Glad to be of help. Re BMW airhead valve parts l have found Swiss made intervalves and elco guides to be the most durable and long lasting, change at 50k intervals and avoid the heads breaking off! Agree there are some awful pattern parts as well, AE probably the worst with incorrect machining of the collet grooves. The elco guides are a tad longer which can only help in there longevity, PCV got it right with the two guide system, less potential for guide wear. Happy fettling!
Valve spring compressor
- Thread starter vibrac
- Start date
Vibrac, I´d be interested to see that compressor, the Ebay number is not helpful to me? As to universal, the homemade device in my photos is cheap like anything and universal as you weld a tube to it as you like or suitable for any engine.
Vic
Vic
You have to smile, I lost a collet half on the job, and since I have swept the floor and heard it fall I went down on my hands and knees with a torch thinking "there aint no BMW shops open for some time!" finally I saw something glinting in a corner, and it was the collet half and next to it an unbroken set of ET36 collets and most amazing of all an ET38 (one of the lost 500) all in the space of half a matchbox!
Thanks for the photo - but that don´t impress me much. Looks a bit clumsy to me. My own device from an f-clamp got the quick range change as well and the tube cutting welded to the top got only one window cutout. Seems a bit awkward but isn´t - you don´t loose the split collets so easily , stay in the tube mostly when fiddling with installing them. A screwdriver grip on the threaded part of an f-clamp is quite allright, you only deal with max. 100 kg spring pressure so no factor. A deep reach f-clamp will do on practically all heads , not
speaking of hair pin springs of course.
Vic
F-clamp deep reach
speaking of hair pin springs of course.
Vic
F-clamp deep reach
I just use a bucket of oil on the shop floor to catch the stray collets. Hairspring compressor made from an old forge made set of forge tongs.
The other doodad allows you to launch two collets at a time into the oil bucket.
It is a required tool for doing 4 valve multi cylinder engines as it helps to prevent foaming at the mouth. That one exit hole is a good idea Vic.
Bit of porosity in that head. I think that’s where they got the idea for oilite bushings.
The other doodad allows you to launch two collets at a time into the oil bucket.
It is a required tool for doing 4 valve multi cylinder engines as it helps to prevent foaming at the mouth. That one exit hole is a good idea Vic.
Bit of porosity in that head. I think that’s where they got the idea for oilite bushings.
Which could be useful if the head does not need to be removed for some reason.
I have been using this type since I was 17 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/10-Inch-...624785ee5:g:gg4AAOSwPXJdVhCK&autorefresh=true Used on everything from Jag straight 6, Porsche 911, VW Beetle (building engines for microlights) and of course Vincent heads. Will not be needed on my next project, bolting an 80cc 2-stroke engine on to my mountain bike.
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Frighteningly fast 
I have to sort the cables out but have been told it will do about 80 MPH, Covid-19 makes you do daft things
