Ray asks:
>...
>
> How do the professionals and experienced amateurs on the list feel about
> the tabwashers? I am about to redo the rocker shaft and arms, and VB does
> not carry the tabwashers. Should I search for them, or it the considered
> opinion of the masses that they are as pointless as my mechanic insisted
> they are?
>
>
> Ray Gibbons Dept. of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics
> Univ. of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, VT
> gibbons@northpole.med.uvm.edu (802) 656-8910
If it was my engine, or an engine I knew was going to see some serious
abuse (racing, etc.), every lock tab would hit the spares bin. In their
place, I would use a hardened, ground, flat washer and LockTite (tm).
This is pretty much what the British industry did in the 70's on all the
bolts that see high cyclic forces.
The lock tabs are (necessarily) made from soft iron. Under high load, these
can crush down, effectively eliminating the clamping force (and thereby the
torque) of the bolt. Do note that the washers I mentioned are somewhat hard
to find (at least around here), and expensive. Do not use "hardware store"
washers. They're just as soft as the locktabs, and can't even keep the bolt
from spinning once the torque is gone.
Randy
randy@taylor.wyvern.com
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