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.
Tipping the Scales
The basics of engine balancing have not changed over the years, but some of the nuances have. The equipment used to balance crankshafts has also become more sophisticated, faster to learn and easier to use thanks to smarter software, better user interfaces and more informative display graphics.
Dark Days of Diesel?
Think about the diesel engine over the last 30 years. From a rattling bucket of bolts that often got a frown from people it’s become a highly sought-after engine among the younger high school generation. Who would ever have imagined that one?
Infiniti Creates its Most Advanced V6 Engine Yet
The new compact and lightweight 3.0-liter V6 twin-turbo engine is the most advanced V6 gasoline engine that Infiniti has ever offered, striking an ideal balance between drivability, efficiency, and performance.
Nissan’s Titan to Employ a 5.6L Endurance V8 Gas Engine
Nissan has announced that a new 5.6-liter Endurance V8 gasoline engine will be available in the all-new Titan and Titan XD full-size pickup trucks. The engine features four-valves per cylinder, Variable Valve Event & Lift and Direct Injection, and is rated at 390 horsepower at 5,800 rpm and 401 lb.-ft. of torque at 4,000 rpm.
Shop Solutions December 2015
Despite what you may believe, there is a way to recondition the so-called “cracked” rods, or powdered metal connecting rods. I use a media made of coal slag that can be found at most home improvement stores.
Engine Bearings Under Pressure
Today’s hi-flow, aftermarket, CNC-ported cylinder heads, high lift killer cams and induction system power adders (blowers, turbos and nitrous) are making more power than ever before, and really hammering the bottom end of the engine. If the bearings can’t take it, the engine won’t last.
The Racing Industry Gears Up for Indianapolis
Featuring roughly 1,200 exhibitors, the PRI Show highlights the latest advances in racing components, shop-machining equipment and engineering solutions, as well as special exhibits and seminars. There’s a lot to see, but it’s more than just the cool new parts, gadgets and equipment that make the trip to Indy worthwhile.
Oiling Systems for Grassroots Racing
Priority one when choosing an oiling system for any type of racing (grassroots or professional) is to establish what the rules allow and prohibit. Somebody has to read the rule book. Whether that’s you or your customer it doesn’t matter. The oiling system has to fit within the framework of the rule book. Period.
Modern Machining
Advancements in engine machining technology have truly moved this industry firmly into the space age. Highly developed abrasives and computer numeric controlled (CNC) software are found at almost every level of equipment, leaving some to mourn the loss of the “art” of engine machining in favor of the “science” of precision.
Super Class Act: Super Comp Engines and Drivers are a Different Breed
The three Super Classes are the only ones allowed a throttle stop. In the beginning of the Super Class fixed index racing history, racers had to set up the car and physically control their driving in order to run as close to the index as possible. When the throttle stop entered the picture, things changed drastically.
Eight Racers Took to the Track, Only One Got a New Engine
Eight racers took to the track at US 131 Motorsports Park and fiercely competed to win a new racing engine during the Engine Pro Engine Giveaway at US 131 Motorsports Park in Martin, MI. Andy Wrobleski of South Bend, Ind. bested the other racers who were chosen from a field of 20 Top Ten points finishers in the Top ET and Modified divisions at the popular Michigan track. Wrobleski won the engine, which was provided by Pro-filer Performance Products of New Carlisle, Ohio.
