At the Top of the RPM Range
RPM Engine and Machine is off to a quick start
Majority of 2016 Great Race Entrants are Running Champion Oil
Champion Oil has announced that an overwhelming majority (94%) of participants this year in the classic car competitive rally from San Rafael, California to Moline, Illinois will be running Champion Racing Motor Oil or Champion Classic & Muscle Motor Oil.
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.
Old Cars Never Die – Not If I Can Help It
I have not worked on everyday, common engines for years. Everyone who comes into my shop is a hobby-level special car enthusiast. I build all types of performance American brand engines. A huge part of my business has become building and rebuilding engines for classic cars, which it turns out, there is an adequate market for engine builders.
The Little Details Add to Your Bottom Line
A restoration shop owner we know sends his engines out to professional rebuilders. There are two engines sitting in his shop right now – a six and an eight. Both were rebuilt by different shops. One of those shops will be getting all of his engine work in the future. The reason isn’t the quality of work or even the price; it is the attention one shop paid to details.
What Happens Next…?
If you decided to retire in the next five years, who runs the shop? Are you going to sell it, and to whom…? Are they qualified to run it and can they maintain the quality and, more important, the good name you have established. This may be the part we as business owners don’t want to think about, but we must.
Connecting Rods
They say an engine is only as reliable as its weakest link. The connecting rods that join the pistons with the crank can be a strong link or a weak link depending on the rods that are used.
Old Fire Trucks Need Engine Work Too
Preserving a fire truck may involve rebuilding its engine. Some older trucks need engine work because the power plants spent hours running large pumps and equipment, rather than racking up road miles. This could mean added business for creative engine builders, but it might also cause the rebuilder to ask questions. Find the answers here.
Engine Builder’s Chrysler 392 Magnum V8 Engine on ebay
Engine Builder magazine’s Chrysler 392 Magnum V8 engine will be back up for auction on eBay Motors in 2015. This Chrysler 318 turned 392 Magnum produces 477 HP at 5800 RPM and 481 lb. feet of torque. The auction is running right now and will be open to anyone in the U.S. Proceeds will benefit the Independence Fund.
Cycling In New Business
Adapted from Margie Siegal’s article in Motorcycle & Powersports News Take a look around your shop. You have the equipment. You have the tools and you have the employees. But do you have all of the work your shop can take on? It may be time to add a niche to your engine building services and
Reflecting on ‘Speedy’ Bill Smith’s Impact on the Performance Industry
I met “Speedy” Bill Smith while on a magazine assignment for a former hot rodder magazine back in April of 1999. The magazine editor called early one Monday morning… “I know you only write technical articles for the magazine but we need somebody to go interview “Speedy” Bill Smith in Lincoln, Nebraska. You are the
Rolling History: July 11 Designated as ‘Collector Car Appreciation Day’
In recognition of the nation’s historic and classic cars, the U.S. Senate recently passed Senate Resolution 493 (S. Res. 493) designating July 11, 2014, as “Collector Car Appreciation Day.” The Resolution was requested by the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) and its Automotive Restoration Market Organization (ARMO) and Hot Rod Industry Alliance (HRIA) Councils. The
Looking for a Lost ’32 Ford Roadster
Every antique racecar has a past history. Sometimes that history is well documented, and other times, it gets lost over the years through a succession of owners and events. In the latter case, you have to judge the car for what it is…what you see in front of you. Mike Nail’s ‘32 Ford Roadster is
The Michigan Madman Meets The Widowmaker
There seems to be one in every neighborhood. You know – the kid who takes his experimenting a little too far. Growing up, you probably knew that kid – or may even have been that kid. Here is one of those true stories of “the kid” who’s love of machines and inventing got him into
The Art of the Build: Rods & Kustoms At the AACA Museum
The Art of the Build: Rods & Kustoms celebrates the cars and their creators that dared to be different by individually customizing their vehicles. Hershey, PA – A new year will begin with an unusual display at the Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) Museum in Hershey. A new featured exhibit The Art of the
Ocean to Ocean World Record Set by Vintage Adventurer in 83 Year-Old Ford
The non-stop drive was completed in 50 hours, 20 minutes and 6 seconds, beating his goal by almost 10 hours. Australian motoring enthusiast Rod Wade, aka the Vintage Adventurer, has set a new world record in the Ocean to Ocean Driving Challenge with Evans Waterless Coolant running through the engine of his 1930 Model A
Harry A. Miller’s Masterpiece Motors
Miller’s engines and cars were – and still are – works of art Each year, in early July, some five-dozen racing relics come thundering out of the pages of history books to circle the famous one-mile long track at Milwaukee’s Wisconsin State Fairgrounds. There are Lozier, Mercer, Hupmobile, Ford, Chrysler and Kurtis creations with
Vintage Engine Goodies
There are probably a million ways to dress-up a classic show car’s engine. You can add colorful spark plug wires to any vintage motor. You can install Chevy Orange logo valve covers on any 1958-’86 slant edge small-block Chevy. You can get a universal-fit Airbox air cleaner with a blue HPR filter, for muscle cars
Historic Vehicles Drive Anti-Ethanol Message to Congress
Joined by Congressional leaders and industry experts, members of the SEMA Action Network (SAN) participated in the “Fuel for Thought” Rally on Capitol Hill. The event raised awareness of the corrosive effects of ethanol-blended gasoline on automobile engines and the dangers of consumer misfueling. Hosted by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) in partnership with the
Restoration Engine Market Update
The resto market can be a good source of extra business or a solid specialization option You might joke that the restoration engine marketplace is a “dependable” business niche. Trying to get a handle on its size, shape and character depends on with whom you talk and what they consider a vintage car to be.
