Build Your Own Competition-Worthy 600 HP Engine
Last month, we introduced you to the UMP Modified racing engine being built by the engine experts at Earnhardt Childress Racing in Welcome, NC. The engine – a 600 hp, 411 cid plant built for UMP Dirtcar Modifed competition – will be awarded to the winner of the Sunnen Rev It UP Raffle at the
Michigan Racer Wins $20,000 Engine At US 131 Motorsports Park
Dave Lorentz says winning the 565 cid Big Block Chevy motor in the Engine Pro-Dart Machinery-Performance Engineering Engine Giveaway will make it possible for him to move from his 1970 Nova into a dragster. This is the third year that Engine Pro, Dart Machinery and Performance Engineering have teamed up with other engine parts
Final Wrap: Multiple Winners of IMIS?Engine Raffle Include Children
Earnhardt Childress Racing has been having an exciting year building racing engines. As of this writing, RCR?teammates Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton and Clint Bowyer sit 3rd, 8th and 12th, respectively, in NASCAR’s Chase for the Sprint Cup. ECR Engines, in Welcome, NC, also builds engines for NASCAR’s Nationwide and Camping World Truck series, as well
Sunnen/ECR Offer 400 hp for $3 at IMIS
On Wednesday, Dec. 1 and Thursday, Dec. 2 at IMIS enthusiasts can purchase one Sunnen Rev it UP Raffle ticket for only three dollars, or two for just five bucks. The prize? A 415 cid engine built for UMP Dirtcar Modified competition by the engine experts at ECR in Welcome, NC. The engine will include
Selecting Valve Seats for Gas and Diesel Engines
Hard working diesel engines, performance engines, and engines that run on dry fuels such as propane or natural gas produce a lot of heat in the combustion chamber and often require valve seats that are harder and more heat-resistant. Stellite, chromium, cobalt, tungsten and nickel alloy valve seats are commonly used for such high heat
Stroker Strategies for Higher Horsepower
Such strategies are already very popular with those building small block and big block Chevys as well as small block Fords. In the main, it is a cost effective way to deliver what most customers deem as power – that is more low speed torque. Generating extra cubes via a stroker crank is a good
Cylinder Sleeves and Liners
Iron sleeves provide a wear-resistant surface for the piston rings, and they don’t have to be very thick because they are supported by the surrounding block. Cast iron blocks, by comparison, don’t need cylinder sleeves because the iron is hard enough to resist ring wear. If a cylinder is cracked, damaged or worn to the
A Closer Look at BBC Bracket Racing Cylinder Heads
However, it proved to be just the opposite – sportsman racers loved it and it allowed local drag racing to thrive and grow. Back in its infancy, I covered weekly bracket racing in Southern California at the now defunct Irwindale and Orange County International Raceways. The action was hot and heavy with full fields of
Asian Engine Market: Not Lost in Translation
Of course, import interest is nothing new. It has been growing since the fuel crisis of the ’70s, but in 2009, Asian car companies surpassed domestic manufacturers in the percentage of all cars and light trucks sold in the U.S. for the first time ever. While it seems the majority of the performance aftermarket bleeds
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
Stroker Motor Opportunities: Love the One You’re With
Let’s face it: there are only so many 340 Chryslers, Boss 302s, 427 medium risers and 440 Six-pack engines out there. Luckily, many combinations of less-familiar engine components are readily available and can rescue you from the cookie cutter mentality. A quick inspection of a few of the many forged piston manufacturers’ catalogs reveals a
What’s New with Oil Pumps, Pickups and Pans
The two greatest concerns from a lubrication standpoint are dry starts and loss of oil pressure while the engine is running. Dry starts are more of a worry in engines that have front-mounted oil pumps with relatively long pickup tubes, which includes such popular engines as the GM 3800 V6, Chrysler 3.5L V6, etc. as
Street Performance Cylinder Heads
Where I grew up in Connecticut wasn’t the hotbed of street racing like Woodward was in Detroit, but we had the Berlin Turnpike, River Road in Middletown, plus a few local small-town hotspots. It was during this period that I got my first education about the importance of cylinder heads. A local rich kid got
Performance Rocker Arm & Shaft Systems – Time-Tested Technology Provides Proven Performance
The SB Chevy ball and stud stamped steel rocker arms were a revolutionary departure from the shaft mounted rocker arm systems of that era because they allowed it to outrev its competitors. More revs means more airflow and more power. It wasn’t until 1962 that Ford finally dumped their old Y-block 312 rocker shaft engine
Kalamazoo racer wins $20,000 engine at US 131 Motorsports Park
Justin Wanamaker’s name was the last one left as names of the other 19 top ten racers in point standings in both the Top ET and Modified classes were pulled from the hat on September 12, 2009 at the Fifth Annual IHRA Funny Car Nationals. Runners up received free racing fuel. Wanamaker’s new engine
Choosing Aftermarket BBC Cylinder Heads for Street/Strip Applications
In 1958, Chevrolet released the first big block for use in its trucks and heavier passenger cars. It was called the “W” engine and it came in three engine displacements until 1965: 348 cid, 409 cid and 427 cid. After Chevy introduced its “mystery engine” to NASCAR in 1962 with a combustion chamber and canted
AETC Advanced Ford Modular Performance Conference Slated For December 7-9, 2009
Ford engine technology has seen some impressive developments over theyears, but none with the efficiency and performance potential of the 2,3 and 4-valve Modular designs of recent years. On December 7-9, the20th Annual Advanced Engineering Technology Conference presented byMotor State Distributing will focus on the latest trends in FordModular engine technology and will be headlined
Engine Blocks & Cylinder Sleeves
In our February 2009 issue, Technical Editor Larry Carley provided a comprehensive overview of the changes in engine blocks over the years. Thanks in part to natural attrition (after all, many of the most popular engines were actually designed and built more than 50 years ago) and the high price for scrap metal in the
Small Block Chevy and Ford Performance Cylinder Heads
Over the years, the SB Chevy V8 evolved and grew in displacement from 265 to 283 to 302 to 327 to 350 to finally 400 cubic inches. Aftermarket blocks and stroker cranks have allowed even more displacement, with some “small blocks” now having as many cubic inches as a big block Chevy (427 and 454
Building a Hemi 528 Stroker Engine
The Hemi has made a comeback in recent years in various Chrysler and Dodge vehicles, most notably in the Charger and Challenger. But for hardcore Hemi fans, the real deal goes back to the first-generation 331/354/392 mills that culminated in the “Elephant Motor,” the 426 Street Hemi of the Sixties and Seventies. Even though the