Maintaining Your Balance: Engine Building Tips to Reduce NVH and Increase Life
A high revving racing engine obviously needs a good balance to minimize these destructive forces, but balancing can be just as beneficial to low revving engines, too. Nobody would argue with the fact that engine balancing is right up there with “blueprinting” an engine. The goal is to equalize the reciprocating and rotating forces inside
Troubleshooting Common Crank Grinding Problems
Maintaining the crankshaft is one of the most important services that go into a complete engine rebuilding. But before mounting that grinding wheel on a crankshaft grinding machine, inspect it for cracks or damage. This can be done visually or by giving the wheel a “Ring Test.” A good vitrified wheel with no cracks will
Engine Builder Shop Solutions: September 2013
Authors of Shop Solutions published in each issue of Engine Builder Magazine are awarded a prepaid $100 Visa gift card. Shop Solutions may also be submitted to [email protected]. Cylinder Sleeve Flange Failures May Go Unnoticed Cylinder sleeve flange failures may go unnoticed if the sleeve body stays in position, but if it is pulled down
Diesel Cranks and Connecting Rods
The demand for mid-size diesel performance products continues to grow. There tends to be two sides of the mid-size diesel spectrum: on one side there is street performance and on the other there is all-out race. Street performance diesels deal mainly with engine parts that are primarily for bolt-on applications and can make great power
A Look Into the GM 3.1L Engine
Over the years, GM has saved a bundle on manufacturing the 3.1L engine by using the production line tooling it originally developed for the 2.8L V6. By simply changing the bore diameter, the displacement of the same engine block could now be increased for more power and torque. The General Motors 3.1L V6 engine enjoyed a long
Cleaning Engine Blocks & Engine Cylinder Heads
Cleaning engine blocks and cylinder heads is just as important as the machining operations you will perform on the castings. You can’t do a thorough job of inspecting these parts if they are dirty, greasy or covered with paint or corrosion. Checking for cracks in cast iron heads and blocks requires a clean surface for
Don’t Overlook The Easy Dollars To Add To Your Bottom Line
As I began to review the profit and loss statements from last month, I was reminded of something I learned long ago. Financial data, although very useful, is just a snapshot of the past or history. I’ve seen so many shop owners over the years have the right tools for the job, and they attend
Proper Installation of Elastomer Cylinder Head Cover Gaskets
The advantages are clear: weight reduction, a high degree of constructional freedom in design, integratability of additional components such as the "Multitwister" oil separator, decoupling of components and therefore reduction in noise emissions, etc. An adaptable rubber gasket requiring only little line pressure ensures reliable sealing. Regarding warping and bolt spacing, however, physical limits are
Custom Crankshafts and Connecting Rods
As an engine builder, you get to decide what parts go into the engines you build. If you’re rebuilding a stock engine to stock specifications, you’re probably going to use a reconditioned stock crankshaft and connecting rods to keep costs down. There’s no reason to upgrade these parts because they should be adequate for the
That
When installing the fiberglass wrap, DEI recommends you get the material damp first. Simply run a low amount of water out of the faucet and get the wrap damp. It will not hurt it to be soaked but if you get it dripping wet you will notice that the job can become messy due to
Crank It Up
Whether you think diesel crankshafts are the same as or different from their smaller gasoline counterparts, you’re right. Diesel crankshafts and rotating assemblies – like their cousins in the gas engine world – turn a linear motion from combustion into a rotating motion that can move a vehicle, supply power through a generator, pump oil
Engine Blueprinting Basics
The top professional divisions in racing today for the most part run engines that are built to comply with a very strict set of rules for each series. In NASCAR, where the engines have been roughly the same 358 cid V8 for decades, the power output has steadily increased. Engines of the same brand that
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
BIG R Show to Feature New Technologies for Salvaging Cores Seminar
Automotive Parts Remanufacturers Association (APRA) President Bill Gager announced that aseminar on “New Technologies for Salvaging Cores That Will Increase Profits” will be presented on Oct. 28, 2012 at the International BIG R Show. Gary Reed, CEO of Lock-N-Stitch, Inc. will present step-by-step procedures for metal stitching cracks in cast aluminum and cast iron parts.
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
Keeping Valve Jobs Profitable
Okay, so head work accounts for a large percentage of your business. But is it as profitable as it should be or could be? Do you have a good handle on cylinder head related costs (parts, labor and cleaning)? Are the employees who are doing the head work competent and productive? Is your valve guide
Cylinder Head Resurfacing Tips: How To Produce An Ideal Surface Finish
Dress and true the wheel Always dress and true the resurfacer wheel face to keep it in propergrinding condition. Never dress or true a wheel above the wheel centerline. In addition, always dress or true the wheel as close as possibleto the point of actual grinding. Since the grinding wheel usually wearsmost often on the
Extending Valve Life
Most manufacturers of valvesoperate tech phone lines, and all have received that caller who opens the conversation by saying, "Your valve ruined my engine; when are you going to pay to fix it?"As much as the rebuilder or vehicle owner might like to lay blame it on the manufacturer for providing a bad product, it
7 Shop Survival Tips
Ford 5.0L/302 "Cobra" Cams Problem: Ford made a limited number of the Mustang Cobras with a "super-high-output" 5.0L in ’93, ’94 and ’95. They all had a unique roller cam (p/n F3ZZ-6250-A) that can be identified by the "GT" stamped on the barrel, right behind the distributor gear (see Figure 1, at right). This cam
Cooling System Confusion Can Lead to Contentious Comebacks
They may or may not have had some type of formalized education – yet, they may be well versed and very savvy but have not had the infield experience as of yet. They are not necessarily young, just new to the world of engines. For them (and even for the veterans), let me give you