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Engine valve and seat grinding..

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john k:
This brought up a memory, from the first shop I worked at.  Was grinding the seats on a Ford flathead V-8, in the case with the stones and shafts were a set with a valve stem diameter of 1/2 inch.  Just huge in comparison to the rest.  Discovered they were for a commercial Ford engine that used sodium in a hollow valve stem.  The sodum sloshing inside cooled the valve in an attempt keep the seat from burning.  We found an article saying to dispose of them carefully, as the liquid sodium could  burn or explode.  Watching for a Sioux set now.

goodfellow:
I remember the sodium filled valve stems. Pretty cool technology given the times in which they were implemented.
 

muddy:
Always fascinated by it, never got to run one probably never will.

Sent from my twisted mind of the mudman

slip knot:
I spent a lot of time with one of these working on the little flat head Fords. A lot of the early Ford tractors came with non adjustable tappets. you set valve clearance by moving the seat face around. I learned pretty quickly that buying the adjustable tappets made life much easier.

34_40:
We ran one of those setups back in the middle 70's.  All Sioux equipment in the Vocational HS I went to.  We were doing 3 angle valves even then!  I got pretty good at lifting the driver and the tool holder at the same time in one smooth motion.  Our teacher that year was an old guy who always told stories of him and his brother crossing the country in a model T Ford.   :)

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