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
CNC Machines for Heavy-Duty or Industrial Engines
On one hand, automating certain commonly performed machining processes means you only have to do the initial setup once and the machine does the rest. It frees up the machine operator to do something else, and it reduces the risk of human error when doing tedious, repetitive tasks. On the other hand, making the transition
E-Commerce: Is A Web Presence Right For Your Business Model?
E-commerce is one of those things that sounds too good to be true. To start with, you can do business from virtually any geographic location that has daily UPS or FedEx service, which means you can live just about anywhere you want. The mantra of location, location, location for a retail store just doesn’t apply.
What’s Rockin’ In Performance Rocker Arms and Valve Springs
Horsepower is in the heads. But for a cylinder head to breathe efficiently, the valvetrain must be rigid and strong to minimize flex, but also lightweight. For most performance applications, that means replacing the stock rocker arms, valve springs and pushrods with some type of aftermarket roller rocker arms, stiffer valve springs and stronger pushrods.
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
Connecting Rods: So Many Choices
Choosing a set of connecting rods for a performance engine is not as simple as it sounds. The rods you ultimately choose to use in an engine will depend on a number of factors, each of which can be critical to the life of the motor and the success of your customer. Your decision will
APRA Joins Forces with Computer Manufacturers to Uphold Right to Repair
In an important ruling issued right before it adjourned for the summer, the United States Supreme Court dealt a stunning defeat to a software company which was trying to impose greater restrictions on the use of its products after their sale to customers. The case was titled Quanta Computer, Inc. v LG Electronics, Inc. LG,
Hastings Manufacturing Wins Polk Inventory Efficiency Award
Hastings Manufacturing Company, LLC, a nearly 100-year-old US manufacturer of piston rings, has announced it was selected as this year’s winner of the Polk Inventory Efficiency Award in the Manufacturing category. Created five years ago by R. L. Polk & Co., the award is designed to recognize and reward outstanding automotive aftermarket companies for process
Balance of Power (and Profit)
One of the keys to a smooth running, long lasting engine is proper balance of the reciprocating and rotating parts. When a crankshaft is out of balance, the uneven distribution of weight can generate centripetal forces that shake the engine with increasing intensity as engine rpm goes up. Centripetal force (which many people mistakenly call
For JGR’s engine builder, it’s been really early to rise
"This was the worst offseason I personally have had in a long time,"Cronquist admitted. "Just because it was trying to get the pieces andthe parts and where they go and what they are, and a part number to gowith them … just so I can give to my guys [the JGR engine assemblers]what I need
Choosing A Replacement Camshaft
Unless you are doing a totally stock rebuild and reusing the original camshaft, selecting a camshaft depends on what kind of engine you are building and how that engine will be used. A stock engine for a daily driver is obviously an entirely different application than an big stroker motor for a Pro Stock racer.
Race Engine Pistons and Rings
Cubic inches is the name of the game today. The performance piston market is being driven by bigger bore blocks and stroker crankshafts. A few years ago, a 540 cubic inch motor was a monster motor. Nowadays, some professional drag racers are running engines as large as 850 cubic inches, and 600-plus cubic inch big
To Dyno or Not To Dyno…That is the Question
The word dynamometer is defined in the dictionary as: Dynamometer (Dy – Na –mom – e – ter) – any number of devices for force measurement or measurement of mechanical power. The word comes from the Greek (dunamis – force) + (metron – measurement) and dynamometers might seem more like Greek than anything else until
CNC Machining: Making Dollars and Sense
"For the first time, we saw people who weren’t overwhelmed by the concept of CNC machines,” Matt Meyer said about the recent PRI trade show. “This was the first year that most people really seemed to know what they were looking at and understood that CNC machines are a viable part of the automotive machine
APRA Joins in Friend of Court Brief to Oppose Post-Sale Restrictions of the Use and Repair of Patented Products
The Automotive Parts Remanufacturers Association (APRA) has joined with two other remanufacturing associations to file a friend of the court brief in the United States Supreme Court opposing efforts by a software company to use patent law to impose post-sale restrictions on the use of its patented products. If the right to impose such restrictions
Internet Marketing Opportunities Exist – Are Engine Builders Online?
Twenty years ago, the idea of doing business through your computer wasunheard of. Sure shops HAD computers…and some of them even turned themon once in a while and used them for printing work orders or perhapseven a printed reminder card to a customer now and then.Ten years ago, the internet was booming. You could buy
Engintel: Does Hydrogen Offer Green Energy Opportunities to Keep IC Engine Alive?
At this time of the year, Iowa has the eye of the entire nation. Presidential candidates, their staff and reporters are popping up around the state in numbers that rival the cornstalks standing proudly along every road. With all this political activity, there is no doubt that "Green Energy" is going to be an accelerating
How Wegner Automotive Reverse Engineers Cylinder Head Porting
Casey Wegner, head of the CNC department at Wegner Automotive, Markesan, WI, can still picture this scene from his childhood: His father Carl meticulously hand porting a cylinder head, which took several days to finish an entire set of ports for an eight-cylinder engine. Fast-forward 30 years: Casey Wegner has become an expert head porter,
Green Energy Opportunities to Keep the Internal Combustion Engine Alive and Well!
It is August 2007 and Iowa has the eye of the entire nation. Presidential candidates, their staff and reporters are popping up around the state in numbers that rival the cornstalks standing proudly along every road. With all this political activity, there is no doubt that “Green Energy” is going to be an accelerating trend,
Coretalk: Key Industry Speakers Slated For PERA’s Chicago Convention
Yastrow and Som will discuss “Current Issues in Employment-Related U.S. Immigration Law: I-9 Compliance, Visa Updates.” In addition to addressing hot topics and compliance tips, they will provide answers to your specific questions.Bob McKenna, President/CEO of Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA) and Past President of NAPA, will be speaking on “Motor Vehicle Parts Suppliers