Engine Pro Shop Solutions – February 2018
ROD TO CAM CLEARANCE GAUGE Using a plastic banding strap as a feeler gauge works great to check for clearance. The straps are generally .035˝-.045˝ thick, so you might want to double them up to check for the minimal .050˝-.060˝ clearance recommended. These work great as they easily bend to any curvature you need. If
Racesaver Sprint Car Engine Part 2 – Engine Block Selection and Prep
This is the second in a series of articles about building a competitive sprint car engine that can successfully compete with crate and spec motors at a customer-friendly, business-boosting price point. GM made many different block castings. For this project the older 2 piece main seal are preferred. There is a list of legal casting
Racesaver Sprint Car Engine Part 1 – Developing the Program
The fastest way to become a millionaire in racing, of course, is to start with two million. Sprint cars are no exception but a gentleman named French Grimes came up with an affordable alternative called Racesaver. His idea was a smaller engine that could be put together by anyone and raced competitively for a number
Understanding Today’s Valve Seats
When it comes to engine cooling, the radiator is kind of a showoff. It sits right up front, catching the best breeze, dominating the conversation. And when it erupts in a cloud of coolant and steam, everyone knows about it. However, the engine valves (particularly the exhaust valves) shouldn’t be overlooked for the role they
Dyno Racing Challenge Set for Oct 3-6 in Charlotte, NC
The inaugural American Iron 2-valve Shootout Race Engine Challenge will be held October 3-6, 2018 in Charlotte, NC. The event will feature 15 engine builders from across the United States putting their most creative builds against each other in a dyno racing competition. “There continues to be excitement from engine builders about dyno competitions and
Building Better Cylinder Heads for Harley-Davidson’s Big Twin Engines
The Harley-Davidson cylinder head aftermarket is broad and deep with offerings from mildly modified stock castings to all-out racing billets. We see the whole range of this market on a daily basis here at GMS.
Valve Lifter Basics and Beyond
Valve lifters play a key role in the valvetrain of pushrod engines. They go all the way back to the earliest days of the internal combustion engine. The earliest engines did not have pushrods or rocker arms. They were a “flathead” design with the valves in the block. The lifters (also called “tappets” because of the clattering noise they produced) rode on the cam lobes in the block and actuated the valves directly.
The Lost Art of Knurling Pistons Takes Skill – And Guts
Thanks to my late friend Pete Baldoni, a former NAPA store owner many years ago, I am the proud owner of a genuine Perfect Circle Piston Nurlizing Machine (Note: Perfect Circle spelled knurl with an N). Pete gave me that PC machine years ago, after closing the machine shop part of his NAPA store.
The Anatomy of Engine Parts Coatings
Coatings have been developed to improve performance, durability and reliability. Though once the exclusive trade secret of race engine parts suppliers and engine builders, today parts coatings are available for many different applications – and can even be applied in your own shop.
10 Things Your Diesel Customer’s Oil is Trying to Tell You
Not only does oil lubricate as a means of controlling friction but also has to control contamination, temperature, corrosion, shock, wear, and pressure. Oil analysis is the only true way to put a set of “eyes” on the engine’s condition and the condition of the oil as to when it should be changed.
Test Procedures Prove Race Oils Have Differences
One of the premier racing oil developers finally took the time (18 months) and spent the money (megabucks) to quantify the performance differences between various oil products.
Aluminum SBC Cylinder Heads
A lot has changed in the performance cylinder head market since my last head story in EB in 2010. First of all, 600hp is the new 500hp, and if a power adder is involved, you’d better be packing 800hp to have any bragging rights at all.
