side valve, valve spring compression tool wanted

[jeff47wl]

hello everyone,

I am looking for a valve spring compression tool that will work on a 45ci flathead Harley Davidson
or a 1946 Indian 74ci flathead.
any information on where to buy one will be appreciated.

thank you
jeff #5191

[Lyle Manheimer]

Jeff, I made one. You will need a welding machine and a good drill press. First you will need about a 2 inch piece of pipe the diameter of the round retainer. I think I used 1/2 inch pipe for my Chief. Next a washer the slightly larger than the pipe, Tack the washer in four spots to the pipe. Now tack a bolt, head toward the washer and keep it square, to the washer. Now you have the unfinished tool. The pipe must be slotted on both sides, four cuts, with a cut off wheel or hacksaw, directly under two of the tacks. Once done, take a pair of pliers and snap off the small pieces at the tacks. Take your time weld it up. Easy on the heat, don't warp it. Clean your gizmo up with a file, wire wheel, don't want rough edges.
Place your cylinder on a piece of plywood on the drill press table, some shimming maybe required due to valve protrusion from the cylinder head. Keep the cylinder square with the drill press chuck. Chuck your tool up in the drill press and push down on the retainer. Lock the extended chuck down and remove the keepers through the slots with a pocket magnet and release the chuck lock while holding pressure down on the chuck. You are done. I would post a picture but I can not locate mine, hope you get the idea.

[Rubone]

The factory tool is designed to be able to remove the valves while the cylinders are still in place on the engine. It is to allow periodic maintenance when not doing a complete teardown. There is one pictured in the center of this photo, the silver contraption below the large C clamp looking compressor for OHV units. There are automotive types that can be adapted and function similarly.

[sny]

Nice collection of tools you have there!

[T. Cotten]

You will always need just one more tool, Folks!

Once upon a time, a harley buddy told me he needed to replace the seals on his valve covers without removing the heads, much less the cylinders.
So he fed a big ball o' string through the sparkplug hole, brought up the piston to push the wad over the valves, and then pried up the collars to release each assembly..

I have no reason to doubt him.

...Cotten
PS: Blue bars center left are used with my previous attachment.

[Chris Haynes]

Dixie had lots of them. Somebody bought them. They will appear.

[kval]

You will always need just one more tool, Folks!

Once upon a time, a harley buddy told me he needed to replace the seals on his valve covers without removing the heads, much less the cylinders.
So he fed a big ball o' string through the sparkplug hole, brought up the piston to push the wad over the valves, and then pried up the collars to release each assembly..

I have no reason to doubt him.

...Cotten
PS: Blue bars center left are used with my previous attachment.

Cotton
the string thing does work, 1 year while hunting I used that to replace a broken valve spring on a small block Chevy van parked 5 miles back in the woods