Tax Change Checklist for Engine Shops
It’s that time of the year again — time to pass out those W2 forms to your employees. And with the start of a new year, it’s always a sure bet that there will be changes to the tax law, and 2014 is no exception. From health savings accounts to retirement contributions and standard deductions,
PML Offers Deep Transmission Pan for the C5 Corvette
PML has added a great looking, solid construction, transmission pan to its line of products especially for automobile enthusiasts. PML designed this transmission pan specifically for C5 Corvette owners who push their Corvettes to the limit and for owners who just want to take care of their Corvettes. This pan would also be useful for
Buyer’s Guide Listing Update
The Engine Builder Buyers Guide is the industry’s most-complete resource of parts, equipment, shop supplies and services for domestic and import, automotive and heavy-duty, conventional and high performance engine builders/rebuilders. Published in print and online, this is a year-round resource for professional engine builders and machine shop seeking the products and services designed to improve
Richard Buck Named NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Managing Director
NASCAR has named Richard Buck, a NASCAR executive with a wealth of diverse experience in motorsports, as NASCAR Sprint Cup Series managing director. Buck will serve in the role held the past 12 years by John Darby, who will remain at NASCAR as managing director, competition. Buck and NASCAR’s two other national series managing directors
Advanced Tips for Changing Fuel Pressure on EFI Systems
Changing the fuel pressure on an EFI System is an effective method of affecting engine performance and making more power. However, there are many do’s and don’ts, and rules of thumb that can be frustrating to learn the hard way. Below are many small, but key points, tips and insights all engine tuners should to
‘Fine Tuning’ Your Work: Customer Service After the Build
Customer satisfaction is every bit as important as the quality of your work if you expect to be a successful engine builder. You see, even when you build your customer the perfect engine, your customer must be happy with how their engine performs or your business and reputation will suffer. Far too many good engine
Dart Machinery Introduces Aluminum ‘LS Next’ Block
One year after revealing its remarkable cast iron LS Next engine block, Dart Machinery reduces its mass and announces an aluminum counterpart. Created from the finest casting materials and weighing 107 lbs, the LS Next was the first aftermarket block to comprehensively address high-performance troubles in the original equipment LS power unit. Laden with innovations,
A Decade of Dynamic Engine Design – Roush Yates Engines Celebrates 10 Years
In December, Roush Yates Engines (RYE) celebrated its 10th Anniversary and will reset the compass into a new area of the business, but it’s all according to plan. Engine builders who used to see RYE at local races as competitors, will now be able to work directly with them and their vast resources when building
Manifold Matchmaker – Tips for Selecting the Right Manifold for Your Engine Build
Every engine needs some type of intake manifold to route air into the engine’s cylinders. With carbureted engines, the intake manifold has a wet plenum and runners because the manifold has to flow air and atomized fuel at the same time. Consequently, the manifold runners can’t turn or twist too sharply otherwise the heavier fuel
Vote for Your Favorite Video in ‘Search for a Champion’ Racing Sponsorship Contest
Performance enthusiasts and other consumers can go online to vote for their favorite video entries in the Champion brand’s popular $125,000 “Search for a Champion” racing sponsorship contest, with each registered vote qualifying for a free entry in a sweepstakes for hundreds of Champion T-shirts and hats. To register and vote in the contest, simply
Eric Grant — SEMA’s First Executive Director of SEMA Hall of Fame — Passes Away
Eric Grant, SEMA’s first executive director and member of the SEMA Hall of Fame, passed away on Dec. 23. Grant’s contributions to and impact on the specialty-equipment industry are not based on producing performance parts or increasing vehicle speed, but his importance to the growth of the automotive aftermarket and SEMA’s early years cannot be
German Oil Producer LIQUI MOLY to Invest in Development And Production
ULM, Germany – The German motor oil and additive manufacturer LIQUI MOLY says it is continuing with its growth plans. By 2015, the company will have invested nearly 20 million euros in development and production – the largest investment program in the history of the company. “This will make our production facilities in Germany fit
Engine Run Stand Tips
Engine test stands have evolved through development and engineering to help support engine shops, dyno testing facilities and technical trade schools, as well as manufactures. When the topic of dyno testing is tossed around, many think of exhausting every ounce of horsepower and torque. Others focus on profits and cost per hour. This is where a well-engineered engine run stand
Dyno-Might: Utilizing a Dynamometer to ‘Boost’ Engine Builds
Some would say that one of the criteria for being a “real” performance engine builder is having your own engine dyno. A dynamometer is not just a tool for measuring horsepower and torque (though some people think that’s all a dyno is used for). It’s a quality control tool that allows you to make sure
Hydrocarbon Heartburn? — Effects of Sulfur Reduction in Motor Oils
Let’s face it, things change. Not only have the prices of gasoline, diesel and motor oils changed in the last decade or so, the chemical makeup of these products have all changed, too. The reduction of sulfur in diesel fuel, gasoline and motor oil has had measurable effects on fuel injectors and other vital engine
Time in a Bottle — Reasons Behind Changing Engine Oils
When I was just a young pup in the 1960s working on lubes for Shell Research and Development, passenger car motor oils (PCMO) were much simpler and easier to understand. There were only three performance levels: motor light (ML), motor moderate (MM), and motor severe (MS). Auto manufacturers and lube oil marketers worked closely with
Eastern Oklahoma County Technology Center Students Are Top Hot Rod Builders
Team Moroso, from Eastern Oklahoma County Technology Center in Choctaw, Okla., defeated 22 other schools from across the nation to win the Hot Rodders of Tomorrow National Championship recently at the PRI Trade Show in Indianapolis. School instructor Jim LaFevers tutored a six-student group that broke the event’s national record in breaking down and then
November Issue Engine Builder Shop Solutions
Jeep 3.8L Oil Pressure Problem Many late model 3.8L Jeep engines are losing oil pressure at the oil pump due to failure of the bypass valve. This results in destruction of not only the crankshaft, but the connecting rods. To fix the problem, you need to find the bypass valve inside the plastic timing cover.
Identifying and Removing the “Time Stealers” from Your Shop
Your engine shop may be great at rebuilding powerplants for customers, but one thing your staff can’t do is build “more time.” Whether it’s silver, gold, platinum, diamonds, rubies or even cold, hard cash, we take numerous measures each day to protect our valuable items, some more drastic than others. We use locks, banks, safes
Computer ‘Tools’
Infusing Software Technology into a Performance Build For years, computer-aided design (CAD) has been used in the automotive industry to develop prototypes of body styles, as well as to design auto components including engine parts, electronics and even tires. In fact, Dr. Patrick J. Hanratty, an American computer scientist who is known as the “Father
