Going Faster in 1954
I have a large library in my office consisting of Hot Rod How-to books and annuals from the 1940s, ‘50s and ‘60s. During one of my recent review sessions I found a chapter introducing nitromethane and its use for drag racing. Keep in mind this is 1954 technology…
Shop Solutions March 2016
When vacuum checking 4-valve-per-cylinder heads, it’s hard to tell if it’s both or just one valve that’s leaking. Use your vacuum tester and one of those long inexpensive BBQ or candlestick lighters. Hold the lighter close to the valves and the leaking vacuum will pull the flame in, making it easy to tell which one is leaking.
Valves and Seats
The valves and seats in an internal combustion engine play a central role in engine breathing, compression, performance and longevity. It doesn’t matter if an engine has two, three, four or even five valves per cylinder or if the engine is gas or diesel because the valves all do the same thing: they open and close to allow air into the cylinders and exhaust to exit the cylinders.
DEI Announces Inaugural Cruise-In Custom Car Show Event
Design Engineering, Inc. has announced the company’s inaugural Cruise-In car show planned for Saturday, June 18 at the company’s headquarters at 604 Moore Road, Avon Lake, OH. This show will bring some of the area’s most exciting custom cars and hot rods to DEI as part of the 2016 Cruisin’ Times Lucky 7 Road Show.
AERA Announces 2016 Tech and Skills Conference Schedule
Through its annual series of Tech & Skills regional conferences, AERA, the Engine Builders Association, says engine builders can gain industry knowledge and network with other people without the traveling expense of going to a national trade show. AERA will again team up with regional hosts to offer educational and networking opportunities in different regions of the country.
Pistons and Rings – The Technical Price for Horsepower
One of the most overlooked components of the internal combustion engine is the piston ring. It is, by scale, one of the hardest working components in the engine. And when you are building an engine, before choosing your piston rings you have to determine your application.
Understanding How to Tune Carburetors
An engine only runs as well as it is tuned. You can build a killer motor using all the best parts and machine and assemble everything with the utmost care, but if it’s a carbureted engine and the carburetor isn’t set up or tuned right your killer engine may never live up to its full potential.
The Daily Grind
Today, seats are made of a wide variety of materials, different combinations of various alloys, powdered metals and other super hard materials. This seat material is designed to prolong the ability of the valve seat to seal against the pounding of the valve head during engine operation. The variety of materials also means new and different abrasives are required for proper machining.
Motor State Distributing Adds Daytona Sensors
Motor State Distributing has announced the addition of Daytona Sensors product line to its brand selection of automotive engine management control systems.
Building the Road to Great Technicians
The challenge of finding qualified technicians is well documented in the automotive industry and that challenge is expected to become even greater as vehicle technology continues to proliferate.
Exhaust(ing) Your Options
Here in the pages of Engine Builder magazine we have countless articles about choosing the right set of pistons, putting in the perfect crankshaft, selecting the best connecting rods and the list goes on and on for identifying what parts and products go into your engines. However, there is one item we seldom cover – exhaust.
Bosch Renews Partnership With Hendrick Motorsports for 16th Year
Bosch Automotive Aftermarket North America has announced a multi-year renewal of its technical partnership with 11-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champions Hendrick Motorsports. Dating back to 2001 with an agreement to supply spark plugs to the racing powerhouse, the scope of the relationship has since expanded to include alternators, starters, oxygen sensors, fuel injectors and fuel pumps.
There’s No Simple Formula to Choosing the Perfect Camshaft
The camshaft design affects valve timing, compression and the engine’s ability to breathe. From pistons to manifolds, valve grind, piston pin offset, rod length, etc. Once the camshaft has been tabbed correctly for the application, the rest of the build can focus off that selection.
Racing Rod Options
Choosing a set of connecting rods is one of the critical steps in a performance engine build. The rods have to be strong enough to handle the anticipated speeds and loads, but also affordable for customers who have a limited budget.
SAM and Lingenfelter Create $10,000 COPO Shootout at 2016 Holley LS Fest
In 2016, Holley’s 7th annual LS Fest will descend on historic Beech Bend Raceway in Bowling Green, Kentucky for a weekend of GM LS-powered drag racing, drifting, autocross, and more. This year, the drag racing portion of the event will get a shot in the arm thanks to the School of Automotive Machinists and Lingenfelter Performance Engineering.
Elgin Receives John Deere’s Highest Supplier Rating For Fourth Straight Year
Elgin Industries has been recognized as a John Deere “Partner-Level Supplier” – Deere & Company’s highest supplier rating – for the fourth consecutive year. Elgin achieved this distinction based on excellence in several key performance categories for suppliers.
Stewart-Haas Racing and Ford Performance to Team Up Starting in 2017 NASCAR Season
Ford Performance has announced Stewart-Haas Racing will switch to Ford as its auto manufacturer partner starting with the 2017 NASCAR season. The multiyear agreement means that, beginning with Daytona Speedweeks in February 2017, the four-car Stewart-Haas Racing team will race the Ford Fusion with Ford engines prepared by Roush Yates Engines.
Solvent Kleene D-Zolve 339
D-Zolve 339 from Solvent Kleene, Inc. is an industrial grade carbon dissolver that removes carbon and burnt on oil deposits produced by engine combustion. Parts can either be placed in an immersion tank at room temperature, or it can be applied to a surface via spray.
Final-Round Voting Now Open in $200,000 2016 ‘Search for a Champion’ Contest
Voting is now open at www.AlwaysAChampion.com for the final round of the 2016 “Search for a Champion” racing sponsorship contest, which will award a record $200,000 in sponsorships and related prizes to grassroots drivers across North America.
Champion Racing Oil to Sponsor the 2016 Great Race
Champion, an annual corporate sponsor of the Great Race, is participating again this year with a team of drivers in a classic car competitive rally that races from San Rafael, California to Moline, Illinois. The winner of Great Racereceives $50,000 and total prize money for the event is $150,000.
