The Business Case For Buying a CNC Machine
Like a good chef, a good machinist does a lot by feel and experience. These things can’t be learned in a few hours or even days – it takes years. When it comes to CNC machines, sometimes the sum equals more than its parts – but many times the parts generate more than its sum.
Dyno Decisions Depend on Business Model
If you need a dyno only three or four times a year, you’re probably better off renting dyno time from another facility. If you build race engines for a living, an engine dyno is an essential part of how you do your job and ultimately the value you provide to your customer. So what are
Restoration Engine Builds: Finding The Niche That’s Right For You
If you’re trying to determine if you can make money raising engines from the ashes, take the following test to see if you’re likely to, not just survive but, flourish as an engine restorer: • Are you an information sponge capable of soaking up the last 100 or so years of automotive technology? • Do
How Piston Rings Affect Horsepower
The rings seal the pistons to prevent air and oil from being drawn past the rings into the combustion chamber during the intake stroke. During the compression stroke, the rings make sure the air/fuel stays in the combustion chamber and is fully compressed before it is ignited. During the power stroke, the rings prevent pressure
Your Shop Machines Have No Idea If They
Shop machines don’t have a clue that your tooling is dull, bent, nicked, burred, or the wrong size. It does exactly what you direct it to do, and if your tooling isn’t up to spec you’ll surely junk out a work piece in record time. Let’s start with tooling made from carbide. Carbide tooling comes
2011 Engine Builder Tech Solutions Guide
Provides technical tips/solutions broken out by engine family – Ford, GM Chrysler, Performance and Shop Tips. (Use the links below to view a PDF of each section or click here for entire supplement) FORD GM CHRYSLER SHOP TIPS PERFORMANCE Sponsored by:
Sportsman Drag Racing Engine Rules
Dragracing – lining up next to the other guy and seeing who’s got the beststuff – remains an incredibly popular sport, for both spectators andparticipants. Although multi-lap circle track and road racingcompetition may have received the lion’s share of media attention overthe past several years, mashing the throttle and driving to the finishline is good
Selecting The Right High Performance Rocker Arms
The rocker arms in a pushrod engine serve two purposes. The rockers serve as fulcrums to redirect the upward motion of the lifters and pushrods into downward motion to open the valves. The lift ratio of the rockers also serves to multiply the amount of valve lift generated by the cam lobes. Stock rocker arms
Sprint Car Piston Design and Other Topics Discussed at the 21st AETC
People always ask what I get out of going to AETC? The simple 30 second elevator answer is you take the smartest people you know, or have ever met, and throw them all in a room together for three days and see what comes out of it. It usually doesn’t disappoint. As expected, a lot
High Performance Diesel Market Includes?Growing Number of Parts
In many cases, the diesel engine is taking over the hot rod world. Instead of a small block or big block Chevy in the classic cruiser, people are looking at the Duramax diesel. The same goes for the Ford engines being replaced by the Powerstroke and the Dodge being substituted with the Cummins. The desire
Understanding Today
Metallurgy is one of the oldest sciences in the world – it’s a history that can be traced back to the beginnings of civilization. It’s hard to believe that in the thousands of years since the discovery of gold and silver there have only been 84 new metals discovered. In fact, when the automobile was
Cylinder Sleeve Installation Procedures
Dry sleeves have long been used to repair damaged and worn cast iron and aluminum engine blocks. If a cylinder has excessive taper wear, or is cracked, scored or otherwise damaged, boring out the damaged cylinder and installing a repair sleeve can often save the block. Likewise, if all of the cylinders are heavily worn,