High Performance Rocker Arms, Valve Springs, Retainers and Locks
On a small block Chevy, altering the rocker arm geometry without changing the rocker arm lift ratio can add 15 to 20 horsepower at the rear wheels. The stock lift ratio for a small block (SB) Chevy V8 rocker arm is 1.5:1, and for a big block (BB) Chevy V8, the ratio is 1.7:1. Bolt-on
Pistons and Pins: What’s New
Asking piston manufacturers “what’s new” reveals a number of trends that are reshaping the piston business today. One is that there’s no longer a time lag of three or four years for aftermarket piston suppliers to tool up for the latest piston applications. Production engine remanufacturers (PERs) and custom engine rebuilders (CERs) are asking for
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
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
High Performance Piston Rings and Cylinder Finishes
Today’s performance ring sets are thinner, lighter and more conformable than ever before. Thinner, low-tension rings reduce friction for more usable horsepower. Less weight reduces ring groove pound out. Narrower rings also allow tighter tolerances and less blowby. All very good things when you’re building a performance engine. But they also require rounder, straighter cylinder
Engine Bearings and Crankshafts, What makes them [not] tick?
The relationship between the crankshaft and main bearings is an integral one. Any metal-to-metal contact can have catastrophic results, and if the carnage was the result of improper finish or fitment, you’ll likely get to work on your relationship skills again. There are many analogies to explain how its parts relate to the engine as
Valve Selection: Hot Valve Materials for Hot Engines
Are stock valve materials good enough, or do you need to upgrade to valves that are made of a more durable alloy? If so, what kind of alloy? These are questions every engine builder must answer when selecting valves for performance engine applications. To the naked eye, most valves look pretty much the same. Unless
What Are The Costs?
In the equipment industry, it’s a similar situation. Change and development have been furious. Advancements in technology have made nearly every step of the rebuilding process more exact than ever, which has made it easier for shops to meet the ever-tightening tolerances and reach OE specifications. But these advancements haven’t come without their costs, both
Which Cranksfaft Meets Your Racing Needs Best?
There are a lot of racing crankshafts in the automotive aftermarket today. You’ll find a wide variety of styles, strokes, weights and price ranges from which you can choose. The question you need to be asking is which crank is “right” for the engine you’re building? The answer to that question depends on several things
Head Gaskets – Sealing the Engine
Sealing an internal combustion engine has never been easy. In the last 100 years gasket manufacturers have tried many things, including paper, leather and even beef tallow, to try and seal the joint between the head and block. Today, engine leaks are not what they used to be but can still be quite a headache
Coretalk: Recon Automotive Founder Armand J. Mancini Dies
He leaves behind his wife of 42 years, Carole, and three sons and a daughter – Armand, Vincent, Daniel and Carrie Mancini Young. He is also survived by three brothers, a sister and six grandchildren. Mancini was an icon of the automotive remanufacturing industry, having founded Recon in 1973 and building it into one of
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
Crankshafts:Stock and Performance
The crankshaft is the working arm of the engine. All the force generated by combustion and the downward motion of the pistons is focused on the crank throws. The leverage effect of the force exerted on the crank journals twists the shaft and converts the up-and-down reciprocating motion of the pistons into rotational motion of
Engine Boring and Honing Equipment
Cylinder boring and honing is the heart of most engine builders’ operations. The equipment you use will have a lasting effect on the quality of the product your shop sends out the door on a day-by-day basis. While equipment varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, so too do your needs for a specific type of machine.
Engine Bearings: Stock & Performance
The importance of the engine’s bearings can’t be over-emphasized. The bearings support the crankshaft and connecting rods, and in pushrod engines also the camshaft. The bearings provide a surface for the friction-reducing oil film that allows the parts to spin without rubbing metal against metal. It’s a tough job because of the high loads created
Making Horsepower and Horse Sense From Your Dyno
A dyno can give an engine builder an enormous wealth of information and even separate the truth from lies. It’s one thing for a builder to have an idea of what the engine he or she is building is capable of and quite another to know exactly what’s been created. That’s because a dyno, more
Blast Cleaning Technology
The future, they promised us, would be full of amazing things. We would be commuting in flying cars, we would be using robots to do most of our manual chores and space travel would be fairly routine. First, the future was 1984 – then it was 2001. Now, in 2005 we do have highly exotic
Piston Ring Technology: Stock and Performance
Piston rings have one of the toughest jobs inside an engine. They’re slammed up and down between the ring lands thousands of times a minute; they’re subjected to searing temperatures and extreme pressures; and they’re constantly scraping back and forth against the cylinder walls. In spite of all of this, the rings are expected to
New Technology:Advances in Engine Building Equipment
How has racing changed your engine building business? No, it’s not a hypothetical, industry-generic question; in this case, it’s directed at every reader of this magazine. A strange question? It may seem to be. If you race – or build motors for racers – it’s probably an easy one to answer. But if you stay
Lord(s) Of The (Piston) Rings
“He who breaks a thing to find out what it is, has left the path of wisdom.” – Gandalf, Fellowship of the Rings. This is certainly not the case with piston ring technology, although Gandalf from the Lord of The Rings never directed his comments towards engine builders or piston ring manufacturers. Piston ring manufacturers