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
Cultivating Diesel Success Using Unconventional Approaches
While most of Osborne’s customers never even come through the Liverpool, NY shop’s door, their continued patronage has pushed Syracuse Crank to record sales figures over the past few years, he says. “We were at 31 percent growth last year over the year before, and the year before last we were 26 percent higher. Our
Classic Muscle: Kammer & Kammer Make Mopar Magic
Most of the time, amateur racers are customers at the nationally known Kammer & Kammer Mopar High Performance Shop in Dayton, OH. Kammer says his business consists of about 65 percent racing and 35 percent street performance, and the most important thing he provides is a good relationship between himself and his customer. “When I
Karting Engine Market and Technology
Experts say that the situation isn’t getting any easier for flathead lovers because many parts and pieces, such as flywheels and sump covers, are not manufactured anymore. There are, however, some replacement parts on the market that are manufactured in China such as sheet metal and valves. Burris now makes most of the pistons for
Ohio Technical College Announces The Edelbrock Academy
Ohio Technical College (OTC), a leading automotive training school, recently announced a new partnership with Edelbrock, LLC to create the Edelbrock Academy, a program designed to give students a solid foundation in the building and tuning of American muscle cars and performance vehicles. The Edelbrock Academy at Ohio Technical College will provide students with
Bolt-on Horsepower: Choosing An Induction System
The induction system feeds the engine air and fuel. So to increase the torque and horsepower output of an engine, the induction system has to provide more air and fuel. That usually means adding an aftermarket performance intake manifold with taller, larger and/or longer runners to increase air flow into the cylinder head ports, bolting
Caburetors and Electronic Fuel Injection Systems
These days just about everyone is looking to new technology to solve their problems. In some cases it makes sense: others, not so much. Take the trusty old carburetor for example: it has been around since the beginning of time (automotive time anyway), and many have predicted its demise, but somehow it keeps coming back
Manifold Makeover – Increasing Engine Power
An intake manifold is more than the plumbing that connects thecarburetor or throttle body to the ports in the cylinder head. It is anintegral part of the induction system that has to match the airflowcharacteristics of the cylinder head and camshaft, as well as thedisplacement and rpm range of the engine. A well-designed manifold that
SSSSSnake Bit!
In 1974, America watched 93 cars get destroyed in a 34-minute car chase. “Gone In 60 Seconds,” an independent film written, produced and directed by and starring Toby Halicki was an otherwise forgettable ’70s movie. The plot revolved around Mandrian Pace (Halicki) and his car thief cronies and 48 cars that they needed to steal
EFI Introduction 101
EFI has become the tool that has unlocked the next level of engine performance. Nowhere is it more evident than in drag racing, where EFI has taken over where the rules permit. Take Joe Dunn’s Pat Musi-powered ’68 Camaro that just rocked the competition with a 6.38 @ 218 mph pass. Its 755 cid big-block
CFM Rules
CFM and Carburetors: Carburetors are rated by CFM (cubicfeet per minute) capacity. 4V carburetors are rated at 1.5 inches (Hg)of pressure drop (manifold vacuum) and 2V carburetors at 3 inches (Hg).Rule: For maximum performance, select a carburetor that is rated higherthan the engine CFM requirement. Use 110% to 130% higher onsingle-plane manifolds. Example: If the
Understanding Dyno Numbers’ Place in Your Business
It is very difficult to cover all of what you need to know about dyno testing in an article of this length, but perhaps I can take a swing at nailing some of the critical information down. Dyno testing is an important part of engine development programs and can provide an improvement in quality control
Engine Builder Shop Solutions: May 2009
Top 10 Machine Shop Business Tips Engine Pro recently held a series of 8 focus-group meetings in the Midwest. Each meeting consisted of 8 to 10 machine shop owners and a moderator. Three questions were asked during the meeting. “What’s working? What’s not working? What do you need most to help you ‘make it’ for
Fueling the Future – Can You Fill Up with Alternative Fuels?
Currently gas prices have stabilized at around $1.83 a gallon, a price at which most Americans feel comfortable driving their SUVs, trucks, race cars, tow vehicles and other motorized toys. But when gas hits $4 and $5 a gallon, driving guzzlers becomes a challenge for many. It was only a few months ago that a
Manufacturer Tech Tip: Carburetor Cleaning Tips From Edelbrock
NEVER clean your EnduraShine or PermaStar parts with solvents or carburetor cleaners of any kind. Use of these cleaners will dull the luster and will remove the coating. Never use solvents or carburetor cleaners when rebuilding your EnduraShine carburetor. Do not use paper towels to wipe or clean your EnduraShine or PermaStar parts. Although Edelbrock
Taming The New Tiger
Say the name Arnie “Farmer” Beswick and many an old Pontiac fan will nod and share a story or two about Arnie and his legendary GTO, the Tameless Tiger. About two hours down the highway in Illinois, Jim Riskovsky, owner of Turbo Connection in Edwardsville, IL, is learning to tame his own tiger, his 2005
Fueling the Need for Performance Fuel Systems
Consider this – a high 10 second drag car will burn up one gallon of gasoline in 25 seconds or less, but a car that can run a 7 second E.T. will burn the same amount of fuel in half the time. The physics involved with fuel flow to create horsepower is difficult for even
Carburetor Tuning: A/F Mixture, Air/Fuel Equation
Now that the ignition spark timing advance curves are optimized for the blend of reformulated and/or oxygenated gasoline your customers are using we will now show you how we use tools such as a 5-gas exhaust analyzer and wideband Lambda air/fuel (A/F) meter to tune the mixture. The Air/Fuel Mixture A lean fuel mixture can
Engine Sealing Technology
Since the days of sealing engines with asbestos, cork, rope and paper are, for the most part, ancient history, new-age materials and designs have elevated the critical role gaskets and seals play in the longevity of an engine. Finding the optimum sealing material and design remain a challenge many gasket manufacturers face as engines are
Old Iron: Tuning A Carbureted Engine
Even if you build the perfect engine all your hard work means very little if the customer is not satisfied with how their engine performs. So like it or not, you will have to become involved in engine tuning or at the least provide your customer with tuning guidelines if you want to have a