundreds of PSI, depending on the build and if boosted. since it uses stainless steel, it's less reactive to avoid corrosion, ie being wet with coolant which has absorbed in the normal gasket.

[@95turbostang21]

Subscribed 👍 didn't know you can do this by hand. I am absolutely getting one of these

[@georgef1176]

Thanks for the knowledge Dan. That is a sweet little tool. I’m definitely gonna grab one now that I’ve seen it used.

[@rbspider]

You make me want to build engines and I love doing things the right way . As a teen I did my first engine overhaul, a 283 ci in and dropped it into a 57 Chevy. It ran for about 30 seconds before it ran out of gas . I had trips with no fuel lines or linkage. I sold engine and it was then stolen from guy I sold it to . I wonder how long it lasted , I did none of the things you do , it was a Neanderthal build.

[@11green11]

Subscribed. You are a treasure ! Thanks for posting your work and all the small details. I love the pop up notes 🙏

[@brantardrey7360]

I've been doing mechanics and hotroddin for 53 years back around the time Mount Saint Helens blew up 40 years ago I started doing machine work at home 30 years ago I started collecting tools and I wanted one of those iskyo ring tools to o-ring the block to drop the copper wire in there for more compression I could have bought the tool it was $150 that I remember

[@aintskairtolskol9520]

great vid ,im have to check out your shop ,im just down the road a bit from you

[@jimjungle1397]

I have this Isky tool and other Isky branded tools, such as an Isky valve spring tester. The tools really aren't made by Isky, but are tools already made by other companies that Isky sells under their name. They do choose some good quality tools though.

[@wademiyataki9221]

Happy Thanksgiving Danny and Elaine! Wasn't aware they made a tool to help you get your groove on.😁

[@MrDanielSoliz]

Happy Thanksgiving, funny 😂😂😂

[@stevenbelue5496]

I could be wrong but to me it looks like this would be a better tool if it had 4 cutters, at least 3, with only one cutter it's hiked up on the cutter side however many thousandths you set it at, and the other side the rests or stops(unless it's a roller, wheel with a bearing or something)are wearing on your deck surface and could be putting the tool in a bind trying to stay square in the bore. Having 4 rest stops I would want a cutter centered between all of them (4 total) that way no rest stop would touch the deck till the groove was cut and done. Just my opinion from the video, having the tool in my hands and in operation might change that.

[@shoominati23]

Thats why the offenhauser speedway engines had no head gaskets (barrels joined to the head) doing valve work on them was like going in through the colon to do dental work , but thats why they could handle 60 psi of boost

[@Mp-jw1qg]

that tolerance fit is clutch. i have copper o ring and i run 45 lbs of boost on my little bmw slant 6 :)

[@brandona4618]

I feel like I need one of these. Yep.

[@1mikewalsh]

A must have for your high compression small block. Well chebbie or Ford.

[@JB-xp8xl]

Outstanding video, I actually learned something new, thanks for not just rehashing old crap. I think I would put the stop and start point of the wire at a bolt hole for maximum clamping force. Would that be correct ???

[@MrDanielSoliz]

Glad you enjoyed it and yes! I'm filming an intro for part2 tomorrow and am going to add this. thanks.

[@davidjohnson8474]

Danny you need to show and teach Faye to do her block!

[@jerrygaber6150]

Inspired by the ridge reamer. Thanks Isky and Dan.

[@superrodder2002]

I had thought about converting a ridge reamer to cut O-rings. Never got around to doing it though.

[@PrecisionTransmission]

Very good content that a nice tool

[@venomgeach9690]

👍 knowledge is power and you share such wealth. Another great video brother!

[@docfischer7291]

Groovy, man !

[@jonhseven133]

It would be awesome if we could do this to the exhaust port with a copper gasket for Turbo To properly seal if you're running more than 40PSi as I'm planning... But your exhaust ports are all different shapes.... Any ideas would be appreciated... Or maybe an exhaust plate Already seen seed with 2 copper head gaskets On both sides... But imagine I could get expensive... But performance is expensive.

[@bannockchief]

You're hilarious. Thanks for the tutorial.

[@MrDanielSoliz]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@jasonhastings5538]

Thats pretty slick!!!

[@randalljames1]

been oringing heads for 40+ years and learned it from an old timer.. in 5 minutes....

[@joshjohnson3005]

Thanks!

