Plastigage

How many of you use plastigage to check clearances and is one brand better than the other ?

Last ditch emergency measure only, get the proper tools or borrow them and do it right. Set of mics and a dial bore gauge are a must if your going to build engines.

Never liked the stuff! Too much room for error.

I like the bore gauge's, make it fast and I know I'm getting a good reafing. And I AM speaking from personal experience, not from something I was told or read. I have used both.

Better than nothing...that's the deal. A mechanical method is much better.

Lem Evans wrote:Better than nothing...that's the deal. A mechanical method is much better.

X2, You will be in the ball park w/it. I assembled alot of engines w/it only back in the day. I know some racers that don't use anything at all,because they say they leave it up to their machinist. I trust my machinist too,but not that much.

bbf-falcon wrote:

Lem Evans wrote:Better than nothing...that's the deal. A mechanical method is much better.

X2, You will be in the ball park w/it. I assembled alot of engines w/it only back in the day. I know some racers that don't use anything at all,because they say they leave it up to their machinist. I trust my machinist too,but not that much.

We have a popular phrase at work... "Trust, but verify"..

IMO, we have to, putting fighter aircraft in the air every day..

Well thanks for the replys guys its the same thing Melvyn (514fox87) told me he dont care for it either. Looks like i need to order some tools thismorning then or borrow them from Mel again but i should have my own set anyway, any ideas on what brand to get or are they all decent ?

For as often as you will probably use them a set of cheap mics off ebay or something similar will be fine, especially since you are basically using them for comparison purposes. A bore gauge from Central or some thing similar would be fine. Preferably something that will get into the tenths of thousandths.