Keeping Valve Jobs Profitable
Okay, so head work accounts for a large percentage of your business. But is it as profitable as it should be or could be? Do you have a good handle on cylinder head related costs (parts, labor and cleaning)? Are the employees who are doing the head work competent and productive? Is your valve guide
Engine Builder Shop Solutions: August 2012
Editor’s Note: This coming October will mark “Shop Solutions’” fifth anniversary and to help Engine Pro celebrate, we’re putting plans into place to have a “Top Five from the Past Five” contest where you’ll get to choose your favorite Shop Solution from the past five years. Watch this section as well as the magazine for
Tips and Tricks For Quickly and Accurately Detecting Cracks
Dry Method Magnetic Particle Inspection When "Magnafluxing" a casting, never blast with media prior to testing.Blast media peens the surface and can move metal, possibly closing thevery cracks or flaws that you are trying to identify. When very coarsewire brushes are used roughly, they can also mask these areas. Usuallythe casting itself, without cleaning, is
Permatex Introduces Gasket Dressing and Flange Sealant, New Breakthrough in Gasketing Technology
Permatexhas announced the addition of a new gasketing sealant to its line of gasket makers and sealants. Permatex PermaShield Gasket Dressing and Flange Sealant is designed to provide superior fluid resistance and alsowithstand extreme temperature changes without hardening. Its non-setting, non-hardening gel formulation stays tacky, allowing for easy parts removal and repositioning without the need
Getting Employees To Adopt The Right Culture
How many times during the day does a customer stop by or call, and ask toonly speak with you, the shop owner? Do you know why? It’s because in general,the experience the customer has when dealing with the owner of a business ismuch different than when dealing with an employee. The owner goes out of
What You Can
To put things in perspective, .0015? isequal to 32 micron. These particles are small enough to get into that space justahead of the cam lobe and lifter contact area. Small particles can get in betweenthe roller and the axle on a roller lifter. Even worse, hard particles canscore the bore of the plunger in hydraulic
A&A Midwest Welcomes Leonard O’Connell as New COO
After a national search, Leonard "Len" O’Connell, a veteran automotive aftermarket leader, has joined A&A Midwestas chief operating officer (COO). In this newly created position withinthe 63-year old privately held, family company, O’Connell will be basedat the A&A Midwest Chicago location. All company managers now report to O’Connell, who has taken over the day-to-day
Cylinder Head Resurfacing Tips: How To Produce An Ideal Surface Finish
Dress and true the wheel Always dress and true the resurfacer wheel face to keep it in propergrinding condition. Never dress or true a wheel above the wheel centerline. In addition, always dress or true the wheel as close as possibleto the point of actual grinding. Since the grinding wheel usually wearsmost often on the
History-Making Times and Technologies
Speaking of choices, we have a little bit of history happening in theautomotive industry as well and it’s called Displacement on Demand,Active Fuel Management, Multi-Displacement system, Variable CylinderManagement and the list goes on. The bottom line is, technology thatchanges the number of cylinders a vehicle runs on can use just 25-30percent of the available horsepower
BIG R Show to Feature Seminars from RIT’s Reman Center
Automotive parts remanufacturing is becoming more competitive every year. Progressive remanufacturers are always looking for new ways to save money through process improvements. Surface cleaning is one step inthe remanufacturing process where companies can typically find improvement opportunities due to the ever-increasing number of new chemistries and technologies available. Once identified, how does a company
Would You Really Help A Friend In Trouble? Here’s Your Chance
A guest editorial by Joe Mittelman, vice president of The Aftermarket Foundation The function of The Aftermarket Foundationis to locate and assist people from the aftermarket who, because of catastrophic injury or terrible illness, have fallen on hard times and financially have no other place to turn. The Aftermarket Foundation was started 50 years ago
Engine Building Measuring Tools
The French created a measurement system in 1790 called the metric system. While the U.S. has never managed to switch over to it completely, as we were supposed to in the latter half of the 20th century, most automotive techs are familiar with it today because of the fasteners and components on late model vehicles.
Extending Valve Life
Most manufacturers of valvesoperate tech phone lines, and all have received that caller who opens the conversation by saying, "Your valve ruined my engine; when are you going to pay to fix it?"As much as the rebuilder or vehicle owner might like to lay blame it on the manufacturer for providing a bad product, it
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
Performance Oil Systems
For the engine to survive, the oiling system must be capable of supplying an adequate volume of oil under a wide range of operating conditions. The oiling system must also maintain adequate pressure to keep the oil flowing to all of the places where it is needed. Critical among them are the crankshaft and camshaft
Engine Builder Shop Solutions: July 2012
Olds V8 Distributor Gear Lubrication Problems When building an Oldsmobile V8, especially a performance engine with a high volume oil pump, it is a must to drill a small squirter hole in the rear galley plug by the distributor gear. A hole .025? to .050? in diameter will do wonders for gear lubrication and save
Moving Up to a Hydraulic Roller Cam
The advantages of a roller cam include: no need tobreak-in the cam on initial startup, the lifters can be reused if youchange cams, the open and close ramps of the lobes are faster, givingyou more torque and horsepower for any given grind, roller cams wear ata fraction of the rate of standard cams, and roller
When Choosing Racing Oil, A Systems Approach Is Best
Today’s engine builders are skilled at creating performance powerplants to win at any level. But just as one size engine isn’t right for every racing series, the oil you use will vary based on application as well. Lake Speed, Jr., Certified Lubrication Specialist with Driven Racing Oil, Huntersville, NC, says choosing the right oil is an important process. “Today’s passenger
Champion Oil to Launch High Octane Leaded Race Fuels
The new Champion Race Fuels, are available in 111, 114 and 118 motor octane ratings and are designed for competition engines routinely operating from green to checker with high rpm, high compression, heavy load, or sustained speed. The Champion Race Fuels are blended to achieve a high motor octane number and fast burn speed to
Engine Parts Group Adds Australian Engine Parts Distributor
Nason Engine Parts, based in Melbourne, joined EPGI at the group’s summer shareholders meeting June 14, 2012. Nason has been a warehouse distributor specializing in engine parts for more than 70 years and is the fastest growing engine parts distributor in Australia. They have locations in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth. Engine Parts Group