Performance Diesel Upgrades
Why should you offer more when rebuilding a diesel engine? Because any shop can rebuild the OEM block or buy a direct replacement. However, rebuilding a diesel engine with slight power modifications will get you more customers and offer you higher profits because of the modifications made that not everyone can do or has the knowledge to do.
Cleaning Engine Parts
Cleaning is a time consuming, expensive process for most rebuilders. According to Engine Builder’s most recent Machine Shop Market Profile, rebuilders say they spend more than 15 percent of their total production time in cleaning. Safer, less toxic methods continue to gain a foothold in today’s professional shops.
The 392 Magnum V8 Build is a Wrap
The 392 Magnum engine build is a wrap. We’ve done all we can and now it’s going to power someone’s muscle car, hot rod or truck. When all is said-and-done the only things original in this 318 motor are a fully machined block, the cam thrust plate, the fuel pump eccentric and the bolt and washer holding on the harmonic balancer. Everything else is brand new.
Shop Solutions – December 2014
In our shop, we don’t have a dyno or engine test stand. We work on a variety of engines from Chevys to Internationals to Continentals, so no engine start stand would suit everything we do. In an effort to find oil leaks, we have started to “smoke” our engines.
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.
Thank You Notes: 392 Magnum Engine Charity Build Update
As we get closer to completion of Engine Builder magazine’s 392 Magnum Charity Engine Build project, we would like to take a moment and update the project status and thank all those responsible for this project. First of all, we would like to thank Dave Sutton, contributing editor for Engine Builder for organizing this
Built for Auction
The criteria for selecting Engine Builder magazine’s inaugural “Performance Engine Builder of the Year” included much more than the ability to put together race-winning engines. Things like community involvement and the support of training and education were part of the mix. To be sure, our 2012 award winner, Ed Pink Racing Engines of Van Nuys,
‘Heads Up’ On Today’s Cylinder Heads & Bolts
Some say the air cleaner of an engine is like the front door of a house. That is, it’s what you see first and foremost. And the home owner can use that door to make a statement about the house without anyone seeing what’s inside. Much like what an air cleaner says about an engine
The Best of Engine Builder Shop Solutions Presented by Engine Pro
We’ve narrowed the field to the top 20 Shop Solutions, and now we need your help selecting the Top 5. All you need to do is read the submissions listed below, pick you favorite and click through to vote, it’s that simple! The best part? By voting, you get a chance to win one of
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,
Installing Rod Bolts on Steel Connecting Rods
Do not use metal stamps to number the connecting rods. Metal stamps may disturb the roundness of the rod bore. Paint toolmaker’s layout dye on the rod and cap instead, and then inscribe numbers. NEVER use bolts to draw the cap down on rod. Locate cap dowel sleeves into the counterbores of the rod. Then,
Cylinder Block Prep Tips
First, you want to look for cracks on the water jacket area and in the lifter valley area. If the block has ever been frozen, this is where cracks will show up. Next, look for cracks around the main webs, these are hard to spot when the block is greasy, but we are just looking
Engine Bearings and Crankshafts: Best Friends Forever (BFFs)
Bearings appear to be such simple engine components. On the surface, they’re just half-circles of metal whose only purpose is to reduce friction between and support moving parts. The engine bearing has to establish and maintain a film of oil between moving and stationary parts to prevent wear to expensive engine components. They look like
Engine Builder Shop Solutions: February 2012
The Perfect Pilot With the increasingly smaller valve stem diameters it is getting harder than ever to get an air-floated, self-centering, single point, multi-angle pilot aligned with the guide. Here is a pretty simple way of getting you almost dead-on every time and without bending or breaking your $80 to $100 solid carbide pilot.
Identifying Six Common Fastener Failures
While few engine builders have access to sophisticated analysis equipment, a standard Bausch and Lomb three lens magnifying glass will generally show 98% of what you want to see. Several of the photos have been taken utilizing a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and are presented to simply illustrate typical grain configurations after failure, according to
HPBG: Becoming a Better Engine Builder at 22nd Annual AETC in Orlando
But if I were a professional engine builder, or even a highly competent amateur engine builder, one of the first things I would do is learn as much as possible from the smartest people in the business. While we at Engine Builder magazine provide countless articles on the subject and the business of running a
HPBG: Don
In that discussion we hashed over the disparity in coefficients of expansion between cast iron and aluminum (that caused a revolution in head gaskets around the time of the Cadillac 4.1L). We discussed surface conditions and how that affects gaskets and scrub. We discussed gasket coatings and how they remain plastic while not scrubbing and
Jasper, Sunnen Give Away Street Performance Engine For Charity
Sunnen Products and Jasper Engines and Transmissions have teamed up to produce a high performance engine that features a full complement of aftermarket parts. According to Ron Williams, SMTSE, Southeastern Regional Mgr. for Sunnen, the proceeds from the raffle all go to charity. One hundred percent of the money raised from the Rev It Up
Engine Builder Shop Solutions: October 2011
GM LS Engine Building Tips The GM “LS” engine format (GEN III and IV) is a replacement for the Chevy small block. For performance purposes it is no problem to obtain 500+ horsepower from just about any version of this engine. The following are some tips and suggestions we have found to make working on
Jasper, Sunnen Team Up For Charity Engine Build With
The “Rev-It-Up Raffle” will feature a Jasper Class II Performance engine, Chevy 350 cid, a great choice for performance oriented cars and trucks, street rods and restored muscle cars. The Sunnen IMIS team will be adding other components such as the carb, intake manifold, water pump, distributor, harmonic balancer, etc., from a diverse group of