Just Imports
At my shop, Import Machine Service in Framingham, MA, we do a lot of flow testing and head porting, and are continually working to improve induction systems. Our work, however, is limited to aluminum only. Because I do work for many racers, I get many requests to do “performance” enhancements. Over the years, Mazda Miatas
13th Annual Advanced Engine Technology Conference
For most of my adult life, I have wished that I could have access to the "inner sanctum" of engine building and automotive technology. Then I could get a good look behind the door, talk to the movers and shakers, find answers or opinions for those "what if", or "how do I", questions that always
Industry Events
April 18-27: New York Auto Show, New York, NY; 800-282-3336 or www.autoshowny.com. April 23-25: PERA Spring Marketing/Technical Seminars, Las Vegas, NV; 847-439-0491 or www.pera.org. April 24-26: AERA International Rebuilders Expo 2003, Las Vegas, NV; 847-541-6550 or www.aera.org. April 25-27: 2003 SEMA International Auto Salon, Los Angeles, CA; 909-396-0289 or www.sema.org. May 2-4: Carlisle Custom Compact
Valve Seat Installation Procedures
If a valve seat is damaged, cracked, loose, receded or too badly worn to be recut or reground, it can cause a variety of problems: loss of compression, valve burning, valve failure, valvetrain wear and breakage, even head and valve damage if the seat comes loose. For that reason, replacing valve seats is often necessary
Incoming AERA Chairman Mike Schaefer, Southern Illinois Crankshaft
Ask Mike Schaefer, incoming chairman of the Engine Rebuilders Association (AERA) what the association means to him and he’ll have an immediate and impactful answer: "Without AERA, we wouldn’t have survived." When he opened the doors to Southern Illinois Crankshaft, Red Bud, IL, in November of 1985, and bought his first crank grinder, the salesman
Mclaren Heads
McLaren, like Cosworth and Ferrari, is a name that for both pro engine builders and race enthusiasts alike is synonymous with high tech performance. Although long a separate entity of McLaren International, one of the most successful teams in the history of Formula One, McLaren Performance Technologies was originally the engine development division of Bruce
Weighing the Benefits of Engine Balancing
Balancing goes hand-in-hand with performance engine building. Balancing reduces internal loads and vibrations that stress metal and may eventually lead to component failure. But is it worth the time and effort for mild performance applications, everyday passenger car engines or low-buck rebuilds? From a technical point of view, every engine regardless of the application or
The Future Of Boring Is Exciting
Boring out cylinders to accept oversized pistons or sleeves has long been a common practice in the engine rebuilding business. Boring allows worn blocks to be salvaged, and stock cylinder bores to be enlarged for more displacement. More recently, boring is also being used to install special cylinder liners with hard surface treatments in high
The Smooth Science of Cylinder Honing
The basics of honing cylinder blocks hasn’t changed much in recent years, but what has changed are the type of abrasives being used by many engine builders. Silicon carbide and aluminum oxide honing stones of various grits have long been used in power honing machines and portable hones to finish cylinder bores. These types
V-Process Aluminum
By using a new aluminum casting on the air intake manifold of our Roush Performance Products
Nationwide Warranties
The competition faced by engine builders has never been tougher. There seems to be no end to the new car incentives that the manufacturers can dream up in order to continue the torrid pace of new car sales. This factor, along with consumer perceptions of improved OEM engine quality and performance, several years ago was
Repair Of Worn Cam Bearing Housing Bores For Detroit Diesel 11.1l And 12.7l Diesel 60 Series Engines
Engine Builders: The AERA Technical Committee offers the following information regarding the possible repair of worn cam bearing housing bores for Detroit Diesel 11.1L and 12.7L diesel 60 Series Engines. These engines use an overhead camshaft design with seven individual location precision bearing inserts. Over time, the bearing bores may become worn oversize or out-of-round,
Improving engine balance on 1992-2001 GM 6.5L VIN 7, F, P, S and Y diesel truck engines
Engine Builders: The AERA Technical Committee offers the following information on improving engine balance on 1992-2001 GM 6.5L VIN 7, F, P, S and Y diesel truck engines. This information should be considered any time this engine is remanufactured. While some owners of these engines have accepted the original driveability condition as normal, others have
Dirt Track Dollars In the Shop and On the Track With Malcuit Racing Engines
It’s sometimes said that racers have motor oil or high octane racing fuel in their blood. Fearless drivers are accused of having ice-water running through their veins. For Strasburg, OH’s Brad Malcuit, the most likely ingredient pumping through his bloodstream is dirt, a fact he’ll happily attribute to family heritage. Malcuit is owner of Malcuit’s
Fast and Powerful: Race Engines Aren’t Just Race Engines
In the world of motorsports, high performance engines come in virtually unlimited configurations. From a one-cylinder lawn mower engine to a 12-cylinder aircraft engine and nearly anything you can imagine in between, people will race anything. Like the variety of engines, every sanctioning organization has its own rules and specifications for engine design. Chances are,
Rebuilding The Ford 3.8L Engine
They needed an economy engine that would fit in their new cars, and they needed it fast. They had a couple of old inline sixes and a small German V6, but none of them were designed for fuel economy or the coming emissions standards, and the 250 cid engine was so tall that it wouldn’t
Vincent Mancini Sees the Future of PERA ; Right Here, Right Now
You might think that a popular rock band would have nothing to contribute to an engine remanufacturer. You might think the best way to make a profit is to slash expenses by all means necessary. Or, you might think things would be better if your customer would just see your side of the story for
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
Back to Basics: Preventing Piston Problems
Burned pistons. Scuffed pistons. Cracked pistons. These are problems no customer wants to experience in an engine you’ve built. Warranty claims can kill your business, so here are some tips on how to prevent these and other common piston problems. First and foremost, if you’re custom building an engine that has already suffered some kind
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,