Valve Spring Tester

[n2omike]

I'm in the market for a decent valve spring tester. I don't care for digital stuff, and the cheap hydraulic ones are horribly inaccurate. A well preserved Rimac would be ideal!

Any recommendations for models you guys have had good luck with? Electronic gives me the heebie-jeebies... as I can see the digital bits going bad, batteries corroding, etc... and it's nothing but scrap. I don't do enough volume to justify the speed of digital, anyway.

Thanks for any insight!

[hoodeng]

These days good analogue testers are pretty rare. Even the replacement Rimac was digital on the old analogue stand.
I know you are dead against digital but there comes a time that even carbied Land Cruisers that station/farm owners standardized on become collectors items.
I bought a Rimac digital mod1700 in 06 and have had excellent service from it since, i run the Crane calibration spring in it weekly and it is on the money every time. The only thing i changed was the 12v 8xA battery pack for a rechargeable DM12x1.3 sealed battery that lasts weeks if not months.
If this thing ever gives trouble it will be a Performance Trends for me.

Cheers.

[SpeierRacingHeads]

I've used a Rimac for decades. But this unit is simply amazing.

Not cheap, but last a lifetime.

[Charliesauto]

I'm in the market for a decent valve spring tester. I don't care for digital stuff, and the cheap hydraulic ones are horribly inaccurate. A well preserved Rimac would be ideal!

Any recommendations for models you guys have had good luck with? Electronic gives me the heebie-jeebies... as I can see the digital bits going bad, batteries corroding, etc... and it's nothing but scrap. I don't do enough volume to justify the speed of digital, anyway.

Thanks for any insight!

I have a nice 500 lb Rimac I would like to sell. PM me if you are interested. It's advertised here in the "for sale " forum, you may have to look down the list a ways.

[engineguyBill]

I have used analog Rimac valve spring testers for years and currently own two of them. Check calibration regularly with a Goodson test spring and they are always spot-on. A good source for new and used automotive shop equipment is:

Farris Shop Equipment
1314 54th Street
Lubbock, TX 79412
806.762.0887
www.farrisequipment.com

[Gregory]

LSMproducts.com Their new spring tester. Bought one at the PRI show - works great!

[needforspeed66gt]

I've used a Rimac for decades. But this unit is simply amazing.

Not cheap, but last a lifetime.

Have the same one, great unit.

[biz_nasty1]

Check out this new Rimac Spring tester on Summit's website: https://www.summitracing.com/parts/pro-bb1000. I also saw it on Speedways website. Review says it's nice

[Walter R. Malik]

I'm in the market for a decent valve spring tester. I don't care for digital stuff, and the cheap hydraulic ones are horribly inaccurate. A well preserved Rimac would be ideal!

Any recommendations for models you guys have had good luck with? Electronic gives me the heebie-jeebies... as I can see the digital bits going bad, batteries corroding, etc... and it's nothing but scrap. I don't do enough volume to justify the speed of digital, anyway.

Thanks for any insight!

Specialty Auto Parts, (Proform), has purchased all the rights to the Rimac spring tester and now offers their version.

[Walter R. Malik]

I'm in the market for a decent valve spring tester. I don't care for digital stuff, and the cheap hydraulic ones are horribly inaccurate. A well preserved Rimac would be ideal!

Any recommendations for models you guys have had good luck with? Electronic gives me the heebie-jeebies... as I can see the digital bits going bad, batteries corroding, etc... and it's nothing but scrap. I don't do enough volume to justify the speed of digital, anyway.

Thanks for any insight!

Specialty Auto Parts, (Proform), has purchased all the rights to the Rimac spring tester and now offers their version.

This happened very recently.

[biz_nasty1]

Here’s a recent article about it in a Mopar blog: https://moparconnectionmagazine.com/rim ... t-proform/

I didn’t see it on the Proform website, but here’s a website: www.Rimac-tools.com

[Big bald guy]

Here’s a recent article about it in a Mopar blog: https://moparconnectionmagazine.com/rim ... t-proform/

I didn’t see it on the Proform website, but here’s a website: www.Rimac-tools.com

From the Proform website, "patented U.S. design", but made where?

[David Redszus]

I know there appears to be a preference for an analog spring force tester.
Digital testers can be much more accurate and can provide other benefits.

I built a spring force tester using an arbor press, linear position transducer and small load cell.
It measures to 0.1lb and records both force and position. And graphs the results for comparison.

No matter which type of tester is used, false reading are often produced, which are not the
fault of the tester device.

Closed end springs do not produce a single spring rate slope. As each coil comes in contact with an
adjacent coil, the number of active coils is changed. The result is a force vs position slope that becomes
steeper with compression. Open end springs do not respond similarly due to the absence of coil contact.

It is possible to determine the spring force at a specific compression using any method. But we would
not know how the spring force (never spring pressure) changes with valve lift.

If I did not have my own spring force tester and software, I would eagerly pay Kevin at Performance Trends
whatever he want for his tester. What I am really purchasing is knowledge, not just a device.

[n2omike]

I'm in the market for a decent valve spring tester. I don't care for digital stuff, and the cheap hydraulic ones are horribly inaccurate. A well preserved Rimac would be ideal!

Any recommendations for models you guys have had good luck with? Electronic gives me the heebie-jeebies... as I can see the digital bits going bad, batteries corroding, etc... and it's nothing but scrap. I don't do enough volume to justify the speed of digital, anyway.

Thanks for any insight!

I have a nice 500 lb Rimac I would like to sell. PM me if you are interested. It's advertised here in the "for sale " forum, you may have to look down the list a ways.

For closure, Charlie had two Rimacs he was selling. Both 500 lb units, and both nice. I bought the nicer of the two, and it is in basically NOS condition. Very happy with the unit, and he is a nice guy and good seller. The 1000 lb 'new' Rimac looks promising, but it's not exactly MADE by Rimac anymore, so hard to say what it is truly like, and how it will hold up over time.

Yes, there are electronic scales that will graph results at all lifts... but those are out of my budget for occasional use. Sure, if you do heads all day, they may be worth the price of admission. I had a cheap hydraulic unit at one time, and got inconsistent results with it. Couldn't count on its readings. The 'cheap' units I've seen out there are just that... cheap... and less than reliable.

Good Luck guys!

[Diodedog]

For closure, Charlie had two Rimacs he was selling. Both 500 lb units, and both nice. I bought the nicer of the two, and it is in basically NOS condition. Very happy with the unit, and he is a nice guy and good seller. The 1000 lb 'new' Rimac looks promising, but it's not exactly MADE by Rimac anymore, so hard to say what it is truly like, and how it will hold up over time.

Yes, there are electronic scales that will graph results at all lifts... but those are out of my budget for occasional use. Sure, if you do heads all day, they may be worth the price of admission. I had a cheap hydraulic unit at one time, and got inconsistent results with it. Couldn't count on its readings. The 'cheap' units I've seen out there are just that... cheap... and less than reliable.

Good Luck guys!
[/quote]
The original 500lb Rimac is a great tool, I wouldn't part with mine for any price.