The meeting, a combination of technical sessions and facility tours, will begin with a cash reception in the hotel’s lobby bar on Thursday, March 30.
The technical program is slated to begin on Friday, March 31st, following breakfast hosted by PERA. Ray Fink, PERA’s new president and president of AER Manufacturing Inc., in Carrollton, TX, will welcome attendees and give a preview of the afternoon’s scheduled tour. Technical presentations will follow, including:
“CNC Technology,” presented by Greg Hall, AER Mfg;
“Hybrid Engines,” by John Bishop, Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX;
“Rebuilding the Late Model Ford 4.6L Engine,” by Doug Anderson, Grooms Engines, Nashville, TN.
Following a luncheon at the hotel the group will go to AER Mfg. for tour of their facilities and then refreshments and dinner in the AER car museum.
Following a full breakfast on Saturday, the presentations will continue.
“Engine Data Source Generation III Update,” by Roy Berndt, PERA;
“Importance of Digital Photography,” by Roy Berndt, PERA and David Walker, AER Mfg.;
“Performance Cylinder Head Modifications,” by Joe Mondello, Mondello Performance Products, Crossville, TN.
In addition, Goodson Shop Supplies will unveil its new Dallas warehouse with an open house following the day’s events. For the complete program schedule and registration information, visit www.pera.org.
UNO Launches New High Performance Motorsports Complex
The University of Northwestern Ohio (UNO), Lima, OH, officially opened its newest educational facilities on Friday, January 20, by cutting the ribbon on the new Dr. Jeffery A. Jarvis High Performance Motorsports Complex.
The complex, covering 70,000 sq.ft. in two buildings over 7.2 acres, includes classrooms and hands-on training facilities for all aspects of motorsports technology, including:
High Performance Engine Machining;
High Performance Welding;
High Performance Suspension and Steering;
High Performance Fuels;
High Performance Appli-cations and Accessories;
High Performance Drivelines;
High Performance Custom Engine Building;
High Performance Fabrication;
High Performance Engine Dynamometer.
The complex also includes a 500-foot launching pad for drag racing cars, a 1/8-mile asphalt oval for stock cars and trucks and a rock climbing hill for off-road vehicles. In addition, the University owns Limaland Motorsports Park, a 1/4-mile, high-banked, dirt track which is used as a classroom during the week. Instructors and students learn many facets of race car trigonometry during these classes.
In attendance and speaking during the ribbon cutting were: David Berger, Mayor, City of Lima; Jed Metzger, president and CEO, Lima/Allen County Chamber of Commerce; Marcel Wagner, president and CEO, Allen Economic Development Group; Harry Hibler, VP of Zicron Corporation and past publisher of Hot Rod Magazine; and Dr. Jeffery A. Jarvis, UNO president.
There were 518 attendees. including other dignitaries such as State Representatives, CEO’s of multiple corporations, as well as local, regional, and national media outlets.
For information about the University or its programs visit www.unoh.edu.
OK Auto Tech Wins Great Chevrolet El Camino SS in Federal-Mogul Sweepstakes
Brad LaRue, an automotive technician employed by the City of Ponca City, OK, has won the grand-prize 1966 Chevrolet El Camino SS396 in the 2005 Federal-Mogul Training Excellence Sweepstakes, sponsored by Federal-Mogul Corporation’s Technical Education Center (TEC) in St. Louis, MO.
LaRue’s name was drawn from among thousands of automotive technicians and parts professionals who attended a 2005 Federal-Mogul TEC workshop in St. Louis, an evening field seminar in the U.S. or Canada, or enrolled in the sweepstakes via mail.
LaRue’s grand prize is a classic bright-red El Camino SS with “numbers-matching,” 396-cubic-inch engine, automatic transmission, fully restored body and interior and a rare collection of factory options. The vehicle also features a broad range of technology enhancements and Federal-Mogul brand components installed throughout 2005 by technicians and other TEC students enrolled in the workshops.
“This is an absolutely gorgeous car. I still can’t believe I’m the winner,” said LaRue, who along with his wife, Betty, and grandson, Joseph, was presented the vehicle in a mid-January ceremony in St. Louis.
Federal-Mogul TEC will unveil plans for a 2006 classic car sweepstakes soon. For more information regarding Federal-Mogul TEC workshops and related technical training opportunities, contact the 24-hour toll-free fax-back information line at 888-771-6005, or visit www.federal-mogul.com/training.
Trade Association Hosts Compress AAPEX To Three-Day Trade Show
Coming off the most successful Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX) ever in Las Vegas in November, show sponsors have responded to exhibitors and attendees by compressing the trade show to three days in 2006, eliminating Friday show hours. The show will be held Oct. 31-Nov. 2.
As a result of discussions with a number of long-time exhibitors and careful review of feedback from post-AAPEX 2005 surveys, the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA) and Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Assoc-iation (MEMA) determined the overwhelming support for a three-day trade show justified the significant change. The compressed show times would greatly enhance the quality of AAPEX and save exhibitors considerable time and expenses.
AAIA and MEMA state that the decision is exclusive only to AAPEX; the SEMA Show remains unchanged. The change will not eliminate or alter any AAPEX educational offerings, events or networking functions.
For more information, visit www.AAPEXShow.com.
Studies Show Turbodiesel Popularity Up 46 Percent With More Growth Seen
According to some experts in the diesel industry there are indicators that point toward continued growth for the diesel light-vehicle market during 2006 and in the coming years.
How much will diesel vehicle volume increase? According to Pierre Corriveau, director of marketing for Honeywell Turbo Technologies, the demand is likely to increase from 600,000 sold in 2005 to 1,000,000 diesel passenger vehicles around 2010. This will mean that the diesel passenger vehicle market will capture 6 percent of the entire passenger vehicle market.
Recent production data shows that the number of diesel engines installed in heavy-duty pickup trucks and Volkswagen cars has continued to increase over the past few years. For example, the percent of GM Duramax engines installed compared to total GM light-trucks has risen from 1.89 percent in 2001 to 5.16 percent in 2005. In fact, the total percent of diesel engines, or turbodiesels, that have been installed in all new vehicles jumped 46 percent in the past five years, climbing from 2.93 to 4.29 percent of all new vehicles.
