What’s New with Oil Pumps, Pickups and Pans
The two greatest concerns from a lubrication standpoint are dry starts and loss of oil pressure while the engine is running. Dry starts are more of a worry in engines that have front-mounted oil pumps with relatively long pickup tubes, which includes such popular engines as the GM 3800 V6, Chrysler 3.5L V6, etc. as
Building a Late Model Hemi Stroker
What is the purpose of stroking a motor? The answer is simple: to obtain more cubic inches. And in today’s economic times, it’s always best to achieve “more” with less – as in less money. The key word to many stroker enthusiasts today is “budget”. However, the word “budget” has a way of being interpreted
Selling Vintage Speed Can Help Business Until Business Gets Better
Due to these hard times, fewer customers are looking for your services, and they’re looking to spend as little money as possible. A small shop can survive on low-margin jobs for only so long before the overhead simply eats you alive. One alternative plan is to add a line of vintage performance engines that command
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
A Closer Look at Today
The location of the wrist pins must match the stroke of the crankshaft, the length of the connecting rods and the deck height of the block. The compression ratio needs to be right for the application, and the configuration of the piston dome and valve reliefs have to be compatible with the combustion chambers in
Advanced Machine Tooling
The key to boosting productivity is to remove more metal in less time. However, faster cutting speeds and feeds require tooling inserts that can take the heat and abuse without dulling. To achieve these goals, tooling suppliers have come up with various cutter shapes, edge geometries and surface coatings that significantly improve tool performance and
Today’s Niche Market Engine Opportunities
As we reported in our 2009 Machine Shop Market Profile, the total number of engines built is down, however, savvy engine builders know that finding the right niche markets can make the difference between success and failure of their business. With OEMs making engines that last well into the 200,000-mile range it’s no wonder rebuilders
Gaskets, Seals, Sealants and Fasteners
The factors that typically cause a gasket to fail include age, heat, thermal expansion, abrasion, pressure, vibration, corrosion, material breakdown or poor design. Some gaskets go the distance and others do not. With head gaskets, problems like detonation and engine overheating can damage the gasket very quickly, causing an otherwise good gasket to crack or
Mysterious Processes, Proven Results
While cryogenics – the technology for producing and using cold in a variety of ways – saw significant achievements in technology and applications in the latter half of the twentieth century?(and continuing, of course, today), scientists have been developing ways to make things colder and colder since the late 1800s. The successful process of liquifying
Manifold Makeover – Increasing Engine Power
An intake manifold is more than the plumbing that connects thecarburetor or throttle body to the ports in the cylinder head. It is anintegral part of the induction system that has to match the airflowcharacteristics of the cylinder head and camshaft, as well as thedisplacement and rpm range of the engine. A well-designed manifold that
Building to Race, Racing to Win
Building championship-caliber engines isn’t a new concept to Jeff Williams. Since he started building his first stroker 302 Ford at age 14, the West Texas native/Southern California transplant has been looking for ways to go faster than his competition. These days, that’s often a very challenging assignment. But more on THAT in a minute. “I’ve
Chevy LT1 Engine and Reverse-Flow Technology
The Chevrolet LT1 5.7L V8 engine that was produced from 1992 to 1997 has some significant differences compared to the previous small block Chevy it replaced, and the third generation LS1 small block that later replaced it. The most obvious difference that distinguishes the LT1 from these other engines is the front-mounted Opti-Spark ignition system.
Performance Carburetors
Carburetors persist because they are relatively simple and inexpensive compared to electronic fuel injection (EFI). Most racers and hot rodders are familiar with carburetors and know something about how to install, tune and adjust a carburetor. They may not always do it right, but all they usually need is a screwdriver and a wrench. They
Engine Builder Shop Solutions: June 2009
One More Head Gasket Tip In addition to the past two articles discussing head gasket failures, other head gasket failures can be caused by installation mistakes. Head bolts can stretch out. Many manufacturers recommend the head bolts be changed each time they are removed. Another common mistake is not cleaning the bolt and hole threads.
Chrysler “A” Block Lifter Bank Angles
The latest version of Chrysler’s “A” engine block features a differentlifter bore angle. This block is commonly called the “R” block. Theangle of the lifter bore is changed to help straighten out thepushrod angle. The standard lifter angle on the “A” engine is 57degrees from vertical. This points the lifter away from the center ofthe
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
Cleaning Rules
One of the least pleasant parts of any engine builder’s day is the cleaning process. Removing the oil, carbon and general gunk from blocks, cylinder heads and assorted parts before your inspection, machining and rebuilding process can even begin may seem as painful as a trip to the dentist’s chair. But if you think that
Oil Pumps
It’s 6,000 rpm – do you know what your oil pressure is? That’s a question every engine builder should know the answer to if they’re building an engine that’s going to survive. Maintaining adequate oil pressure and volume is absolutely essential for engine durability. The problem is the output of many stock oil pumps, particularly
Diesel Cylinder Head Rebuilding
If you have ever tried to start most diesel engines in cold weather, you know that you have to have an engine heater, or you have to have a starting aid like starting fluid. These engines most commonly did not have a computer, and the fuel pressure would be in the range of around 3,000
Pointers for Servicing Leaky Gaskets
Question: When replacing leaky gaskets on an engine, do I just scrape or peel off the old gaskets, or do I have to do something else? Answer:Removing gaskets used to be a fairly simple procedure. Most enginesused to have cast iron blocks and heads, with iron manifolds andstamped steel covers. Iron castings could withstand a