Engine Builder Shop Solutions: September 2008
Top 10 Machine Shop Business Tips TIP #2 – Get The Job In The Door: As one shop owner who is also a fly fisherman put it, “You gotta set the hook.” Most shop owners would agree that once the job hits the floor it turns to cash. The key to getting more jobs to
Balance of Power (and Profit)
One of the keys to a smooth running, long lasting engine is proper balance of the reciprocating and rotating parts. When a crankshaft is out of balance, the uneven distribution of weight can generate centripetal forces that shake the engine with increasing intensity as engine rpm goes up. Centripetal force (which many people mistakenly call
EngineQuest Unveils New Web Site
EngineQuest (EQ), the engine parts division of AAEQ Manufacturers and Recyclers, recently introduced its new Web site at www.enginequest.com. The Web site features out-of-production or hard-to-find automotive engine parts for import and domestic vehicles that include gas or diesel applications. “Much of the EQ product line was developed in response to specific requests for help,”
Shop Solutions: April 2008
Charging For Expert Advice Bench racers wasting your time? Our shop labor rate is $80 per hour. I sell my advice for 1/2 price! When a guy wants me to engineer a motor by selecting parts combinations and machining specs to achieve a specific level of performance, I charge him for my time. I explain
351W Crate Engines Available
Working in conjunction with Hi-Tech Engine Components, Year One Inc., a supplier of muscle car restoration products, has developed a new 400 horsepower 351W crate engine for Ford applications. These engines feature new high-performance aluminum heads with 2.02 and 1.60 stainless steel valves, dual plane aluminum intake manifolds and new high-quality, dual bolt pattern harmonic
Old Iron: Tuning A Carbureted Engine
Even if you build the perfect engine all your hard work means very little if the customer is not satisfied with how their engine performs. So like it or not, you will have to become involved in engine tuning or at the least provide your customer with tuning guidelines if you want to have a
Bringing A GenIII LS1 Stroker Back to Life
Performance engine builing is as old as the first Model T rebuild, but thanks to today’s new engine platforms and a plethora of aftermarket equipment, many engine builders can be intimidated by the scope of the possibilities. But, as we highlight in this article, there are basic engine practices and philosophies that work whether it
Balancing Equipment: Weighing the Options
Engine balancing is an important part of the process of building a performance engine today. In order to achieve the maximum performance and long component life, all rotating and reciprocal parts of an engine must be precision balanced. To properly balance an engine requires specialized equipment to measure the amount of unbalance and to locate
Balancing Equipment: a weighty matter
Everybody knows what balance is, right? You maintain your own balance by centering your body mass over your feet. If you lean too far forward or backward, or too far to the left or right, you’ll lose your balance and fall unless you grab hold of something or reposition your feet. Moving your center of
Which Cranksfaft Meets Your Racing Needs Best?
There are a lot of racing crankshafts in the automotive aftermarket today. You’ll find a wide variety of styles, strokes, weights and price ranges from which you can choose. The question you need to be asking is which crank is “right” for the engine you’re building? The answer to that question depends on several things
Crankshafts:Stock and Performance
The crankshaft is the working arm of the engine. All the force generated by combustion and the downward motion of the pistons is focused on the crank throws. The leverage effect of the force exerted on the crank journals twists the shaft and converts the up-and-down reciprocating motion of the pistons into rotational motion of
Engine Balancing
In the dark ages of the automotive industry, engine balancing was considered an art practiced exclusively by performance engine builders. Only those wizards of speed (it was widely believed) could understand the forces that caused drivetrain vibration – and more importantly, those that stopped it. Those few who could balance an engine were looked upon
Coolant contamination of engine oil for 1996-2003 GM 3.1L or 3.4L VIN J & E engines
Engine Builders: The AERA Technical Committee offers the following information regarding coolant contamination of engine oil for 1996-2003 GM 3.1L or 3.4L VIN J & E engines due to failure of the intake manifold gasket. GM has redesigned a new intake manifold gasket (p/n 89017279) to reduce the chance of failure. The material used in
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
Performance Marine Engines – Meeting Customer Expectations
Life is a series of compromises. Human relations almost alwaysinvolves compromises of some sort. You want Chinese for dinner,she wants Italian; something has to give. Even if you go yourseparate ways, it’s a compromise and a decision to not dine together. Believe it or not, it’s the same with machinery. Any exercisein design is a
Fluidampr GM/Chevy 6.6L L8T Crankshaft Damper
Upgrading to a Fluidampr performance damper ensures long-term durability and optimum power by controlling crankshaft torsional vibration.
50 Years of Performance Timing Sets
Timing sets aren’t the most glamorous or trick item in a racing or street engine, but it is a very necessary piece. If your timing isn’t right, the list of engine damage can get lengthy.
Holley Releases Assortment of New Products
A giant assortment of new products have been released from Holley, iNTECH, Sniper, and Brawler – high and low accessory-mount kits, two types of two-piece LS valve covers, cold-air intakes, dry-nitrous systems lower manifolds, retro-fit carbureted fuel modules, carb hats, and street/race carburetors.
Shop Solutions June 2016
We live in a time where aluminum blocks with cast-in sleeves are common and we still need to remember to account for how different metals behave. We build several dozen Gen III and Gen IV GM LS type motors per year. We finish our cylinders .001” tighter on the aluminum block engines to compensate for the additional growth when the block gets up to operating temperature.
