Metric Automotive Engineering has taken the guesswork out of rebuilding the latest-generation Caterpillar® engines by offering IPD-style 123 gasket sets, Andrew Yorke, operations director, says.

“These gasket sets mean you simply order one part number and receive one box, with everything that you need contained within that single box, which is a very attractive proposition.” Yorke adds that IPD-style 123 gasket sets are available for both old and new generation Caterpillar® engines.

The older-type engines require a gasket set not only for the cylinder head but also for the front, rear, central and sump substructures. “You can end up having to order seven to 12 kits in order to rebuild a single engine, which is just not viable. That is just on the older engines,” Yorke explains. The problem is compounded by the fact that many of the new-generation engines do not even have separate gasket sets for the various substructures.

“Thus if you want to rebuild a particular engine, you have to identify every individual seal and o-ring on a parts list and order these individually, which is onerous,” Yorke comments. IPD-style 123 gasket sets eliminate such problems by specifying the specific type of rebuild operation: Style 3 is a cylinder head replacement, a popular in-field repair, whereby the cylinder is simply serviced and replaced, Style 2 is an in-frame overhaul and Style 1 is where the engine is taken to a workshop, completely stripped and rebuilt.

IPD has launched gasket sets for many of the new C series Caterpillar® engines, from C9 to C13, C27 and C32. The fact this is a ‘single-box’ solution means that the part numbers for those gasket sets are quite specific to the steering-arrangement numbers. Therefore all customers need in order to source the correct box is the steering-arrangement number of the engine in question.

“A lot of our competition has tried to copy this style of gasket set, but they cover a range of engines with a single set, which means you end up with far more superfluous parts, which is not cost-effective,” Yorke says. “IPD on the other hand builds kits specifically for steering arrangement and model numbers, so that you actually only pay for what you need, meaning you should have very little left over at the end, if anything.”

Yorke comments that this particular offering from IPD is ideal for in-field and workshop repairs, as customers can purchase a complete gasket set using one number. Another advantage of the IPD-style 123 gasket sets is that the components are packaged according to substructure. “It is not like you open up a gasket set only to find a thousand random components. Instead they are packaged accordingly for the water and oil pump, for example. It makes the assembler’s life a lot easier,” Yorke says.

Metric Automotive Engineering represents IPD in the local market, a leading aftermarket provider of engine components for heavy-duty diesel and natural gas powered engines based in the United States. IPD has been synonymous with quality, innovation and service since 1955. Its Caterpillar replacement parts are manufactured in a Lloyds accredited ISO 9001:2000 quality controlled environment.

Metric Automotive Engineering is South Africa’s most comprehensively equipped heavy diesel engine and component re-manufacturer. Established as a family business in 1969, the company has a strong ethos of investing in both quality equipment and expert personnel. This attitude towards customer service and constant product innovation has sustained the company since its inception.

Metric Automotive Engineering can refurbish large diesel engine components and offers services such as cylinder head remanufacture, cylinder block line boring, milling, honing and boring, camshaft grinding, crankshaft grinding, engine assembly and dynamometer testing. Subsidiary Reef Fuel Injection Services offers Bosch, Delphi and Denso approved fuel injection services and is acknowledged as the specialist in CAT fuel systems.