Garage Storage Organization and Garage Cabinets

The Barron · **MAKING a Torque Plate.**

I want to make one at work. How thick should they be? We have some pretty thick stuff,(up to 2"),and various hardness.

I was thinking of using the headgasket as a template for the bore and bolt holes and milling it all into spec.

Any pointers?

Also.. is it really needed for a sub-300hp engine?

85glht · 04-10-2005, 05:32 PM

I would go for it. I measured my torque plate and it is 1.75" thick. Using the head gasket as a template is a good idea.
Good luck!

The Barron · 04-10-2005, 10:11 PM

Right.. thanks.

Andre Parker · 04-11-2005, 12:26 AM

Make sure the mill you are using can hold really tight tolerances or your plate may not work very well.

Reaper1 · 04-11-2005, 08:32 PM

As far as thickness Andre' is right, but I have a buddy that has one made out of an old elevator counterweight...the cylinder holes were cut in it with a torch I beleive...the bolt holes were drilled. I think he had it planed after the cutting was done.

I actually broke down and bought one($$$OUCH$$$), even out of the box it had to be modified!!! The friggin' cylinder holes weren't centered over the block when it was bolted down! The machine shop HATED that!!!

The Barron · 04-12-2005, 09:44 PM

Using references from the head gasket,my friend is designing it with AutoCAD,the pattern will be downloaded into a computerized torch/plasma cutter, The cyl holes are undersized and will be brought to spec on the milling machine and the bolt holes will be drilled on the miller with precise X/Y measurements.

This satisfactory? :-) I work for in a full blown industrial manufacturing shop. Fear not boys.

IF all turns out well. I may be able to rip off a wack of these quite cheap for my intersted fellow TD'ers.

Mopar_Nutz · 04-13-2005, 01:49 AM

Or rent that bad boy out nice and cheap for some of the fellow Canucks who don't wanna pay for shipping one up from the States

The Barron · 04-13-2005, 05:26 AM

.. cheap as in.. you pay for the shipping both ways. How do I hook a big rubber band to it tho? LOL

22dodge · 04-13-2005, 08:38 AM

I sold my brand new torque plate for $100. unless you have awsome precision machines, you will do more harm than good. why not contact engine parts suppliers for one... like goodson, or silver seal.

Andre Parker · 04-13-2005, 02:08 PM

The equipment in the shop he is describing is more than adequate for making one. As long as the blue print is on. I personally would use a engine block to make a print as it will be a more accurate point to make a print from than a gasket. Just how I would do it.

The Barron · 04-13-2005, 06:03 PM

22dodge, please excuse my ignorance (seriously) but if all the holes align perfectly and both sides of the plate are perfectly flat....what carm can come from this?

My block and head are about 1 1/2 hrs away in a machine shop.. so my headgasket was the only thing I had.

I figure a precision piece for the grand total of $0 is cool.

Putter · 04-13-2005, 07:32 PM

I thought about just cutting an old cylinder head into a torque plate, what could mimic a cylinder head better than a cylinder head?

My neighbor has a large machine shop with a bandsaw definatly big enough to hack off the cam caps, and mill out the cylinders.

The Barron · 04-13-2005, 07:46 PM

hmm.. its a cool idea.. but maybe removing that much material from the head could compromise its integrity to the extent that it would have no effect on the block when it was bolted down.

22dodge · 04-13-2005, 08:29 PM

I suppose if you have a CNC, grinder, to ensure perfect flatness. you need a precision ground surface. I use to have all that stuff in my race shop before health forced me to get out of that....even having all the equipment to make a part such as a torque plate, by the time if figured on material (that usually isn't free) setup time, machine run time and energy cost, it wasn't worth the $200 for a brand new one that someone else did all the work. I'll save money when it's quick and easy. but if you don't have it pefectly parallel, use the right materials, you could end up distorting the block.

but if i still had all the necessarry equipment, Free material supply and endless time, I suppose I would be making one also.

Putter · 04-13-2005, 10:53 PM

I don't know if hacking the cams off and boring out the cylinders of a stock head would change its strength against the block much, as the cam towers are barely attached if you really look at the bases, and the entire backside of the chamber of course is a coolant jacked, but all your clamping loads are still going to be transferred right down to the deck surface via headbolt bosses etc.....

It would probably work better than just a flat steel plate, but I'm not expert so I could be totally out in left field on this one.