I have the dial straight dial holder, is the Z block holder a must?
 

I have the straight extension holder for the dial guage, is the Z block a must, can I make one? Alternatives?

Thanks

I think you could make one out of wood in a pinch. If it was a one time deal I think I might try that. A jig saw, a drill, a block of wood and thou...

Of course if you listed your location in you Profile one of your Pelican neighbors might just let you borrow all the tools you need... ;)
-Chris

If you had a small block of aluminum you could probably drill it out and make the z block, but for the price of the z block it's almost not worth it.

I made one out of a straight pc of scrap alum. It worked fine and took me about 10 minutes to make. All you need to do is rig your dial indicator so that the plunger contacts your valve in a perpendicular fashion. Anyone that can rebuild a 911 engine can surely come up with a quick way to rig up a dial indicator in ten minutes or less. How much time does it take to find a tool in a catalog or on-line, place the order, pay for the tool and shipping? Plus you get the satisfaction of knowing you did it yourself and saved money to boot. You can also make quite a few of the other tools you may need if you are mechanically savvy although I admit some may not be worth it time wise.

If you look in the 101 Projects book, you will see that I used a universal holder, and just a simple hose clamp to attach it to a cam tower stud. Worked great!

-Wayne