Resurfacing cylinder head with sandpaper, DIY piston rings (cheap engine repair)

Grab some G54 merch here - www.en.garage54.ru/collection...
In this episode we try a bunch of stuff to repair an engine on the cheap - that actually works!
Our instagram / garage__54

[@aharrington080611]

I can't remeber the name of the person who does the translations, but you are by far my favorite translator. You don't just translate, but you are able to translate tone of voice and sarcasm and such in a way that is easy to understand.

[@SwapBlogRU]

I don't go by my real name when crediting myself for the translations, but I'm glad to know that my work is appreciated, for real ;)

[@Haithamz]

@@SwapBlogRU Amazing translation , you make us in love with this channel

[@mojojomo6750]

Yep, I also agree, he does an excellent job translating.

[@baitmaster8706]

​@@SwapBlogRU dude I would've never watched these without your voiceovers, I'm far too dumb to learn another language but I love the content. keep up the amazing work, you literally bring my daily bad ideas to me in watchable form haha

[@babycatxd7584]

@@SwapBlogRU thank u

[@munky123jw]

Try homemade pistons made out of pipe with welded on plates for tops.

[@friedchicken9110]

Lets get this to the top brother

[@GhostOfDamned]

Yes

[@KayleeVRC]

Bump

[@jordanwillie6726]

i know I'm kinda off topic but do anyone know of a good place to watch new tv shows online?

[@noelenoch9108]

@Jordan Willie flixportal xD

[@dalecarnegie4440]

I remember my grandfather decking a head on a flat spot in the sidewalk, that head gasket outlived him and is still going.

[@donatkurshumlija5664]

Professional Machine Shops: We use high tech machines that grind thousands of an inch. Garage 54: Hold my sandpaper and windshield wiper motor...

[@thefreedomguyuk]

Actually, you are quite mistaken there. When sub-thou's tolerances are required, no machining can deliver that. They will need to hand scrape those parts. Tracks on precision lathes being a prime example.

[@FabiioAlmeiida]

@@thefreedomguyuk woooosh

[@topzozzle6319]

@@FabiioAlmeiida cringe redditor

[@orangepekoe7096]

@@topzozzle6319 it's not reddit without r/

[@NoWr2Run]

@@thefreedomguyuk He said " THOUSANDTH'S OF AN INCH " not SUB- THOU.

[@michaelharrison1093]

My father was an apprentice mechanic at the end of WW2 and he had some interesting stories about the techniques he learnt for repairing engines. Evidently he used to make piston rings using cast iron sewer pipes and he used to stretch pistons by bead blasting them on the inside. For the main and big end bearings he would cast them in place by pouring molten white metal into the caps and after roughly machining them to size then use a scraper to get the correct finished size.

[@fryloc359]

This is the quality content I expect from Garage 54

[@johnnybodangus2529]

Measures ring gap with eyeballs, Then surprised it has no compression. Lol

[@derkmerv6725]

hahahaha

[@murangirajoseph2354]

@@derkmerv6725 X

[@korencek]

it's russian engine. Those don't need rings xd

[@samuelrichardson1896]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@gnaedigerfels]

ring gap isn't that important for compression alone the reason the compression is shit is because piston rings usually have spring properties which these homemade pistonrings do not have

[@snap_oversteer]

One engine builder once told me that using sandpaper placed on gravestone works pretty good on cylinder heads and blocks :D

[@AnalogDude_]

... or using a "sheet" of glass and grind paste. works perfectly.

[@2lotusman851]

so I have to go to a graveyard to to surface the cylinder head? What about Zombies? Spooky.

[@TrojanLube69]

You can test it in the graveyard too. If it blows up, no one dies.

[@MegaSockenschuss]

@@2lotusman851 The Zombies aren't the worst part about it, it's the Vampires. So be quick.

[@user-xu2pi6vx7o]

@@TrojanLube69 And if someone DOES die, you're already in the perfect place to deal with it.

[@joshuaarthur8168]

Idea: Find an engine that has been sitting out in the weather forever (like only a block with a rusty crank in it) and put it together and see if it will start, no cleaning or anything, only free it up so it can spin.

