My high school shop teacher showed me the drill trick for lapping an exhaust valve that was causing a miss on an old Pontiac that was brought in. I pulled the exhaust manifold off, rotated the engine until the valve was open, used a tiny paint brush to put compound on the valve, removed the valve spring, and spun it with a drill. It worked like a champ. No more miss. That was 20 years ago and that kind of ingenuity has got me out some tight spots.

This is how I did the valves on my Kawasaki zx7 except I couldn’t get the drill straight into the valve so I used a rubber hose on the valve stem and then into the drill so I could run the drill at an angle

I’ve done this for years! Yes, it works... the engine has to seal up to run. I have a picture of my daughter lapping valves when she was 9 years old. She is in her 30’s now.

Step#1-Don't drop the VALVES!!!!!🤣

I was 13 when my dad taught me how to do this. We rebuilt a 318 in the shed . We got a lot of miles out of that engine

If you want to check your work just turn off the lights and use a flash light in the port to make sure that no light is coming through the valve and seat . It's quick and accurate .

I appreciate you mentioning this isn't a replacement for a professional multi angle valve job. Just a decent way to get by on the cheap. When most guys post a video like this they say machine shops are just trying to rip you off. It's like people refuse to understand overhead or how much machines and tooling costs. Let alone if you ever want to upgrade to machines built this decade to replace a machine before its clapped out and can't hold tolerance.

Soooo.....I found your clone, your doppleganger.....he's outta Merriville Indiana, calls himself Uncle Toby, guess he's a really shoddy quasi mechanic who preaches about AMCs, he prefers the Matador....very strange Uncle Tony, I told that guy he ain't my uncle, you are....keep the backyard clean brother

I use a piece of hose that will fit over the valve stem and just stick the other side in the drill works good for valve lapping and you don't risk damaging the stem

Wicked, I've been working on my own stuff for 30 plus years, never seen that before! Good show Tony! Good program, a tip to all the KZfaqrs out there, watch the whole ad and the person that made the video gets paid more than if you skip it, lets keep supporting this man! Thanks Uncle Tony!

Did the same thing with my Ford 5.0. They do make different grades of compounds. One is for the rough cut, and the other is a finishing cut. It makes sense to also clean the area and then shine a bright light down the runner while you check for areas of the valve not seating 100%. Take your time on this it's worth it

Wow, and I thought I invented this when my dad gave me a 77 Lincoln 460 with almost no compression. It barely ran. I tried the stupid cup tool for about 10 minutes and realized I had 2.5 months of work ahead of me using that. But one thing - You're going to tear up your drill pulling on it, the bearing wasn't designed for that. Just take an oily rag and hold the valve with your other hand against the face. Now you're free to press and give as much grinding pressure as you want. If your rag is not slick enough then your finger will quickly get hot as the valve spins under it. In hindsight, a bottle cap or anything to prevent your finger getting a friction burn might be better than a rag.

I was still using the cup method next time i will try the drill method. Thanks great idea!!!

I don't know why anyone would think this is a hack job. This is a great way to overhaul your engine. Replace all gaskets and seals. Real good tune up and get ready for the next 80 to 100k miles before a rebuild. Just remember that there is a difference between an overhaul and a rebuild and you will be all set.

The valve guide test rocks

This is for a head that really didn't need a valve job and in that case a machine shop is cheap

Watching your channel makes me want to go an buy my old high school car I had which was a 78 Chevy impala 2 door.

Damnit Tony you're giving away all our secrets...Ive done this for years....A lil Makita reversible drill is my go to.

A bit of fuel line on the valve stem to the drill can help..... PLUS You can cut and modify the wood handle on the valve lapping tool..... chuck that up and work it from the front and by pushing on the face of the valve you can generate a lot more force if need be...... In that setting they clean up real quick.....

I still prefer to do them with the cup, and by hand. I’ve tried the drill before and it left a lot of grooves in both the valve and the seat. But, if it works for you, I’m not gonna argue.

Uncle Tony you never cease to amaze me my man you are a legend have a great night take care buddy

Pro tip, use valve grind compound on stripped nuts, bolts and screw heads

Another gem from Uncle Tony's garage thanks Tony!

I like a vacuum hose chuck to the valve it won't ruin valve coating

One of the many reasons my hearing is shot. My dad had me doing stuff like this at 6 years old. Then punk music came along. I learned a lot as a baby.

That’s so funny! I thought I was the only one who used a drill to lap valves. Never seen anyone else do it.

When I took cylinder head rebuilding class from Dr. Len Mosher At Cal Poly ,we were told ,and also read in the textbook that lapping should have been tossed out with the Model T. The theory is that as the valve heats up it gets longer and the lapped surfaces no longer connect. My ole man lapped the valves on the various Hudsons he had when I was kid due to a low compression readings.They definitely ran better . I did it on a cheapy overhaul on a flathead '60Dodge pickup that I pulled out of the Santa Cruz mountains and it ran great. When you can'tafford a nice 3-5 angle valve job I think the methods you teach herein are just fine. A local San Jose valve shop told me they lap the valves after doing a multi-angle valve job on chevy heads used on sprint cars their reasoning being these race only engines did not get broken in and had to make max power immediately.

