press fit wrist pin install

[@michaeldose2041]

Great video thanks for posting. I modified the procedure in one way that I think is important. Rather than use a torch, I used avocado oil a small cooking pot, and my camp stove. Avocado oil begins to smoke at 520f and doesn't boil until 600+. I brought it up to 550f no problem. kept the rod in the hot oil for 4 minutes. It worked great and did not discolor the metal at all. In other words, I am able to control the temperature, and insure that the metallurgy is unaffected. I've seen quite a few videos with the ovens, torches and what not, some of them get the metal hot to the point I can't believe that the metallurgy is unchanged. My opinion is when the metal turns blue it right on the cusp of changing internal structure, and very easy to overshoot.

[@AR_420]

Thanks for the info

[@michaeldose2041]

@@AR_420 You're welcome. BTW I made my jig for the piston out of wood, quick and easy worked great.

[@MotorMouth930]

Interesting idea. Why not just put the rods in an oven at 550F? Evenly heat the whole rod then grab it with a hot pad and slip the pin in.

[@michaeldose2041]

@@MotorMouth930 I don't see and reason why that wouldn't work. A little toaster over would make a great bench top set up. As long as it gets hot enough. I would definitely get a laser thermometer to make sure. If you do it let us know how it worked. I would definitely try it on my next rebuild.

[@markbailey6051]

Good one

[@martycuhntzmart5635]

Appreciate the video! I just wanted to help out a little too.. Just a heads up for guys that freeze their press fit wrist pins/piston pins before installing them: Freezing them actually cools the rod MUCH quicker and reduces the amount of time you have for installation and/or making small adjustments if you have to. Steel only shrinks 0.0000063" per Fahrenheit degree. So if you have a shop at 70 F and your freezer goes to 30 F, you're only getting the pin to shrink by 0.000252" or 2.5um. 0.0002" or 2.5um is equal to one particle of smoke. A particle of pollen is 10um. So you can see how little the metal actually moves. Keep your pins at room temp, it may save you some serious headaches.

[@WilloW0024]

Thanks!

[@davevandenbranden3309]

Thank you for not starting this video with a condescending tone the way the majority of car and engine videos start, like; “Most guys do it wrong,” “Other ways are crap,” “I’m right, everybody else is wrong.” Nobody needs that. You have a great vibe and seem like you genuinely just want to help people and are not just in it for attention (Ads). I like building my own tools too and, doing my first engine build, I really appreciate your sharing this great technique and jig, as well as the spirit it was presented.

[@jim5549]

I used to build engines as a hobby both for restoring cars and sometimes for friends. The shop I worked at a lifetime ago would clamp the rod in a vice, heat it up and try to line everything up then eyeball centering the pin. I hated that part of the job so when I found the opportunity to buy a closing shop's machines I built a fixture like yours. Now I'm wondering what the heck happened to it when I moved! Oh well probably time to get rid of all that stuff anyway. Haven't done any machine work in 10 years anyway. Thanks for sharing!

[@chrish5096]

Man this video has really helped me out because I couldn’t think of anyway to get this done other then with a press and being 16 working out of the garage at my house I didn’t exactly have access to that. Thanks for sharing.

[@1967davethewave]

Excellent little jig. That makes getting the pin depth right easy!

[@rickpalluck4617]

I use to fit Cummins pistons and rods by freezing the pins,and putting the pistons in hot water,because the rods had a bushing.you had to be quick,but it worked. Good video Rick.You did a great job on the tool.Your a pretty handy guy.Thanks........Rick

[@dzlfreek]

Rick Palluck thanks for watching!

[@anthonylawrencesnow]

Thank you for the video! I built a piston holding jig this evening similar to yours and just swapped out 6 pistons in my Jeep 4.0. The blue rod end works like a charm. Thanks again!!!

[@jefftuggle3160]

I have a ? What if to wrist pin needs to go in a little more how can you fix it

[@AR_420]

@@jefftuggle3160 probably too late but it would need to be pressed in the remaining distance I would think

[@uberbeans]

great video. I just attempted to do this job and failed because I attempted to use a hotplate to heat the rod instead of map gas. My trusted machine shop uses a hot plate and recommended it. I suspect their plate is much hotter than the 1000 watt one I bought for the job. Anyway what you showed is WAY superior. I like your jig as I am sure it made it way easier. Great job, sir.

