Fast Lane: Old-Time Engines Can Bring In Very Modern Profits
Perhaps one of the most often overlooked markets for many shops is the collector car and restoration market, and within this I would also include antique trucks of all sizes, antique tractors and farm machinery and antique construction equipment and machinery. We discussed a few of these markets, such as muscle cars and antique tractor
Building Your Business With Performance Engine Kits
As hard as it is to believe now, the concept of an “engine kit” hasn’t always been well understood. Thirty years ago or so, an engine builder who said he was buying an engine kit probably meant that he was headed to the hobby store to buy the “Visible V-8 Engine” plastic model for his
Restoration – Yesterday’s Treasures, Tomorrow’s Trophies
There have been tremendous and significant changes in vehicle design since the first gasoline-powered vehicle hit the streets of America back in the early 1890s. Such advancements as fuel injection, radial tires, variable valve train technology, roller cams and front-wheel drive, among many others, have made cars easier to maintain, safer to drive and more
Fast Lane: Boundless Opportunities Await You in 2005
By now you have all made your New Year’s resolutions, and hopefully, at least one of those goals tions is to look for new opportunities that will help your business become even more successful. This month’s column should give you some help in keeping that resolution. The elections are finally over and the economy is
Coretalk: AERA EXPO 2005 Set For Las Vegas Hilton In April
The EXPO will showcase leading edge technology with live, operating demonstrations of equipment, tools, supplies, parts and services. Exhibits will be open on Thursday, April 28, from 10:30 am-6 pm; Friday, April 29, from 10:30 am- 6:30 pm; and Saturday, April 30, from 10:30 am- 2:30 pm. EXPO will include a keynote address from NASCAR
Tractor Pulling: It’s Not Your Granddad’s John Deere Anymore
Tractor pulling has been with us for as long as there have been tractors. Farmers used to pull their horses, mules or oxen and, just as today, each bragged that he had the biggest and strongest. Today, at the top echelons of pulling, the technology is equal to anything else in motorsports. Although you won’t
When Old Dogs Learn New Tricks
When Jay Steel was introduced to the assembled throng at last spring’s AERA International Expo 2003 as the winner of Engine Builder’s 2003 “Machine Shop of the Year” award, he was intimately involved with the down and dirty business of rebuilding and restoring all manner of antique engines. His shop’s lineage descends directly from the
Preacher, Teacher, Fighter, Friend
Warning: The Surgeon General has determined that reading this article may be hazardous to a negative attitude, and acting on the recommendations contained herein may result in increased job satisfaction and a more productive business atmosphere. If enthusiasm for his job were a virus, Dave Deegan would have one of the most serious infections the
Pushrods – Key To Performance
Pushrods are the weakest link in the upper valvetrain. Pushrods transfer and redirect the upward motion of the lifters, which goes in one direction, to the rocker arms which move in another direction. Consequently, they are subjected to bending forces as the load and engine speed increases. For stock engines, mild steel stock pushrods are
What’s Wrong With Our Industry
What’s wrong with the engine building industry today? It’s a simple question that has no simple answer. Like many other – if not every – industry facing difficult times, the factors impacting this market are varied, complex and frustratingly hard to pin down. Are the woes of the industry the fault of customers or suppliers?
Heavy Duty Details
Old Days Are Gone; Now, Reconditioned Con Rods Must Meet Critical Specs Too much twist and bend will limit oil clearances and can cause engine damage I can remember in the old days how rods were reconditioned. We had a dry hone with limited mandrels. Rods were ground, assembled, torqued and dry-honed to final specs.