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
What You Can
To put things in perspective, .0015? isequal to 32 micron. These particles are small enough to get into that space justahead of the cam lobe and lifter contact area. Small particles can get in betweenthe roller and the axle on a roller lifter. Even worse, hard particles canscore the bore of the plunger in hydraulic
Giving Away Profits To Stay Busy Makes No Business Sense
Why am I writing about your wallet? To be perfectly honest, it’s because I want you to stay in business. If you’re not in business, Engine Builder magazine isn’t in business. If you’re not in business, Goodson Tools & Supplies isn’t in business. If you’re not in business, Dave Monyhan is not employed, and that
Building Pontiac Excitement
Each GM division had its own engineering staffs and even its own assembly plants. There was very little parts interchange between the different divisions. Each unit had its own engines. Each division had its own personality. When Bunkie Knudsen became general manager of Pontiac in June of 1956 he set the world on fire. His
Diesel Motorsports: Pulling in Profits or Just Blowing Smoke?
Let’s take a look at the diesel market’s history. A dozen years ago, when the first organized event was held for diesel pickups in Muncie, IN, there were a couple of hundred trucks. And most of were lucky to hit 500 to 600 horsepower. Fast-forward to today and you will find close to 40 diesel-only
2012 Machine Shop Market Profile – Part 1
Because of the years of continuous data we’ve collected, we believe the information in this study is the most reliable data available for tracking trends in the production of engines, cylinder heads and crankshafts, as well as specific business data. While it isn’t always a rosy one, the picture that develops from our survey gives
Building for the Drag Racing Market a Quarter Mile at a Time
At the top levels of drag racing there are multi-million dollar teams supported by corporate sponsors, but for the sportsman and bracket racers across the country, it’s still mostly supported by the racer’s wallet. Yet many of these racers have pretty deep pockets and the benefactors are those who service the market, including engine builders
What
That’s why you have to choose the gaskets you install very carefully. Gaskets have to fit correctly and have the durability to maintain a long lasting seal. Applications that are unusually demanding often require specially engineered gaskets that can handle higher pressures and temperatures without failing. Advancements are constantly being made in gasket materials and
Performance Icon Carroll Shelby Dies at 89
In the 1960s, Shelby raised the profile of American racing machines on the international sports-car circuit by packing powerful Ford V-8 engines into lightweight British roadsters, and by developing racing cars for Ford. His Shelby Cobras proved worthy competitors to the likes of Ferrari, Maserati and Jaguar and became prized collector’s items – today they
Solving Sealing Issues on 2.5L Subaru
Federal-Mogul has introduced two next-generation Fel-Pro PermaTorque MLS head gaskets that help eliminate sealing concerns on the full range of Subaru 2.5L SOHC and DOHC “boxer” engines dating back to the 1996 model year. The new MLS head gaskets combine Federal-Mogul’s aftermarket multi-layer-steel gasket technologies with a "LaserWeld" stopper layer design, developed in partnership with
Choosing Valvetrain Components: Lifters, Pushrods, Springs & Rockers
The type of parts you ultimately choose will depend on the application (street performance, circle track, drag, marine, etc.) and any rules that restrict the type of camshaft, lifters or other valvetrain components that are allowed. But don’t overlook your customer’s budget. Affordability often limits your choices if a customer just doesn’t have the bucks
AERA President John Goodman Announces Retirement
After 9years at the helm, Engine Builders Association (AERA) President John Goodmanhas announced his retirement, effective July 1, 2012. “John became president of AERA in October of2003 rejoining an industry that he had briefly left to finish his Ph.D. inEngineering Management,” explained Jim Rickoff, associate editor of EngineProfessional and AERA’s marketing consultant. “At AERA, John
Pricing Your Shop’s Services Without Adversely Affecting Customer Relationships
What I decided to do with this article is break the subject of pricing down into three components: Base pricing, price modification andmeasuring results. Base Pricing At Elite, we believe that in all cases, your prices need to be competitive. By “competitive,” I’m not suggesting that you need to charge the same price as
MAHLE Clevite Kicks Off All-Star Sweepstakes; Prize Includes VIP?Trip
The randomly selected grand prize winner will receive a VIP trip the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup All-Star Race in Charlotte, NC this May. “MAHLE Clevite wanted to acknowledge the dedication and talent of the thousands of engine specialists and builders as well as automotive technicians throughout the country,” said Ted Hughes, Manager – Marketing
PERA Webinar Series to Kick-off April 17 with Speaker Bill Wade
The PERA webinar series is presented to engine builders at no charge courtesy of Goodson Tool & Supply and Rottler Mfg. The webinar registation link is available from the PERA home page, the PERA facebook page and the PERA Linkedin page. Information on the 2012 Webinar Series, "What’s New and What it Means to
Today’s Performance Connecting Rods
The crank and rods handle all the stresses of converting up and down motion to reciprocal motion. And when you are building a performance engine, those stresses are much higher and consequences of a failure are much greater. Therefore, selecting the right parts for your build is critical to the success of your engine and
Late Model Performance Cylinder Heads
As the economy continues to come out of its slump, cylinder head manufacturers are seeing a growing demand for new cylinder heads that can deliver race-winning performance. Whether the heads are upgraded aftermarket heads for traditional small block/big block Chevy and Ford applications, or hot heads for the latest generation of Chevy LS and
Recent Advancements in Racing Oils
The racing oil community has been very busy this past year. This is much more satisfying to an old “oilhead” who has seen years where there were no new racing oil developments. Racers and engine builders traditionally focus more on improvements in hard parts, because that’s what they understand best. However, recent successes in racing
HPBG: Racing Piston Technology
Munro had a problem with melting his cast pistons so he kept trying to develop his own out of melted down GM pistons. Today’s piston makers use a little more modern techniques, but the principle is the same: try, test and improve. On the outside, pistons tend to look the same. They are round slugs
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