[@arnulfob3454]

I did this and it worked perfectly ! Thank you for the info dude !!!

[@billspinks4357]

Watched your vidio, made me a plate similar to yours and did mine just like you showed. Worked great! Recommend it. The first one, I was a little nervious, but went great after that. Took about an hour to get them on once I started.

[@dzlfreek]

Awesome! Thanks for the comment!

[@edwardkoreis3211]

Thanks for posting this it helped to me finish the 3.4 that I am rebuilding from the ground up.

[@dzlfreek]

youre welcome

[@robhersey1796]

Thanks for the video. It was definitely helpful! I am nearing the point where I will have the confidence to rebuild a 350 I have laying around.

[@hooseyad4ddy694]

Rebuilding my first ever motor! (84 351w stroking to 387 (not boring)) can't afford 100 for the shop. Discovered this video! Definitely gonna get some map gas and do it at home and save a few bucks

[@nickyborrisino]

Boiling rod end in oil is best method for even heat expansion with minimum possibility of fatiguing metal.

[@andrewerickson6690]

What kind of temperature are we talkin

[@joey2shots260]

Budget engineering!!!! Sounds like my cup of tea!!

[@fredmann8799]

Great video, and nice tool! I like making my own stuff too so thanks for showing your creation. I can't wait to give it a shot!

[@dzlfreek]

build away, my friend

[@elliottstewart1643]

That is a really a neat idea I would like to build one myself It's a good money saving alternative from taking the pistons to the machine shop. 👍👍👍

[@pologamero2648]

Have you tried to heat it in oil instead torching? I mean as when installing bearings.

[@devinvian7173]

Thank you for posting this video. I will be doing this on a Jeep 4.0 very soon. Very informative and great job on the jig. I will be building one just like yours. Again, thank you

[@L1A1]

This is great. Thank you so much for posting this!

[@dzlfreek]

thanks for watching this!

[@rapskallion]

Great job, Mr. Goldberg. But seriously, you hung those pistons like a pro. kudos

[@dzlfreek]

Thanks 👍

[@seniamcclurg3388]

See, you did it with the intent of teaching, very good, thank you.

[@antilaw9911]

Whats the easiest way to remove the old pin and piston?

[@maniacmachanic9870]

I made the same tool works great if you heat it for exactly 3 minutes it perfect just make sure your chamfered end is on the right side for those watching...🤔

[@SnakePliscan]

Great presentation! When heated steel (polished first so you can see the color) is in the blue range it is between 590*f (dark blue) and 640*f (light blue) A digital laser thermometer with 1000*f scale can measure this as well.

[@AR_420]

I searched internet for a 450° temp stick.

[@joe-hp4nk]

Very helpful, I to have fixed my own vehicles since I was 16 and I'm now 70 going on 39

[@inked4life309]

What do you set the depth of that wrist pin stop too? Is it flush to the hole?

[@paulgottschall9718]

I was looking for something cheap and fool prof for my son and his friends to use, worked perfect. now if I could just keep them from bending rods on the press while taking them off.

[@anjuansmith832]

Do u remove them the same way with just heat

[@milkmanpeter]

Nice I really didn't know how hot to get it but that looks like it went in easy

[@jonnysspeedshop]

Thanks! I just need to build myself one of the little things you made. I've learned a lot from you and hopefully my truck will be done in time for highschool drags!

[@cattreesteve]

great video really needed this method

[@make-shiftgarage3702]

thanks video. my pops has been doing this all wrong

[@MrBlitzkrieg1987]

Nice, thanks for sharing your method!

[@paulk5311]

you could also make a simple press out of a bottle jack to do the same thing without the heating and cooling part.

[@dzlfreek]

you'd likely mess up the piston pressing the pin in place....speeking from experience.

[@loscarnm]

Thanks for posting the video. I wonder if you know how to fix a slightly bent rod on the crank side??? When the bolt deviates toward the center.

[@dzlfreek]

you don't....you replace it.

[@TEAMHYBRID007]

Amazing video you gave me great Insight on ways to do this on the cheap I subscribed and I even took the time to grab my phone because I was watching it on my Xbox to leave a comment

[@technometricglk9252]

good job appreciate you forget to mention to line up the piston with the road how it sits in the block thank you

[@adamjackson867]

Thank for such a grate learning experience video sir 🙏 🙌

[@lesgarneau1]

When rods are reconditioned at a machine shop, the small end is also honed, to reduce press fit to .001" - .0015". Factory press fit will be crude at .002" to even .005". It takes far less heat to get this operation done safely when the pin end of rod is reconditioned and sized properly.

