It is easy to do a performance three or four angle valve job, but it is very difficult to find a shop to properly do one for you. Well, I will explain to you the proper way to do a great performance valve job either using stones or pre-shaped...
There are probably few topics of more interest to machine shops and custom engine rebuilders than charges for specific shop labor operations. In January, Automotive Rebuilder surveyed 2,400 machine shop members of the Engine Rebuilders Association (AERA) throughout the U.S., asking for labor charges for 22 basic labor operations performed...
The average number of engines rebuilt by custom engine rebuilders/machine shops rose slightly in production year 1998 compared to production of engines in 1997. Machine shops rebuilt an average of 19.4 engines monthly in 1998 compared to 18.29 in 1997. An extensive survey of machine shops located primarily in the...
Surfing the net for fun is one thing. Using it as a tool to grow your business is another. Recently we talked to machine shop owners, as well as a few suppliers, to get their take on Internet opportunities for automotive engine rebuilders. Machine shop Internet usage According to Babcox...
Manual dressing of the grinding wheel is an important factor in producing satisfactory work on your crankshaft grinder. The wheel must be dressed each time it is placed on the machine, even though it may not have been removed from the wheel center. Mount the wheel dresser on the grinder...
Internal combustion engines produce power when a burning mixture of air and fuel expands. These engines also become more efficient as combustion temperature increases, but to develop maximum power, the energy lost as heat should be kept as low as possible. If engine parts were made out of materials which...
Opportunity is where you find it. Rebuilding passenger car and light truck engines and doing the machine work that
In 1988 Toyota introduced its first V6. Most of the information that follows applies to the 3.0L version used in Toyota’s truck applications. The 3.4L is still fairly new to the aftermarket at this point. 3VZ-E – 3.0L SOHC V6 – ’88-’95 The 3VZ-E was also introduced for the 1988...
The Quad 4 had four valves per cylinder, tuned intake and exhaust manifolds, no distributor, no plug wires, lightweight rods and pistons to reduce shaking forces, and a crank with eight counterweights that was designed to reduce noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) and bearing wear. It didn’t have an A.I.R....
Just because you
Bet you a nickel the first person to say "good help is hard to find" was a machine shop owner. It
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For nearly 30 years, engine rebuilders were sheltered from the dramatic changes sweeping through the automotive industry. While other shop owners and technicians scrambled to relearn almost everything they knew because of computers, engine rebuilding remained essentially the same. Now, machine shops, custom and production engine rebuilders are faced with...
In days of old when men were bold and engines weren
The practice of using microbes to break down and clean up hazardous and unwanted chemicals has been used for many years. However, most people were first introduced to the practice of using oil digesting microorganisms in 1989, when television news broadcasts showed microbes being used in the cleanup of the...
With each new generation of engines come changes that are designed to reduce emissions and extend durability. Key among these have been changes in piston and ring materials. Most vehicle manufacturers today are building passenger car engines that, with proper maintenance (regular oil changes), are capable of going well over...
Traditionally, hot rodding has been as American as apple pie, baseball, hot dogs and Chevrolet. Certainly, imported vehicles have been "hopped up," but serious hot rodding has always been dominated by enthusiasts who believe that engines have eight cylinders, pushrods and 16 valves. For the past 40 years, machine shops...
