Motorcycle Road Racing and Sportbike Engine Market
MotoGP today is a highly evolved and scientific competition where electronics play a vital role in delivering power to the road and adjusting the balance of the motorcycle to maximize the engine’s performance. This year there are three American MotoGP riders – Nicky Hayden, Ben Spies and Colin Edwards – who all started their careers
Respect Between Shops and Stores Strengthens Both
I have been lucky enough to make sales calls on hundreds of machine shops over the past 30-plus years. Some are still here today and sadly, some are not. In that time I have met a few machine shop owners who were hard working and quite successful. They put in their years, formed an exit
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
Pre-War Engines: Vintage Technology, Modern Products
How have the changes in the market and the changes in vehicles affected shops specializing in vintage engines as well as those shops thinking about adding vintage to their list of services? The automotive enthusiast and collector market is a funny creature. While the actual mechanical evolution may sometimes run in opposite directions, the eras
AFR Adds Lifetime Warranty To Its Aluminum Cylinder Head Castings
Additionally, AFR announced, valves, guides, valve seats, valve springs, valve job, retainers, locks, studs, guide plates and valve seals will be covered under warranty for two years. AFR will repair at no charge and reimburse UPS ground freight and return UPS ground freight all warrantable defects in workmanship, materials or an undetermined cause (mystery failure).
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
Scoping Out the Sport Compact Market
At first it was known as the Import Tuner Market which later morphed into what is currently known as Sport Compact. However, the market could be changing again and may soon be called something else. Last year, the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) changed the name of its Sport Compact Council to Street Performance Council
Boosting Performance – Nitrous, Superchargers and Turbochargers
From the budget six-cylinders that get 300 hp and 28 mpg for less than $25,000 to the 600 hp Viper V10 to the 630 hp Corvette ZR1 for just over $100,000, the performance market is deep and wide. “It’s amazing, the horsepower potential that these cars are coming with off the factory floor,” says Frank
Take Care of Your Tooling and It
Let’s face it, when you invest in new state-of-the-art equipment, some or most of that investment is in the tooling. That tooling needs proper care – especially if you want your new machine to perform according to the manufacturer’s specs. These newer machines don’t have a clue that your tooling is dull, bent, nicked, burred,
TIG Welding Aluminum Heads
To survive in the current economic climate, you must look for opportunities to become more profitable and still maintain control of your profits. You must always look for ways to keep more of what you do “in-house” and keep as much of the revenue you generate in the business. Whenever you can control what goes
2009 Machining & Engine Parts Guide
Click here to download the Tech Guide pdf. Head & Block Decks & Gaskets Cylinder Bores & Piston Rings Valves & Valve Seats Cam Bores, Bearings & Camshafts Sponsored by:
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
2009 Machining & Engine Parts Guide
Click here to download the Tech Guide pdf. Head & Block Decks & Gaskets Cylinder Bores & Piston Rings Valves & Valve Seats Cam Bores, Bearings & Camshafts Sponsored by:
Engine Builder Shop Solutions: January 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
Up-Selling in a Down Market
Do you ever wonder what’s next? First gas prices climb to more than $4.50 per gallon and everyone is dumping their gas-guzzlers. A couple of months later gas free-falls to $1.50 a gallon, but no one cares because people are being laid off in record numbers. Our major investment banks go bust, the credit system
Hot Topics: In-House Head Welding Repairs Increase Profitability, Productivity
Do you outsource cylinder head repairs that require welding? If so, you might be missing an opportunity to generate additional income for your shop and reduce turnaround time for customers. Here’s a look at how you can potentially increase profitability and productivity by bringing it in house. Doing these kinds of welds successfully requires
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
2008 Machining & Engine Parts Tech Guide
April 2008 Special Supplement: Machining & Engine Parts Tech Guide Valves & Valve Seats Crankshafts & Engine Bearings Head & Block Decks and Gaskets Cylinder Bores & Piston Rings Sponsored By:
Tech Notes
Engine Builders: What is viscosity breakdown? All of us in this business understand an SAE 5W-20 oil is thinner in viscosity than an SAE 10W-30 and that the “W” stands for winter, but that’s probably about where it stops even though there is more to the story. Motor oils thin in viscosity as they warm
Coretalk: Jasper Engines Unveils ‘Authentic Custom Drivetrains’ Program
Alex Ernst, Jasper Authentic Group Leader, says the division expects to produce approximately 1,300 engines in 2007. He says the number of drivetrain components that fit the profile of a Jasper Authentic built product will increase as the company begins to establish itself as “one of the premier custom remanufacturers in this market. With traditional