Quote:
Originally Posted by Brendan1959
Can rods be checked for straightness without special equipment?
I searched but have not found any thoughts on this.
|
Brendan, I guess the true answer to this is what do you call 'special equipment'?
I guess one way is if you have a good lathe and a knee mill, you can machine a mandrel for the big end of the rod that will be an exact fit (-not just the machined diameter of the crankshaft journal pin). Then insert the wrist pin on the small end of the rod, and using matched 1-2-3 blocks under both sides of the wrist pin, you will clamp it down to the table on your mill. With your mandrel located on your big end, use a Last Word indicator to sweep the top of the mandrel on both sides to check for twist.
To check for being bent, sweep the front of the wrist pin on one side and measure the distance back to the front edge of the mandrel. A DRO will make this WAY easier. Then repeat this op on the opposite side of the beam and see if your measurement repeats. A secondary method for this would be to use a large micrometer to measure between the mandrel and the wrist pin.
I guess my point is there are ways around specialized equipment like the rod checker however you really need the basic machine tools to get you started.