Conrod Bolt "re-use" question

[Mark Henry]

Originally Posted by Walt Fricke

Catorce - I've got a Summit stretch gauge. I have difficulty seeing how the $200 ARP gauge is going to do a better job in any way, so ~$50 is cheap compared to the ARP - or a fair number of other special tools.

Agree and my customers never see any of these tools, when I'm building my engines any distraction, customers, phone calls, etc., are strictly verboten.

[jd74914]

I'm a little stuck on why the ARP gauge would be better too; AFAIK, both it and the Summit gauge for example use unbranded dial indicators. Obviously, neither are making their own measurement tools so you're trusting accuracy from a 2nd or 3rd party as represented by whoever you buy it from.

It's different than what you see in other precision industries. For example, I work with lasers/optics and even our branded tools have part numbers from the OEM so you might get something from say Newport which is dual branded Mitutoyo/Newport and has a Mitutoyo part number and cert.

[Catorce]

Originally Posted by Walt Fricke

Catorce - I've got a Summit stretch gauge. I have difficulty seeing how the $200 ARP gauge is going to do a better job in any way, so ~$50 is cheap compared to the ARP - or a fair number of other special tools.

I don't think it is any better at all. It looks nicer, however. Because I manufacture the cases, I have replaced a lot of my older tools with much nicer versions that do more or less the same thing. I have the ARP gauge because it is their official product and projects confidence, pure and simple. I have 4 Snap On digital torque wrenches that cost 600 each for the same reasons. Same goes for the slew of Mitutoyo digital micrometers and calipers.

When you buy a high end product from someone you expect they are well equipped and can measure and torque to spec.

Perception, really.

[Walt Fricke]

Makes sense. Obviously, the only person I need to satisfy is myself, so when my Sears valve spring compressor started bending when installing race springs, I had to reinforce it. Then the next part started bending, and on it went. My welding is rudimentary, but it works (a grinder helps).

I can see if I were a shop, customers would flee seeing this.



For cam timing, I have two digital indicators. One is Centech (Harbor Freight). The other is Fowler (maybe from Enco?). I got to distrusting my readings, so I swapped the indicators side to side. Lo and behold, they both read the same per side, so at least, despite not being professional grade (the Fowler sever years ago cost about $75 I think), they were off, if within their three decimal places (two for metric)they were the same.

What I'd like to find is something in this price range which had a port with CSV output so I could use that to populate a spread sheet and really check things easily. Anyone know of such a product?