[@v6tex]

Apparently they only read suggestion comments in Russian on their videos that are also in Russian. I'd pitch your idea there.

[@joshuaarthur8168]

@@v6tex cool thanks for the heads up.

[@v6tex]

@@joshuaarthur8168 No worries.

[@jan-paulmosterdijk9710]

when i was a kid i did this with my dad and after spinning the starter by hand for hours it started, best day in my life that was.

[@matrix8934]

IIRC they still have a diesel engine buried underground

[@LudovicoOperti]

Cannot start on starter motor Cannot idle Backfires Smoke everywhere "It runs just fine"

[@Alexsolid1]

With the original Pistonrings this could work perfectly Great job👌

[@darkraft100]

Yup

[@Iaintwoke]

Exactly, or at least try to machine from cast...

[@Alexsolid1]

@@Iaintwoke I think cast iron would be to fragile for the rings. Pistonrings need to be flexible, they expand in the compression/work stroke due to the pressure in the in the cylinder.

[@Iaintwoke]

@@Alexsolid1 aren't most piston rings made of cast?

[@Alexsolid1]

@@Iaintwoke you're right 👌 But i think it's not an ordinary casting process.

[@torrosixsixzero]

I have fixed a warped head with a mirror and valve grinding paste. It seemed to work really well, and had no issues with the engine. Great video ;)

[@rastamanralph6670]

I used to use a sheet of glass and grinding paste to skim cylinder heads on motorbikes. It works perfectly as long as the glass is totally flat.😉

[@thefreedomguyuk]

I've done that, ages ago, it's called "lapping". Higher precision than any machining can achieve.

[@AnalogDude_]

indeed, i did it on mopeds cylinder heads. 10 slides than turn 90º and 10 more slides, turn 90º, etc, etc.

[@rastamanralph6670]

@@thefreedomguyuk that's what I thought. I've even done an escort mk3 cvh head.

[@rastamanralph6670]

@@AnalogDude_ my first one was on my totally souped up Kawasaki ar 50 and it made a huge difference to the power. It used to go 55mph on the flat really quickly.👍👊

[@rendicz5595]

Yea for laping you idealy need surface plate. A saw sheet glass can be preaty warped too. But i guess for smaller motorbike cylinder head its okay :)

[@lemagreengreen]

lol the blowby. Good effort! I guess the lesson here is don't make your own piston rings but that ghetto resurfacing probably did actually work.

[@thefreedomguyuk]

It's not actually ghetto. It's just more labour intensive than machining, and not cost effective.

[@johngillon6969]

I knew it!!! They teach welding to Russians in the first grade. Our public schools suck.

[@girlsdrinkfeck]

teaching manual labour in american school ? oh no biden and his voting minion lefties wont like that, theyd want the illegal aliens todo the rough mans job

[@donellmuniz590]

They should start them in Drivers Ed in the first grade, and keep doing it until graduation from high school.

[@donellmuniz590]

@@girlsdrinkfeck I'm in the middle, a little lefty on some things, and righty on others. I hate how art, music, auto shop, wood shop, welding, etc, are disappearing from high schools, yet they always have money for sports. And they drive me nuts with all that PC "woke" shit. You can't even tell a joke or compliment the opposite sex anymore, or say "Merry Christmas". Sheesh.

[@kingofthepod5169]

These days you go to community college for that. I'm learning welding RN and I'm gonna make some stacks. Next door is Autoshop and down the hall is horiculture.

[@johngillon6969]

@@donellmuniz590 In reality, i feel that the russians have been dealing with some heavy changes since the soviet union fell apart, and when times get tough families stick together, where as here i think the homeless problem is because we have had it too easy in amerika, and have forgotten how to rely on our families, and most people in the country are being raised by single mothers.

[@Youtubeforcedmetochangemyname]

I've actually used sandpaper to do this and as long as you have a flat surface that is big enough for the head it works just fine

[@Nickwillfixit]

I have seen this done in the Czech republic using two twenty four volt windscreen wiper motor from a TATA truck one each end with storage heater blocks to level it and one on top for extra weight to ensure even movement.

[@KuntalGhosh]

Tata motors?

