Crack Detection and Correction
First off, let’s get one thing perfectly clear – there’s no such thing as “flawless.” Like those shocking tabloid photos of that Hollywood actress who gets blindsided beside a bistro, even the most conscientious engine builder sometimes has to deal with surprising surface imperfections. And just as she has paparazzi to expose the damage and
Getting Your Bearings
Engine bearings have a tough job to do for such a small component. They must support big loads on a thin film of oil (between .0001-.0004? thick) between themselves and the crankshaft journals to prevent metal-to-metal contact. One of the biggest causes of bearing failures is dirt and debris that enters into the oil pan
Removing Crankshaft Pilot Bearings Revisited (#4)
When removing a crankshaft pilot bearing, the easiest way is to use modeling clay or Play-Doh. Pack the clay into the hole first by hand, and then hammer it in with a tight fitting bolt or blunt chisel. It doesn’t take much force to make the bearing pop out. There is no mess, and the
Debunking the 10 X 10 Crankshaft Myth for Customers (#5)
First of all, in normal use or even high performance use, a used crankshaft will not “clean up” to standard specifications and will usually have to be ground to .010? undersize. The crankshaft has then remained 98+ percent as strong as new. The problem arises when “spinning” or “hammering” (knocking) a bearing. The crank will
Understanding Differences, Challenges Between Crankshaft Position Sensors
I don’t believe that I have ever written about watching out fordamaged as-cast reluctor rings, spark triggers or whatever other namesome manufacturer has given them to create their ownidentity/ownership. It’s not as bad as the variable displacementacronyms but still running a close second. ANYWAY. Before we talk about this issue you need to understand
Building Pontiac Excitement
Each GM division had its own engineering staffs and even its own assembly plants. There was very little parts interchange between the different divisions. Each unit had its own engines. Each division had its own personality. When Bunkie Knudsen became general manager of Pontiac in June of 1956 he set the world on fire. His
2012 Machine Shop Market Profile – Part 1
Because of the years of continuous data we’ve collected, we believe the information in this study is the most reliable data available for tracking trends in the production of engines, cylinder heads and crankshafts, as well as specific business data. While it isn’t always a rosy one, the picture that develops from our survey gives
New Products for Modern V8 Engines
The numbers aren’t there yet, but engine builders and suppliers are taking notice of the new V8s. What has taken so long? For one, the new engines are more expensive and more complex. Some shops do not have the capability or expertise to work on them just yet, but more and more shops do. One
Cleaning Engine Parts: Can You? Should You?
Here’s the kicker – those shops who feel that proper cleaning is too difficult, too time consuming or too expensive are actually leaving money on table when it comes to their engine parts. “At one point in my career, cleaning seemed like it was really difficult,” says Dave Arce of Arce Enterprises, El Cajon, CA.
2012 High Performance Engine Parts & Surface Finish Tech Guide
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The Nitty Gritty of Abrasive Safety
Conventional abrasives have kind of taken a back seat to PCD and CBN cutters in the automotive world in the last few years. Since most engines being rebuilt these days are made from multi-alloy components they are more easily machined with PCD or CBN. But PCD and CBN can’t do everything, so abrasives are still
Stock Car Engines and Sanctioning Bodies: Different Groups, Different Rules
But for engine builders, keeping up with these groups, and the many sets of rules, can be quite a task. How do you stay on top of what’s legal AND competitive? We will take a closer look at a number of groups that are off NASCAR’s beaten path and see what they have for rules.
Today’s Performance Connecting Rods
The crank and rods handle all the stresses of converting up and down motion to reciprocal motion. And when you are building a performance engine, those stresses are much higher and consequences of a failure are much greater. Therefore, selecting the right parts for your build is critical to the success of your engine and
Building Ford Strokers Engines: Make Most of a Windsor Block
Nijssen, the Apple Valley, CA-based engine builder, operates strokerengine.com and builds domestic V8 engines for the U.S. and international (primarily Australian) enthusiast markets. He says he doesn’t try to push his desire onto the customer. “I don’t sell you what I like, but rather you and I figure out what you really need for power
Understanding The Differences, Challenges Between Crankshaft Position Sensors
I have suggested to you to watch for this and make sure that you have that, and encouraged you to be certain that it is indexed to this position and so on. But I don’t believe that I have ever written about watching out for damaged as-cast reluctor rings, spark triggers or whatever other name
2011 Stroker Engine Guide: Unlocking LS Stroker Engine Potential
Modifying the LS for more power is as easy as falling off a log, to apoint, then some tough issues arise, especially if you are building ahigh-rpm race engine. But until you reach that point, the LS respondsnicely to boring and stroking, improved cylinder head flow and theyrespond especially well to power adders. The only
Communication Breakdown: Diagnosing Engine Bearing Failure
Engine builders turn into medical examiners when this happens; getting the story behind the story is what you must do to understand what went wrong and what to do to avoid it in the future. According to engine bearing experts, a failed bearing is not usually the fault of the bearing but rather the fault
2011 Machine Shop Market Profile – Part 1
For what seems like an eternity, it has almost become commonplace to wait for the eye roll, the shake of the head and the hangdog expression before hearing the familiar refrain, “Oh, man, let me tell you…” In the engine building business, of course, the standard response industry-wide has, for many years, been simple:?Lousy. Numbers
Three Reasons to Wear a Coat
What’s not usually as well known is the incredible versatility that coatings have in dealing with a huge range of problems. The number of uses for various coatings in performance applications is mind-boggling and nearly limitless, but in order to keep the possibilities cost effective and manageable it’s useful to think about it in terms
Common Failure Modes
For years, B&G Machine had been a diesel machine shop serving Seattle and the upper Northwest part of the U.S. To address certain market conditions in the mid- to late-’90s, we began building diesel engines. In doing so, we tried to identify the engines that would best serve a captive market – markets that would