any tricks to it? tips, things not to do? and links, sites, or books that may help me out? thanks

 

no tricks that I'm aware of. i had to do 2 valves on a turbo talon. it was a simple valve removal and grind.

 

Grinding valves or seats?

Nothing special with grinding valves, just make sure the machine is setup right and to clean the stone before using it and a few times inbetween (if its a stone cutter, most are). Dont take off too much, just enough to get a trued surface and get the pitting out. If the margin gets too thin (space between the valve face and where the cut surface starts) you could have problems with warping/burning them.

 

whats the spec on the margin? i've saw it before but i can't find it in anything i have here. i was thinking it's 1/32". i done a few valves way back when i was in high school, but i don'tremember much about it now. what do you mean set the machine up right? set the angles? i'll have to play with some old valves and see what i can break.

 

Yea, check the angles, make sure you have fluid, the fluid actually works, etc.

I dont remember the spec either. 1/32" sounds ok to me though lol.

 

Some high-perf valves (esp intakes) come out of the box with less than 1/32"... stock valves are thick though, and are made of inferior metal, and will warp from the heat if they're too thin. There's no spec I know of, it's more just instinct and common sense and experience. I have none of those things though, so I'm not worth much.

You need to check the angle settings on it, there should be a dial or a scale that shows where the table with the grinder on it is turned to, make sure it's accurate, especially at 44° which is the sealing surface angle on the valve.

Other than that, about the only problem I've ever seen with those is the chuck or shaft being bent, so valves come out off center. You can check for that by grinding one, taking the valve out of the chuck and turning it 180° and putting it back in and running it into the stone to where it just barely touches, and see if it grinds in the same place.

 

Remembered... you should surface the valve tip first, before you grind the valve. Most of the machines use the tip for locating the valve, if its not flat the 180 trick RB mentioned doesnt work as well.

 

ok, i was thinking you did the tip last. good to know or i would of messed up.

 

Same here... most of the machines I've dealt with have just had what looks exactly like a drill chuck to hold the valve while you grind it. But I haven't seen nearly every kind of machine there is.

 

Fit up an 11/32" collet in your Atlas, and chuck up the valve stem close to the face. Indicate the valve face for concentricity. If it is straight and true, set the compound at 44°. With a carbide insert, cut the sealing face of the valve just enough to clean it. As long as there is 0.040" of margin remaining after the cut, the valve should be serviceable. If you want to experiment with a little more flow around the valves, cut a .250" radius on the front face/margin of the valve to eliminate the sharp angle at the face.

Since the valve would have to be lapped to the seat even after grinding, the surface from your lathe cut should be more than sufficient. After seeing how infrequently the wheels on many valve grinders are dressed, I would suspect that the angle would even be more accurate. Considering that the stem would be held more rigid by the collet, there is little doubt that it would at least be more concentric. And if you use the correct speeds and feeds with a carbide tool, the surface finish should be superior. And you can cut the valves a whole lot faster than you could grind them.

 

well vader i've thought about doing just that before but i never have. i bought a B&D valve grinder off guidos dad the other day so i can do it right. now all i have to do is score a seat grinder off e bay.