[@YOCOSMINMAX16]

@@KuntalGhosh Tatra

[@KuntalGhosh]

@@YOCOSMINMAX16 tatra is a different brand. TATA is a different brand.

[@johnbelwell2461]

Fixed many engines with a resurface like that including mine, i just put a thick glass sheet under and glue different sandpapers on it and move it back and forth, if you pull a string side to side and it doesn't have any gap and can see no to slight light when rests on a true surface it's alright as the gasket compresses for quite a few nm's, no need for a machine shop.

[@iameatingtrifle]

For real we used to resurface our cylinderheads on our motorcycles when I was younger using a sheet of glass and wet&dry emery paper, also finishing it using grinding paste and the same meathod.

[@thefreedomguyuk]

Cool concept. Back in 1950, this was quite common to do. Interesting to see if one still can do so, or whether this art has been lost for ever. Actually, you don't even need the sand paper, you can use a scraper and achieve even better flatness. CNC machining ain't better, but much cheaper. I guess to fabricate a set of useful rings, though, more than one video would be needed😉 Looking forward to watching this video ! Edit : Having watched the video, I'll say you're nearly there. However, those rings are undersized, and you did not face them correctly. They need a slightly tapered facing. I guess the big issue may be the good, old problem of fitting new rings and not having the barrels done. Idea for next video ?

[@justinjheijnen]

When doing a headgasket I still use sandpaper te clean the surface after I checked if head is still flat.. just works fine.

[@videomentaryproductionschannel]

I love it, never say it can't be done, I think if had proper set of rings fitted it would run as normal 😀, I love the way you guys think outside the box, great video as always 😀.

[@ramongonzalez2909]

Make a lada engine where all pistons fire at the same time and see if it works

[@naniwara8673]

So it's like a single piston engine. But four.

[@liamdtraxxas2011]

There only one thing I would of done differently is turned the head 180 degrees half way though coz the motor might have put more or less pressure on the head

[@Frankd22003]

Simplicity is the most efficiency of sophistication.

[@JoesCaribbeanVanLife]

It would be awesome if you guys visited Cuba. They do this type of stuff all the time there.

[@thefreedomguyuk]

Yup. The cars in Cuba does look nicer, though.

[@TrojanLube69]

@@thefreedomguyuk 😂 lol

[@JoesCaribbeanVanLife]

@@thefreedomguyuk on the surface. Some of them have Chinese boat engines under the hood.

[@hakachukai]

This method definitely works! I have done it several times with a 100% success rate. Just use your hands, a flat sheet of glass and 120 grit sand paper ( it turns out that the slightly rough surface actually helps the head gasket seal better ). Use a sharpie to paint the entire surface ( that so that you know what has been scrubbed away ). When you slide the head back and forth do NOT hold it on the top. Hold it as close to the very bottom as you can. This will MOSTLY prevent uneven surfacing. Done correctly the set up takes about 30 minutes and the resurfacing takes about an hour.

[@ASoftaaja]

This was great. The windshield washer motor was just pure ingenuity. The piston rings probably didn't seal, because they machined them wrong. At 11:40 you can see the ring has a visible gap against the cylinder wall (not the end gap). This is caused because when the oversize ring was compressed during installation, it didn't retain a circular shape and bent unevenly. They should have machined the rings first to cylinder diameter, then cut the gap(with a thin dremel cutting disc) and then expand them. I think this would ensure that the ring is fully the round shape of the cylinder when installed. But also might be that mild steel will not work, because it does not have enough "springiness".

[@urambotauro938]

I like the glass and sandpaper method for achieving a nice flat surface! But you'd want to be _really_ careful trying this on a OHC engine. If the cylinder head has warped, the camshaft journals in it might be misaligned, resulting in a camshaft that won't turn after the head is removed from the block. In some cases, it's actually better *not* to resurface the head, as the head bolts can flex the aluminum head into shape when clamping it against the block, allowing the cam to spin freely again. But resurfacing the head while it's in a relaxed, bent state with a seized cam could ruin it...

[@dogwalker666]

Emergency roadside repair on Ser2 swb landrover I can confirm that carbide paper skim of cylinder head can work.