[@AR_420]

Excellent info! Thank you

[@dynodon100]

I do small block Mopars THEY are floaters,now I am doing a small chev. and will do this in a few days THANK YOU !

[@joemamma4324]

SMALL BLOCK CHEVY CAN BE FLOATERS TOO...JUST BUY THE CORRECT RODS..ABOUT THE SAME PRICE..THOSE SPEED PROS CAN BE USED WITH BOTH..

[@dynodon100]

It all depends on the piston, I stock both types .If I need the outher Summit is a 45min. drive.

[@joemamma4324]

AS I SAID..THOSE SPEED PROS CAN BE USED PRESSED OR FLOATED...SAME PISTON...PAY ATTENTION..I ONLY PURCHASE FROM COMPETITION PRODUCTS A LITTLE SECRET FOR YA THEY ARE THE STOREFRONT FOR HOWARDS CAMS..IF YOU DONT KNOW WHAT HOWARDS DOES YOUR A NEWBIE

[@dynodon100]

Howards are good prod. I have used them for years but MANY pistons do not have spiro locks in the area of the wrist pin. No grove no nothing.

[@racer67]

Great video! Have done this the same exact way before!

[@bsnider8]

dzlfreeks jig seems the best yet I have seen for installing the piston pin. I think though I will make something similar out of wood, since I can't weld. Also, the piston and pin will be cool, should be no problem to using wood.

[@dzlfreek]

what ever works, with what ever you have at hand.

[@RC-Heli835]

Hey thanks man! I'm doing some Ford Focus Pistons and rods this evening. I have access to a press but don't have the best support in the world. What I do have is a 4x4 Oak block of wood with a cradle cut in it to lay the piston in. It also has a hole drilled in it to allow for pins to be pressed out. Two of my new wrist pins don't slide into new pistons like they should. In fact they wont' even go in at all. The other two or a tight slide in fit. In other words I can push them in but they won't just fall out. Is that too tight or should they drop in and fall out the other side like yours obviously would? Do you have any good ideas on honing the pistons out to get my .001 clearance? I was told by a reputable mechanic to use a brake hone to get the pistons to fit the wrist pins. That's working fine but I can only do one side at a time and the potential is there for the holes not to line up perfectly. Do you have a better suggestion? Have you ever experience wrist pins being too tight? Your pin install method is pretty amazing. I wonder how hot the metal is when it turns blue?

[@dzlfreek]

+ILTSYC starts to blue at around 500 f. the brake hone idea is one I would do. just work slow

[@nelyh1395]

You made it look so easy lol .... maybe I can save $120 trying this myself

[@pospc2]

My local machine shop charges $10 per rod. Other shop charges 20 each. I find it worth paying them and getting it done.

[@JoeTeKraM]

Hi, I'm rebuilding a gm 305 and I changed the piston but 2 of them rotates in the rod but they are a little bit hard. If I heat it about 40 degrees they aren't nothing hard. Is a problem? should I dismount it ?

[@donrutter6765]

Awesome build. When it gets 400°, drive it in quick

[@joe-hp4nk]

One thing, if the pistons have a dot or mark on one side, it goes to the front and you have four pistons with chamfer to the front and four with chamfer to the back.

[@abderazekgaci463]

great job man,

[@dzlfreek]

thanks!

[@wisheye1]

Doesn’t that much heat weaken the small end of the rod???

[@dzlfreek]

no, but if you go to red hot you went too far

[@DeVoNmotorsports]

nice jig, looks like it worked good

[@jerryinscore1327]

i'm gonna build one myself. i make a lot of my own tools as well. great video.

[@dzlfreek]

thanks!

[@RoofProLLC]

Best real world example

[@stevenwithanS]

Gonna try that.

[@SilentOneCorajuda13]

Very nice. Good work man.

[@glockman8091]

Good job brother 👍🏻

[@robertmansell4125]

Very cool video, very informative thanks

[@budsodalsky]

you are the man! thanks

[@mikeward2980]

Your the Man . Blessings

[@Alientraveler003]

The boss just performed ⚡️⚡️thank you

[@lovetofly32]

Got a question if you could answer asap. I got the rod end a little red on one side in a little spot on one.. Im worried now.. Its on a 4 cylinder jeep engine.. Does it ruin the cast or what? I was trying to adjust the pin since I didnt get it centered as good as I wanted.. I definitely dont want to throw a rod because its not my engine.. :-/

[@Engineerboy100]

Nice jig tool. I think I'll make one too. good job!

