Performance Drag Racing Heads
A quarter-mile strip of asphalt is not a great distance. But drag racing isn’t about distance. It’s about time. The car that reaches the finish line first wins the race. But the car that wins isn’t always the fastest car or the quickest car. It’s usually the car that runs with the most consistent elapsed
Coretalk: Ultimate Golden Mechanic To Win $25,000, Year’s Worth Of Fuel From BP
BP is looking for an ideal candidate who has premium auto repair skills, a charismatic personality, is active in his or her community and is environmentally conscious. Independent auto technicians over the age of 21 are eligible to enter the contest. BP will select the three best mechanics who will receive an all-expenses paid three-day/two-night
Pistons and Pins: What’s New
Asking piston manufacturers “what’s new” reveals a number of trends that are reshaping the piston business today. One is that there’s no longer a time lag of three or four years for aftermarket piston suppliers to tool up for the latest piston applications. Production engine remanufacturers (PERs) and custom engine rebuilders (CERs) are asking for
Balancing Equipment: a weighty matter
Everybody knows what balance is, right? You maintain your own balance by centering your body mass over your feet. If you lean too far forward or backward, or too far to the left or right, you’ll lose your balance and fall unless you grab hold of something or reposition your feet. Moving your center of
Coretalk: Consolidated Mfg. Cuts Staff, Shifts Focus Away From Remanufacturing
During a plantwide meeting in late February, company officials told 100 workers their jobs were eliminated. The company retained 20 employees for 30 to 60 days to handle the transition, said Greg Gordon, company president. Consolidated will retain 18 employees. The company, founded in 1940 and one of the nation’s first Ford Motor Co. engine
Performance Cylinder Sleeves
In the performance segment of the automotive aftermarket, young enthusiasts often think only the latest is great enough for their vehicle. Thanks to the prevalence of computerized engine management systems, some might believe that high-tech guarantees high horsepower. Yesterday’s technology? No way will it find success on the street or strip. However, engine builders know
Restoration – Yesterday’s Treasures, Tomorrow’s Trophies
There have been tremendous and significant changes in vehicle design since the first gasoline-powered vehicle hit the streets of America back in the early 1890s. Such advancements as fuel injection, radial tires, variable valve train technology, roller cams and front-wheel drive, among many others, have made cars easier to maintain, safer to drive and more
Coretalk: Female Engine Builders, Hear Them Roar
Clevite Engine Parts has sponsored the Clevite Engine Builder Challenge Series since 1990 and has hosted the event at industry trade shows, conferences, race tracks and open house events for customers – but this was the first build to feature women only. Sandi Holder, of Holder Automotive Machine, and Becky Tardif, of Accurate Cylinderhead Service,
Building Drag Racing Engines and Modification Work
Although drag strips are far outnumbered by oval tracks in the United States – approximately 1,043 oval tracks to just 295 drag strips – the number of competitors in drag racing nearly equals those in the circle track ranks. The NHRA alone has more than 35,000 licensed members. One reason might be that virtually any
Engine Boring and Honing Equipment
Cylinder boring and honing is the heart of most engine builders’ operations. The equipment you use will have a lasting effect on the quality of the product your shop sends out the door on a day-by-day basis. While equipment varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, so too do your needs for a specific type of machine.
Coretalk: GM, DaimlerChrysler Join Forces To Produce Hybrid Automobile Engines By ’07
Although financial terms of the agreement weren’t disclosed, the collaboration is likely to involve an investment of hundreds of millions of dollars between the automakers. The first of the vehicles is to debut in 2007 – when Toyota has said it hopes its hybrid model sales will total several hundred thousand worldwide. GM, which has
Tractor Pulling: It’s Not Your Granddad’s John Deere Anymore
Tractor pulling has been with us for as long as there have been tractors. Farmers used to pull their horses, mules or oxen and, just as today, each bragged that he had the biggest and strongest. Today, at the top echelons of pulling, the technology is equal to anything else in motorsports. Although you won’t
Researching the Rebuilding Market for Multi-Valve Cylinder Heads
Cylinder head work has provided a good income for many of our readers over the years. All engines eventually need a valve job and guide work if they accumulate enough miles. Head work may also be needed if an engine overheats and blows a head gasket, if the head develops a crack, or an OHC
The New Sport Compact Market
The most popular nameplates are imports such as Honda, Acura and Mitsubishi, but coming on fast are Nissan, Toyota, Mazda, Subaru and Volkswagen – plus domestic models such as Ford Focus, Dodge Neon and even Chevy Cavalier. Nobody is abandoning the small block Chevy or any of the other V8s that have traditionally been the
Porting For Performance The Science of Horsepower
Air flow makes horsepower. The more cubic feet per minute (cfm) of air that flows through the intake ports and into the combustion chambers, the more horsepower the engine makes. A larger carburetor or throttle body, bigger valves, a high-lift, long-duration camshaft, three-angle valve job and exhaust headers are all performance enhancements that increase airflow
Toyota 3SGTE Engine
First of all, one needs to realize that Toyota, like GM, Ford, etc., has engine “families”. However, rather than calling them names such as “big block” or “small block,” Toyota assigns them a letter code. The engine family code is the first letter (not the first numeral). The codes are as follows: A-series: 1.5L, 1.6L
Toyota 20R Engine
Toyota has built numerous four cylinder engine families over the years, but one that has been in use for quite a long time is the R-series. The R-series has been the main motor used in almost all Toyota pick-up trucks, as well as the rear-wheel-drive (RWD) Celica and Coronas. The 20R was introduced in 1975
Motor Service, Inc.: Brian Casey, Incoming Engine Rebuilders Association (Aera) Chairman
What do you do after graduating from WorcesterPolytechnic Institute in Worcester, MA, with a degree in managementengineering? Why, run a heavy duty machine shop and service repairbusiness, of course. Well, maybe not always. But that is the wayit has turned out for Brian Casey, incoming Engine RebuildersAssociation (AERA) chairman and one of the guiding hands
The Nitty Gritty On Small Parts Cleaning: Many Ways To Clean Small Engine Parts
Tom Nichols, CEO and president of AutomotiveMachine & Supply, Inc., Fort Worth, TX, said availabilityis most often the key to why his shop cleans and reuses smallparts. Nichols said each day his shop cleans and reuses many smallparts, including valve locks, shims, springs, retainers, rockerarm assemblies, cam bore caps, nuts, bolts, etc. "Becausewe only
Forklifts
Engine rebuilders often classify themselves as an automotive (car and light truck), and/or medium duty/heavy-duty diesel or industrial rebuilder, and usually primarily stay in one market or the other. Some cross the line and do business in both markets, but most tend to stay in familiar territory where they’re comfortable. Yet rebuilding forklift engines is