Shop tricks 1

I hate to lose parts. I hate to have parts mixed up. I've seen all sorts of clever schemes for keeping track of valve-train parts. I've spent all kinds of time twisting safety wire around parts like valve-stem locks in attempts to corral them withe the right valve, and keep them from getting totally lost.

The little light bulb went on today, finally. I needed to keep all the parts associated with a valve together, this time because I have an extra one I want to peddle on ebay. I cut a short piece of .25 fuel hose, slid it over the stem of the valve, then put the valve locks on stem and slid the hose up and over them. Like this:

Wow--that works nice. Dropped the whole mess into a ziplock bag, with complete confidence for the first time that all the pieces would still be there later.