hello. i was reading the write up on how to properly build a GSR motor, on the evans tuning site and im sort of stumped on the rod bolt stretch guage. ive got the same guage he does (at least they look identical from the pics) i have the summit one. anyway, i understand the how to use the guage and zero it and everything, but did he support the guage against the engine or anything? the reason i ask is that it seems it has to be supported somehow. since it measures the stretch upwards (while working with the engine on the stand upside down) it cant "sit" on the bolt cause it would just compress the guage til it bottoms out. how do you do this? or do i have to put the engine right side up on the stand and get under it (dangerous...) any help you can offer would be appreciated.

 

use a magnetic stand to support the guage. Set your wrench on the bolt (closed end). Place it over the bolts and zero it out. Then turn the bolt until desired stretch is accomplished

 

magnetic stand...more info on that please. picks? links? i know how the guage works though, thanks

 

its basically like a chemist ringstand. It has a flexable arm on it so u "set " the base on something metallic and it "stickys" Now adjust the arm so its holding the gauge over the rod u want to use.

http://cgi.ebay.com/MAG-DIAL-I...wItem

kinda like that but with the strechgauge on it

 

hmm i guess that would work but not many places to use the magnetism on an aluminum block.

basically i want to know how he had it setup like this? and not botom out the guage under its own weight...


what is supporting the bottom of the gauge against the other end of the bolt so it doesnt fall?

 

My stretch gage (BHJ) has a lot of spring tension in the guage and it practically snaps over the bolt.Try a few rubber bands around the dial and over the exposed end of the indicator shaft.

 

the guage it threaded into a "c" shaped piece of metal. one end goes on teh bottom of the bolt and the other on the top...with the guage. when you tigthen it and 0 it to start the final stretch, it's supported by itself

 

could you clearify a little bit? im having trouble understanding what you are trying to say.

this is the guage i have


what "c" part are you talking about? you can see that if you held the bolt stationary and didnt support the guage other wise, it would just fall and bottom out the guage.

 

The spring tension in the plunger is what will hold it closed. (they did with the couple I've used anyway...) If yours moves in too easily You may need someone to hold it on the bolt while you work the wrench.

 

yea, it moves VERY easily. like barely touch it and it registers the motion to gauge diflection. thats what im saying. under its own weight it will just fall and bottom it out.

 

heres pics of what im talking about....

me holding the guage, with rod bolt preloaded ~.300" and the guage face zeroed



now me supporting it by the bolt itself, not touching the guage. you can see how it put the guage to full deflection and i havent even lifted the guage off the table...

 

Who sells the gauges?

 

http://www.summitracing.com

back on topic...

 

I had a similar gauge (Proform). You can't use any type of stand, you have to hold it so you can use your index finger to apply extra pressure to the needle.


I takes a feel to get it right. The first time I used mine it took me about 4 hours to torque all 8 bolts. Just keep playing with it and you get to a point where the readings are all perfectly consistent.

 

well i called summit and i dont have a broken or defective guage. it just has a soft spring in it. he said putting a stiff spring in it and all would up the price, so summit opted to go for the soft spring. he said the ARP one has the stiff spring, but its 140 bucks for the ARP one vs 60 for the summit one. he said just use a steady hand and it should work just fine. i could return it and get the ARP one but i think ill saive myself the 80 bucks and just hold it there, or get a second person to help out.

thanks.

 

Well you won't actually be saving/spending any money if you use ebay. I bought my Summit gauge for $40, used it, and re-sold it for $40.

There's no way to loose.

 

im just gonna keep the guage and deal with having to hold it.

i dont like to sell tools. im the kinda guy who thinks i might need it again someday, haha

 

I have the same summit stretch gauge

I held the gauge while doing the measurements. I kept some pressure with the pin against the bottom of the bolt. As if i was pulling it up slightly while measuring. this stopped the gauge from jumping all over the place

 

yep, that what i plan on doing. thanks