Dynos in the Classroom
At many colleges and universities, study time is quiet time. Silent students engrossed in books and notes crowd cubicles and corridors in an attempt to gain whatever advantage they can for the next exam. At the University of Northwestern Ohio (UNO), the best learning experiences are often accompanied by the sweet sound of horsepower. As
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
Head and Block Resurfacing
Resurfacing cylinder heads and engine blocks is an essential aspect of engine building today, whether the work is being done by a production engine rebuilder, a high performance specialist or small custom shop. Bimetal engines, multi-layer steel (MLS) head gaskets and tighter assembly tolerances make accurate surfacing more critical than ever before. The key to
Growing Your Agricultural Engine Business
Most automotive machine shops and engine builders are familiar with cars and trucks as a market for their services. In fact, for many shops, these two markets are their lifeblood. A look at other markets, however, is always worthwhile and any industry that uses equipment powered by an internal combustion engine should be a prospective
Coretalk: Dallas To Host PERA Spring Technical Meeting March 30-April 1 2006
The meeting, a combination of technical sessions and facility tours, will begin with a cash reception in the hotel’s lobby bar on Thursday, March 30. The technical program is slated to begin on Friday, March 31st, following breakfast hosted by PERA. Ray Fink, PERA’s new president and president of AER Manufacturing Inc., in Carrollton, TX,
Machine Maintenance: Get Your Head Together – And Apart!
The C-frame style of valve spring compressor has become the preferred tool for disassembly and re-assembly of the standard applications like Chevy and Ford. These compressors work with air and a special jaw presses on the retainer, allowing you to remove the keepers quickly and safely. There are also manual versions of the C-frame compressor
Engine Bearings and Crankshafts, What makes them [not] tick?
The relationship between the crankshaft and main bearings is an integral one. Any metal-to-metal contact can have catastrophic results, and if the carnage was the result of improper finish or fitment, you’ll likely get to work on your relationship skills again. There are many analogies to explain how its parts relate to the engine as
PERA’s Core Corner: Back To the Basics On Engine Bearings
Have you ever heard the phrase “old wives’ tales?” My father used it all the time whenever something didn’t seem to make sense to him for the moment. For instance, most everyone knows this one: hang a horseshoe over your door for good luck. Now most of the world will do so with the open
Valve Selection: Hot Valve Materials for Hot Engines
Are stock valve materials good enough, or do you need to upgrade to valves that are made of a more durable alloy? If so, what kind of alloy? These are questions every engine builder must answer when selecting valves for performance engine applications. To the naked eye, most valves look pretty much the same. Unless
University of NW OH Hosts Engine Builders During Technology Conference
More than 250 engine builders learned about the most recent developments in engine building and toured the University’s soon-to-be completed High Performance Technology Building. Seminar topics included: Cylinder Head Welding; Proper Piston Ring Filing; OHC Cylinder Head Disassembly; CNC Machining; Dynamometer Technology; Performance Engine Technology; Crack Detection; Honing for Performance; Cylinder Head Performance. “This was
Coretalk: IMCA Engine Claims Top 400 Through Late Season
A total of 402 claims were made through late September, including 149 in the Modified division, 113 in the Stock Car class and 136 in the Hobby Stocks. There were also two claims in the Sprint Car division and one each in the Northern SportMod and Jeff’s Performance Southern SportMod classes. Claims so far in
Heavy Duty Diesel Rebuilding Opportunities
It’s certainly no secret that the engine rebuilding industry has been hurt by better quality, longer-lasting automobile engines. The same thing – but taken to an even greater extreme – can be said about the heavy duty diesel engine market. “The quality of today’s engines – both automotive and diesel – is so much better
Coretalk: Pentagon 9/11 Survivor To Keynote PERA Convention
After American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon, very close to his second floor office, LTC Birdwell was thrown to the ground and engulfed in flames. Of the burns that consumed 60 percent of his body, nearly half were third-degree burns. With more than 30 operations and months of multiple skin grafts and burn
Valve Guide and Seat Equipment Options
For many engine builders the bread and butter business is in cylinder head work. In fact, according to our 2005 Machine Shop Market Profile (also available at www.engine-builder.com) 41 percent of gas and 54 percent of diesel engine builders’ business comes from servicing cylinder heads. And one of the most important aspects of doing this
Coretalk: Sunnen, RMC Form Strategic Alliance To Market Equipment
This Sunnen/RMC alliance is effective immediately. RMC products will be sold under the Sunnen/RMC brand. Sunnen’s team of field engineers and service specialists will now represent and support the RMC line. “The new Sunnen/RMC branded products complement Sunnen’s existing product line,” said Mike Haughey, Sunnen’s chief operating officer. Ray Meyer, president of RMC, agreed: “The
Common Technologies, Uncommon Fuels, New Challenges
There is a “shade tree law” from the 1970s that states that computing capacity doubles every few years. In fact, computing capacity for the size of the computer or device has outstripped that by several orders of magnitude in the last five years. As evidence of that, we now see cell phones that were only
Coretalk: Recon Automotive Founder Armand J. Mancini Dies
He leaves behind his wife of 42 years, Carole, and three sons and a daughter – Armand, Vincent, Daniel and Carrie Mancini Young. He is also survived by three brothers, a sister and six grandchildren. Mancini was an icon of the automotive remanufacturing industry, having founded Recon in 1973 and building it into one of
Performance Pistons
Piston manufacturers are introducing new performance pistons for all of these applications as well as refining existing piston designs to reduce weight, and improve strength, durability and ring sealing. Piston design and manufacturing used to be a relatively low-tech process. Now, with the aid of finite element analysis and other computer modeling techniques, many aftermarket
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,