I am taking orders for the VAS…(Valve Adjusting Screwdriver). I have been working with prototypes, and have put together a final version that I think will work very well.
When doing valve adjustments on the Porsche engine, it is calculated that at the thread pitch of 1.00 on the adjustment screw on the rocker arm, turning that screw 1/10th of a turn would result in a net change at the valve adjustment of 0.1mm. 360 deg/10 = 36 degrees, of course, so an accurate and simple way of indicating 36 Degrees becomes important.
The simple angle makes it easy to know where you are
History:
This design comes from a post on Rennlist by 9Meister, who had shared a design from South Africa. To echo the sentiment, this is not my idea, only a modification. There was a bit of discussion on how to improve this in production, as the welding was going to cause problems with accuracy, heat warping and destruction of the plastic handle. I tried adesive on a single wire, bent into position, but I was unhappy with the accuracy and with the adhesive (messy and pretty ugly).
Machining the pins at an accurate 36 Degrees
Final Design:
The original idea is to set pins at 36 Deg apart, and when doing an adjustment, it will be easy to mark the turns with a convenient visual reference, Just turn from one to the other, with the pins showing the right angle. I suggest you read the original article to get the complete story.
I searched high and low for appropriate screwdrivers to start with. The best ones are the simple Craftsman or Ace Hardware type, with a clear plastic handle. These are nice and hard, and have handles with a profile with 6 flutes. These chuck up in the lathe and milling machine the best (3 jaw chucks), and have handles out of relatively hard plastic. The problem is getting those at a volume price… which is not possible. I drove around town and bought all of them on one weekend, completely clearing Portland of stubbies. That isn’t a sustainable strategy. Some of the early ones I send out will be of that type… (and will clearly fetch a higher price on the collector’s market within a few years…)
Final Screwdriver selected
I have finally found a stubby driver with 6-fluted handles, and a replaceable tip. I like this one best as it can be ordered in bulk, and the tips themselves are a beautiful fit in the adjustment screw.
Machining:
The best idea came from my father, who is a retired industrial designer and engineer. We used his machine shop to produce the pins from 1/8″ steel wire stock, and to put holes into the plastic handles of the screwdrivers at precisely 36 Deg. This way, there is no warping/bending of the pins, and it is simple to reproduce at the volume necessary.
The old South Bend Lathe
His shop is 3 hours away from me, so I will have to plan time to finish the run of 75… (Yes, a lot of you responded… I was planning to make 6 of them… 
) I will have time at Christmas to get them done, then send them out after the big holiday rush.
Disclaimer:
This is merely an improvement to an existing design. I don’t make any guarantees as to whether or not this is a better way to adjust your valves… That’s a good debate for the discussion boards. I just want you to have a well-built toy to work with… okay?
Springer3 on the 964 board has been testing the tool, and one of his comments is available here.
Ordering:
I set up this page with PayPal so you all can get your orders in, and so I won’t lose track of them. The price is $22, which includes packaging and shipping. I hate to ask for the $ up front, but it will help me defray the costs of materials and shipping etc… Be aware that I have only a couple to send now, and the rest will come in the mail likely the second week of January…
If I get orders beyond 75 (looking increasingly likely) I will have to plan another production run. I will let you know when to expect your tool if it will be later than Jan 15.
So fill out the form, and I will get cracking in Santa’s shop once the big rush for all the other non Porsche folk is past… Thanks for checking this out!
– tcb