[@kize32]

Cheaping out on rings is a bad idea. They cost peanuts for that engine, much cheaper than machining them. Sand paper deal is an old old school trick and it's proven to work, you just need to check the gap with a straight edge

[@SwapBlogRU]

Bear in mind that in Siberia you have to make it through brutal cold weather to get to the parts store to buy those peanut-cosing rings. Why subject yourself to such torture when you have lathe and raw metal in your warm and cozy garage (54)?

[@carlfrizell2849]

You probably should have heated up the piston rings until they were cherry red then drop them into oil to tempre them 🤗

[@over-drive7540]

Nope, makes them way to hard doing it that way, also makes the material brittle

[@danielmoukli4590]

that's a terrible idea...

[@marxkartredge]

If they are low carbon it won't do shit lol

[@ricksanchez3176]

When I was 16, I rebuilt the engine in my first pick up. Had it all apart, had to lap the valves, the head was OK, bearings, rings, seals...yada, pretty well a complete overhaul. I grew up really poor, not much help many times, before googling something was an option. Actually going to the hardware store and asking was the way to get a fix-it guide. Some of the stuff you guys do on this channel for fun really remind me of things I had to do for necessity. I think if more young people tried to tinker and fab like this and found joy from making/rigging/tinkering, and less from zombie screens, we'd have a better world.

[@jasonhumphry5836]

Amen brother

[@daddyshovel7995]

There went your eyebrows ha ha. Awsome job fellas.

[@kevinb158]

I think I would have gotten some Cast iron for the ring to be made out of other than that it golden the compression is a touch higher than stock great job Garage 54

[@VenturiLife]

Yes. Cast iron is the correct material, must not be so hard it scuffs the cylinders. Would also wear down and seal faster. Guessing they didn't care that much for the purposes of the video.

[@ambread1]

As long as it passes the ruler test you can grind it down with whatever you like

[@ICKY427]

"the engine doesnt spin fast enough to fire up" google: replace starter, check compression, take to professional bing: WELD ANOTHER CAR TO IT

[@m5-networks]

Imagine doing work experience at Garage54 and explaining to your tutor “don’t worry, I’ve got this…” 🤣🤣🙏

[@dimitar4y]

with that higher compression, the engine's ready for a diesel conversion :>

[@chincemagnet]

The rubber strap was smart 💡 I can’t believe you made piston rings 😆 Damn, these guys think outside the 📦

[@grandpaseed]

i would like to see more do it yourself hacks for emergency situations and off grid solutions to auto repair more please !

[@worxharder9470]

Particularly 4x4 stuff for me.

[@gavmansworkshop5624]

I'm at the start and I will say I've done this with wet n dry sandpaper + WD40 for years works a treat just be careful. A full re-face? this should be fun 🍻

[@smjj1000]

Skilled! Such a creative solution and thinking can bring our world back on the right path!!! By thinking in this way, our ecological footprint can be reduced, and success can be guaranteed! I, too, have screamed down a turbo sole and a falling line. Never had a problem with him again!!! I will add that this is an exhausting lengthy process, but success is guaranteed!!!!

[@willliampan]

I will agree with this kind of method. Ive been done so many times and with almost every car with overheated issue without sending cylinder head to machine shop to re-skimming the surface...Im huge fans of you too from Malaysia! Well done!

[@kencreten3101]

You all did a great job on this. Thanks.

[@Ravensmiths6]

I remember an article back in the 80’s about a Cuban garage that used black pipe to make piston rings for their 50’s Chevys to keep them running during the embargo’s. Super cool. .

[@VenturiLife]

God I love this channel. This is a completely valid way to flatten a head if it's not badly warped / gouged etc. If you have two heads you want to make sure they are both sanded to the same level. There will be a very small change (rise) in compression in all cylinders. The DIY piston rings were perhaps a bridge too far, need higher tolerances there, piston rings in modern cars are generally made from iron, not steel.

[@forbiddenera]

So I've done the cylinder head thing..but man I was totally doing it wrong by hand..although it wasn't particularly warped more just needed some clean up..

[@justsomebloke6784]

This is apocalypse grade engineering : Crazy Russians. I love it!

[@VenturiLife]

Russians will be the only guys driving, post apocalypse. Will be an army of Ladas however...