I was doing this in the 70's. Good job.

Well I'm glad you do the drill thing too !

nowadays it seems like if you don't spend a fortune fixing something you don't know what you are doing! we used to grind valves and make our own gaskets among other things, shave heads and blocks. make exhaust manifolds , shifters, adapters for installing one type engine to a different vehicle, unschooled now they call them rat rods ! younger generations don't know all the fancy bolt on speed equipment was developed by back yard hot rodders THANK YOU FOR THE SHOW, I ENJOYED IT < KEEP IT REAL

So I’ve watched several videos on lapping valves. Some say do it by hand and others using a drill. I’m going to use the drill, see what happens. Thx Tony!!

Uncle Tony if you did some troubleshooting videos on the old stuff it would be killer

I have been working on cars for many years but I always learn something when I watch your videos. Ken

good video love learning shit from old school cats like you grew up learning from guys like you subscribed to your channel keep em coming brings me back

Did this a week ago. They look and seal great!

Tony that is the way dad taght me in the 70s. Later in a&p school we lapped valves in the jug of an aircraft engine we turned it upside down and put solvent in one hour later we. Could have no seepage.

Good one I’ve never seen that done I’ve seen the wood handle thing that looked, pretty Easy good tip good video

Hey i liked your video. I did this once, kind of did it on my own from my own idea and used a 3/8 bar stock with a suction cup from a valve lap tool in a drill from the other side of the valve... appeared to have worked great... never fired the motor though, sold it cause I was moving. Now i am looking into that to do to get through this summer in my 50 chevy with its boat anchor 1985 350

I spent 1 hour yesterday with a suction end on a dowel and thought " there must be an easier method than this !" Willing to give it a try 😌

I did this hundreds of times with a drill, A BIT, and a short piece of fuel line hose, to avoid tipping the valve in the seat....minutes each.

I have hand lapped many valves. It didn't take very long, even without a drill motor.

I did this exact process on my Buick engine some years back to freshen it up. I used a piece of rubber hose on my valve though to spin it with the drill.

Nice simple stuff. Never had the guts to grab a drill. Thought about it more then once but still go back to the old hand unit.

I bought a 03 Honda Accord that had jumped time and bent some valves. I pulled the head and found it was just 4 of the intake valves. Bought a cheap set of valves, timing chain, and a gasket kit off EBay, some lapping compound and I used a cordless drill and done it exactly like this. A buddy said, you're gonna fuck those all up doing it like that, that ain't how its done! That was 4 years ago and that car is still on the road running like a champ. I had never seen it done like that before, I just hate that piece of shit suction cup that never stays put. That was my faster and easier solution. Glad to see Uncle Tony approves of this method. Lol

This will be perfect For my 318. Thanks

way to go bro like the info ,the drill is great

2:50 is the greatest ever hahaha

Yup. Ben doing it like this fir years. I love me my uncle tony

I had a 77 honda CVCC that had a miss and wouldnt pass emissions. I took the aux valve spring off and chucked the valve stem into the drill and spun the valve with the head still on. It fixed the miss. When I rested the mechanic ask me how I fixed it, "it was inside the engine" he said. I didnt say.

My man good job explaining

ive just done that , nice contacts , fill the chamber with water , blow air up the port and it just blows bubbles like crazy . no matter how many times i repeat

Did This To My New Manley Valves And My 5.7 Hemi Heads =)

If you're worried that you will damage your valve stems, Get the old fashioned lapping tool and put the wooden stick into a drill. A compromise

It' wouldn't have been the new if the old stuff didn't come first' Old school will always Rule 👍💨

I cleaned all the gasket surfaces on my 318 with a belt sander...it worked great...just don't use excessive pressure, and keep it moving...the castings looked like new...it's still running after six years.

Man. Brings back memories. Had an ol diplomat with 318. Dad said he was done working on my cars,but he'd be there if I needed knowledge. Rebuilt the top end and such. Spent quite awhile lapping the valves with a suction cup on a stick. Got it all back together, ran awesome. Loved that ol Dip. Sure miss the ol man. Thanks for your videos. My new favorites.

Thank you UTG!!

If you hace the valves ground first that works much better even if you dont cut the seats still is much cheaper.

Thanks, UTG!

I lapped my valves just like that, with a drill attached to the stem from the other side. I had reservations about it and thought it's wrong to do it that way. My buddy who owns a machine shop sees me doing it and reads me the riot act, gives me scientific info about this and that and why i shouldn't do it that way. couple of years later i go to visit him at his shop, and i'll be damned if he wasn't in the corner of his shop doing THE EXACT same thing. I look at him, shake my head and he busts out laughing. He says, "hey i had to give you shit", but you CAN do it this way on a normal everyday driver, just don't do it on a built engine. He no longer owns the shop (lol not because of this, COVID shut him down, caused him to pack it up after 43 years)

I guess I was sixteen or so when I lapped in all the valves on a 283. Had the stick and the suction cup. Do they still make Clover compound with the different grits on each side of the can? Good times.

Good info.

