Lock-In-Tool Features:
- Hardened steel tool available for professional engine builders, lightweight plastic tool available for the do-it-yourself engine builder.
- Install spiral wrist pin locks & wire wrist pin locks easier than ever before! Locks can be installed in a matter of seconds!
- To determine which tool needed for your particular application simply measure the wrist pin being used. A small block Chevrolet with a .927 diameter wrist would use the corresponding .927 tool. It's that easy!
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Easy Piston Pin Install - A Better Way
Written by Jeff Huneycutt on January 29, 2008
Written by Jeff Huneycutt on January 29, 2008
A piston-pin installation tool to make you say, "Why didn't I think of that?"
Precision Engine Machine's new Lock-In Tools promise to make installing piston
pin locks-long one of the most detested jobs in engine building-a much easier task.
pin locks-long one of the most detested jobs in engine building-a much easier task.
For engine builders, the racing world is filled with fantastic components that are designed to produce maximum power without sacrificing durability. But that doesn't mean that everything is always fun and filled with sunshine.
Take, for example, floating wristpins for racing pistons. In stock engines, the wristpins are pressed into the small end of the rod and allowed to float in the piston's pin towers. The press-fit into the rod keeps the pin from sliding out of position and scrubbing the cylinder wall, but in high-performance applications it also creates a greater possibility for the pin to gall against the pin bore in the aluminum piston. This problem is solved in racing pistons by using wire locks that fit into grooves in the pin bores. These locks locate on either side of the pin so it cannot slide far enough over to scrub the cylinder wall, but they do not keep the pin from rotating like a press-fit in the connecting rod does. By installing a bronze bushing into the pin end of the connecting rod and allowing the pin to float freely in both the rod and piston pin bores, you can significantly reduce the chances of galling the wrist pin with only minimal splash oiling.
Take, for example, floating wristpins for racing pistons. In stock engines, the wristpins are pressed into the small end of the rod and allowed to float in the piston's pin towers. The press-fit into the rod keeps the pin from sliding out of position and scrubbing the cylinder wall, but in high-performance applications it also creates a greater possibility for the pin to gall against the pin bore in the aluminum piston. This problem is solved in racing pistons by using wire locks that fit into grooves in the pin bores. These locks locate on either side of the pin so it cannot slide far enough over to scrub the cylinder wall, but they do not keep the pin from rotating like a press-fit in the connecting rod does. By installing a bronze bushing into the pin end of the connecting rod and allowing the pin to float freely in both the rod and piston pin bores, you can significantly reduce the chances of galling the wrist pin with only minimal splash oiling.
The problem, however, is that while racing technology can make components that produce fantastic power with good durability, ease of installation is rarely a design factor. Even experienced engine builders will tell you that installing pin locks in the pistons can be one of the most annoying jobs in the assembly process.
There are two basic types of pin locks: a spiral lock, which is basically a flat wire wound into a spiral, a lot like a small slinky, and a wire lock, which is round wire formed into a semi-circle slightly larger than the I.D. of the groove in the pin bore. Typically, installing either usually requires a small screwdriver and a surgeon's touch. And if it isn't done right you can easily leave plenty of scratches from the screwdriver on the side of the piston which can cause stress risers. Broken and bent wire locks also aren't unusual for new engine builders.
There are two basic types of pin locks: a spiral lock, which is basically a flat wire wound into a spiral, a lot like a small slinky, and a wire lock, which is round wire formed into a semi-circle slightly larger than the I.D. of the groove in the pin bore. Typically, installing either usually requires a small screwdriver and a surgeon's touch. And if it isn't done right you can easily leave plenty of scratches from the screwdriver on the side of the piston which can cause stress risers. Broken and bent wire locks also aren't unusual for new engine builders.
Each Lock-In-Tool includes this retaining clip. For demonstration purposes, it has been painted red to make it show up more clearly. Its purpose is to keep the pin from sliding out the back side of the piston's pin bore while you are attaching a lock.
That's why when inventor Clyde Norwood demonstrated how to use his new Lock-In-Tool, we were left slapping our heads with the old, "Why didn't I think of that?" Norwood is a longtime race engine builder and the owner of Precision Engine Service in Waxhaw, NC, and admits to having been aggravated for years by the task of installing piston pins on connecting rods. But instead of griping about it, Norwood put his mind to developing a better mousetrap and came up with his Lock-In-Tool, which is a dead-simple way of painlessly installing piston pin locks. Also, his new tool virtually eliminates the chances of scratching up the piston or breaking a wire lock in the process.
Norwood's Lock-In-Tools are cut from billet steel and have a nice heft that not only has the feel of quality but also helps seat the locks properly. There are different tool designs for installing spiral locks and round wire locks. Also, different pin diameters will require different tools, but Norwood is producing tools for almost all popular pin diameters used in racing. Follow along as we put the Lock-In-Tool to the test.
Norwood's Lock-In-Tools are cut from billet steel and have a nice heft that not only has the feel of quality but also helps seat the locks properly. There are different tool designs for installing spiral locks and round wire locks. Also, different pin diameters will require different tools, but Norwood is producing tools for almost all popular pin diameters used in racing. Follow along as we put the Lock-In-Tool to the test.
Article from December 2004 issue of Precision Engine Magazine - Volume 3 Number 6
Precision Engine Magazine produced an article in December of 2004 detailing the build of a street rod themed motor. During the engine build process, the Lock-In-Tool was used to install spiral locks in their project engine. Read the full article below.
