Grinding lifters?

[bruce]

I need to grind the face on some lifters the diameter is 1.056" and it needs to be tappered.

I have an old Sioux valve grinder with heads on either end and more than likely can figure out some way to accomplish this but thought I'd ask here first before setting out on my own.

I do have a rocker arm grinding attachment for my grinder, I would need something that I could turn and rotate the lifter and advance it into the wheel.

Any thoughts?

[49-1183904562]

Bruce,

First question is How Many?

If it were me I would set up a fixture to hold a die grinder in the compound on the lathe (I had to make one because tool post grinders are to much $$). Then using a small 3" wheel, true the stone, set your angle 1Deg etc on the compound and grind using the compound as your tool feed.

Also I use a speed controller on my grinder sometimes as spinning the 3" wheel at full speed makes me nervous.

Rick

[106-1194218389]

Bruce, Rick,
When I had my automotive machine shop there was a cam grinder next door. He had a lifter grinding machine and it did remind me of a valve facer with the chuck large enough to hold the lifter and then you could set the chuck angle to feed into the stone at the set angle. The only question I have is aren't factory new lifters crowned with a convex radius? And if you grind it that way you would have a flat peeked tapered angle. He said that he had no failures though and it seemed to work. I cannot tell you for sure as I have never tried any in my engines as I had to stand behind a warranty. Anyway food for thought.
John

[Greg]

Hi guys,

I do lifters pretty regularly on my valve facer. It has a V you sit valves into to tip them. I sit the lifter in there and spin them against the wheel with a bar in the air drill with a rubber stopper on the end.

You can check to make sure they aren't flat or concave by holding 2 together with a light behind them, you should see a little light between them. I've done them like this for 20 years and never had a problem. You need to dress the wheel very fine, I normally rough them down so they are cleaned up then reface the wheel and finish them. I buzz them on a wire buffing wheel after that to remove any burs etc.