I'm a mechanic that's never seen the drill trick or even cooler the wd-40 suction test, awesome. One question tho, do you check it with engineering blue or filling up the combustion chamber with a solvent to check for leaks?

I would love to hang out with this kat

Do you put fluid in the ports to check for leaks after this? Is it necessary?

Used put finger on back valve hole and pull the valve out listen for a crisp 'pop" sound that tell you its sealing 👍

nice video!be carefull, if you dont tighten the drill chuck very well it may spin and scratch the valve stem deeply...what i do is i cut the grinding stick in half and stick it in the drill and use the drill to spin it....also this may not apply to american cars but European engines most of them are multi valve and you have no room to fit the drill chuck directly on the stem. but nice tips thanks

Do it at home! After you finish the valva job lets use some sandpaper to make the head nice and flat! 😸

well done

This is longest I have seen him without a cigarette...not allowed in most shops now I imagine.

Are those heads case hardened? Not that it would matter too much for something mild, but I read that lapping the valves can take the hardening out of the seats. That’s the way my big block ford heads are anyway. I also read that some mopars came with factory ford/mercury seats. Is that true?

Uncle tony, question, would it be beneficial to run a lead additive in the fuel? I used to have to add it to my opel gt until i started working on planes and got access to av gas lol. Would it extend the exhaust valve life in these motors with detrements elsewhere ya think?

Hey Tony, what happened to the porting video you referenced in this video, it seems to have disappeared. Was it deleted?

Hey Tom have you ever peened valve seats? Long time mopar guy dealing with the newer heads (4.7) and looking for a home solution to prevent valve seat drop. Thanks

Both my cars have valve issues that I am living with. My 3 cylinder '98 Metro is famous for it, and has low compression in Cyl#2. My '82 Dodge w150 slant 6 has low compression in #5, I think for the same reason. someday I will take the heads off, or just drive them into the ground and then part them out. I'm not sure. Both are rusty too.

Some guys dont like doing it that way. They say using a drill in one direction for too long puts grooves or a perfect scratch across the whole valve seat. And the volume is too low even with head phones on turned up all the way.

If the seat has a 3 angle valve job just finished , is lapping g still required?

We call the the good old one angle valve job lol

That's the way I learned in high school, except we had to spin it with the cup like we were starting a boy scout fire. What was the liquid you used for clean up?

I used toothpaste on my old gm 6 cld motors back in the day and a drill on the valve to seat it in , it worked ok ,

How would you test it for air leaks? Does that matter?

Years ago I decided to lap the valves on a junkyard toyota 22r I was swapping into a celica. Took the suction cup off a old school lapping tool and glued it to a 4in long piece of rod stock with 3m super weatherstrip adhesive... chucked it into a air drill and went to town on the head. A tiny shot of contact adhesive from a spray can on each valve keeps em stuck to the suction cup and cleans off real easy with solvent.

Pure Mechanical Parady

Dude... 30 years I’ve been lapping valves by hand, never once did I think about a drill. I’m such and idiot... I just did what my dad taught me and didn’t think about it too much....

Toney Ive heard that buying mass produced aluminum heads the valves can be poorley seated. If you lap the valves is it possible to seat them correctly, like say .009? Have you ever used Newby hand valve seats? It looks easy to do with Dykem. Im thinking of buying new alum heads fir my 65 Pontiac and are concerned about the quality of parts theyre offering at the suppliers I hear alot of negative, poor parts, porly put together etc Thanks for all your info really helps. U should quit smoking someday you will regret it

Or they pop when you deal the valve top and pump them out

Anyone consider first prep lapping (conditioning) the seats with the old valves, then re-lapping with the new valves (If new valves are being installed) ?

👽 thanks 4 the vid. spread the love

Not a cigarette thats why he dropped the valve muscle memory

I should send you a head off of my sons pro4 stock car. It's a Ford 2.3 lima

Yeah...no kidding on using compound sparingly...I learned that the hard way on my first use ever ...an old 5 horse Brigs when I was 10 il never forget that mess,hell I got it half way up the stem into the guide....not cool ...glad it was a tiller engine and nothing fancy

May not leak on the bench wait til it gets hot. IF the other cuts were any good and seating they arent now . I see your point tony but too many vid on yt and commenters believe they dont need a VJ. This is a hack move. Theres a reason you do it by hand it serves one purpose only.

Guessing your not worried about gauling the valve stem with the drill chuck.

Minor improvement by a piece of sand paper grit to valve face , clean the valve before you lap !

i have 1981 Buick 3.8L 231Cu V6 engine on my 1983 Cutlass 2door any recommendations 👍👍

I was ahead of you on the valve job did it right after cutting excessive metal

If you got it tore down put a few more bucks in it

You've got to be really careful to get ALL the lapping compound off the parts...its abrasive as hell and will eat your rings out.

Isnt it just lapping compound?

Really rough but better than nothing. PROTECT THOSE VALVE GUIDES AT ALL COSTS! Don't score them with mushroomed valve tips... grind those before removing valves, don't just rip them out. And when lapping, lube the guide & stem and keep the lapping/grinding compound FAR FROM THE VALVE GUIDE! Any grit in there can ruin the guide.