John "Gunner" Gunnell
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Big-block Chevy Dragster “Hangs Out” at Green Bay Art Gallery

This “turn-key” mid-engined dragster was built by Undercover Motorsports. It is powered be a 555-cubic-inch 900-hp Chevrolet V8 from Dart Machinery, Ltd.

PRI Machinery Row Recalls 50 Years of Tooling Advances

Visiting Machinery Row at the annual PRI Show in Indianapolis you’ll see some mind-blowing whirring, spinning and rotating as machines like the Centroid A560 with CAD/CAM control, touch screen operation and a 24-tool automatic tool changer machine race car engines.

The Little Details Add to Your Bottom Line

A restoration shop owner we know sends his engines out to professional rebuilders. There are two engines sitting in his shop right now – a six and an eight. Both were rebuilt by different shops. One of those shops will be getting all of his engine work in the future. The reason isn’t the quality of work or even the price; it is the attention one shop paid to details.

Old Gold – Vintage Engine Analyzers and Distributor Testers

Engine analyzers and distributor testers are the most common types of equipment seen in the old-car hobby. Of the two, the distributor tester seems to be the more desirable and valuable type of machine.

Foreign Exchange – Profiting From Import Engine Rebuilds

Today, vintage European cars are once again becoming popular, and often for the very same reasons that made them take off almost 60 years ago. Happily, along with increasing interest in such cars comes a rise in demand for engine rebuilding services.

Lake Headers

Have you heard the one about the hot rodder who walks into the engine shop and asks for exhaust headers for a 1928 Hudson he wants to race on the dry lakes? Matt Legare of Gear Drive in Minneapolis, will tell you, “no joke!” He actually built a set of Lake headers for an 87-year-old Hudson that was powered by a Ford 351 Windsor V8.

Chicago Auto Show Display Takes 1.0L EcoBoost Apart

One of many highlights in the Ford booth at the 107th Chicago Auto Show was a large layout of the pieces that make up the first-ever Ford three-cylinder EcoBoost engine. This 1.0 liter turbocharged, direct-injection powerplant delivers 123 hp and 125 lb.-ft. of torque.

Old Fire Trucks Need Engine Work Too

Preserving a fire truck may involve rebuilding its engine. Some older trucks need engine work because the power plants spent hours running large pumps and equipment, rather than racking up road miles. This could mean added business for creative engine builders, but it might also cause the rebuilder to ask questions. Find the answers here.

Corvette “Build Your Own Engine” Program Returns

Back in 2010 General Motors decided to let Corvette owners build their own engine and sell that opportunity as a factory option. Those who bought a Z06 or ZR1 Corvette and paid $5,800 and signed up for the program traveled to GM’s Wixom, Mich. “Performance Build Center” and rolled up their sleeves.

Headmaster Jagersberger – Converting Flatheads into OHV Engines

Joseph W. Jagersberger was a very early racing car driver who competed against Louis Chevrolet prior to the first Indianapolis 500-mile Race. He was also the manufacturer of early speed equipment and his RAJO heads became well known to Ford and Chevy lovers.

Studebaker Sleeper

A crude-looking ’53 Studebaker drag racing car from Iowa has its share of rust, dings, dents and paint flaws, but under its hood is a one-of-a-kind Pontiac intake manifold that has some very sophisticated engineering behind it. Davenport, IA, resident Jim Allen has owned the Studebaker Starliner Coupe since 1959. It was back in 1964 that he purchased the factory experimental intake to go on the 421-cid Pontiac Super-Duty V8.

Magnificent Millers in Milwaukee Mile

Auto racing enthusiasts Bob Sutherland, David Uihlein and Chuck Davis started the Millers at Milwaukee Vintage Indy Car Event at the Wisconsin State Fair Park in 1995. At that time, the three never dreamed that it would become an annual event drawing cars from across the country and showcasing in retrospect the ideas that sprung from auto racing to advance auto engine technology. But that’s exactly what it is today.