Engine Part Cleaning Tips and Techniques
It’s not fun, but vital to successful rebuilds According to a recent Engine Builder Machine Shop Market Profile, in which we survey hundreds of machine shops across the country, about 15 percent of the total production time for rebuilding an engine is spent in the cleaning process. While our wives may not agree that we
Heads or Tails
If you’re feeling a bit confused right now, not sure which way is up and worried that you may be losing your grip on reality. If you’ve found this column after reading Engine Builder’s High Performance Buyers Guide and things just look, well, strange – try this: turn the magazine over. Now, does that
Wanna Know What the Most Popular Engine Is? So Do We.
Every year we print the results of our Machine Shop Market Survey in our print magazine. If you’re an engine builder, help us fill out our 2018 survey! The survey is in three separate parts – the more parts you complete, the greater your chances are of winning a gift card.
Safe Cleaning – Are the Concepts Compatible?
The subject of cleaning is never far from the mind of the modern engine builder or machine shop supervisor. Obviously, parts must be as clean as possible so they can be inspected, repaired if possible and reassembled. The subject of SAFE cleaning is a little less definitive, however.
Heads or Tails
If you’re feeling a bit confused right now, not sure which way is up and worried that you may be losing your grip on reality. If you’ve found this column after reading Engine Builder’s High Performance Buyers Guide and things just look, well, strange – try this: turn the magazine over. Now, does that
Ultrasonic Cleaning Technology
Ultrasonic cleaning is one of the ways engine builders can choose to clean parts, but what is it and how does it work? Is it the too-good-to-be-true stuff of science fiction or is it the best technique ever for cleaning the dirtiest of engine components? The truth, as they say, lies somewhere in the middle.
Salary and Benefits: Readers tell us who works for them, how long they’ve been there and what they get paid.
There are certain things, many of us are taught at a very young age, that a gentleman or lady does not discuss in polite company.
Bragging Rights
My grandmother used to tell me, “It ain’t bragging if you can back it up.” In the competitive world of performance engine building, our readers prove every day how much they’re not bragging.
Numbers Don’t Tell The Whole Story
We ask a lot of questions. Yes, I can admit it – we’re a nosy bunch here at Engine Builder. Sometimes, our requests may come across as discourteous, intrusive or even downright rude. Because sometimes we ask hard questions, things that even I would probably hesitate to answer. Let me first say this: I apologize
Industry Still Strong, Say Readers – Engine Builder Readers Tell Us Business Has Changed, But Opportunity Still Remains
For more than 50 years, Babcox Media has covered the rebuilding industry on a monthly basis. At least 633 issues of Automotive Rebuilder and, since 2000, Engine Builder has been dedicated to the business of machining, building, rebuilding and remanufacturing engines. In our very first issue, we made the promise that we would be devoted
Numbers Don’t Tell The Whole Story
Thankfully, many of YOU took time to give us an inside look at your businesses.
Industry Still Strong, Say Readers
Engine Builder readers tell us business has changed, but opportunity still remains.
Vanishing V8s: Downsizing Engines
The V8 isn’t dead yet, but storm clouds are brewing on the horizon. Concerns over global warming, CO2 emissions and dependence on foreign oil led the EPA to mandate new Corporate Average Fuel Economy rules. To achieve 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025, automakers may abandon the V8 altogether or restricting it to a handful of limited production applications.
What Can CNC Do For You?
Are you using Computer Numeric Controlled (CNC) equipment in your shop? According to our most recent Babcox Machine Shop Market Profile Survey, 12 percent of engine builders said they own a CNC machining center (a multi-purpose machine that can do surfacing, boring, milling, drilling, etc.). The survey also asked what other types of equipment our
Handling Stress Fractures
Salvaging Cracked or Flawed Engine Parts through Detection and Repairs Cracks are often blamed as the cause of a head failure. In many instances, the cracks are not the cause of the failure, but a symptom of another underlying problem such as overheating, detonation or incorrect installation (wrong torque on head bolts, dirty bolt threads,
Future of Engine Building: The Road Ahead for Machining
The future always seemed so far away for some reason. You had cartoons featuring flying cars and movies about aliens and galaxies far, far away.
Knowing You, Knowing Me
For almost 30 years now, Engine Builder has been asking the professionals in this industry about business. We ask you for detailed information on how much you charge, how much you make, how much you spend and how much you have left over. We compile all of this information into several different reports each
Crack Detection and Correction
First off, let’s get one thing perfectly clear – there’s no such thing as “flawless.” Like those shocking tabloid photos of that Hollywood actress who gets blindsided beside a bistro, even the most conscientious engine builder sometimes has to deal with surprising surface imperfections. And just as she has paparazzi to expose the damage and
Takin
Back in the old days, the late ’90s, when the economy was strong and incomes were high, people had a lot more money to put toward their favorite hobby, which for many was a souped up car that could be driven on the street but maybe also a little on the track as well. Today,
Cleaning Engine Parts: Can You? Should You?
Here’s the kicker – those shops who feel that proper cleaning is too difficult, too time consuming or too expensive are actually leaving money on table when it comes to their engine parts. “At one point in my career, cleaning seemed like it was really difficult,” says Dave Arce of Arce Enterprises, El Cajon, CA.