Valvespring compressor

Not much here for details, but the pictures speak for themselves.

Most valvespring compressors simply don't fit DSM heads worth a damn. If you have the head off of your car during an engine rebuild, and want to send it to a shop for work, and have access to a welder, you can build this valvespring compressor and save some money. I had some sockets laying around, so my total outlay for the tool was $25 for the compressor and $10 to weld it. The first time I used it, it paid for itself in saved labor costs, and every time I use it now, it saves me more.


    Here is the tool, ready to go. I bought the main compressor from Sears for $25. It wouldn't fit the DSM head, even with the extended tip on it, as the tip hit the edge of the head long before it pressed against the valve retainer. Putting a socket against the tip and valve retainer was a bit better, but the extended tip still interfered with the head. So I put the flat extension on the compressor, and figured out I'd need 2 sockets to get the right extension to avoid interfering with anything.

    I had bought a $100 all metric set from Sears, and it came with a small (14mm?) sparkplug socket, and 18mm deep socket that are NEVER used on DSMs. So I used them to save a bit of money. If you are buying new sockets to use, you will save a bit of work by buying the small sparkplug socket (remove the rubber insert), and a deep socket that the hex of the sparkplug socket slips into.

    Here's a closeup of the sockets. I welded the 18mm socket to the flat extension that came with the compressor, then ground the hex end of the sparkplug socket until it fit into the end of the 18mm deep socket, then welded them together. I then cut a window out of the sparkplug socket. NOTE that the location of the window is important for ease of use - it faces away from the rest of the compressor, so once you have it on the valve, you have the most room to rotate the compressor around if needed to access the keepers on the valve tip.

    Here's a pic of the alignment of the sockets and the "pusher pin" (don't know what else to call it). The pusher pin should be as close to centered in the socket opening as possible, to keep the force of the compressor running straight through the valve stem. I pushed the pusher pin all the way into the end of the socket when welding it to help on the alignment.

THAT'S IT! To use it, push the pusher pin all the way out to give the jaws the widest gap, then use the spring-loaded release on the compressor to open the jaws fully. Slip the sockets of the jaw over the edge of the head onto the valve retainer, then push the pusher pin up against the valve face and tighen its' lock screw down. Then compress the compressor, and remove the valve keepers (the little wedges), release the compressor, and remove the retainer, spring, spring seat, and valve. Reverse to reinstall the valves.

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Last modified: Apr 2, 2001
Copyright 1999-2001, Tom Stangl
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