My Cheating Heart
Like most racers, I was not keen on tech officials and some of the rules they enforced during my drag racing career. But in 2004, as my racing career was winding down, a friend named Chris McMahan, Operations Manager of RT. 66 Drag Strip in Joliet, IL, talked about having me come work for him on his tech official staff. That bizarre idea intrigued me – so I did it.
Ford Boss 429 Versus Today’s FR-9
NASCAR’s longtime Labor Day event, the Southern 500, is back home at Darlington (SC) Raceway this year, complete with throwback ‘70s and ‘80s paint jobs to celebrate its rich history. The entire race weekend has become the retro event of the year for NASCAR and Ford Performance talked about race engines with none other than Robert Yates.
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.
Pre-Registration for Holley LS Fest Is Now Open
Holley Performance Products has announced the opening of pre-registration for the sixth annual 2015 LS Fest. The event has grown each year, and Holley is looking for that trend to continue in 2015.
Allison Power
In December, we discussed the use of Allison engines – originally designed for use in WWII fighter planes – in watercraft applications. Now, we’ll pick up the story of these versatile powerplants finding success on dry land.
High Performance Diesel Crankshafts, Connecting Rods & Pistons
Most stock Cummins, Duramax and Power Stroke engines can safely handle cranking up the turbo boost to produce 500 to 600 or more horsepower. But once you get to get up around 700 to 800 horsepower in an otherwise stock motor, things start to break and upgrades will be necessary.
Damien Was All Wrong
From 1987 to 1990, Animal Jim’s 666-inch A/R Ford Hemi Boss that was called Damien, was all wrong for Jim’s purpose, which was running with a nitrous NOS Fogger power adder. In ‘90 and ‘91 Pro Modified, Damien was one of three engines that powered his Rick Jones Pro Mod Probe. Find out how Animal Jim made Damien work.
Aqua Allisons – Part 1
The Allison engines were used just about every imaginable way. First, they were used as a single engine, then combined as a pair of them, and even three or four of them-all on a single vehicle. Since their development and release in aircraft in 1930, engine builders following WWII began to pry more power out of them and the rest is history.
Five Points to Ponder Prior to PRI
Being an FE Ford fan, and having raced them, and still owning several, “Animal” Jim enjoyed Engine Builder’s article about FE Fords in the April Issue. Jim has been in love with FE’s since his brand new ’63 R code he had when he was 22. In this article he share’s five points prior to the 2014 PRI show.
The Rebirth of the Green Monster
Recently, Tim Arfons brought the sights and sounds of turbine dragsters to an entirely new generation of racers and fans thanks to the life-lessons and hands-on expertise he learned from his father, the legendary Art Arfons. Arfons has painstakingly remade the famous Green Monster front-engine dragster to better-than-new condition and is using it as a high-speed history lesson for today’s drag racing fans.
Performance Oiling Systems
The basic purpose of an oiling system is to provide lubrication for the engine. It doesn’t matter if the system is a wet sump with an internal oil pump mounted in the crankcase or front cover, or a dry sump system with an external multi-stage pump. The engine doesn’t know the difference as far as where the oil comes from – as long as the flow keeps coming at all RPMs and under all operating conditions.
Greetings From Bonneville
This year an opportunity came to go to a gathering of speed freaks drawn together from around the world. An event that I’ve now learned is on most “Motorhead’s” bucket lists, and was put forth as the background for a great movie that hit limited screens in 2005 and is recorded on DVD in many of our video libraries. The movie was “The World’s Fastest Indian,” and the event is simply called “Bonneville.”
Mopar Fans Select ‘Top Eliminator HEMI Heritage’ Winner
Mopar enthusiasts selected Roger Davis and his 1934 Plymouth PF 5-Window Coupe, named “in-flame-pus”, as the fourth and final winner in the online portion of the 2014 Mopar “Top Eliminator HEMI Heritage” competition.
Rain Delay: Mother Nature Rules the Records at Bonneville
Danny Thompson’s attempts at a land speed record – 439 mph – were hampered by rain at Bonneville this year.
2015 Mustang Ecoboost Four Pulls Strong But is No V8
Babcox tech editor Larry Carley had the opportunity to test drive the 2015 Mustang GT as well as the new Ecoboost 2.3L four-cylinder Mustang at the Autobahn race track in Joliet, Illinois recently. Ford provided the pair of Mustangs as part of the Midwest Automotive Media Assn. fall rally.
British Invasion – All the King’s Horsepower
Interest in British sports cars grew in the U.S. after World War II, when soldiers returning from England brought MG TCs home with them. Soon other sports cars came from “across the pond.”
The Evolution of Surface Treatments
In the never ending quest for better performance, durability and reliability, various types of surface coatings and treatments have evolved as solutions for problems that have vexed engine builders for years. Coatings that were once considered exotic race-only solutions are now being used on a wide variety of stock and performance applications. If you’re not
Cycling In New Business
Adapted from Margie Siegal’s article in Motorcycle & Powersports News Take a look around your shop. You have the equipment. You have the tools and you have the employees. But do you have all of the work your shop can take on? It may be time to add a niche to your engine building services and
Head Gaskets and Fasteners
The relationship between head gaskets and head bolts is an intimate one. The clamping load applied by the head bolts is what allows the head gasket to maintain its seal. For this marriage to last, there has to be constant tension – not too much, otherwise the bolts may stretch or break, and not too
Ford’s NASCAR Boss 429
When the Central County Flyers meet for their fly-in lunches on Friday afternoons in the summer, Owen Russell and his friends plunk down $8 for a hearty meal and a shot at weekly bragging rights. Owen could win the rights hands down week after week if he started telling tales from the six years he
