April, 2012 Archives - Engine Builder Magazine
Cleaning Engine Parts: Can You? Should You?

Here’s the kicker – those shops who feel that proper cleaning is too difficult, too time consuming or too expensive are actually leaving money on table when it comes to their engine parts. “At one point in my career, cleaning seemed like it was really difficult,” says Dave Arce of Arce Enterprises, El Cajon, CA.

Choosing Valvetrain Components: Lifters, Pushrods, Springs & Rockers

The type of parts you ultimately choose will depend on the application (street performance, circle track, drag, marine, etc.) and any rules that restrict the type of camshaft, lifters or other valvetrain components that are allowed. But don’t overlook your customer’s budget. Affordability often limits your choices if a customer just doesn’t have the bucks

2012 High Performance Engine Parts & Surface Finish Tech Guide

    (Download and view the .pdf here)              Sponsored by:                

Engine Balancing: Old School Experience Meets New Technology

The one fact that has held true from the first engine built till today is you must have balance to hold things together and not vibrate apart. I am a Performance Engine Technology Instructor at Daytona State College, therefore I must give you a short applied physics lesson first. The force of a rotating object

Smoothing Out The Stress

We’ve all heard (and probably used) the term “harmonic balancer.” I always get a chuckle when I hear this term used so freely by educated gear heads. Because you see, there really is no such animal as a harmonic balancer on the internal combustion engine. The correct term is “harmonic damper.” The damper is often

The Nitty Gritty of Abrasive Safety

Conventional abrasives have kind of taken a back seat to PCD and CBN cutters in the automotive world in the last few years. Since most engines being rebuilt these days are made from multi-alloy components they are more easily machined with PCD or CBN. But PCD and CBN can’t do everything, so abrasives are still

Stock Car Engines and Sanctioning Bodies: Different Groups, Different Rules

But for engine builders, keeping up with these groups, and the many sets of rules, can be quite a task. How do you stay on top of what’s legal AND competitive? We will take a closer look at a number of groups that are off NASCAR’s beaten path and see what they have for rules.