High Performance Diesel Market Includes?Growing Number of Parts
In many cases, the diesel engine is taking over the hot rod world. Instead of a small block or big block Chevy in the classic cruiser, people are looking at the Duramax diesel. The same goes for the Ford engines being replaced by the Powerstroke and the Dodge being substituted with the Cummins. The desire
Selecting The Right High Performance Rocker Arms
The rocker arms in a pushrod engine serve two purposes. The rockers serve as fulcrums to redirect the upward motion of the lifters and pushrods into downward motion to open the valves. The lift ratio of the rockers also serves to multiply the amount of valve lift generated by the cam lobes. Stock rocker arms
Lucas Oil Products Acquires Naming Rights to NHRA-Owned Indianapolis Facility
The multi-year track-entitlement agreement gives Lucas Oil Products naming rights to the facility, host of the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals presented by Lucas Oil and the Kroger SpeedFest, which showcases NASCAR Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series races as well as USAC and ARCA Series races during a single weekend. Selected as one of the
Getting Into The Niche: Engine Builders Corner Their Markets
In our industry, specialty niche markets can also be the key to steadily growing your business. Motorsports is a very broad market but when you drill down into the various categories of racing, there are many smaller markets that make up the sport. Drag racing and circle track markets may be among the most recognized
Classic Muscle: Kammer & Kammer Make Mopar Magic
Most of the time, amateur racers are customers at the nationally known Kammer & Kammer Mopar High Performance Shop in Dayton, OH. Kammer says his business consists of about 65 percent racing and 35 percent street performance, and the most important thing he provides is a good relationship between himself and his customer. “When I
Can Diesel Performance Help Boost Your Business?
Most people associate diesel engines with truck and tractor pulling events, not traditional motorsports. There are no diesel-powered NASCAR races or Indy cars. But diesels are making inroads in other types of racing. Diesel-powered race cars and trucks are setting land speed records at Bonneville, winning endurance races at LeMans, and running over 200 mph
Post-War Engines: The Greatest Generation?
“The popularity of the post-war engines being rebuilt is not much different than the pre-war models,” says Packard Industries’ Bob Rovegno. “GM rules the roost, with Cadillac, Oldsmobile, Buick leading the way, and surprisingly, Lincoln-based 383s, 410s, 430s, 462s are next and the old Mopar or Ford flathead V8s are up there in the top
Diesel Performance: Camshafts, Lifters and Valvetrain
Diesel performance is nothing new. What is new is the level of interest in diesels for all kinds of racing; everything from traditional truck and tractor pulling to drag racing, even sports car and endurance racing. Diesel engines are a different type of animal when compared to gasoline engines. While both use the same four-stroke
Connecting Rods and Bearings
Selecting connecting rods and rod bearings for an engine is a lot more complicated when you are modifying the engine from stock specifications. OEMs spend a lot of time and money developing the components that go into a stock engine, and cost is usually a factor in what components are used. Rod bearings also play
2010 Stroker Engine Guide: Building a Late Model Hemi Stroker
What is the purpose of stroking a motor? The answer is simple: toobtain more cubic inches. And in today’s economic times, it’s alwaysbest to achieve “more” with less – as in less money. The key word tomany stroker enthusiasts today is “budget”. However, the word “budget” has a way of being interpreteddifferently by different people.
Valves: When to Reclaim, When to Replace
Performance engine builders can’t afford to take chances with questionable valves because they have to withstand high rpms and temperatures. Likewise, rebuilders who overhaul high dollar heavy-duty diesel and industrial engines want to minimize their comeback risks by making sure the valves they use are either new or have been carefully inspected and reconditioned to
Not every shop is closing and, in fact, there are even new, state-of-the-art shops opening, as evidenced by GJM’s grand opening last month. Earlier this year, Gregg Jacobson and Mark Garrett launched a new machine shop in Southern California about 40 minutes outside of L.A., in the San Fernando Valley. Both Jacobson and Garrett saw
Looking for Business?Profit Tips? Diesels Get You Smoking At
Interest in diesel motorsports is growing at a fever pace, and “lighting up” may well refer to the actions of hundreds of diesel pickup owners at dragstrips all across the country. I had the opportunity to be a guest of the National Association of Diesel Motorsports at the NADM?Diesel East Coast Nationals at Numidia Dragway
Diesel Engine Seminars Highlight 2010 BIG R Show
The Automotive Parts Remanufacturers Association (APRA) and their co-sponsor for the event, ENGINE BUILDER magazine, are proud to offer a technical track for the diesel engine market. “Today’s engine builders continue to look for ways to expand and improve their businesses,” says Dave Wooldridge, publisher of ENGINE BUILDER magazine. “The technical seminars we are hosting
Exhibit Booths for the 2010 International BIG R Show Almost 50 Percent Sold Out
The Automotive Parts Remanufacturers Association (APRA) is reporting thatbooth sales for the upcoming 2010 International BIG R Show, to be heldat the Las Vegas Hilton Hotel Oct. 30 – Nov.1, have been very strong sofar. The 2010 International BIG R Show will be held in Las Vegas justprior to the AAPEX and SEMA Shows. This
Pat Musi to Return to NHRA after 21 Year Hiatus
Musi last ran an NHRA professional category at the same event in 1989, some 21 years earlier. Back then he competed in Pro Stock where the cars were powered by naturally aspirated 500ci engines and ran low-7s at 195 mph. Musi’s return to action will be behind the wheel of a nitrous-gulping 2009 Dodge Stratus
Fuel For Thought About Diesel Formulations
Being in the diesel business the one complaint I hear most often from diesel owners is the famous question, “Why is diesel fuel so expensive?” After all, diesel fuel is not as high up the refinement ladder as gasoline. Consumers understand this and often wonder why there is a difference in price. The question can
The Evolution of Diesel Piston Designs
Traditionally, diesel engines are known for their long life, fuel economy and efficiency in getting large loads from place to place. Diesel engines are equal to gasoline engines in horsepower per cubic inch, and they have double the torque of gasoline engines and can achieve up to 40 percent better fuel economy, making them ideal
Fel-Pro PermaTorqueMLS Performance Head Gaskets Seal Winning Engine In Recent Goody
Fel-Pro PermaTorqueMLS performance head gaskets from Federal-Mogul Corporation sealed Denny Hamlin’s race-winning Toyota engine in the recent NASCAR Sprint Cup Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 at Martinsville,VA, Speedway. This latest win continues the Fel-Pro brand’s dominance of professional stock car racing. “We had another great day on the track, with flawless sealing performance and a
Asian Engine Market: Not Lost in Translation
Of course, import interest is nothing new. It has been growing since the fuel crisis of the ’70s, but in 2009, Asian car companies surpassed domestic manufacturers in the percentage of all cars and light trucks sold in the U.S. for the first time ever. While it seems the majority of the performance aftermarket bleeds