Like many of you, I’ve been watching the transition in head machines for the engine machinist industry with great interest. And you and I both are looking at how changes in equipment will impact your business. You see, I teach in an engine machinist program and when I took over...
Any automotive enthusiast would agree that the quest for more power is the true addiction. From simple bolt-ons to hardcore internals such as different bore and stroke combinations tend to fuel our burning desire. Every enthusiast seems to have a passion for a particular brand of manufacturer. Take for instance...
Performance engine builders are always looking at changes they can make that will give their engine an edge over the competition. Rod ratio is one of those factors that may make a difference. Changing the length of the rods with respect to the stroke of the crankshaft offers some advantages...
Stop me if you’ve heard this story before: a couple of guys get ahold of a tired late model Chevy 350 V8 and decide to rebuild it into something with a bit more teeth. With the help of a more experienced engine builder they spend about a year working on...
Tractor pulling in America means a lot of things to different people. Many in the general public regard the sport as nothing more than stock trucks and tractors coming in off the farm and doing their thing at the county fair. That was then, this is now. The sport has...
The short answer to which type of cam drive is best depends on the application, what your customer wants and how much they can afford to spend. A stock link style timing chain is fine for everyday driving and normal use. “Silent tooth” link chains are quiet, long-lived and adequate...
In this industry, it’s often cheaper to remanufacture or rebuild an engine than it is to make a new one. However, doing so requires cleaning worn and dirty parts. In addition, customers these days are increasingly asking for cleaner parts and engines. How are you supposed to get tough grease,...
In the past decade, turbochargers have found their way onto more engines in cars and light trucks than ever before. By 2021, predictions by some experts cite turbocharged vehicles will reach up to 38 percent of all new vehicles sold in the U.S. Once thought of as only a means...
On the surface, flow bench testing seems easy, but it’s not. Many in the industry have become solely fixated on cubic feet per minute (cfm) numbers, placing importance on a number that is easily manipulated and ignoring other data about a cylinder head’s performance. This thinking would make flow bench...
It looks as though for 2017, Ford is going to be bringing back the 6.8-liter Triton V10. There has been a lot of advertisement through the media on the matter and it seems everyone thought the V10 no longer existed. To everyone’s surprise, the V10 actually never stopped production. Many...
Regardless of what type of engine work you do in your shop (stock, performance, diesel, marine or anything that comes in the door), you need the ability to surface heads and blocks. Deck surfaces on high mileage heads and blocks are often corroded, pitted, scratched and/or out-of-flat – especially if...
Street Rod/Hot Rod engines? Yeah, right! Defining this particular engine market has been likened to trying to nail Jell-O to a wall. There is an almost endless number of factors that cross engine “styles”’ usage and applications. It’s no different with hot rods. One hot rodder may want a stock...
The upper valvetrain is one of the most critical components in an engine build, so it’s essential you choose the right parts for the application and install them correctly. Here are some suggestions for getting things right: DON’T USE “STANDARD” LENGTH PUSHRODS Many variables can affect the length of the...
It’s a given that engine builders often combine components in innovative and unusual ways. That goes for their shop operations in general. Tim Anderson of T&A Performance LLC in Sparks, NV, is a prime case in point. Shown here is the buildup of a 6.0L Power Stroke, modified not only...
Any bozo can slap a supercharger on a stock 505 horsepower LS7 small-block and pick up another 200 hp. Yawn. Increasing output that same 200 hp through natural aspiration should be harder, but all it takes is some head work, long-tubes, and a big hydraulic roller cam. Thanks to the...
This is the first installment of a three-part series on marine performance engine building. This series will look at this market from three different perspectives, the “meat and potatoes” refresh, turning big power into bigger power and then culminating with a look at the mega power that pushes 50-foot offshore...
Bruce G. Argetsinger of Branford, CT, is a tool and die maker who found a niche manufacturing racing engine parts for vintage Harley and Indian motorcycles. His motivation for manufacturing such items grew out of his own motorcycle-racing career and explains the trade name that Bruce uses – EnfieldRacing.com. He...
All automotive internal combustion engines are equipped with some type of pressurized oiling system. Oil lubrication is essential for reducing friction, preventing wear and cooling vital engine components. Pumping oil to the main and rod bearings creates a friction-reducing hydrodynamic film between the bearings and crank that allows the crank...
In the automotive industry, power and reliability have always been the quest of all engine builders and racers. There are many time-honored methods of increasing horsepower and the same with making engines more reliable. But modifications can sometimes have residual effects and overtax another area of the engine, even compromising...
While this industry continually runs on tighter and tighter engine clearances, in today’s world of engine building, no one has yet to figure out how to run engine parts on zero clearance. There has to be some amount of space available or an engine simply won’t run. Thus, when it...
