Valve Seat Inserts

S.B. International, Inc.® is the Exclusive Marketer of J-LOY® Brand Valve Seat Inserts. All SBI® Cast J-LOY® Hardened Universal Valve Seat Inserts are Cast using a Premium High Carbon, High Chromium Iron Based Material with Excellent Corrosion and Wear Resistance with a typical hardness range of 35-45 on a Rockwell "C" Scale. All SBI Valve Seat Inserts are individually cast to ensure proper material transfer and formation. The Premium High Chromium material is designated for use in most Light to Medium Duty Automotive and Truck Applications for Both Intake and Exhaust Positions. This same Premium High Chromium material is also used in some Moderate to Heavy Duty Diesel Intake positions as well as Marine Intake positions.

"STAR SERIES" Super Premium Valve Seat Inserts

SBI offers a Super-Premium "Star Series" Nickel Based Non-Magnetic Valve Seat Insert which is designed specifically for exhaust positions for Passenger Cars, Light & Medium Duty Trucks as well as Stationary Engines operating in Extreme High Heat Conditions and/or using Gaseous Fuels such as CNG or LPG. Due to varying circumstances, these types of applications and/or operating conditions require a Valve Seat Insert material that offers Excellent Wear and Very High Hot Hardness Characteristics. The "Star Series" insert was developed to retain hardness beyond 1600° F to combat these high temperature conditions. As alternative fuels have become more commonly used, it became apparent cylinder heads were experiencing premature and severe exhaust valve seat erosion (recession). This erosion was noted on some High Chrome Valve Seat Inserts as well as other manufacturer's Nickel Based Material. The SBI "Star Series" Valve Seat Insert is made of a True Non-Magnetic Nickel Based Material which will retain it's Hardness Beyond 1600° F and can help to eliminate these common wear issues and provide a greater service life. Each Universal Star Series Valve Seat Insert part number that is available will utilize the same part number as the Premium High Carbon, High Chromium Valve Seat Insert part number with the addition of an "N" suffix. Refer to the Application listing or the progressive size listing in the catalog to see if there is an available "Star Series" Valve Seat Insert for your needs.

The SBI "Star Series" Material should be more than adequate to handle exhaust applications for Gasoline, CNG & LPG fuel. Many SBI customers have used and continue to use The Standard Premium Valve Seat Inserts for these engines and report no problems. We believe many failures may be caused by, but not limited to the following factors:

• Improper Air-Fuel Mixtures
• Improper Timing
• Emission Control Devices
• Stop And Go Operations (Excessive Idling, Vehicle Weight/Load, Abusive Operations Etc.)

Powdered Metal Valve Seat Inserts

SBI offers an Optional Powdered Metal Valve Seat Insert in certain instances. As anyone who has machined factory inserts in late model heads already knows the technology for the production and use of Powdered Metal Valve Seat Inserts has been around for many years now. The challenge for the Valve Seat Insert manufacturer has always been to provide a consistent material with excellent wear characteristics combined with being easy to machine, the latter being a process the OEM does not require when building a new head. In fact after the engine has run for some time the OEM Valve Seat Insert will tend to work harden and become almost impossible to machine. SBI Powdered Metal Valve Seat Inserts are a Sintered Powdered Metal Carbon Steel and Tool Steel Matrix with Tungsten. The Superior Machinability is achieved by adding Proprietary Chemical Elements and Solid Dry Lubricants to the Composition which translates to Excellent Machinability and Wear Resistance. This material is primarily suited for gasoline applications. The material incorporates ease of machining, has consistent quality and takes advantage of the cost savings associated with this new technology. Each Universal Powdered Metal Valve Seat Insert part number that is available will utilize the same Premium High Carbon and High Chromium Valve Seat Insert part number with the addition of a "PM" suffix.

Heavy Duty Diesel Factory Installed Valve Seat Inserts

SBI Offers Direct OEM Replacement Valve Seat Inserts For Heavy Duty Diesel Engines such as Caterpillar, Cummins, Detroit Diesel, John Deere, Mack, Paccar and Volvo to name a few. In these instances, these Valve Seat Inserts are supplied using materials that either Meet or Exceed OEM Material Specifications for which they are applied. In Some instances Nickel "N" or Cobalt "C" based materials may apply and are indicated by their respective designated suffix. The Standard Size Valve Seat Inserts For Heavy Duty Applications are Exact OEM Duplicates of the OEM Service Part Dimensionally and in some cases an Oversized O.D. (+) Valve Seat Insert is availabe and are designed keeping in mind specific requirements of the Aftermarket. These OEM Replacement Valve Seat Inserts are indicated with an "E" in the part number for example just as SB2088E-1 where the part number is an Exact O.D. of 2.088". NOTE: See Part Number Explanations below for more info.

