Joe Gibbs Racing Oil Raises The Bar On Technical Support
Less than 900 lubrication professionals worldwide hold this prestigious certification, and now each Joe Gibbs Driven Oil customer will have access to a trained and certified lubrication professional. After a lifetime in the racing business, Mr. Speed has completed 9 accredited lubrication classes and passed the rigorous CLS exam. The real world knowledge garnered by
When Does One-Thousandth Of An Inch Equal A Mile?
Now this statement has both good and bad advice in it. Good, because we all know high quality tools cost money, and bad because, as engine builders, who are you going to borrow tools from? The guy next door? Probably not. You need to have your own tools and tooling to control your quality in
APRA to Host MEGA Clinic
The Automotive Parts Remanufacturers Association (APRA) will be bringing four divisions together during the upcoming “MEGA Clinic” on June 3-5, 2010 at the Doubletree Hotel in Springfield, MS. The program will contain seminars for remanufacturers and suppliers involved in HD Transmissions, Volume Transmissions, HD Brakes and Electrical. Along with cutting edge seminars, the group will
Engine Builder Shop Solutions: April 2010
Employee Education Without ASE Machinists Certifications Back in January in this column we talked about dealing with bad employees. This month I would like to express how important it is to keep yourself and your employees up to speed with our industry. Keep in mind that ASE will no longer be offering its Machinist certifications
MAHLE Clevite Inc. Introduces a New eLearning Course on Victor Reinz Gaskets
MAHLE Clevite Inc. recently added a new course on Victor Reinz gaskets to its eLearning™ curriculum. The new course covers the features and benefits of Victor Reinz gaskets and offers automotive and engine-rebuilding professionals the necessary tools to master sealing solutions. The course also will be available in French and Spanish in the near future.
Fremd High School’s Team PRW Wins Division 3
Fremd High School from Palatine, IL. sponsored by Performance Racing Warehouse (PRW) took first place with the fastest time of 44 minutes and 15 seconds and will be representing Division 3 at the National Championship dubbed “Showdown at SEMA” at the 2010 SEMA Show in Las Vegas in November. There, they will be competing against
CNC?Head Porting & Machining Centers
The fact that CNC machines have come down in price over the years, coupled with less complicated interfacing systems means that today they can be used by nearly anyone. You don’t have to relearn everything. You don’t have to take endless courses on how to make a tool change. Today’s machines are sophisticated and savvy
AERA to hold Don Gross Regional Conference
AERA is doing its part to make gaining knowledge and networking opportunities easier by holding a series of regional conferences instead of a larger, national one. Along with the outlined technical programs, AERA is inviting leading manufacturers of engine building/rebuilding tools, supplies, services, parts and machinery to attend this conference. These suppliers will have table-top
Car Owners Holding on to Vehicles Significantly Longer, at Least 50,000 Miles Longer, Says New Survey
AutoMD, a new free online auto repair resource, has released the results of a survey revealing that car owners are putting many more miles on their current vehicles, 50,000 or more, than on their previous vehicle – with the majority of respondents planning to keep their vehicle until it dies. The report also revealed that
Selling Vintage Speed Can Help Business Until Business Gets Better
Due to these hard times, fewer customers are looking for your services, and they’re looking to spend as little money as possible. A small shop can survive on low-margin jobs for only so long before the overhead simply eats you alive. One alternative plan is to add a line of vintage performance engines that command
Pre-War Engines: Vintage Technology, Modern Products
How have the changes in the market and the changes in vehicles affected shops specializing in vintage engines as well as those shops thinking about adding vintage to their list of services? The automotive enthusiast and collector market is a funny creature. While the actual mechanical evolution may sometimes run in opposite directions, the eras
Engine Builder Shop Solutions: January 2010
Dealing With Bad Employees One of the fastest ways to lose control of your business is to let a bad employee take control of your shop and ruin the overall moral. Pay attention to your people and understand that when things change in their lives it can affect the attitude they have at work. If
Cleaning Injectors on
Affects all 1990-2006 Toyota and Scion models equipped with Port Electronic Fuel Injection (EFI). 1. If the fuel injector nozzles are visibly blocked or if the injectors do NOT pass the fuel injector volume test, complete the fuel injector power flush using the following instructions: A. Before an injector cleaning is performed, it is recommended
GM Engine Oil Leak at Crankshaft Rear Main Oil Seal
Models: 1982-2005 Cars and Light Duty Trucks (Including Saturn) with 2.8L, 3.1L, 3.4L, 3.5L Engine. Note: This bulletin does not apply to 2004-2005 Saturn VUE models with 3.5L DOHC V6 Engine Correction A new design crankshaft rear main oil seal has been released. This seal incorporates features that improve high mileage durability. Replace the crankshaft
Advanced Machine Tooling
The key to boosting productivity is to remove more metal in less time. However, faster cutting speeds and feeds require tooling inserts that can take the heat and abuse without dulling. To achieve these goals, tooling suppliers have come up with various cutter shapes, edge geometries and surface coatings that significantly improve tool performance and
Getting it Right
Mark Dodge, owner of Midwest Cylinder Head, can pinch a penny thin enough to see through (and maybe that keeps his businesses alive and well in poor economic times), so you can bet his choice was thoroughly researched and thought out. I wanted to see what this unit was all about and so arranged to
It
A bold statement, you may think. Are you thinking that it doesn’t apply to your business? You may think you’re doing okay. Yet my statement applies to everyone – from a one-man shop to a shop with 100 employees or more – because if you don’t do it, your competitor will! The most recent Machine
Diesel Enthusiasm Often Tempered By Fear of the Unknown
Most automotive guys understand the principles of an internal combustion engine. Whether it is gasoline or diesel these are fuel, fire, and compression! Without one of these ingredients, the internal combustion engine will not function. So what is it about diesel engine rebuilding that makes automotive guys so nervous? This basically comes down to what
American Families Save $26 Billion Annually at Independent Repair Shops, Data Shows
From aftermarketNews Proponents of the Motor Vehicle Owners’ Right to Repair Act Web say that new data revealing the economic importance of the automotive aftermarket to consumers shows why Congress needs to pass legislation to ensure a competitive repair market. According to the new study conducted by John Dunham and Associates for the Automotive Aftermarket
High School Engine Builders to be Featured in Competition at 2009 SEMA Show
High School students are set to race against the clock to disassemble andrebuild a Chevy 350 engine using only hand tools during the Hot Roddersof Tomorrow Engine Challenge National Championship, Thursday, November5, during the 2009 SEMA Show. The competition begins with two qualifying rounds, the first beginningWednesday, November 4, at 1 p.m., when Team Edelbrock