As Cash for Clunkers Crosses Finish Line, Long-Term Effects Remain Uncertain
From AAIA Capital Report Yesterday officially marked the last day of the federal $3 billion"Cash for Clunkers" program (extended until Wednesday), though many dealerships pulled the plug onthe program several days ago. Some dealerships, many currently owed inexcess of $1 million, voluntarily ended the program over concerns aboutbeing repaid in a timely fashion, or possibly
Engine Builder Shop Solutions: August 2009
Gasket Surface Cleaning Caution Cleaning gasket surfaces can be a terrible thing to do! Many of today’s cylinder heads, and various parts are made of aluminum. The use of cleaning discs can damage the surface being cleaned by actually removing some of the surface being cleaned. There are also dangers of getting fibers from the
Herman Trend Alert: The Future of Social Networking
Social Networking is about "building online communities of people whoshare interests and/or activities, or who are interested in exploringthe interests and activities of others." (Wikipedia) People use social networking to find jobs, source candidates, find lostloves, source materials, promote and sell products and services, andmuch more … and it’s mostly free! "Social networking is in
Virtual Aftermarket eForum to Highlight Social Media, Product Data Management, eCommerce and Supply Collaboration
Jay Yanko, director, global data synchronization, Edgenet, will kick off the presentations at 10 a.m. with Multi-Enterprise Data Management in the Auto Aftermarket. He will illustrate that in today’s economy, businesses cannot afford to miss opportunities to use product information to drive down costs, strengthen customer relations and sell more. Yanko’s presentation will be followed
Federal-Mogul Reports Profitable Second Quarter with Positive Net Income and Cash Flow
Federal-Mogultoday reported positive net income and cash flow on improved salesversus the first quarter 2009, as the company’s restructuring andcost-reduction initiatives brought improved profits to the bottom line,countering the impact of the global market downturn. "We are pleased to report a profitable quarter, including strongergross margin, reduced selling, general and administrative expenses,positive net income, higher
The Top 10 Common Pricing Mistakes Most Companies Make
Price strategy is emerging as the most important resource for companies to increase their competitive advantage. The vast majority of companies have spent years achieving gains through cost cutting, outsourcing, process re-engineering and the adoption of innovative technologies. However, the incremental benefits from these important activities are diminishing, and companies need to look at other
Paul ‘Scooter’ Brothers Elected SEMA Chairman-Elect
Paul ‘Scooter’ Brothers of COMP Performance Group will serve as chairman-elect of the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) beginning Aug. 1. Members of the 46-year old association voted Brothers to fill the position that was held for the past two years by Rick Rollins of Rollins Performance Marketing/Consulting. Rollins begins his role as of chairman on
PERA Announces its Conference Schedule
PERA has released its schedule for the 64th Annual Conference which includes an assortment of professional and technical seminars will be held along with a wide range of social and networking opportunities for engine remanufacturers and their spouses. Thursday, September 24 Golf Outing: Breakfast 7:45 am. Tee off 8:30 am Tour (Historic Trolley Tour &
Engine Blocks & Cylinder Sleeves
In our February 2009 issue, Technical Editor Larry Carley provided a comprehensive overview of the changes in engine blocks over the years. Thanks in part to natural attrition (after all, many of the most popular engines were actually designed and built more than 50 years ago) and the high price for scrap metal in the
Cash for Clunkers Bill Moves Ahead
“Cashfor Clunkers” legislation has gained traction on Capitol Hill ascompeting bills in the House have been consolidated and moved out ofcommittee. The White House and the House Energy and Commerce Committeereached an agreement on proposed legislation, which now moves to thefull House for consideration. "’Cash for clunkers’ is a common-sense proposal that will help providea
Navistar’s Green Diesel Technology Products Qualify for Government Grants
Eligible fleets wanting to make environmentally responsible changes to their vehicles can now apply for government grants to offset the costs of retrofitting their existing trucks. International® truck and IC Bus dealers offer a suite of products that may qualify under federal, state, and local clean diesel grant programs. “Our International dealers are ready to
Executive Interview with Bill Skok, President of Elgin Industries
BillSkok is president of Elgin Industries, a leading global manufacturer oforiginal equipment and replacement engine and chassis products for theautomotive and commercial vehicle markets. Skok joined the company,founded in 1919 by his grandfather, Martin Skok Sr., as governmentsales administrator in 1985 and became vice president of OEM sales in1988. He was named president of the
Industry Associations Oppose ‘Cash for Clunkers’ Proposals
Why We Think “Cash For Clunkers” Should Be Scrapped Let’s face it; concern over the environment is a very important thing. Who doesn’t want to keep the world clean for future generations? Until those colonies on the Moon and Mars that we’ve been promised materialize, we’ve only got this one world and we need to
The Truth About Valve Springs
Valve springs are one of the most critical and most overlooked components in your engine.Proper selection of the valve spring begins with identifying theapplication and selecting all of the valve train components to achievethe engine builders’ goals. Thespring is selected to complement the system and must be matched withthe entire valve train in order for
E-Commerce: Is A Web Presence Right For Your Business Model?
E-commerce is one of those things that sounds too good to be true. To start with, you can do business from virtually any geographic location that has daily UPS or FedEx service, which means you can live just about anywhere you want. The mantra of location, location, location for a retail store just doesn’t apply.
Flat or Tapered Cams and Flat or Crowned Lifters
It never occurred to me to even ASK whether the cam I recently had re-ground for a Buick Nailhead engine was ground with flat or tapered lobes. Like a great many others, I’d forgotten that some vintage engines had flat lobe surfaces because I’d gotten so used to everything having tapered lobes. This, unfortunately, can
Valve Seats & Machining Guide
Engine cooling doesn’t only happen at at the radiator. The valves (particularly the exhaust valves) take a lot of heat from the combustion chamber and the valve seats have the responsibility of helping to cool them off. The seats draw heat away from the valves and conduct it into the cylinder head, providing most of
Quaker State Challenges Motor Oil Competitors to End the “Wear Wars”
Quaker State is calling for an end of today’s “Wear Wars” by challenging its motor oil competitors to a head-to-head motor oil comparison. Quaker State has issued a challenge to Mobil1, Valvoline and Castrol to prove that that no leading full synthetic SAE 5W-30 motor oil provides better wear protection than Quaker State Q HorsePower
Stroker Tips – Getting It All to Fit
Almost since the first production engine rolled off the line, people have known that when it comes to power, it’s cubic inches or cubic dollars. In some cases both. There’s only two ways to get more cubes – bigger bore and longer stroke – so engine builders use both to get the performance they want
Racing Oil and Additves
Engine oil has sometimes been compared to a cake mix. The base oil is like the flour and the additives are the spices. How much is used of each varies by the type of cake and its intended use. Birthday cakes don’t really work for weddings. Engine builders have also been compared to gourmet chefs,