[@jesserash2492]

Can you do a video on fire rings? Similar to o-rings but theyre triangular and cut into the head to seal

[@Hitman-ds1ei]

Now show me how you cut a receiver groove in cylinder head

[@MrDanielSoliz]

Love all the questions, I’m going to add that to the part2 video.

[@WDMtea]

It’s a groovy tool no doubt about about it.

[@aroundlinemen]

Thanks for sharing,great job

[@dadyo63]

Excellent

[@samsonyunited]

Awesome video, How can you do this in the car ? I mean you would get all the metal shavings down the oil and coolant ports and cylinders.

[@MrDanielSoliz]

At the end of part two I discussed that I don’t suggest you do it in the car ,it can be done in the car I have used grease around the pistons in the cylinders and any holes I don’t wanna get metal into and afterwords you just wipe that out.

[@davidahr5730]

Awesome work Danny! I have heard this works well with boosted and nitrous engines. Are multi-layered steel gaskets mandatory on this mod?

[@MrDanielSoliz]

Great question, generally this is for copper head gaskets only but it has been used on multi-layered gasket in r&d “that I know of” and it worked. Just need to change the amount that the o-ring sticks out.

[@michaelmenegus5988]

I’ve done this successfully on copper, conventional and MLS head gaskets, mostly diesel applications. I’ve even used the Isky tool to cut the groove for fire rings on top of wets sleeves on Deere and DT engines without pulling the sleeves, it’s a workout, but saves a ton of time.

[@neilhansen9886]

Great information

[@MrDanielSoliz]

Thank you

[@sharkboyy23]

Looks super easy to use , you think this will cut through a aluminum block that is sleeved?

[@MrDanielSoliz]

Yes it will

[@Stevesbe]

Nice video

[@MrDanielSoliz]

Thank you

[@bmwe-op4jx]

nice video can this be done to a car that is a daily one and dosnt work more than 25 psi?or is work better on more psi apps?

[@MrDanielSoliz]

Yes it can and would help with the boost.

[@onemoremisfit]

I was waiting to see how he figures you're going to cut those grooves on an assembled block and keep ANY and ALL of the chips from getting in the ring lands. My take is you can stuff a rag in the bore and do the best you can. Or, maybe cut a cylindrical piece of foam rubber that is oversize and squeeze it into the bore to seal it off, then vacuum and/or blow out the chips before removing it. And the whole rest of the engine will need to masked off while cutting on one bore at a time.

[@MrDanielSoliz]

Grease around the pistons to keep chips from getting in and shop rags and vac afterwards. I’m not suggesting that’s the proper way to do it, just saying that you could.

[@onemoremisfit]

@@MrDanielSoliz I thought of applying grease on the piston, but then you have to clean out the grease, and it will be embedded full of chips, and you will have to wipe it all out without wiping any of the chip-embedded grease into the ring land. How about a 1-inch thick wad of paper towels on top of the piston, then smear sticky grease all over the top of that? Then you have a disposable barrier that catches everything without letting it contact the piston. You will have to carefully clean the upper bore only.

[@jayk7781]

Thank you very much for the education! Just a question, would you recommend putting in earplugs where the water jacket ports are to prevent metal from entering the water jackets?

[@MrDanielSoliz]

Yes if you’re doing it with an assembled engine that a great idea.

[@leonardbilly4771]

I have some 041 heads that have these grooves, confused my local machinist.

[@MrDanielSoliz]

Older drag heads! Cool.

[@RayleighCriterion]

This is why I like the Opposed Piston Engine design, no need to o-ring the block.

[@MrDanielSoliz]

Cylinder pressure is cylinder pressure no matter what type of ICE the opposed piston engine still has cylinder pressure.

[@CanadaBud23]

Your actually worse off. Opposed engines have weaker jugs and are more likely to deform under head bolt torque in hi compression/boosted applications. Just ask the Subaru guys lol.

[@gearhead5968]

Do you want the o-ring at the center of the fire ring in the head gasket or just outside, if there is space.

[@MrDanielSoliz]

Normally we use a copper head gaskets for o-rings but you can try and people have used them on other gaskets. On part2 I’ll talk about head gaskets.

[@FixItStupid]

TY

[@doug5169]

After you oring the block don’t you need a receiver groove in the head?

[@MrDanielSoliz]

Not always!

