Not Quite a Full Pull - Engine Builder Magazine

Not Quite a Full Pull

In tractor pulling parlance, a “hook” is when you  attempt a pull. A “full pull” is one in which you go the maximum distance of 300 feet.

112960Walboltne_00000063380
At Engine Builder, we’re mourning one of our own, who made the hook, but didn’t quite get the full pull.

Jim Walbolt, who had been a contributor to Engine Builder since the early 2000s, suffered a massive heart attack and died back in January. He was only 56 years old.
Jim was one of our original high performance columnists and feature writers and loved racing of all kinds, particularly truck and tractor pulling and stock car racing. Whether it was grassroots or professional, dirt or pavement, if it went fast, made noise and fueled someone’s competitive fire, Jim loved it.
In addition to columns and articles he wrote for us, Jim was a frequent contributor to the National Tractor Pullers Association’s (NTPA) Puller magazine. He was a gifted photographer and was passionate about using words and photos to tell a story.
It seems amazing now, but when Jim first started writing “Fast Lane” for us in 2001, the concept of high performance engine and machine work was somewhat foreign to many of our readers. We encouraged you to diversify your business, look for opportunities outside your comfort zone and take advantage of the rapid growth of high performance enthusiasm.
And, boy, did you respond! Today,  more than 82 percent of our readers service the high performance customer. For a lot of these readers, that’s the bulk of their business.
But it still isn’t ALL?of their business. Despite the significant attention paid to high performance in these pages, a sizeable audience continues to do just fine, thank you, serving other markets than the traditional racing and performance customer. We recognize that, which is why we continue to provide detailed editorial information on traditional passenger car engines as well as diesel and other markets, too.
Jim enjoyed writing about shop management and business topics as well, and developed a passion for Web sites and social media. He considered them vital tools that shops need to embrace rather than ignore.
Jim loved being part of this business and couldn’t wait to share his passion with you, the reader. In fact, he was scheduled to write one of the features in this issue and had started doing research at the time of his passing. He was very excited about the growth of diesel motorsports and couldn’t wait to contribute to the special coverage we have planned for our June issue.
Jim will be missed by his family and friends all across the country, and especially here at Engine Builder. Finding a replacement for his writing and photography skills will be a challenge for us…finding a replacement for his energy and enthusiasm will be nearly  impossible.
Jim Walbolt 1956-2013

 

You May Also Like

HP Academy Teaches EFI Online

The HP Academy was started to fulfill the need for some sort of formal training for EFI tuning. Two New Zealanders, Andre Simon and Ben Silcock, founded HPA in 2010.

With the ongoing COVID-19 situation, classrooms, as we know them, are not in session. You can’t physically distance in a small class in real life, but you can online. Virtual learning is now the new norm across the country. The racing industry is getting a leg up thanks to one school that is dedicated to online education. 

Utilizing Instagram

“When we started, we had no business at all… that’s when I started using Instagram,” Yaghoubian says. “Back then I didn’t know a lot about social media, but it works for business really well, and especially the automotive industry on Instagram.”

Higher Revving Education

We’ve all seen the ads in magazines and online for schools, classes and seminars on tuning an ever-increasing number of engines and even transmissions in today’s cars and trucks. The better ones will include the use of a chassis dyno to show real-time results of the step-by-step methods they teach.

Chassis vs Engine Dyno

We spoke with a couple shops that utilize both dyno types to get their take on the advantages, disadvantages and reasons to have one over the other or both.

Tradeshow Season

While the rest of the world tends to slow down in the fourth quarter, our industry is starting to rev up. That’s because it’s tradeshow season, and the excitement for next year is always palpable!

Other Posts

Scheid Diesel-Built Triple-Turbo Billet 6.4L Cummins Super Stock Engine

During our visit to Scheid Diesel we had our mouths wide open in amazement for most of the time, but this Super Stock pulling engine really made our jaws drop! Scheid’s Joe Gasper walked us through the details of this billet triple-turbo 6.4L Cummins build, and it’s our latest Diesel of the Week brought to

Billet Triple-Turbo 6.4L Cummins Super Stock Engine

During a recent visit to Scheid Diesel, we got to see what goes on in the Terre Haute, IN-based engine and machine shop. We also got a deep dive on the details of a $150,000, billet, triple-turbo, 6.4L Cummins Super Stock engine build. It’s the pinnacle of Scheid Diesel builds, so don’t miss what’s in and on this engine.

Triple-Turbo 6.4L Cummins Super Stock Engine

Addicted Performance Diesel prioritizes performance and specializes in reinforcing engines and transmissions for both daily use and high-performance racing. Just take a look at shop owner Jason Stott’s personal Super Stock pulling truck with a triple-turbo 6.4L Cummins engine in it.

Former NTPA and WDI Leader David Schreier Has Passed Away

David P. Schreier, who led World Pulling International (WPI) and the National Tractor Pullers Association (NTPA) for more than four decades, passed away on December 2 at the age of 84. Schreier served as NTPA executive director and later as WPI president and CEO, from 1986 until his retirement in 2019. Related Articles – Lucas