Cylinder Fixture

[jimbrandberg]

I have a little wood stand for holding a crankcase half that works pretty good.
I have a little wooden stand for holding a cylinder head upside down that works pretty good. Maybe less than ideal for turbo heads because it has holes for the carburetor studs but I get by.

I have a little wooden stand for holding a cylinder that isn't working so good. I've got a set of cylinders and TRW pistons that are .020 and good except someone had them on an Early crankshaft so the carbon ridge is about 1/2" wide which takes some doing with a ridge reamer by hand and the cylinder wants to turn on my bogus little stand.
Apparently I'm usually just buying new pistons and having cylinders bored most of the time.
There's another thread currently on engine stands which got me hoping someone has a nice fixture they made easily for holding a cylinder.

Jim Brandberg
Isanti, MN
CorvairRepair.com

[Lane66Monza]

Take an unusable engine case half and make it your fixture.

I took 4 case bolts / nuts and 4 coupling nuts to make the legs. Also a bunch of 1/2" washers to level the legs. With the coupling nuts I drilled out the threads, so the case bolts would slide through them. Some trimmiing of the case around the bolt holes may make assembly easier. I run the bolt with a washer under the head through the outer 4 case bolt holes. I tape the bolts in. I flip case over, then slide the case nuts on. I then measure the amout of threads exposed to see how many washers I can add equall so legs will make fixture level. I install nuts and torque them down. I then grind off the exposed threads, so fixture will be level.

Photo shows my fixture. You can do 3 cylinders at one process. I usually on do one, as the engine is next to me and I want to get cylinder assembly on the engine.

This photo shows the threads and no coupling nuts. First attempt and it shows it was not level. Second attempt was with coupling nuts. I made 2 with coupling nuts. I have another case, I was thing of doing the same reconfiguring with it. If want me to make it for you I can, but I think you have the skill (maybe not the time) to make it.

[vairmech]

If you are trying to ridge ream I have always just opened my vise up and grab lightly on the bottom flat fin. Tight enough to hold what you are doing but not enough to permanently distort the cylinder. Then when I hone I put the cylinder in my vise again but I clamp on the small flat fins at the stud reliefs with the cylinder on it's side, that doesn't distort the cylinder at all, according to my bore gauge.