Metric Universal Valve Seat Inserts

SBI Offers a series of Metric Universal Valve Seat Inserts available in Premium High Carbon, High Chromium Iron Based Alloy. These are also offered in the Super Premium "Star Series" Nickel Based Alloy material indicated by an "N" suffix. These Metric Universal Valve Seat Inserts will also have an "E" in the part number indicating the base part number is the exact Imperial Outer Diameter. For example SB2087E-2 has a 53mm O.D., however is converted to the Exact Imperial dimension of 2.087". NOTE: See Part Number Explanations below for more info.

NOTE: The Following Information Provides Explanations For Part Number Scheme, Materials, Application Usage And Cutting Procedures

PART NUMBER EXPLANATION

Basic Part Number:

• SB = All Valve Seat Inserts
• 4 Digits SBxxxx = Nominal Outside Diameter
• 4 Digits SBxxxxE = Exact Outside Diameter

Suffix:

• SBxxxx- (1-49) = High Chrome Universal Inserts For Cast Iron Cylinder Heads
• SBxxxx- (50-Up) = High Chrome Universal Inserts For Aluminum Cylinder Heads
• SBxxxx-x (C) = Stellite, Cobalt Materials
• SBxxxx(E) = OEM Direct Replacement or Metric Universal Inserts (Base Part No. Is Actual O.D.)
• SBxxxx-x (N) = Star Series Super Premium Nickel (Non-Magnetic) Material
• SBxxxx-x (PM) = Powdered Metal
• SBxxxx(ST) = Stepped O.D.
• SBxxxx-x (+) = Oversized O.D. (+005, +010, +015, +020, +030, +040, +062 Available Where Indicated)

Examples:

• SB1562-1 = High-Chrome Premium Grade Material With 1-9/16" (1.562" Nominal O.D.)
• SB1562-1N = Same As SB1562-1 Except "Star Series" Material
• SB1562-1PM = Same As SB1562-1 Except Powdered Metal Material
• SB2088E-1 = Factory Installed Insert With 2.088" Actual O.D.
• SB2088E-1+030 = Same As Above SB2088E-1 Except +.030 Oversize With 2.118" Actual O.D.
• SB1756E-2C = Factory Installed Inserts With 1.756" Actual O.D. Using Stellite/Cobalt Material
• SB1957ST = Stepped O.D. 

Understanding How To Choose A Range Of Premium Universal Inserts Or The Correct Insert For Your Needs Based On The Part Number
(Incl. Passenger Cars, Light & Medium Duty Trucks, Tractors, etc.)

• Cast Iron Cylinder Heads
  For ease in selecting and stocking a range of inserts for your needs, our part numbering system incorporates the cutter size as the basic part number on universal size seats. For example: SB1625-1, "1625" indicates this seat requires the use of a 1-5/8" cutter. Actual O.D. is 1.630 allowing for press fit. For factory-installed replacement inserts, the basic part number is the exact O.D. followed by suffix "E". For example: SB1678E-1, "1678E" indicates a factory-installed seat with an actual O.D. of 1.678.

• Aluminum Cylinder Heads
  The same part numbering logic is used for these inserts and they are identified with suffix 50 & greater. NOTE: These inserts are oversized from the OEM Metric size to the next largest standard U.S. cutter size. For example: SB1500-57, "1500" indicates this seat requires the use of a 1-1/2" cutter. Actual O.D. is 1.507 allowing for .007 recommended press fit for aluminum heads. These inserts also have a blended radius on the leading edge to prevent damage to the counter-bore during installation. 

• Factory Installed OEM Inserts (Including Heavy Duty Diesel)
  For factory-installed replacement inserts, the basic part number is the exact O.D. followed by suffix "E". For example: SB1678E-1, "1678E" indicates a factory-installed seat with an actual O.D. of 1.678.

• Super Universal Repair Inserts
  SBI Super Universal Repair Valve Seat Inserts, A.K.A. "Hockey Puck With A Hole In It", are offered in a range of sizes in 1/16" incremental Outer Diameters ranging in size from 1" to 2-3/8". These Inserts will have a 1/4" Wall Thickness and a 7/16" depth. The List Below, is a range of sizes that should cover most of those odd repair situations. If you do not find your size in this list, refer to the progressive size listing in the catalog. 

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