2003 Editions
Marine Engine Building
Inboard, outboard, jump aboard? The marine market is a profitable niche for some engine builders, but it
Read More
Inboard, outboard, jump aboard? The marine market is a profitable niche for some engine builders, but it
For most of my adult life, I have wished that I could have access to the "inner sanctum" of engine building and automotive technology. Then I could get a good look behind the door, talk to the movers and shakers, find answers or opinions for those "what if", or "how...
Cracks in cylinder heads and blocks present various challenges to rebuilders. When a crack is found a rebuilder must decide what the best method of repair will be. Many machine shops don
2003 Machine Shop Market Profile
The late Smokey Yunick, Hall of Fame race car mechanic, engine builder and car owner, once said that fastener technology used to be “cut and try.” In those days if there was ever a failure the philosophy was, “go one size bigger.” In today
Suspense might be fine if you are Alfred Hitchcock but I really don
In Las Vegas, a city where being lucky is more important than being good, AERA Expo attendees really stood out. Despite the best efforts of a great many people, you could say that the engine building industry has had more than its share of bad luck. Yet the mood at...
In this column we
You know that customer? The one who waited not at all patiently while you found the parts, got the machine work done, and finally assembled his vintage or performance engine? The one who appeared to be in substantial pain when he wrote that $4,000 check and grudgingly tossed it on...
"Gap analysis" is a unique process geared toward finding inefficient day-to-day routines or uncovering those that create inefficiencies. Gap analysis measures every minute throughout the day for every person in the company, from executive to entry-level, from start of the day to the end of the day. Any minute found...
To America
Thrust bearings are used to control end play in the crankshaft. End play is important because it limits the fore and aft movement of the crankshaft in the block. If an engine is assembled with too much end play in the crank, or if the thrust bearing fails, the forward...
Over the years, I have had occasion to port cylinder heads when I had no prior experience with that particular casting. The results have not always been as good as I would have liked them to be, but with only one head or one pair of heads available to work...
If there
The
If a valve seat is damaged, cracked, loose, receded or too badly worn to be recut or reground, it can cause a variety of problems: loss of compression, valve burning, valve failure, valvetrain wear and breakage, even head and valve damage if the seat comes loose. For that reason, replacing...
Doug Anderson is president of Grooms Engines, Parts, Machining, Inc., located in Nashville, TN. He has authored numerous technical articles on engine rebuilding for Engine Builder magazine for more than 15 years. Anderson has also made many technical presentations on engine building at AERA and PERA conventions and seminars. The...
It
Engine builders may know a lot about building a better engine, but many need help when it comes to managing their businesses. For some, tracking billed hours and reviewing weekly income statements are more like chores than the work they love
Ask Mike Schaefer, incoming chairman of the Engine Rebuilders Association (AERA) what the association means to him and he’ll have an immediate and impactful answer: "Without AERA, we wouldn’t have survived." When he opened the doors to Southern Illinois Crankshaft, Red Bud, IL, in November of 1985, and bought his...
