I'm Thinking Of Starting A Small Business Doing Valve Jobs For Extra Cash - Opinions Welcome

Q: sounds great to me, the shops around here mainly do just head work, so go for it! * Sent from RemarQ http://www.remarq.com The Internet's Discussion Network * The fastest and easiest way to search and participate in Usenet - Free!

A: Your target market is going to be the modern automobile engine, correct? As a rule, modern engines just don't require periodic valve jobs as they once did years ago, usually by the time the valves are junk, so is the rest of the engine....there are exceptions.. Better get set up to weld aluminum cylinder heads then, a large percentage of cylinder head work is repairing cracked heads. Oh, cast iron ones crack frequently also, better get the equipment to pin and machine them also. Welded cylinder heads tend to warp whilst being welded, you'll need an oven to straighten them, also add a milling machine to restore the correct RMS surface finish.....a stock of diamond cutters will no doubt be required also. Of course the crack and the weld always tend to be between the seats, so a way to flycut a new seat pocket consentric to the guide is needed. Ooops, that aluminum cylinder head also has an overhead camshaft, the bore for the cam bearings will have to be trued after the head was welded. Let's not forget leak checking equipment, cracks, leaks, welds, leaks...some cracks leak, some don't leak....gotta know which is which. (BRB, I gotta take a leak)....... Knurling doesn't cut it (no pun) anymore....not on modern engines with OBDII spec exhaust monitoring, I'm sure Sunnen or Serdi will help you out with the necessary equipment (might need a second mortgage tho). Besides, those guides went south when you but the head in the oven to straighten it, gotta install new ones. You'll also have to inventory some oversized head gaskets, the ones that make up the difference in dimension for the removed stock from the cylinderhead, the regular parts houses probably won't stock 'em....happy customer and all that... Better add an inventory of Torque to yield head bolts along with that gasket order....ya gotta be one stop shopping, ya know. So, by the time you're done buying and paying for all this equipment, and making a buck for yourself, you just priced your product out of the budget compared to the local wrecking yard which seems to be the weapon of choice for do it yourselfers. There is a trade publication called "Automotive Rebuilder" Babcox Publications publishes it. Not intended for the gas station crowd, good industry resource and best of all it's free http://www.automotiverebuilder.com Check it out, lots of articles in the last 10 years about shops expanding to meet the market, which seems to indicate being a full service machine shop.

Discuss It!

Most Popular Articles

More