MAHLE Clevite Kicks Off Third Annual Champion Technician Contest
Contest to reward one talented and forward-thinking engine technician or specialist with a VIP NASCAR-themed trip to Las Vegas. MAHLE Clevite Inc. recently announced the third annual MAHLE Clevite Champion Technician Contest, a contest designed to spotlight talented and forward-thinking engine technicians and specialists nationwide. By answering a series of five questions, one grand prize
Carl Edwards Drives Historic 1901 Sweepstakes Race Car in Advance of Henry Ford’s 150th Birthday Celebration
One of the vehicles featured in the American Legends: Hot Rods and Customs exhibit is the three-window 1932 Ford that was pictured on the Beach Boys’ 1963 album, Little Deuce Coupe. When NASCAR superstar Carl Edwards hopped aboard Sweepstakes, the 1901 racecar built by Henry Ford, he wasn’t exactly sure what to expect from the ride. But much
Richard Petty to Join Despain’s ‘Wind Tunnel’ During 2013 PRI Show’s Grand Opening Breakfast
Known to many simply as “The King,” NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty is the most decorated driver in the history of NASCAR racing, winning a record 200 career races and seven NASCAR Cup championships during his illustrious career. Today, Petty is as busy as ever, and spends much of his time overseeing the operations
Mobil 1, O’Reilly Auto Parts Present The 2013 Pit Crew Challenge
Mobil 1, the Official Motor Oil of NASCAR, is giving three fans a chance to test their pit lane skills. Mobil 1 and O’Reilly Auto Parts are giving three lucky Pit Crew Challenge Sweepstakes grand prize winners the opportunity to receive pit crew training at the 5 Off 5 On pit crew school in Mooresville,
Oiling System Technology
Oil is the lifeblood of every engine. Any significant loss of oil pressure can destroy an engine in a split second so the oiling system must provide a constant supply of oil under all operating conditions. With performance engines, keeping the engine lubed with a steady supply of oil can be a challenge because
Motor Oil Fact or Fiction
1. Synthetic motor oil is too slippery. It causes roller bearings to slide instead of roll, and that causes the bearings to fail. Fact or Fiction? – Fiction If you have ever flown on a jet airplane, you have enough experience to debunk this myth. All jet turbine engines utilize rolling-element bearings, and every jet
Labor Costing Study: Rebuilding The Chrysler Hemi 5.7L and 6.1L
Originally tagged the “Double Rocker Shaft V8,” it soon became “the Hemi.” It made a lot more power than the rest of the car engines that were available at that time, so some people say Chrysler started the “horsepower wars” with the Hemi. • With its good ports and bigger valves that opened away from
Learning From Broken Parts
In 1973, I was a sportsman drag racer. My car was the two-ton orange ’57 Mercury named, “The Big Animal.” The transplant engine was a pure stock Ford 427 FE 8V low riser I called “Old Reliable,” shifted by a top loader four-speed with a Hurst Competition Plus shifter. In August of that year, I
Assembly Oils, Greases and Lubes
In the October 2012 issue of Engine Builder, I wrote about engine assembly lubes and why you should consider using them. When I was asked to write another article to help engine builders better understand and select engine assembly lubes for their operation, at first I didn’t understand the assignment. I thought I had
How a Legend Got His Start
Last March, when Ed “Isky” Iskenderian picked up the Robert E. Petersen Lifetime Achievement Award at the annual Hot Rod & Restoration Show in Indianapolis, he talked about the automobile engine business in the early years. The Iskenderians were Armenians who fled Turkey and came to America around 1910, settling in Northern California’s wine country.
Oliver Racing Parts Kicks Off 30th Anniversary with Three Contests
Oliver Racing Parts, manufacturers of high-performance connecting rods for motorsports applications, is celebrating its 30th anniversary by launching three contests filled with prizes and merchandise between now and December 31, 2013. “Oliver Racing Parts has had a successful history – from setting land speed records at Bonneville to wins in NASCAR – so for Oliver’s
Performance Gaskets & Surface Finishes
The most critical engine gaskets are the head gaskets since they have to withstand the heat and pressure of combustion. And unless the engine is a drag motor with a solid billet or filled block, the head gaskets also have to keep coolant out of the cylinders. Many performance engines are capable of making
Valvetrain
Selecting the right components to make a rock-solid valvetrain is key to assembling an engine that will last – and win. The pushrods, rockers and valve springs must be able to handle all of the stresses of the camshaft rotating with high spring pressures and with huge lift. Weakness in any part of the system
Green Strategies: Recycling Scrap and Precious Metals
Engine rebuilding, arguably the truest form of recycling, restores core durability and is part of the 3 Rs: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. In fact, the very definition of the word “recycle” could be interchanged with “engine rebuilding.” Recycling means to reuse or make (a substance) available for reuse for biological activities through natural processes of
Green Strategies: Efficient Shop Operations
If you really think about it, the engine building/remanufacturing industry is the true essence of going green. After all, you’re recycling: 1. A used product for further performance; 2. The solvents for other use; and 3. Your shop’s revenue as you have to make more profit from fewer rebuilds. “Most motors don’t run
Sixteen-Year-Old Dirt Late Model Driver From Illinois Wins $50,000 ‘Search for a Champion’ Grand Prize
Bobby Pierce, a 16-year-old high school student who also is one of the nation’s top DirtLate Model drivers, is the $50,000 grand prize winner in the “Search for a Champion” racing sponsorship contest from Federal-Mogul’sChampion Spark Plug brand. A sophomore at Oakwood (Ill.) High School, Pierce was one of 15 finalists selected from hundreds of
Bearing Clearances
Is it better to build an engine with tighter bearing clearances and run it on low viscosity synthetic motor oil, or is it better to build an engine with more traditional or even looser bearing clearances and use heavier viscosity oil? Tight bearing clearances and relatively thin synthetic multi-viscosity motor oils work well in many
Tuning In To The EFI Market
There are many variables that need to be calculated and calibrated when it comes to electronic fuel injection (EFI), but simple fuel flow is just the beginning. EFI goes far beyond a replacement for a carburetor, and the electronic part of the equation is where these systems seem so complicated. Many EFI systems give you
Engine Parts Group, Inc. Develops Performance Scholarship at UNOH
In an effort to prime the "talent pump," Engine Parts Group, Inc. and the University of Northwestern Ohio have announced the creation of the Engine Pro Performance Scholarship Fund at UNOH. The initial funding is coming from the donation of a 500 horsepower small block Chevrolet project racing engine that was professionally built using Engine
Custom Crankshafts and Connecting Rods
As an engine builder, you get to decide what parts go into the engines you build. If you’re rebuilding a stock engine to stock specifications, you’re probably going to use a reconditioned stock crankshaft and connecting rods to keep costs down. There’s no reason to upgrade these parts because they should be adequate for the