[@lobuxracer]

How will this help me embarass a Tesla Plaid? I have a wealth of knowledge on improving flow, increasing compression ratio, and blueprinting ICEs. Nothing I know can overcome the advantages an electric motor's ability to generate power. Believe me, I don't want to be a dinosaur, but that's what is real today.

[@CanadaBud23]

1. Find a shitbox, preferably foxbody. 2. Grab a GM truck motor. 3. Grab a turbo kit from VSRacing or similar, grab a good NA cam kit. 4. About $2K later. Make 800+. 5. ??????? 6. Profit 7. Embarrass plaids all day everyday. Realistically though you can spend less than a tenth of a tesla and have a clean 8-9 second car that can basically do everything.

[@Stevesbe]

You got chipmunks in the shop?

[@a.bax.5992]

what's the smallest bore this tool can be used in? I have a small bore engine

[@bmwe-op4jx]

what if i want to remove the copper oring and run Athena cut ring headgasket? what will happen with the open groove?can you resurface with the copper in place and make it even with the block?

[@zenpro8164]

so when its all said and done, just use a head gasket on top and torque to settings??? thanks Daniel love the video and just subscribed :)

[@zenpro8164]

when part 2 coming out, cant wait :)

[@MrDanielSoliz]

Yes gasket and torque.👍

[@hotrod6919]

Fuck Yeah! Now i can cure my hot tuned and overboosted 6.0 powerstroke! getting ready to do headgaskets and studs but didn't have the extra $500 last month to o-ring the new heads. This tool only o-rings the block and not the head's correct?

[@MrDanielSoliz]

Yes this is only for the block, but like I like to say some o-ring is better then no o-ring.

[@hotrod6919]

@@MrDanielSoliz Thank's! yeah I was gonna settle with the Fel-pro gaskets they are a 5 layer mls with a O-ring that digs into the surface. the combo of the 2 studded should be good seal, I just gotta find out where its best spot to cut without compromising gasket otherwise im gonna Liquid nail the fuckers down lol

[@hokie9910]

Danny, have you ever done this to help the 6.0 Powerstroke head gasket issues along with the ARP studs?

[@MrDanielSoliz]

I have not but have heard of o-rings being installed on all kinds of engines that “should not be able to use o-rings” and it worked. Just had to change it up a bit.

[@hokie9910]

@@MrDanielSoliz It’s a huge market with those 6 litres.

[@michaelmenegus5988]

Most powerstroke and Cummins engines have the o-ring installed in the cylinder head, but you can put them in the block, works the same way.

[@hokie9910]

@@michaelmenegus5988 6 liters do not.

[@kweathman]

Do you groove the head also or just the block

[@MrDanielSoliz]

Depends on the application , in general yes.

[@beardedgaming1337]

I bought one of these and I'm putting all of my weight, 140 lbs on top of this and it is not cutting or digging into my block at all. It's just skating along the surface

[@MrDanielSoliz]

Sounds like you may be turning it backwards or maybe needs a new cutter.

[@beardedgaming1337]

@@MrDanielSoliz it's a fresh cutter but, yeah. I might order a new carbide cutter, I already reassembled the truck but I'll do it later

[@RustednutzCarClub]

Same problem here. I cut counterbores on truck engines and understand how cutters work. This one won’t scratch the surface. Would be cool if Isky had replacement cutters on their website.

[@beardedgaming1337]

@@RustednutzCarClub I'm thinking about just having a tool manufacturer make a higher Rockwell cutter

[@RustednutzCarClub]

@@beardedgaming1337 my replacement showed up yesterday, i'll try it out this weekend. hopefully it works

[@junechris]

How big of an oversize piston did u run on this block? Nice work BTW!

[@MrDanielSoliz]

It was a 4.500 bore. 🙏thank you

[@junechris]

@@MrDanielSoliz yeah, I'm not familiar, call me silly, just wondering if it was .20 over .30, etc.

[@MrDanielSoliz]

@@junechris std. bore

[@junechris]

@@MrDanielSoliz ahhh, OK thanks.

[@thevandivers]

Happy Thanksgiving Danny!

[@MrDanielSoliz]

Happy Thanksgiving 🦃🍽

[@carlosdelgado5913]

show me how u install the wire how the hell u stick a .040 wire in a .038 grove if the wire is .040 it will never sot at the bottom

[@MrDanielSoliz]

Next time I’m oringing I’ll film the install better.👍

[@stevenbelue5496]

Interference fit, less than a 💇 hair

[@Harold_That_Guy]

So we don't lubricate the cutting blade?

