Topline Automotive Buys, Reopens Hylift Facility, Engine Builder, August 2004
A full-line of flat mechanical tappets, lash adjusters and encapsulated hydraulic roller lifters are again being produced by the original Hylift machines and team. The previous Hylift OE lines that were in Zeeland, MI, have now been relocated to the Muskegon plant. “The same people who made ‘The Beautiful Lifter’ are back manufacturing with precision
In Search Of New Markets, Mike Jeffries
Looking for new markets is one of the toughest things we do, so every time the phone rings we listen for an opportunity. Most of what we find is suspect, but over the past 12 months we have rebuilt a number of compact diesels and sold a number of rebuild kits. As a result we
Ohc Journal Repairs
One of the advantages of an overhead cam cylinder head is that it eliminates the need for certain valvetrain components. Mounting the camshaft in the cylinder head rather than the engine block eliminates the need for lifters and pushrods. On some OHC engines, the cam lobes run directly atop the valve stems. On others, cam
Where Should The Cam Bearing Oil Hole Be Located On A 3400 Series Cat Diesel?
A: The AERA Technical Committee offers the following information regarding cam bearing oil hole location for 3400 series Caterpillar diesel engines and installation of all cam bearings for these engines. This bulletin should be used, and service manuals published before 1985 should not be used. The correct location for the oil hole in the camshaft bearing
Ford Y-Block Engine Tricks
The Y-Block Ford is the successor to the flathead and Henry’s first OHV V-8 engine. They were built from 1954-’64 and installed in Fords, Mercurys, Edsels and Ford trucks. They came as 239, 254, 272, 292, and 312s. All along there were just enough cracked heads to become a nuisance, and efforts were made to
Rebuilding The Ford 3.8L Engine
They needed an economy engine that would fit in their new cars, and they needed it fast. They had a couple of old inline sixes and a small German V6, but none of them were designed for fuel economy or the coming emissions standards, and the 250 cid engine was so tall that it wouldn’t
Updating GM’s Quad 4 Engine
The Olds Quad 4 was the first production, four-valve, DOHC four cylinder engine built by General Motors. When it was introduced in 1987, it was heralded as a revolutionary new design that was expected to be as historically significant as the original Olds Rocket V8 was in 1949. The Quad 4 had four valves per
Rebuilding the New Chevy 262
This enabled GM to shorten the development process dramatically because it was able to adapt a proven design. But it also allowed it to share a lot of the existing tooling from the V8 production lines so the engines could be on the road sooner. The original 200 V6 that came out in 1978 was
Rebuilding the Chevrolet LT1 Engine
Compared to the 1991 Chevy 350 L98 with TPI, the LT1 made 20 percent more horsepower, got better fuel mileage, and had a much broader torque band with 90 percent of its peak torque available from just over 1,000 rpm all the way up to nearly 6,000 rpm. GM Powertrain accomplished all of this by
Rebuilding the Chevrolet LT1 Engine
Although it shared many common dimensions, looked much the same and even had a few common parts, it was totally redesigned to provide more power with lower emissions and better fuel economy. Compared to the 1991 Chevy 350 L98 with TPI, the LT1 made 20% more horsepower, got better fuel mileage, and had a
Cv Shaft & Rack Review 1999: The Numbers Speak For Themselves
The numbers speak for themselves. The annual replacement market for front-wheel drive axle shafts, all-wheel drive axle shafts and four-wheel drive shafts is estimated to be around 12 million units a year and growing with total sales in excess of $450 million. Within five years, the number of shafts being replaced is predicted to grow
Rebuilding Toyota 3.0L V6 Engine
In 1988 Toyota introduced its first V6. Most of the information that follows applies to the 3.0L version used in Toyota’s truck applications. The 3.4L is still fairly new to the aftermarket at this point. 3VZ-E – 3.0L SOHC V6 – ’88-’95 The 3VZ-E was also introduced for the 1988 model year on Toyota 4×4
Rebuilding The GM Quad 4
The Quad 4 had four valves per cylinder, tuned intake and exhaust manifolds, no distributor, no plug wires, lightweight rods and pistons to reduce shaking forces, and a crank with eight counterweights that was designed to reduce noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) and bearing wear. It didn’t have an A.I.R. pump or an EGR system,
Jobber Rebuilt Small Parts Report
Most rebuilders will tell you that the markethas never been more competitive than it is today. Many will alsotell you that the past 12-18 months have been difficult in termsof maintaining their sales levels of rebuilt units. However, although total units sold may be downindustry wide, according to a recent survey of 1,000 jobbers acrossthe
LPG Conversions: Renewed Interest In The Use Of LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) And LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas)
The recent move to clean up inner city exhaustemissions has resulted in renewed interest in the use of LPG (LiquefiedPetroleum Gas) and LNG (Liquefied Natural gas) as motor fuels.These fuels are almost pure propane with a little butane present. Tax incentives are being offered to encouragefleet operators to convert to gaseous fuels and more vehiclesare
Cleaning Equipment Maintenance
The saying, "An ounce of preventionis worth a pound of cure," definitely holds true when itcomes to the operation of cleaning equipment in rebuilding shops. According to David Zehren, product manager,stationary equipment for Georg Fischer Disa Goff, Inc., Seminole,OK, routine maintenance of cleaning equipment impacts all rebuilders,no matter how large or small. "The issue of
In Pursuit of Quality: Tom Vecchi, Engine Supply, Inc. incoming PERA president
Tom Vecchi, president of Engine Supply, Inc.,Phoenix, AZ, and incoming president of the Production Engine RemanufacturersAssociation (PERA) hasn’t spent his entire business life in theengine rebuilding market. However, since acquiring Engine Supplyin 1988 with his brother-in-law, Len Joy, who is chairman of theboard, he’s learned enough to know that rebuilding engines isnot an easy way
1998 Market Update – CV Shafts
One of the biggest issues still facing rebuilders is the controversyover the pros and cons of grinding CV joints. Though many CV unitrebuilders will tell you it’s getting harder to remain competitiveunless you grind, nobody grinds unnecessarily in this tight marketbecause of the costs of machine work and labor. Craig Russell of Drive Plus, Inc.,
Ideal Supply – “Farming” For Opportunities
As the winner of our fifth annual "MachineShop of the Year" award contest, Ideal Supply Co., Listowel,Ontario, can claim a number of "firsts." It is the firstCanadian recipient of our award and, to our knowledge, it is alsothe first machine shop which has obtained ISO (International StandardsOrganization) 9002 certification. About two hours due east of
Updating The Asian Import Engine Market: The Learning Curve For Part Identification
"The learning curve for part identificationis awesome" says Bob Gibson as he describes the difficultiesof imported engine core identification. As vice president forsales and marketing at Engine Masters, Inc., a Dallas, TX, productionengine rebuilder, Gibson knows that the demand for import enginerebuilding is growing, and that he’ll do what it takes to be apart of