[@Two6four]

Awesome video and jig. Thanks for posting

[@alltheboost5363]

Just curious stock is the Piston a press-fit or a slip fit and if you're going to a aftermarket piston with a slip fit why don't you just make the rod slip fit?

[@dzlfreek]

stock piston on SBC is press fit. Slip fit pistons require machining to the small end of the rod and bushings installed. This was WAY cheaper

[@b-lopez394]

It is stronger if you use two ends of the pin to carry the load at pivot point on each side of the piston than use the small end of the connecting rod for slip fit.

[@sasquachbigfoot9070]

im making one today thank you

[@danacrook4203]

I have a old Smokey Yunick engine building book. He leaves the rods in hot oil until he presses in.

[@dzlfreek]

holy crap, that's a name I haven't heard in a minute!

[@oscarpena8534]

Do have to make sure rod is on the correct side of posting n

[@dzlfreek]

yes, there is usually a notch or an arrow on the piston that points to the front of the engine, and the big rod end has a bevel that goes to the counter weight side of the crank.

[@fail_fast]

DO NOT EVER use a torch on forged or aluminum rods. You will change the heat treat and likely weaken them. If you need that extra clearance for your wrist pin then pop your rods in the oven for a half hour at 300F.

[@JamesDoylesGarage]

Thank you!

[@chadewhitaker]

I built my own plate to do this. I am still waiting to do it. I am a little nervous. Is it best to have the pins in the freezer and install them cold? I am a little worried it is going to cool down the rod faster and grab before i get the pin in all the way.

[@dzlfreek]

i just did one for my jeep engine without freezing the pin. If you heat the rod as described, you'll have about 3 seconds to get it done. You can do it!

[@chadewhitaker]

Just finished doing 8 of them. It worked great.

[@chadewhitaker]

Thanks for the great video!

[@chadewhitaker]

@@dzlfreek Okay I forgot to ask about if the wrist pin was off center by maybe an 1/8" to 3/16" will that hurt anything.

[@dzlfreek]

@@chadewhitaker its not ideal, but as long as its not going to poke out past the piston it should be good

[@benkalinowski5834]

What gas did you use with the torch

[@dzlfreek]

MAP

[@georgiojansen7758]

solid. goedendag

[@shauncarew6488]

So lost until I watched this video. Building my first two engines at the same time. One is a turbo Honda and the other is a stock 350. When I got the 350 build kit and it had no c clips to hold the wrist pin in and the wrist pin floated in the piston I was confused thought I got the wrong parts. Now I know and ty

[@dzlfreek]

Youre welcome and TY!

[@williamstyles8561]

Super helpful! Much appreciated!

[@dzlfreek]

Glad it helped!

[@hellounknown2274]

So it's ok if I copy what you already copied?

[@steelrain9702]

I put my torch in the vice, set the tangs and pistons to the right sides, and hold my rod in my hand one way so you never put em on backwards.

[@charlesd.2231]

What was the depth you had it set too when you pressed it in?

[@dzlfreek]

i dont remember, it was 4 years ago and i dont do this everyday. I set it up so the rod and pin ended up centered on the piston when all was said and done.

[@charlesd.2231]

@@dzlfreek ok thanks

[@thatunknownguy2680]

I'll be attempting to do mine soon. I'll be building a jig for it. I want it to be perfect because this is the last time I rebuild this POS Ford engine.

[@matthewantel8821]

Great video thanks for the information. Only question I do have is how did you push out the old wrist pins prior to installing the new ones?

[@dzlfreek]

20 ton shop press.

[@Rch5.0]

Thanks good info i needed that

[@Ki777UMiNATii]

Badass lil rig thanks for the info👍

[@pipeline_hank5277]

Damn it I messed up, I didnt get the pins all the way through before it shrunk. How do I Fix this without getting new pistons and connecting rods?

[@dzlfreek]

i don't think you can. you might get lucky if you have someone apply heat while you try to press out the pin. at this point you have nothing to lose.