[@MrDanielSoliz]

No dry works better on most blocks we do use lube on aluminum.

[@Blazer02LS]

Not on cast iron, cast has a lot of graphite in it that acts as a lube, that is also why the bores don't need any special treatment.

[@adamsholzhaus8196]

Do you still add a ring if you are using stainless head gaskets?

[@MrDanielSoliz]

Normally you wouldn’t but it has been done but we would only leave it sticking out.002-.003 .

[@beardedgaming1337]

im told to use 44 wire and stick out 14 thou

[@MrDanielSoliz]

I used .041 wire and .011 out on this one. The amount out can very depending on the head gasket material.

[@offgridmangogrower]

I have a crazy project Between my tranny and transfer. Case I need to cut an o -ring groove….will this do it ….without pulling the output shaft…?

[@MrDanielSoliz]

This might just do that.

[@gregoryl8374]

What seals the water passages between block and deck ?

[@MrDanielSoliz]

you do need a sealer, everybody uses different sealers a use Hylomar and I will talk about it in part2 .

[@gregoryl8374]

@@MrDanielSoliz a helluva lot of room for error here. Bravo !

[@namechane1758]

Kit comes with copper wire, should I use stainless?

[@MrDanielSoliz]

It depends on what kind of head gasket your using.

[@namechane1758]

@@MrDanielSoliz from my research, stainless requires a receiver groove in the head. What're your thoughts?

[@MrDanielSoliz]

@@namechane1758 I would not use stainless without a receiver groove on cast iron heads. I find that the stainless wire will make its receiver grove on aluminum heads. I always suggest following the gasket manufacturers recommendations. I’ve had people tell me that I’m crazy and it will never work. Look up Mark’s CAS camaro on the internet or my Facebook page ( hill country performance) or CAS on Facebook. We have tons of runs and boost (air) and no problems at all. This isn’t the first aluminum headed engine I’ve built this way. Thanks for the question.

[@daviclar867]

I hate to be the newbie dumb kid in class but why is this procedure done?

[@MrDanielSoliz]

It’s used on boosted engines to help hold the cylinder pressure. 👍

[@golgothapro]

I wouldn't O-ring a street car if you stuck a gun to my head, especially a 1st gen small-block Chevy. I had to rebuild with another block because I never could get a good coolant seal after that with a copper gasket and I tried three F-ing times. F that S. They're just way too GD close to the water ports if you ask me. Considering the new gaskets with the rings already in them, (which is what I use now) I sure as hell don't recommend it. Even putting the wire in is a major F-ing PITA to get right so I think it's one of the biggest mistakes I ever made and I've been swinging wrenches 47 years.

[@MrDanielSoliz]

Yes it’s not for everybody, on part2 I will discuss the pros and cons and what not to do. The most common mistake people make is leaving the o-ring out too high and it won’t seal coolant or running the o-ring into water/coolant. Because people can’t do it right doesn’t mean it doesn’t work. I’ve o-ringed lots of engines and have never had one leak. The thinner the head gasket the less the ring sticks out,the fatter the gasket the more it can stick out. I’ve o-ringed with Isky’s and BHJ setup and even on the Bridgeport and by far the Isky tool is the easiest to use. So it’s not the process it’s the person doing the process. I’m thinking the shop that did your machine work never asked you what gasket you were going to use, lots of shops don’t they figure that’s on you.

[@golgothapro]

@@MrDanielSoliz You are correct in that I wasn't asked the depth; and no, I wasn't aware it was varied with gasket thinkness; however, I did check that It was the height spec-ed by a Chevy Power book I have and I tried more than one thickness. I'm not saying it can't be done; just that I no longer believe it's worth the trouble. That was a lot of hours of agony and grief I certainly could have done without and would have had I only known at the time there was much easier alternative.

[@golgothapro]

@@bigboreracing356 Have you ever tried SCE ICS Titan copper head gaskets? That's what I eneded up using on my small block because I'm only pushing 5-8 psi. I too use ARP head bolts and I've had no sealing issues since. I found out about them from a guy with a roots at a car show. He said they were good for over 20psi. I'll never O-ring another wet block. That's for sure.

