Balancing Equipment: a weighty matter
Everybody knows what balance is, right? You maintain your own balance by centering your body mass over your feet. If you lean too far forward or backward, or too far to the left or right, you’ll lose your balance and fall unless you grab hold of something or reposition your feet. Moving your center of
Pushrods & Lifters
Pushrod engines have been dubbed as antiquated technology by some, but for many engine builders these engines are far from suffering the fate of the horse and buggy. In fact, with both GM and Chrysler keeping the pushrod engine alive in their current product lineups with the Gen IV, Hemi and others, pushrods and lifters
Growing Your Agricultural Engine Business
Most automotive machine shops and engine builders are familiar with cars and trucks as a market for their services. In fact, for many shops, these two markets are their lifeblood. A look at other markets, however, is always worthwhile and any industry that uses equipment powered by an internal combustion engine should be a prospective
Rebuilding The Ford 4.6L
That’s good news for rebuilders, because most of them are in vehicles that are worth fixing when they need an engine, but there’s some bad news, too. Ford has made a lot of changes over the years, so building the right engine can be a challenge. In fact, if you include the front cover with
PERA’s Core Corner: Updating Your Understanding Of Chrysler’s NGC
Last November’s Core Corner, titled “Understanding Chrysler’s Next Generation Controllers” (November 2005 Engine Builder, page 24) did not include any images of the different cam gears since all you needed to know for identification was that “NGC” was stamped on the gears in question. REPLACEMENT CHART Note: SBEC means Single Board Engine Controller (passenger car
Old Iron: Old Gaskets And Seals Won’t Stop Vintage Job Profits
It has been a long time, but I still remember – despite the snow on the roof. I had to go through a flathead Ford to try and seal it up and clean the engine for a restoration project. This was about 35 years ago. At the time I found fairly quickly that when it
Performance Notes, How To Compete With The Crate Motor Business
If you are a regular reader of the performance automotive consumer magazines you may have spotted a trend – many of the feature cars and tech articles are focused on crate motors. To an engine builder specializing in custom high performance engines, and for engine builders looking to get into the performance arena, this could
Head and Block Resurfacing
Resurfacing cylinder heads and engine blocks is an essential aspect of engine building today, whether the work is being done by a production engine rebuilder, a high performance specialist or small custom shop. Bimetal engines, multi-layer steel (MLS) head gaskets and tighter assembly tolerances make accurate surfacing more critical than ever before. The key to
Tuning in to the Sport Compact Market
While the American muscle car segment is getting a shot in the arm with the Mustang, Charger, GTO and others, the sport compact market is not going away any time soon. Much has been said about the possible demise of this once fast-growing market but according to some manufacturers there is still plenty of business
February 2006 Tech Solutions Guide
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Performance Cylinder Sleeves
In the performance segment of the automotive aftermarket, young enthusiasts often think only the latest is great enough for their vehicle. Thanks to the prevalence of computerized engine management systems, some might believe that high-tech guarantees high horsepower. Yesterday’s technology? No way will it find success on the street or strip. However, engine builders know
Performance Cam Revolution – Valvetrain Advances Give More Power to the People
When selecting a performance camshaft, everything in the engine must be considered because change one thing and something else is affected. One cam supplier said that advances seem to happen daily, so it is important to stay abreast of the latest trends. The basic function of the camshaft is to open and close the valves