Ready for a Diesel Resurgence?
Diesel engine building will soon see an increase in numbers – very soon! Why do I say that? In an effort to eliminate smoking engines and reduce emissions, the EPA came down hard on tuner manufacturers just a few months ago, issuing warning/cease notices on diesel particulate filters (DPF) and EGR delete tunes/kits.
Valve Seats & Guides
Most engine builders worth their salt know that with the components and technology available today, it’s not that difficult of a task to make horsepower. With the availability of so many performance parts – whether it’s from the OEM or the aftermarket – engine builders can pull from vast resources to achieve a balance between
Valvetrain
Selecting the right components to make a rock-solid valvetrain is key to assembling an engine that will last – and win. The pushrods, rockers and valve springs must be able to handle all of the stresses of the camshaft rotating with high spring pressures and with huge lift. Weakness in any part of the system
The Raptor Takes Flight
In an age when kids would rather hot rod their computers than their cars, it’s kind of amazing that old fashioned hot rodding still exists – even thrives in today’s society. While computers certainly have their place, the younger generation is still looking for entertainment and thrills – whether captured in HD?or in real life.
Top Reasons and Causes for Camshaft Failure
Of all the damaged cams that Crane Cams has checked over the years, it says more than 99.99 percent have been manufactured correctly. Some people have the misconception that it is common for a cast iron flat tappet cam to occasionally have a soft lobe. Crane says they have yet to see a cast iron
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
Buying Parts In A Storm
Business signs are still unclear as we daily set forth on an uncertain journey. Business can be complex. And if you are the boss, your world becomes even more complex. We are each responsible for what we do or don’t do and we can only really control ourselves and our own actions. You know things
Federal-Mogul Launches Product Technology Partnership With John Force Racing
Federal-Mogul Corp.and John Force Racing Inc. (JFR) have announced a technology partnership for the development and testing of next-generation performance spark plugs on nitromethane-fueled drag racing engines and other demanding applications. "Even the most sophisticated computer-based simulations and other advanced engineering tools can’t begin to match the operating environment of a nearly 8,000-horsepower Top
Today
Although extremely important, the job of cleaning engine parts leaves nothing to the imagination. You’re idly standing with a spray gun in your hand or beside a washer tank or cabinet. It’s a basic, time-consuming procedure, but that grime, oil and baked-on sludge won’t come off by itself. This necessary evil is the difference
Racing Rocker Arm Technology
The rocker arms play a more important role than ever these days in high performance valvetrains. The rockers are the teeter-totters that translate the upward motion of the lifters and pushrods to the downward motion that opens the valves. It seems like a relatively simple task, but it demands the utmost from the design of
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
Variable Valve Timing Can Help Save V8s, Environment
Not that I don’t supportthe environment and being responsible in our efforts to save the planet– I do. But the passion for the thunder of a throbbing,pavement-pounding V8 is, well, similar to that of the how your heartskips a beat when you think of your first love. What if you could stillhave the power, have
Breakin-In Is Hard To Do
Before we begin discussing assembly lubes and break-in oils, I would like to emphasize that no one factor is responsible for racing success (or failure). It’s like an algebraic equation with a lot of variables, all of which must be addressed. The same is true of engine assembly and break-in. You must utilize only those
Takin
Back in the old days, the late ’90s, when the economy was strong and incomes were high, people had a lot more money to put toward their favorite hobby, which for many was a souped up car that could be driven on the street but maybe also a little on the track as well. Today,
Avoiding Flat Cam Syndrome (#6)
Along with the use of assembly lubes, break-in oils with ZDDP (Zinc Dialkyl Dithiosphate), and a lifter bore grooving tool our shop does this; on all flat tappet cam engines our shop has added one step before final assembly. With the block in a bare and clean state we’ll put in the two end cam
MAHLE Clevite Inc. Introduces 65 New Part Numbers in September
The part numbers are available for a range of light vehicle and heavy duty applications. New part numbers are now available for the following products: Engine Camshaft Bearing Sets, Connecting Rod Bearings, Engine Crankshaft Main Bearing Sets and Thrust Washer Sets, Engine Pistons, Piston Ring Sets, Piston Pins and Piston Sleeve Assemblies, Piston Skirts,
Rebuilding the Buick 3300
This engine was installed in many of the "A" bodied cars including the Buick Century, the Cutlass Ciera and the Cutlass Cruiser wagon. It was also installed in some of the "N" bodied cars including the Buick Skylark and the Olds Cutlass Calais. The engine had a smaller bore (3.70" versus 3.80") and a longer
It’s All About The Choices
When I had difficulty coming up with ideas worthy of the space between the covers of this magazine it took only a couple of phone calls from customers before the light bulb came on: I realized I needed to examine the past to address the present. After two or three calls from customers relating their
Performance Oil Systems
For the engine to survive, the oiling system must be capable of supplying an adequate volume of oil under a wide range of operating conditions. The oiling system must also maintain adequate pressure to keep the oil flowing to all of the places where it is needed. Critical among them are the crankshaft and camshaft
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