Sprint and Stock Car Engine Market
Building engines for sprint cars and late-model stock cars is a good niche to be in if your local tracks have a strong racing program that is attracting significant numbers of racers and fans. It takes both to maintain a healthy market and a steady demand for engine work.
An In-Depth Look at Crankshafts
In every aspect of an engine, strength is a very critical factor in the life span and performance level that it can achieve. One place in particular where strength is the most important consideration is the crankshaft.
Valvetrain Components
One of the areas that greatly benefits from keeping everything in its proper position is the valvetrain, so let’s look at what can be done to help ensure that.
The NASCAR Media Tour Hosted by Charlotte Motor Speedway
This media tour has been going on for 35 years and brings over 200 journalists from around the world to see what’s new for NASCAR for 2017. New this year is the inclusion of Xfinity and Camping World racing to the newly named Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series the tour would over.
Dark Days of Diesel?
Think about the diesel engine over the last 30 years. From a rattling bucket of bolts that often got a frown from people it’s become a highly sought-after engine among the younger high school generation. Who would ever have imagined that one?
Motor Oil Issues
One of the challenges of building engines for a living is making sure that every engine you build has good oil pressure and suffers no lubrication-related issues once it goes out the door. Good oil pressure requires main and rod bearing clearances that are within your target specs for the application, a good oil pump and the “right” motor oil.
The Importance of Compression Ratios and How To Measure Them
NHRA Top Fuel and Funny car teams replace them after every race pass and every second qualifying pass. Pro Stock teams replace them after every 40 passes approximately, and weekend warriors replace them every 12 to 18 months, sooner if their engines are nitrous-assisted. At piston replacement time questions of spec changes usually arise –
Post-War Engines: The Greatest Generation?
“The popularity of the post-war engines being rebuilt is not much different than the pre-war models,” says Packard Industries’ Bob Rovegno. “GM rules the roost, with Cadillac, Oldsmobile, Buick leading the way, and surprisingly, Lincoln-based 383s, 410s, 430s, 462s are next and the old Mopar or Ford flathead V8s are up there in the top
Opinions And Outlook From An Industry Veteran
The following interview with Comp Cam’s Paul "Scooter" Brothers recently appeared on CPGNation.com. We have posted an excerpt of the story below. To view the original posting, please visit http://www.cpgnation.com/forum/scooter-brothers-opinions-outlooks-industry-veteran-3245.html. With Scooter Brothers’ outstanding automotive aftermarket credentials, we thought it would be fascinating to get his take on some current topics. So wespoke with Brothers
Performance Marine – Is It the Last Engine Frontier?
It is said to be one of the last great open frontiers. Many experts say that it’s just about the last place on Earth where there are no rules to confine speed or size. It’s a place that has lured men with adventure and danger for centuries and now may be calling you, the engine
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
The Evolution of Aftermarket Product Lines: Where We Are Today and How We Got Here
(Part one of a five-part series to run on AftermarketNews.com) In today’s high-tech business world, the rate of evolutionary change continues to accelerate. As the aftermarket evolves, so do the product lines you carry in your stores or warehouses. The old saying, “History repeats itself and those who don’t understand it are bound to repeat
The Evolution of Aftermarket Product Lines: Where We Are Today and How We Got Here
(Part one of a five-part series to run on AftermarketNews.com) In today’s high-tech business world, the rate of evolutionary change continues to accelerate. As the aftermarket evolves, so do the product lines you carry in your stores or warehouses. The old saying, “History repeats itself and those who don’t understand it are bound to repeat
Coretalk: September 2001
Ford Plans to Revamp Parts Distribution Network Ford Motor Co. is working to restructure and expand its United States parts distribution network to deliver service and repair parts to its dealers faster and more efficiently. Over the next three years, Ford plans to increase the number of parts distribution centers from 10 to 21, creating
Little Engines, Big Money
For the rebuilding facility familiar with typical automotive or heavy-duty engines, the small displacement, four-cycle, air-cooled engine may seem insignificant. After all, these one-cylinder motors, which may produce just 5 hp, are found in lawn mowers, rototillers and kiddy go karts, for cryin’ out loud! Although the small four-cycle engines from Briggs & Stratton, Tecumseh,
Cleaning Aluminum
"Ten years ago, when there wasn’t that much aluminum, people were scared," said Mike Wigert, sales manager of spraywasher manufacturer LS Industries. "They didn’t know how to regulate their ovens, they didn’t know which chemicals to use, and they were tarnishing their aluminum parts, and probably ended up hand cleaning a lot of them," he