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
Boosting Performance – Nitrous, Superchargers and Turbochargers
From the budget six-cylinders that get 300 hp and 28 mpg for less than $25,000 to the 600 hp Viper V10 to the 630 hp Corvette ZR1 for just over $100,000, the performance market is deep and wide. “It’s amazing, the horsepower potential that these cars are coming with off the factory floor,” says Frank
‘Big Daddy’ Don Garlits to Return to NHRA Drag Racing
“Big Daddy” Don Garlits is making a comeback to NHRA competition forthe first time since 2003, driving his Dodge Challenger Drag Pak byMopar into the heat of NHRA Stock eliminations at the Mac Tools U.S.Nationals on Labor Day weekend. His historic first run in the Drag Pakwill be on Wednesday, Sept. 2, in A/Stock Automatic
Paul ‘Scooter’ Brothers Elected SEMA Chairman-Elect
Paul ‘Scooter’ Brothers of COMP Performance Group will serve as chairman-elect of the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) beginning Aug. 1. Members of the 46-year old association voted Brothers to fill the position that was held for the past two years by Rick Rollins of Rollins Performance Marketing/Consulting. Rollins begins his role as of chairman on
G-Oil Named Official Motor Oil of the American Le Mans Series and IMSA
GreenEarth Technologies has signed a two-year contract that will name itsUltimate Biodegradable "green" motor oil, G-OIL, the official motor oilof The American Le Mans Series and the International Motor SportsAssociation (IMSA). Under the agreement, G-OIL will be used in the Series’ official safetytrucks, which will also feature the G-OIL logo. The logo will alsoappear prominently
Stroker Tips – Getting It All to Fit
Almost since the first production engine rolled off the line, people have known that when it comes to power, it’s cubic inches or cubic dollars. In some cases both. There’s only two ways to get more cubes – bigger bore and longer stroke – so engine builders use both to get the performance they want
Stroker Tips – Getting It All to Fit
Almost since the first production engine rolled off the line, peoplehave known that when it comes to power, it’s cubic inches or cubicdollars. In some cases both. There’s only two ways to get more cubes –bigger bore and longer stroke – so engine builders use both to get theperformance they want from the available components.
Piston Options and Opportunities
The sport compact market, it was thought, was going to breathe new life into the performance engine market, and for many years, the rapid growth of the market seemed to indicate that there was no limit to how big those little engines could get. Then something happened: to quote Engine Builder columnist and performance expert
Inaugural Motorsports Industry Trade Show to Debut in Indianapolis in December 2009
Theperformance and racing industry will converge upon Indianapolis inDecember 2009 for the first ever International Motorsports IndustryShow (IMIS). Scheduled to be held Dec. 2-3, 2009 at the IndianapolisConvention Center, the show is owned and promoted by Performance EventsPromotions (PEP) and assisted in presentation by the IndianaMotorsports Association. According to show organizers, IMIS will bringtogether the
EngINtel: In Lightweight Land Rockets Or Huge Ships, Bedplates Have Presence In Today
Today’s engines are smaller, lighter, more fuel efficient and have the highest output per displacement than at any other time in the history of the automotive industry. With these advantages have come designs that must be able to withstand loads and pressures that go way beyond the large displacement OHV, oil leaking, fuel guzzling street
Fueling the Future – Can You Fill Up with Alternative Fuels?
Currently gas prices have stabilized at around $1.83 a gallon, a price at which most Americans feel comfortable driving their SUVs, trucks, race cars, tow vehicles and other motorized toys. But when gas hits $4 and $5 a gallon, driving guzzlers becomes a challenge for many. It was only a few months ago that a
Takin’ it to the Streets: Performance Valvetrains for [almost] Everyday Use
Even though the valvetain plays a supporting role in the overall performance potential of an engine it can still be a make or – frequently – break proposition for engine builders. In a street performance application in particular your customers are usually quite proud of their vehicles and spend a lot of money on appearance.
Kicking Asphalt
In this election year it somehow seems appropriate to talk about a movement that reaches the common citizen…the working man…the small-business person. Political rhetoric aside, it has the potential to gain traction in the industry and showcase what’s great about America – grassroots road racing. There are no multi-million dollar sponsorships (multi-million dollar wallets not
IndyCar Series Holds Automotive Manufacturer Round-table to Discuss New Specs, Encourage More Participation
With the Indianapolis MotorSpeedway on the cusp of celebrating two significant centennials, andthe unification of open-wheel racing in North America complete, theIndyCar Series has announced plans to define its next generation oftechnical competition rules with the ultimate goal of encouraging newmanufacturer participation within the series. An ‘IndyCar Automotive Manufacturers Round-table’ targeting seniorlevel automotive executives will
Cylinder Head Cleaning
Being an engine builder is like being a chef. As a master of culinary arts you may prepare the most exquisite meals anyone has ever tasted, but a great dining experience can be easily ruined if the vegetables are not thoroughly cleaned. For more and more engine builders, aqueous cleaning systems are the new standard
From ATVs to Karting to Everything In Between
While small engines are in many types of equipment and toys, there isn’t anything small about their potential for engine builders to make a profit. From karts to all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) to motorcycles, for many engine builders looking to add profit margins to their business or to get into a specialized area of the industry,
Photo of the Week: NASCAR Driver Kevin Harvick and the Cal Poly Prototype
Seven Cal Poly engineering students show off their fuel-efficient prototype vehicle to Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil car. The team, which built a vehicle that can travel up to 1,902.7 miles per gallon using conventional fuel, won the 2007 Shell Eco-marathon Americas challenge and will be back at this same track in
Stroker Tips from the Pros
Engine Builder’s Stroker Motor Resource Guide has become an annual feature. Last year this publication ran an introductory story about increasing your business with the growing demand for stroker engines. It was focused on popular O.E. and aftermarket-based engine combinations, and covered the basic dos and don’ts of building a stroker motor. We are fully
Stroker Tips from the Pros
Engine Builder’s Stroker Motor Resource Guide has become an annualfeature. Last year this publication ran an introductory story aboutincreasing your business with the growing demand for stroker engines.It was focused on popular O.E. and aftermarket-based enginecombinations, and covered the basic dos and don’ts of building astroker motor. We are fully aware that the “bread and
Horsepower – Building In and Bolting On
I consider myself blessed that for the last 35 years I’ve had the opportunity to hang around with some of the nation’s best engine builders and racers, and had the rare opportunity to pick their brains about engine building tips and tricks. Most of these concepts are pretty well known in the engine building community