[@obbyjep7597]

Do you think you could get a engine to run without intake rockers like how some old engines did with really light valve springs? Atmospheric intake valve..

[@-A-Hybrid-Skunk-Productions-]

That was an epic video. I love it. Thanks for sharing it with us. I really enjoyed it.

[@WolfmanDude]

Very interesting video! Piston rings are made from very hard cast iron with high carbon content

[@christophermarshall5765]

Great to see you guys love to muck around trying out different things for cars

[@joshacollins84]

I have actually seen a shop in the Appalachian Mountains where a guy had a grinding set very much like that. He said that he had worked heads, flywheels, & pumps on anything from a Massey Ferguson to a Big Block Mopar.

[@Truthorshit]

Y.E.S!! i sanded my head too!! it works well. Thank-you 54G

[@daveys]

You guys are crazy! Love the content, just shows what can be done to get cars running at a push. It’s like post-apocalypse mechanic-ing.

[@josephfbuck]

😎 I had as much fun watching your show as I used to watching the old Top Gear thank you

[@jjohnston94]

Probably didn't need to go to the finer grit of sandpaper. As I understand it, you actually want a little "tooth" on the surface so it grips the gasket. Too smooth and it's easier to blow a gasket.

[@NoWr2Run]

I'm not sure what grit they even used ?

[@nerd1000ify]

Depends on the gasket. As I understand it with a modern multilayer steel gasket a smooth finish is needed.

[@RensOtteweyn]

Fantastic method of resurfacing a warped head, always be sure to use a thicker gasket or maybe even two when reassembling, or just deal with more compression, haha. I fell of my chair with this video, so entertaining and funny.

[@Driessens_Peter]

i've done this a lot! perfect methode is making the nr8 with it while sanding, and you dont want a mirror finish, the fine scratches prevent oil and water coming through. but they must be in the opposite direction towards the front and back. not the sides

[@cybaman1]

I love this stuff. doing things with the most basic gear. 💪

[@jameshoneyc]

This was really terrific... good work.

[@pyotrilyichtchaikovskyii6638]

I recall they do teach this at mechanic training schools where I'm at.

[@eritronc]

On suzuki g16b engine service manual, manufacturer said if the head is deform yo should use a flat surface and sand paper n 400 i think. So is a very good way of get a flat surface, and good machine you did with the wipe motor!!

[@davebeckley2584]

A faster way to true up the heads is to mark all the high areas with a permanent marker then get a wide blade chisel and a hammer and chisel off all the high spots. It takes a steady hand plus a critical eye but it will work every bit as well as sandpaper, a windshield wiper motor, and a pane of glass. What a great video, you guys are so inventive.

[@stevemull2002]

Ive done my cylinder heads myself using this method, (but with out the windscreen motor thats neat !!) for many years

[@Razor6On3]

I used a whetstone dressing stone on a Miata head. Smooth as glass and worked great. Light pressure.

[@johnmorton7577]

This was a great video love y'all's innovative ideas

[@beannpersad8071]

U guys rock, from Trinidad, keep it going

[@vernonpeterson3323]

Great job. I resurface my own heads by hand using a large machinist file. It is very true and I can get it down to less the 2 thousandths. I picked up the file at an auction so I can't tell you where to buy them but it is faster than sand paper.

[@mschiffel1]

I used an electric belt sander tool to clean the cylinder head gasket surfaces. Just a few passes with it did wonders. No more rust and scale. It looked like a brand new casting. Try it.

[@homelessEh]

garage 54 for life!

[@matthewwiddows6319]

Would be interesting to see if with proper rings that head finish would have given good compression.

[@CursedCow678]

Thank you for the wide video. its nice not having huge black bars on the sides of the screen.

[@WARDxmarine123]

Me and my brother used the same method for a rm 125. Tons of compression amd still a good seal.

[@kwhitney22]

This was an awsome episode boys

[@roscoe454]

for a good flat surface for sanding i use tempered glass because it is very flat and glue sandpapper to it. and dont just go in one direction.. figure 8 seems to work well

[@marcelosanches3397]

Yes... This is really old fashioned, roots. We used to did this a lot with VW air cooled.

