Camshaft & Valvetrain Technology Overview
Camshaft and valvetrain technology is a topic we’ve written much about over the years. A rotating eccentric lobe on a camshaft still opens the valves. In the case of an overhead valve engine, the cam lobe pushes a follower or bucket tappet to open the valve. With a pushrod engine, the cam lobe pushes a
Engine Builder Shop Solutions: May 2012
Why Engine Valves Break The following are some of the most common reasons why engine valves break. This information is courtesy of Basso S.A., a manufacturer of engine valves for original equipment and aftermarket customers. Break between valve head and stem: Cause: Repeated stress to valve stem Contributing Factors: - Weak springs -
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.
Mallory Ignition Named Title Sponsor for IMCA Stock Car Regions
Headquartered in Cleveland, OH, Mallory will furnish a portion of the point fund to be paid to top 10 drivers in final 2012 standings for each region. All drivers in the division are required to display two Mallory decals on their race car to be eligible for point fund shares. The Mallory Northern Region includes
Crate Engine Opportunities
To many engine builders, saying the words “crate engine” can leave a bitter taste in the mouth. The perception is, thanks to the wide assortment of ready-to-run packaged engines available from the OEMs, custom engine builders have difficulty competing. In an attempt to reduce the high cost of racing, many sanctioning bodies and racetracks began
Cracked Cylinder Head Repair
It seems as if many cylinder heads are doomed to crack from the very start because of their lightweight construction and design. Aluminum overhead cam (OHC) heads, in particular, are often found to be warped as well as cracked. But so too are many pushrod cast iron heads. Cracks are often blamed as the cause
Cam Drives and Timing Components
Cam timing plays a huge role in an engine’s power curve. Advancing cam timing shifts the power curve more toward the lower rpm range, while retarding it moves the power curve higher up the rpm scale. If an engine is being built for a particular application (stock, street/strip, drag race, circle track, you-name-it), how the
Powersports Engines Not Just ATVs and Snowmobiles
While consumers often distinguish the powersports market by its individual products, it is all under the same umbrella for manufacturers and dealers of this equipment. Engine builders doing work in this market will find that they can often make more working on less. The engines are small, but depending on the machine, the parts may
Vintage Engines, Modern Results
His business card provides the data on “George’s Speed Shop Precision Racing Engines,” but doesn’t provide much of a clue of who George is or what he does. You might be surprised to learn that the George in this case is better known as “Ohio George” Montgomery, a legendary NHRA national driver. But if you
Smooth Moves: Today’s Surfaces Often Demand Different Finishes
When multi-layer steel (MLS) head gaskets became commonplace a number of years ago, there was a lot of concern that aftermarket surfacing procedures might not be able to reproduce the mirror-like finish that the vehicle manufacturers said was absolutely necessary to seal MLS head gaskets. The challenge was to duplicate the factory finish using out-dated
Do Your Customers Qualify?
If you’ve been following along the past couple years, you know that when I say qualify, I’m referring to the act of “qualifying” your potential customer. First and foremost, can they afford to pay for the work and the parts you will provide. The best test for this is to require a deposit. A down
Oiling Systems For Grassroots Racing
One of the first things to look at when building an engine is the oiling system. Dry sump systems are very scalable and efficient but are not known to be inexpensive by any means. Wet sump systems, on the other hand, offer affordability and can handle some impressive performance applications, but using all stock components
Common Failure Modes
For years, B&G Machine had been a diesel machine shop serving Seattle and the upper Northwest part of the U.S. To address certain market conditions in the mid- to late-’90s, we began building diesel engines. In doing so, we tried to identify the engines that would best serve a captive market – markets that would
Sprint Car Engines: The Current State-of-the-Art
Sprint Cars are just about the fastest machines in racing, often running two or three seconds faster per lap than late model stock cars. There’s no time to just tool around in this form of racing, no pit stops, and it’s over before you know it. Everything is to the limit with engines pushing between
OHC Cylinder Head Rebuilding and Equipment
Originally featured mainly in European racing machinery from Fiat, Peugeot and Alfa Romeo in the early part of last century, by the 1960s companies like Fiat and Jaguar had introduced OHC production engines. It was advanced technology for the time, but today OHC is the norm for even the least expensive production engine. OHC cylinder
Valves: When to Reclaim, When to Replace
Performance engine builders can’t afford to take chances with questionable valves because they have to withstand high rpms and temperatures. Likewise, rebuilders who overhaul high dollar heavy-duty diesel and industrial engines want to minimize their comeback risks by making sure the valves they use are either new or have been carefully inspected and reconditioned to
Uncovering the Causes of Burned or Scuffed Pistons
Question: My engine burned a piston. What does that mean and why did it happen? Answer:It means the piston failed due to excessive heat in the combustionchamber. A burned piston will typically have a melted appearance, or ahole burned completely through the top of the piston. Aluminum can onlywithstand so much heat, and when it
Race vs. Street Oil and Lubricants: The Great Zinc Debate Continues
In racing applications, it’s not usually so serene. Engines live on the edge. Engine builders and racers are always fighting and scratching for more power, more torque, just that little something extra, even 100 rpm off the corner more than the next guy – but it comes with a price. About the only protection these
A Chip Off The Old Block: Aftermarket Blocks Are More Versatile Than Ever
It’s the same economic principle many body shops use on their rodding customers. You can expend good time, money and effort trying to resurrect an old hulk towards the customer’s ultimate goals or you can cut to the chase by starting with an accurate reproduction. In engine building, the same holds true but with a
Dart to Sponsor Black Rock
Dart Machinery’s CanAm challenge will include three back-to-back Friday,Saturday programs inside the standard weekly programs at each of thesetracks. “Dart has been involved with the BRP CanAm Late Model Series for sevenyears and this is simply an extension of that program," said Dart’s Bud Keating. "We at Dart areexcited that the BRP CanAm late model