[@nickdonahoosr81]

Wait until it completely cools ...then use a press....u can take an old piston pin shave it down to make a pin press punch ..just pressed out 24 of these just today using only old piston pins

[@pipeline_hank5277]

Nick Donahoo Yeah I took it to a machine shop, the pressed the pins out and reinstalled them. I did not have to replace the pistons, so that's good.

[@dannycoleman2849]

@@nickdonahoosr81 ~ 5/8 socket works too !

[@skyshark445]

Make sure the rods oil hole and piston are correct!!!

[@JT-yz4rj]

Excellent video, thanks!

[@swoows00]

Thank you very much for the good info .. I will try

[@hilum17]

Thanks buddy!

[@justinperryman6822]

Which way do the rods face? Does the small end face the front of the engine

[@dzlfreek]

if you look at the cross section of the big end there will be a chamfer that needs to correspond to the radius that is at the outside of the rod journals of the crank. Each crank journal holds two rods. Get that wrong and the rod end will oil starve and likely seize and/or spin.

[@justinperryman6822]

So will the chamfer on the rod match up to one side of the Piston I have a D top directional Piston on 99 Dakota 4cyl if that makes a difference

[@dzlfreek]

no, it will vary depending on the cylinder. In my case the piston had valve reliefs on both sides of the piston so it doesn't matter how they were installed on the rod.

[@dzlfreek]

The pistons will end up having the rods facing the same direction on one bank and will face the opposite way on the other bank, assuming your engine is a V6/V8 engine block. I haven't worked on an inline engine in 30 years, so i can really help you, sorry.

[@blakeboggs2275]

How did you know the exact center or did you just eyeball the center? Does it matter if it is the exact center? It just seems like a piston might favor one side if it is not exact. I about to rebuild my engine and don't want to mess it up. Thanks!

[@dzlfreek]

i measured as best I could. Id say its within a 1/64th.....should be close enough.

[@LemonMan_Man]

Blake Boggs the piston should self center after ignition, but try to get it close as you can before the first start.

[@donrutter6765]

As long as nothing is rubbing you are good.

[@nos1000100]

i accidentally cracked one of my pistons because i didnt heat the rod up enough and i had to press the pin back out but i caught the skirt of the piston on the steel plate. oops lol. awell. my first time doing this lol

[@lamarw7757]

Damn, I need to get my wrist pins in the freezer. Does it really take a month?

[@dzlfreek]

24 hrs should suffice

[@ralphvalkenhoff2887]

Nice to know blue is the limit. I've seen guys go to red. Feel sorry for those rod owners.

[@jamesfries4128]

Yes, I copied the vise. Woks great. Thanks... James

[@dieselwagoneer18]

Great job, thanks for that. I appreciate it.

[@yourbeekeeper]

...said it before...say it again.... One smart fella!

[@dzlfreek]

yourbeekeeper Youre to kind

[@EmpireEcho]

my question is...does all pistons rods are work like this?others that have safety rings doesnt need this application you showing right?

[@dzlfreek]

right. if the piston pins are floating and are held in place with retaining clips, this tool and procedure is unnecessary.

[@EmpireEcho]

thanks for the info!

[@jackdaniel4977]

some of the performances connecting rods have a copper ring in wrist hole..the question is,can i do the same thing on this video🤔

[@dzlfreek]

probably not

[@joemamma4324]

NO!!!!.THOSE ARE CALLED BUSHED RODS ONLY FOR FLOATERS..SOME PISTONS LIKE THOSE SPEED PROS CAN BE USED EITHER WAY JUST IGNORE THE GROOVES FOR THE CIRCLIPS..

[@chriscadman5715]

Show me and I can do it. Read about it all day long and numb the brain. Thanx!

[@dzlfreek]

[@manzizu]

Nice! Thanks

[@dragman377]

I'm talking from experience. I own a auto machine shop. This method has been known to fail. The pin will come lose and start rubbing the cylinder and kill your engine. Have them pressed on or better yet, get full floater's .

[@whiplashmachine]

Pressed on? Never heard someone from an automotive machine shop say that before. What shop you own? The Sunnen CR-50 rod heater works well. My prefered tool. Hung tens of thousands of pistons using that model. Guess I'll make a video of my own using the proper tool since this seemed to be popular vid. With steady hands and proper heat cycle, using a torch like in this video can be very efffective

[@jeremyking5684]

Heating is the way machine shops do all of them,never press them on because it gawl the pin and won't move freely! So try again buddy