BRM Official Blog

Engine rebuilds are easier when you have the right tools for the job. Brush Research Manufacturing (BRM), a full-line supplier of flexible engine hones and automotive brushes, has the tools and accessories that mechanics need for surface preparation, surface finishing, cleaning, deburring, and cylinder deglazing.  

For nearly 60 years, BRM has supplied engine mechanics with high-quality products that are dependable, affordable, and easy-to-use. Let’s take a look at some of the automotive tools and accessories you’ll find in BRM’s product catalog, and that you can order on-line any time.

Engine valves control the flow of fluids and gases in automotive engines. If engine valves fail, the consequences can range from reduced engine power to heat-related part failure. Engine problems can also occur when valve seats, the surfaces against which engine valves rest, lack proper lubrication. Inadequate lubrication increases friction, and friction can cause related engine parts called valve stems to fail. 

In automotive engines, each intake valve and exhaust valve consists of a cylinder-shaped valve stem and a rounded valve head. Like the engine cylinders in an engine block, valve stems need an oil-retaining surface finish. That’s true for used valve stems that have become worn, and for new valve stems that lack an optimum finish. For these and other surface finishing challenges, the solution is flexible honing. 

High-performance brake rotors don’t just support braking at high speeds. They dissipate the heat that’s generated at the interface between the brake pad and the brake rotor. Often, members of the performance racing industry choose drilled or slotted brake rotors made of high-quality gray iron or cast iron. Both brake rotor designs have their advantages, but even high-performance brake pads will wear. If friction pad material is transferred unevenly to the surface of the brake disc, noise and vibration can occur.

For race industry mechanics, brake jobs can mean more than replacing the pads. Brake rotors need to be replaced or re-surfaced (turned). Fortunately, there’s a surface finishing solution that’s ideal for both new and turned rotors. The Flex-Hone® for Rotors tool from Brush Research Manufacturing (BRM) smooths jagged edges and removes unwanted surface material. BRM’s rotor hone also imparts a unidirectional or “basket weave” that’s perfect for bedding-in new brake pads.

Piston rings do more than seal the gap between the piston and the cylinder wall. By preventing exhaust gases from entering the crankcase, these engine components prevent power loss. This is especially important in high-performance engines such as the powerplants used in motorsports. Without a proper fit between the piston ring and the cylinder bore, compression blow-by and oil leakage can sideline the kinds of car used in NASCAR, IRL, and World of Outlaws events.

In the racing industry, providing consistent contact between piston rings and cylinder walls usually means resurfacing the cylinder bores. Engine wear is a problem, but it’s not the only one. Today’s high-performance engine blocks are made of much harder materials. Meanwhile, today’s high-performance piston rings are significantly softer and have less tension. For engine mechanics then, it’s impractical to wait for new piston rings to wear into the cylinder walls. That’s why they race engine builders choose Flex-Hone® tools.   

Do you need to clean auto parts such as oil pumps, wheels and wheel bearings, lug nuts, or engine and brake components? What about machined parts such as valves and gears?

Parts wash brushes from Brush Research Manufacturing (BRM) speed parts cleaning operations, saving you time and money. Their long-lasting synthetic filaments resist solvent-type cleaners, and these cost-effective cleaning tools are great for removing cutting fluids, machine oils, lubricants, grease, road grime, and dirt.