Align Honing Principles
If you ever want to get scared, check out what a crank looks like at high RPM. If you’re interested, the machine to do this with is called a Spintron. What you’ll see is a large, heavy, supposedly rigid chunk of steel squirming around like crazy. You’d swear any metal walking around that much would
Performance Pistons
Piston manufacturers are introducing new performance pistons for all of these applications as well as refining existing piston designs to reduce weight, and improve strength, durability and ring sealing. Piston design and manufacturing used to be a relatively low-tech process. Now, with the aid of finite element analysis and other computer modeling techniques, many aftermarket
PERA’S Core Corner: Looking For Leakers In Ford’s Duratec 3.0L Engines
Living in a home that was built in 1910 is a bit like living in a piece of history, and the character that goes along with it is truly fulfilling. Yet a home this old does bring its own challenges, so during the past month or so I have been replacing the remaining cast iron
Technotes
Engine Builders: The AERA Technical Committee reports information regarding cracked valve spring retainers on 1999-2002 Audi/Volkswagen 1.8L turbo AEB and ATC engines. This information is an update to a previously published bulletin as some information has changed. It had been reported that exhaust valve retainers have cracked while in service allowing valve keys to unlock
Final Wrap: The AERA International Expo 2005 and PERA Spring Marketing and Tech Meetings
News item: Steve Wynn, the brash Las Vegas casino developer who created the Mirage, Treasure Island and the Bellagio, opened his newest resort in Las Vegas on April 28th. The first new casino resort to open in Las Vegas in five years, the Wynn Las Vegas is apparently a beautiful property that’s different than any
Connecting Rod Reconditioning: More to it than you might think
The connecting rod plays a vital role in the engine. But a connecting rod is under tremendous stress, with the weight of the piston sitting on top, changing direction thousands of times per minute. This continuous stopping and changing of direction combined with the weight of the piston and speed of the engine hammer on
Shop Management Software
Reality TV puts ordinary people into difficult, often dangerous situations with the sole purpose of providing entertainment to millions of people. Except for the “entertainment” and “millions of people” part of the equation, that also sounds like just another business day. How often do you as a machine shop owner or engine rebuilder feel that
All About The Alloys – Valve Seat Selection For High Performance Applications
We can’t make any sweeping generalizations about what kind of seats work best in a performance engine application because “performance” covers a lot of territory, everything from hot street engines with stainless steel valves to top fuel drag racing and NASCAR engines with titanium valves. Seat requirements vary depending on the application, what kind of
Building Drag Racing Engines and Modification Work
Although drag strips are far outnumbered by oval tracks in the United States – approximately 1,043 oval tracks to just 295 drag strips – the number of competitors in drag racing nearly equals those in the circle track ranks. The NHRA alone has more than 35,000 licensed members. One reason might be that virtually any
PERAs Core Corner: Ford Balance Shaft Information For Gearheads
This month’s column is going to be information about balance shaft gears and changes that have occurred in some Ford engines. But I thought before we got to that I would give a little history on balance shafts and their purpose. The basic concept behind balance shafts has been recognized for nearly a century. Contrary
Shop Financials: Automotive Technology Isn’t All Under The Hood
Like our cars, many of us take our computer systems and networks for granted. Once they are installed and working, we tend to forget about scheduled maintenance and security. Since most of the services that our companies require are on the Internet, we are forced to get access to stay current with technology. When on
Washington Way, President’s Agenda Daunting, But Is It Workable?
No matter what your political persuasion, no one can accuse President Bush of backing off or slowing down now that he has been re-elected. The debris from the inaugural parade and the many inaugural balls had barely been swept away before the administration began pushing its second term agenda. Many of these programs, such as