Michael Mayben
IHPA Tech Moderator - Retired & No Longer Online
As I've been "trained" by dave the gear man (who was there on the line when these motors were being machined and assembled, both oem and when performing "factory rebuild" at the factory branch)...
All moving parts were "classed" after being produced as to weight. This is sop in the production side for any manufacturer. As in "classed" for common weight tolerances. Then the parts were kept together for assembly as a set into each engine.
Any parts that were "out of range" were set aside for "rework" (not scrapped). That meant adjusting the weights in various manners to bring into usable tolerance.
The parts sets were then assembled into a completed engine with all designated rotating components and balanced in a process that took approximately 15 seconds to spin up, then 15 seconds to "correct" with automated machinery (not a "robot"), and another 15 seconds to verify the balance correction. If the motor passed inspection, it moved on through the assembly process, if it did not it was kicked offline for rework at some later point.
When these engines were later remanned at a "factory branch", all engine components were kept together as sets as the engine went through the process. Most machine work was done in-house...but if rods/pistons, etc. Were replaced (and in nearly all cases pistons were replaced as oversize), then the replacement pistons were selected from bulk as "weight sets" and again remained together through the process.
If a particular engine had to be extensively repaired outside of the "normal" reman process, then the branch folks selected the replacement parts, sorted for weight, and supplied the sublet machine shop with Bob weight data so that the rotating assembly could be balanced for the replacement parts. And core engines that were returned to the factory branch for reman always included all rotating parts, flywheels, hubs/balancers, etc.
Some factory branches had full machine shop capability in-house, even for dynamic balance operations, some did not and had to sublet as needed.
There is no doubt in my mind that IH factory branches paid far more attention to engine reman detail than any production rebuilder. When the factory branch programs ended around 1985 or so, then ihc contracted with a few national companies to follow these same practices when they intro'd the "renew" line of reman products through the dealer network.
All moving parts were "classed" after being produced as to weight. This is sop in the production side for any manufacturer. As in "classed" for common weight tolerances. Then the parts were kept together for assembly as a set into each engine.
Any parts that were "out of range" were set aside for "rework" (not scrapped). That meant adjusting the weights in various manners to bring into usable tolerance.
The parts sets were then assembled into a completed engine with all designated rotating components and balanced in a process that took approximately 15 seconds to spin up, then 15 seconds to "correct" with automated machinery (not a "robot"), and another 15 seconds to verify the balance correction. If the motor passed inspection, it moved on through the assembly process, if it did not it was kicked offline for rework at some later point.
When these engines were later remanned at a "factory branch", all engine components were kept together as sets as the engine went through the process. Most machine work was done in-house...but if rods/pistons, etc. Were replaced (and in nearly all cases pistons were replaced as oversize), then the replacement pistons were selected from bulk as "weight sets" and again remained together through the process.
If a particular engine had to be extensively repaired outside of the "normal" reman process, then the branch folks selected the replacement parts, sorted for weight, and supplied the sublet machine shop with Bob weight data so that the rotating assembly could be balanced for the replacement parts. And core engines that were returned to the factory branch for reman always included all rotating parts, flywheels, hubs/balancers, etc.
Some factory branches had full machine shop capability in-house, even for dynamic balance operations, some did not and had to sublet as needed.
There is no doubt in my mind that IH factory branches paid far more attention to engine reman detail than any production rebuilder. When the factory branch programs ended around 1985 or so, then ihc contracted with a few national companies to follow these same practices when they intro'd the "renew" line of reman products through the dealer network.
