Oh no! Not another shim removal tool post.

[Navigator]

I love these things. Your version definitely has some improvements.

You don’t need to turn the cam to depress the valve... just tighten down the bolt, doesn’t take much torque, the valve springs are pretty soft.

When I hit Ten K Rob I would most appreciate it if you could stop by to check the valves, only for piece of minds reasons.

 

[1olbull]

You are probably sick of the shim tool, but I thought I would post one more version I made.

I fabricated one of the posted tools for Paul, but he expressed some concerns with the tool ideas. He was concerned about having only one of the screws in place on what he described as a somewhat fragile ladder. When turning the cams to depress the valves he thought it might put undue stress on the one and only bolt holding things in place before installing the tool and tightening it down to hold the bucket down. Correct me if this is wrong @Joesmoe

To solve the problem, I revamped the posted plans and made the fingers longer to compensate for the height of adding a M6 bolt and flange nut first before turning the cams to depress the valves. I also put a small bend in the fingers to position the two bucket fingers in the same spot on the bucket where the posted straight leg tool would have landed.

I used a 2" wide concrete mounting bracket from Menards (as shown) and laid it out as to how it had to be cut. Hacksaw time! I drilled multiple small holes at the inside of the bracket bend and was able to snap the the center finger cut out. There was some work with a file to smooth things out.

I found some M6 X 60mm set screws (Amazon) to be put in to replace the removed ladder bolt... you then could tighten things down with a flange nut before bolting the shim tool down on top of the other flange nut. The feet have 1" curves ground on the tips to better match the lip of the bucket. The edges are sharp and crisp. The shim tool as a whole can be shortened, holes elongated, washers added for spacers, fingers bent...whatever... for a perfect fit... I hope.

Since the idea has not been tested by anyone yet, it remains to be seen if it will work. Based on other posted plans, I see know reason why it shouldn't. Lots of room for personal tweaking when the time comes. Pictures

Looks very nice, well made and neat -
But have you used the darn thing yet???
Pretty ain't important - function is!

 

[Bedifferent]

Looks very nice, well made and neat -
But have you used the darn thing yet???
Pretty ain't important - function is!

And there in lies the rub of it all...Ye of so little faith...It's Untested.

I think Paul will be a good candidate to let us know how it matches up if he has to pull that valve cover again. Fortunately, it is well in the ballpark of all the the posted plans/ideas and can be easily changed. I would say a vise, a hammer tap here and there on the bends and maybe a file would do the trick. As for neatly made...Well maybe. Pretty....hmm...Probably not so much.

 

[Joesmoe]

Phooey - just saw this, and yes, it slipped my mind as I was focused on getting to Maggie Valley.

I'm still not convinced I have the valve cover gasket sorted, and the process is acceptable having done it three times of removing the tank, throttle bodies, three coils to clear the area, and then the valve cover.

So I will likely do this again once back from Maggie Valley, and definitely will test the tool.

 

[Bob R]

I am also going to do mine this month so hopefully one of us will be able to talk about the tool and how it works.

bob

 

[phar2slo]

Phooey - just saw this, and yes, it slipped my mind as I was focused on getting to Maggie Valley.

I'm still not convinced I have the valve cover gasket sorted, and the process is acceptable having done it three times of removing the tank, throttle bodies, three coils to clear the area, and then the valve cover.

So I will likely do this again once back from Maggie Valley, and definitely will test the tool.

Just take the gasket and tools and you will have an audience of experience blokes at Maggie Valley only to keen to give a hand help you get it sorted.

 

[Rocket Scientist]

Just take the gasket and tools and you will have an audience of experience blokes at Maggie Valley only to keen to give a hand help you get it sorted.

Ya ! Like an Amish barn raising !

 

[Joesmoe]

In my younger days, managing testing of the F-16, I learned that complex machines don't like to sit - when they did, they tended to stay down even longer.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it -- they said. Powerful words for the real world.

I have seen when someone was down, the collected wisdom - specifically @Rocket Scientist , @Speedy , @warp9.9 at work to raise them.

In those cases, asking for their help, oh so willingly given, had a cost of sorts, as they missed that day's riding.

I could not in good conscious ask for that as a discretionary.