Valve Seat Grinding Stone Recommendations

Valve Seat Grinding Stone Recommendations

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The seat grinder is hiding in the cabinet. My question is - if anyone on here has ground seats in their AC engines before, what type of stone were you using? I am currently planning on ordering some general rough and finish stones since I can't find that AC was using anything like Stellite in the WD-45 and earlier tractors, which is mostly what I have. Figured someone on here might have some experience with what the best types of stones to use are.

I bought an old Sioux 645L valve grinder/refacer a couple of years back, tore it apart to clean it up, and didn't get it put back together until the other day. My 1951 WD needs some touch-up work on the valves and seats (it appears to have seat inserts installed already).

1939 B, 1940 B, 1941 WC, 1951 WD, 1952 CA, 1956 WD-45

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They might have information about this for you.

Regards,

Chris

I would call Bill at Sandy Lake.

John,

D17 1958 (NFE), WD45 1954 (NFE), WD 1952 (NFE), WD 1950 (WFE), Allis F-40 forklift, Allis CA, Allis D14, Ford Jubilee, Many IH Cub Cadets, 32 Ford Dump, 65 Comet.

Last time I did that they were in the head. Bought some abrasive paste stuff and a valve grinding tool and just went down the line. They looked good to me.

D14, D17, 5020, 612H, CASE 446

You can buy wheels of different diameters to fit into the seat, so check that... and you can buy them at different angles to get the top cut and bottom cut on the seat... so verify that.

John, they have coarse, medium, and fine wheels, just like the paste you use to lap them in to finish... The grit you use to cut the seats or valve faces depends on how bad they are to start with... Normally you can use a medium or fine wheel and just take a couple of thousandths off to true them up. You do something like cut the valve faces at 45 degrees, then cut the seats in the head at 44 and 46 so you have a line in the center where the valve seats, then you lap it in to get the width of the seal you want... maybe .060 or so... Every engine spec is different, but basically, they are all the same.

Like them all, but love the "B"s.

Exactly what Steve said and I might add that when you grind the seats you'll know real quick if you need to use a coarse stone. I used a fine stone to start then went aggressively if needed. Not sure about AC but if you hit a soft seat with a finish stone it will clean it right quick if it's a hard seat you'd be there forever.

Also that Sioux should have a degree mark that is 1 off the (ex 45) degree on both the seat stone cutter and on the valve grinder angle.

"LET'S GO BRANDON!!"

If you are looking for more details, kindly visit Valve Test Bench.

I'll order general purpose rough and finish stones and get some to cut at 60 or 30 degrees to narrow the seat width if needed. The intake seats look like I can just touch them with the finish stone but I may have to use the rough stone on one or two of the exhaust seats.

Thanks for the tips guys. I was reading that seats that are just cut into the cast iron of the head should grind easily with just a finish stone. I have all the manuals for my Sioux stuff and it does a pretty good job of explaining things and calling out stones for specific engines, but with seat inserts installed (presumably harder than the factory seats in the cast iron of the head) they're a bit of an unknown. I do at least have the right stone diameters from that Sioux chart. There are several stone materials now (one for Stellite, one that's ruby, another that's cool blue, etc.) beyond the general purpose rough and finish so I didn't know if anyone had any preferences.

1939 B, 1940 B, 1941 WC, 1951 WD, 1952 CA, 1956 WD-45

Kansas99 wrote:

Exactly what Steve said and I might add that when you grind the seats you’ll know real quick if you need to use a coarse stone. I used a fine stone to start then went aggressively if needed. Not sure about AC but if you hit a soft seat with a finish stone it will clean it right quick if it’s a hard seat you’d be there forever.

Also that Sioux should have a degree mark that is 1 off the (ex 45) degree on both the seat stone cutter and on the valve grinder angle.

Yep, the seat grinder dresser has a 46-degree mark to cut the stones at and the chuck for the valve grinder has a 44-degree mark (and probably the same 1 degree off for 30-degree valves, but I don't have anything with 30-degree valves that I'm aware of so I haven't paid attention). The AC manual just specs 45 degrees for everything while some of my other engine manuals spec the 1-degree interference fit. I may tweak the seats and valves +0.5 and -0.5 degrees just so I'm erring on the "safe" side with tolerances of 45 degrees for both of them.

It'll be a learning experience either way but I figured it's something I should be able to do in-house for most of my older engines. New valves are cheap for some engines and not so much for others, and a lot of times the seats aren't so far gone that they need to be replaced.

1939 B, 1940 B, 1941 WC, 1951 WD, 1952 CA, 1956 WD-45

Look up Goodson, they have all kinds of valve grinding stones, and accessories. I prefer the white stones for Stellite, since they seem to be forward compatible, so they will work okay on everything you may encounter. The trick is getting the sizes you need that fit right.

210 "too hot to farm" puller, part of the "insane pumpkin posse". Owner of Guenther Heritage Diesel, specializing in fuel injection systems on heritage-era tractors. Stock rebuilds to all-out pullers!

Thanks Ed. This time I am going with Woodward/Cylinder Head Supply but did find Goodson, Regis, and Beam Equipment - all seem to be great sources of valve/seat grinding parts. I think it's amazing that these companies are keeping these machines going after Snap-On bought Sioux, shut them down, and abandoned service support.

1939 B, 1940 B, 1941 WC, 1951 WD, 1952 CA, 1956 WD-45

Christmas in May? My grinding stones, fluid, etc. order came in. Guess I better get the valve guides ordered so I can do the seats.

1939 B, 1940 B, 1941 WC, 1951 WD, 1952 CA, 1956 WD-45

3 Quick Tips To Improve Your Valve Grinding

Use mineral-based grinding oils for best results.

Mineral-based oils cool while grinding so you won't burn the surfaces of your valves. These oils also help remove particles and inhibit rust.

Choose the right stone for the right material

Valve grinding is NOT a one abrasive fits all proposition. Different materials require different abrasives. General Purpose wheels are intended for your basic, bread and butter, everyday passenger car valves. They are a great starting point but they won't do everything. Yes, it would be great if a single stone would work for every valve (it sure would simplify our inventory) but that isn't the case. You cannot get by with a single stone.

As valve manufacturers are using increasingly complex metal alloys to reduce weight, increase strength, improve heat tolerance, the job of valve grinding becomes more complex which is why you'll see such a large selection of valve refacing stones in the Goodson catalog. You must test and experiment to find what works the best for you and what you're grinding.

It may seem a waste of time to be changing grinding wheels just because the valve material changed. In the long run, though, you're saving time. You could easily waste an hour trying to grind a valve with the wrong abrasive. Isn't it worth the few minutes it'll take to change the wheel?

A quick tip from an old machinist ... group your jobs together based on the stone you have on the valve refacer. Do all of your stainless valves at the same time, swap to a stone for stellite and do those, etc. Work smarter, not harder.

Use a sharp diamond when dressing for best results.

We can't say this enough — sharp diamonds are essential. Not only do they cut faster, but they give a superior finish. Always, always, always check your diamond before beginning to dress your stone. If it's starting to get rounded, rotate it to a different point or order a new one. You'll do more harm than good with a dull diamond.

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