Add-On Parts Sales Can Boost Your Business Profits
POP, or point of purchase. At the movies, buying popcorn? How about something to drink? At the supermarket buying detergent? What about bleach? The connection is fast and direct. Not completing it is missing a huge opportunity for any business.
Green Strategies: Recycled Engine Parts Save Profits
The list of reclaimed bare engine blocks on the Kenmonth Engine Company website (www.danamotorssac.com) is enough to warm the heart of any vintage vehicle collector. There’s an AMC 401-cid big-block for $800, five 1959 thru 1966 Buick “Nailheads” for $450 each, a 390 for a tail-finned ‘59 Caddy for $450, a 216-cid Chevy “Stovebolt 6”
BIG R Show to Feature New Technologies for Salvaging Cores Seminar
Automotive Parts Remanufacturers Association (APRA) President Bill Gager announced that aseminar on “New Technologies for Salvaging Cores That Will Increase Profits” will be presented on Oct. 28, 2012 at the International BIG R Show. Gary Reed, CEO of Lock-N-Stitch, Inc. will present step-by-step procedures for metal stitching cracks in cast aluminum and cast iron parts.
Diesel Motorsports: Pulling in Profits or Just Blowing Smoke?
Let’s take a look at the diesel market’s history. A dozen years ago, when the first organized event was held for diesel pickups in Muncie, IN, there were a couple of hundred trucks. And most of were lucky to hit 500 to 600 horsepower. Fast-forward to today and you will find close to 40 diesel-only
Playing In The Mud Can Bring Profits To Your Shop
Despite the recession, motorsports continues to grow. This coming December, the International Motorsports Industry Show and the Performance Racing Industry trade shows expect to welcome a combined 2,000 exhibitors and more than 65,000 attendees to see performance products in Indianapolis and Orlando. These shows are a virtual who’s who of the racing industry as you
Parts Sales and Profits: First Admit There
Yes, believe it or not, I am attempting to show a parallel between the famous Twelve-Step programs – plans designed to help one admit the size and scope of addictive or dysfunctional problems and reinforce the need to ask for help for success – and a plan we can create to resurrect parts sales and
Parts Sales and Profits: First Admit There
Yes, believe it or not, I am attempting to show a parallel between the famous Twelve-Step programs – plans designed to help one admit the size and scope of addictive or dysfunctional problems and reinforce the need to ask for help for success – and a plan we can create to resurrect parts sales and
Heavy-Duty Diesel: Big Opportunity, Big Challenges
One of the most sought-after status symbols in America is a pickup truck with a Cummins, Duramax or Powerstroke engine. The expectation continues that diesel automotive engines will soon find their way in larger numbers to our shores. A rebounding economy should help get trucks moving again and recapture some lost maintenance dollars. First, what
Harvesting Profits From the Farm/Agricultural Market
When we last visited the subject of the opportunities in the agricultural market, (Engine Builder, March 2006) we discussed the diversity that may not have been apparent to everyone. While many would immediately think about tractors, combines and maybe, grain trucks, most would not have realized that the farm and agriculture industries are much more
Old Iron: Old Gaskets And Seals Won’t Stop Vintage Job Profits
It has been a long time, but I still remember – despite the snow on the roof. I had to go through a flathead Ford to try and seal it up and clean the engine for a restoration project. This was about 35 years ago. At the time I found fairly quickly that when it
Fast Lane, Is Diversification Your Key To Performance Profits?
In past “Fast Lane” columns I have talked about how important it is for a shop to start slowly when entering the high performance and motorsports field. Starting slowly would mean starting with just one type of engine, or racing “class” or organization, so that you can become very good at what you do. To
Marine Engines: Setting a Course for Profits
There are hundreds of thousands of motorboats cruising the waterways and coasts of America. It’s easy to think the market for rebuilding engines for all those crafts might be a niche ripe for the picking. Some rebuilders estimate the size of the marine engine market to be fairly small, perhaps less than 130,000 engines per
Compact Diesels – Not So Compact Profits!
"Compact" may not be the first thing you think of when you think of a diesel engine, but today more and more products are being powered by these types of engines. For most people when they hear the word "diesel" they think "big rig" or something that weighs as much as a small building. Though
The Drive For Performance Import Profits
The automotive industry has seen a great number of specialty niches since the first automobile owner decided to customize his Model T. Since that time, the search for the next great profit opportunity within the aftermarket has continued. The newest niche in the specialty aftermarket is the import performance market. Although modifying these small, powerful
Little Engines, Big Money
For the rebuilding facility familiar with typical automotive or heavy-duty engines, the small displacement, four-cycle, air-cooled engine may seem insignificant. After all, these one-cylinder motors, which may produce just 5 hp, are found in lawn mowers, rototillers and kiddy go karts, for cryin’ out loud! Although the small four-cycle engines from Briggs & Stratton, Tecumseh,
Hot Heads: Valve Bowl Porting…Boost Power And Profits
Valve bowl porting is a smart way for shops to boost power and profits. A few new tools and a little knowledge can score big with performance heads Many shops in the country are getting lots of calls and opportunities to do cylinder head porting work. Many shops are stock rebuild businesses that are afraid
Nissan Engines
The Nissan brand is associated with several enthusiast-friendly cars such as the Datsun 510 and 240Z, the Nissan 350Z, 240SX, and a host of Skylines, as well as the fabled GT-R.
Electronic Fuel Injection for the Masses
There’s no way to sugar coat it. Unless you’ve got a rock-solid niche business in building vintage engines, chances are you’ll need to become an expert with EFI products and how to tune engines with these systems.
CNC Machining Equipment
What’s Keeping You From Making the Plunge? I’ve discovered when I talk with Engine Builder readers about CNC equipment the conversation often falls one of two ways: it’s either the best idea in the history of the industry or it’s just too expensive, too complex or just too different. In conversations with equipment suppliers, on
S & S Brings Know-How and Nostalgia to V-Twin Engines
As a maker of high-performance motorcycle engines, S&S can be linked to the industrial history of Wisconsin. However, the S&S story actually starts in Blue Island, IL, right after World War II. That’s when George J. Smith returned to his home in Blue Island and began tinkering with the engine on his Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Smith