[@MrDanielSoliz]

@Joseph Summers yes , we use SCE gaskets on all our boosted engines, we use them on non boosted engines when we need a custom gasket.👍

[@golgothapro]

@@bigboreracing356 Wow, I had no idea you could get away with that though I did try some around all the water ports, specifically the ones on the ends which were like within 1/8" of the rail. I even considered Yahma-bond or something like that; but three failures in a row was all I could stomach. I put wrist-pin oilers in the next .060 over block I didn't groove for O rings just to make me feel better. LOL

[@clevelandmcneill1159]

What kind of head gasket to use after o-ringing block?

[@MrDanielSoliz]

Great question, we use copper head gaskets. I’ll talk about head gaskets on part2.

[@AquaGreenORAganicsWestLinn]

Would be nice if you took 30 sec at the start to explain what is the subject is right at the start and why you want to do it. Also please don't talk so fast.

[@MrDanielSoliz]

Great advice, can’t on part2 but will most difficulty take your advice! 👍

[@thomasst.martin3308]

Why?

[@Youtubeforcedmetochangemyname]

What is the purpose of doing this I've never heard of this before

[@MrDanielSoliz]

Helps from blowing a head gasket under boost.

[@Youtubeforcedmetochangemyname]

@@MrDanielSoliz so then this would be good for me I want to turbo my ls engine

[@life.is.to.short1414]

Why is it so expensive to do it, if it's that easy??

[@MrDanielSoliz]

It’s not hard it’s time consuming.

[@jonhseven133]

Proper training and procedures makes Efficiency... Quarter mile It's boring .. road racing requires more wisdom... From differential temperatures to transmission temperatures... To down force.... It's an art of engineering and driving... Building know how so many things... Body Flex suspension travel.. Type of tires... But I guess you can call it a love of Passion... Thank you for sharing your wisdom & techniques... I'll take everything I can get... Hopefully I will be tapping The water port on the side of the block for extra cool... I know they were used for casting... From cold plugs to cooling plugs😂😂😂/ I don't have the money for a bullet block..

[@Shade_tree_garage01]

Cringe comment

[@aikidokamks]

It's a shame my Kia optima sx has an open deck, otherwise 😀

[@piscitellinicholas5240]

Don't ever try to do that to your engine block if you need to do it take it to a good machine shop..........

[@MrDanielSoliz]

Good machine shops are getting harder to find and if you can use a ratchet, you can do this. Now some people can't and most definitely shouldn't.

[@thepartsrunner5758]

more sketch pictures.. please. Some people weren't born to teach...

[@robertoudokrapf453]

OLÁ. O motor em questão é de "cilindros algemados" famosos por serem 'QUEIMADORES DE JUNTA DE CABEÇOTE". No presente caso é provável que queime a junta por falta de "planicidade na largura do bloco" o que é facilmente identificado pela FALTA DE CRUZAMENTO no acabamento da retifica. A origem desta falta de planicidade pode ser por erro de operador, por defeito na máquina, ou por erro de regulagem (os 90º devem ser perfeitos). Desculpe, mas "Oring" ABERTO deve ser uma piada.. ABRAÇOS...Roberto Udo Krapf

[@MrDanielSoliz]

Look up CAS ( Compressed Air Supercharger) and you will see that what you think you see is totally wrong. This engine has made over 2000 hp for 3 years Racing in two different classes and is legal in NHRA on the same head gaskets. When it came in to freshen it up we could of reused the gaskets and bearings. I saved them for back up gaskets. Sorry to burst your bubble.

[@robertoudokrapf453]

@@MrDanielSoliz OLÁ. Desculpe. A intenção foi esclarecer a área Técnica. O que vi foi visto por todos que assistirem seu video em tela tamanho maior, o que torna o assunto esclarecido. A intenção foi a de incentivalo a pesquisar. Como nada adicionastes construtivel não existe o porque continuar o assunto. Um feliz 2024 para MrDaniel

[@egodeathplease]

sounds like a pain in the ass. 🤔

[@MrDanielSoliz]

Replacing head gaskets is a pain in the ass. This is the easiest way to o-ring a block.

[@egodeathplease]

@@MrDanielSoliz Thats true. I have a SB Chrysler under boost that has been known to pop the head gaskets. I may end up o ringing it. I could do it in the car. plenty room.