[@christmassnow3465]

I like to watch restorations. I want to see more of those videos.

[@mekanikoosiraniko3172]

At last a very useful episode

[@SwapSupra]

yooo this channel is the best out there on youtube handdown hahaha love it!

[@Icdezines]

Ive done this on vg30e. And also a 2azfe aswell as the block and im 3000 miles and counting. You do what you have to do to get by

[@donellmuniz590]

My local machine shop had a giant belt sander just for surfacing heads. Not milling them, just removing a couple tenths to get em flat. The machine was stationary, like a table, and the belt went round and round like a conveyor belt. You'd just hold the head down against the belt, and check it every few seconds.

[@DawidBajlak]

Hi in homemade piston rings you need few instructions. First made pistons rings with diameter of cylinder +0.05mm Cut gaps or hammer rings to broke. Put little bit material between gaps to force re-compress rings to over- diameter Heat them and cool down. [Now these recompress bore is nominal] Remove material bit(little precision shaft) from gaps Compress overal diameter rings to nominal diameter of cyl into cylinder. Check gaps and finish them. This method make some force in structure and rings make press on cylinder walls.

[@theaussienurseflipper.8113]

Great video, keep up the good work

[@stanja28]

What a cool experiment...

[@KRTube75]

DIY piston rings from pipe. Freaking awesome!

[@poptartmcjelly7054]

Had they rubbed some sandpaper on the cylinder walls for a quick homemade hone those rings would have worked much better. Funny seeing them talk about twisted heads when the one on my Volga was like twice as twisted as theirs.

[@nerd1000ify]

A proper cylinder hone costs peanuts anyway.

[@andrewparker3689]

If you can find some cast iron pipe, this is a great material to make piston rings from. Machine the OD the same as the ID of the bore, snap the ring to create a gap, quick file to clean the edges, hold the gap open with a flat blade screw driver, then heat it with a blow torch red hot to anneal it and let it cool slowly.

[@lumpyzx2645]

I have an idea, probably a rather difficult one but I could see it working, glass pistons

[@AlanG58]

There are a couple machine shops, old ones, around here and that's how they resurface heads. Basically a big belt sander.

[@joshuagibson2520]

Vlad is cool. He needs to come to America for a meet and greet.

[@brett0nline334]

i think there is a bit more to piston rings then just cutting them out of a pipe... noticed quite the gap between the 2 ends of the ring when put in the cylinder, a nice path to the base for the compression

[@firefly8464]

Great channel 👍🏻

[@onestopfabshop3224]

I've made custom piston rings for chainsaws out of fine grain cast iron. The cast iron I used to prevent galling in the cylinder walls like if I used steel. I haven't yet tried a hardened steel. The cylinders are either chrome or Nicasil plated cast aluminum, so that would be harder than a plain cast automotive block. With that said, the hardened steel may work, but I hate to ruin a vintage cylinder jug. Lol

[@Kj16V]

This video made Oldskool Funk proud.

[@AdamsWorlds]

The other way is to just make the paper spin under it rather than the block on the top. Can do this with a roller and motor on a wheel turning paper. Join the paper in a loop around the motorroller :P. Its also a super lazy way to polish and flatten other stuff. Can do it in a punch with a drill on slow with a band on the trigger pressing it down. Basically a DIY belt sander with whatever you want sanding sitting on the top.

[@clecollins2673]

We used portholes on the ship. I spray- glued the sandpaper to the glass. I worked with many idiots that used grinding compound directly on the glass to resurface air compressor valves. They also used granite indication blocks and ruined them as well. Stupid is as stupid does. Your system is good but the clamps on glass will distort. You will need at LEAST 20mm glass so there is no deformity. That will last forever.

[@chrisnielsen5467]

Me after reading "diy piston rings": 💀

[@SwapBlogRU]

I felt about the same when I was writing that title...)

[@friedchicken9110]

@@SwapBlogRU lol

[@kingofbrutaltheocracy9201]

piston ring gap= 1 cutoff wheel width! lol Awesome video, wish the rings had worked out after decking the head, probably could have seen some gains from that!

[@jackstewart5516]

CRAZY IDEAL GUYS.