Performance Oiling Systems
The basic purpose of an oiling system is to provide lubrication for the engine. It doesn’t matter if the system is a wet sump with an internal oil pump mounted in the crankcase or front cover, or a dry sump system with an external multi-stage pump. The engine doesn’t know the difference as far as where the oil comes from – as long as the flow keeps coming at all RPMs and under all operating conditions.
Pontiac’s Straight 8s
The Pontiac L-head straight eight was used in production cars for 21 years between 1933 and 1954. This classic engine was advertised as a powerplant that could run 100,000 miles without a major overhaul.
Modified Ford Model Bs
It was known as the Model B engine and was produced for only four years beginning in 1932. Sporting only four cylinders, it was basically an upgrade of the earlier Model A powerplant. The “B” engine sported an impressive 200 cubic inches of displacement. Its compression ratio was a super-low 4.9-1. The paltry 50 horses it produced came at about 2,200 RPMs. The engine certainly didn’t appear likely to be a candidate for upgrading, but that wouldn’t be the case.
Parts Happen
We chose to expand on the idea of taking the engine under the hood of your customer’s car, and modifying it rather than searching out a more desirable muscle car engine. Now, with the money you’d save by not having to purchase another expensive desirable core motor, invest that money into a stroker crankshaft and a set of matching pistons to build a bigger cubic inch engine that would have more power than the old factory muscle car engine and greater dependability from the new upgraded parts.
Company Innovations
While technology in general was the primary answer to what innovations helped grow the industry over the past 50 years, when asked about innovations within their own companies that have helped the industry, the answers were more specific to certain engine parts. “Over the years a number of Sunnen innovations have been standards of the
Internal Affairs – Diesel Crankshafts and Rods
Despite having similar appearances, a diesel crankshaft has some primary differences from its gasoline counterparts. A gasoline engine uses a spark to ignite the fuel. A diesel engine, operating at a much higher compression ratio, uses the heat produced by compression to ignite the fuel. Diesel engines typically have a longer stroke than the bore diameter, so to handle this load, diesel crankshafts are much larger physically.
The Ford ‘FE’ – Rebuilding An American Iron Icon
Ford produced the FE series engines for almost 20 years and in this time period, this series of engine gained quite a following. After researching the FE, I was intrigued about its internal workings. I had always heard about and seen some of the more popular FE engines such as the 390, 427 and 428 but never had a chance to dive into one – until now.
Must Have Shop Tools & Measuring Equipment
You can’t do quality work in an automotive machine shop if you don’t have the right tools and measuring equipment. “Must have” tools and equipment include those that are necessary for engine disassembly, for inspecting and measuring engine components, and for engine assembly.
Ford’s Power Stroke Powerplants
The biggest question heard from customers is, “Why did Ford replace the 7.3L with the 6.0L?” There are good reasons as to why the 7.3L Power Stroke had to be removed from service and these reasons brought about many changes in the Power Stroke platform.
September 2014 Shop Solutions
One of the most important factors in engine bearing design is a proper fit between the bearing and housing. Except for thrust washers, nearly all bearings are an interference fit. This means the bearing is slightly larger than the hole it fits into. In bushings, we refer to this as “Press Fit.”
The Evolution of Surface Treatments
In the never ending quest for better performance, durability and reliability, various types of surface coatings and treatments have evolved as solutions for problems that have vexed engine builders for years. Coatings that were once considered exotic race-only solutions are now being used on a wide variety of stock and performance applications. If you’re not
Failure Happens
In our industry and business, one thing that has not changed is the inconvenience and total disruption to progress and profits brought along by a comeback. Unfortunately, “Failure Happens.” This might just be the next must-have bumper sticker. It could address our teenagers, our government and the occasional warranty. I won’t address my teenagers and
Preventing Flat Tappet Cam Failures
Flat tappet cams, with either solid or hydraulic lifters, are commonly used in many street and performance engines. It’s a simple design that works well, provided there’s adequate lubrication between the lifters and cam lobes to prevent wear that can wipe out a cam and/or lifters. The problem is today’s motor oils contain much less
Chevy’s 348 and 409 ‘W’ Motors
Chevy’s 348 and 409 ‘W’ motors are having no problem keeping their popularity going. In fact, judging by the numbers of high quality parts being made for these motors today, they may even be more popular than ever. The quick and dirty of W motors and their parts today is that you can sit at
July Shop Solutions
Organize and Save Organizing your parts inventory in your shop, building or warehouse is difficult whether it’s a few pieces or a few thousand parts. Start by thinking about what it’s going to take to find that part later on. Have an area set aside for just parts, arrange it in categories and decide if
Prolong Super Lubricants Announces Tony Pedregon Sponsorship
Two-time National Hot Rod Association funny car world champion Tony Pedregon has chosen Prolong Super Lubricants as his primary lubricant sponsor for the 2014 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. Pedregon has had 43 career wins, with a career-best elapsed time at 4.041 seconds, and he holds the record of quickest quarter-mile run in funny car history at
Front-Mounted Oil Pumps: Good or Troublesome?
On late model engines such as Chevy LS, Ford modular V8s and Chrysler 5.7/6.1/6.4L Hemis, engineers have moved the oil pump from its cozy location inside the oil pan to the front of the engine under the timing cover. Traditionally, most wet sump oil pumps have been mounted under the engine inside the oil pan
Step by Step: 6.4L Magnum Coming to Life
I recently had my forth call from a shop with interest in our 392 ci Chrysler build as a project they are hoping to tackle. The budget and power needs for his project were not to the scope of our project and he was discussing a less expensive cast steel crankshaft and the factory connecting
June Shop Solutions
In Depth Deck Discussion I’ve found another use for a deck height bridge. When replacing seats on race cylinder heads, especially Big Block Chevys, I use a deck bridge with an indicator extension to first check where the valve was and should be. Then, when machining the seats, it’s an easy way to get all
Ford’s Famous Flathead V8
It was special in so many ways. First of all, it was the first V8 engine for the Ford line of cars. Nobody could imagine the effects it would have on the racing and hot rod world in the years to come. Even in its stock trim, it was a gutty little powerplant, but it would
