Elgin Industries Launches 90th Anniversary Celebration
In1919, the world’s best-selling automobile was the Ford Model T and theindependent aftermarket was still in its formative stages. Yet,Czechoslovakian immigrant Martin Skok saw opportunity in the vehicleparts industry. In May of that year, Skok founded the company thatwould become Elgin Industries, which, 90 years later, continues toprove that a family-owned manufacturing business can thrive
Final Wrap: Times May Be Tough But So Are You
If you’re one of those types who always starts reading in the back because you know that’s where the best stuff is found, I congratulate you on your insight. And, normally, I’d agree with you – but in this case I have to say, “don’t forget to read the front of the magazine – it
19th AETC: New Theme Is A Winner
You can always expect to do a fair share of “bench racing” while sitting around the breakfast and lunch table at the Advanced Engineering Technology Conference (AETC). This year did not disappoint. Held just before the PRI Trade Show on December 8-10, 2008, at Orlando’s Orange County Convention Center, the 19th AETC nearly doubled its
Cleaning Rules
One of the least pleasant parts of any engine builder’s day is the cleaning process. Removing the oil, carbon and general gunk from blocks, cylinder heads and assorted parts before your inspection, machining and rebuilding process can even begin may seem as painful as a trip to the dentist’s chair. But if you think that
Up-Selling in a Down Market
Do you ever wonder what’s next? First gas prices climb to more than $4.50 per gallon and everyone is dumping their gas-guzzlers. A couple of months later gas free-falls to $1.50 a gallon, but no one cares because people are being laid off in record numbers. Our major investment banks go bust, the credit system
Fueling the Future – Can You Fill Up with Alternative Fuels?
Currently gas prices have stabilized at around $1.83 a gallon, a price at which most Americans feel comfortable driving their SUVs, trucks, race cars, tow vehicles and other motorized toys. But when gas hits $4 and $5 a gallon, driving guzzlers becomes a challenge for many. It was only a few months ago that a
What’s Rockin’ In Performance Rocker Arms and Valve Springs
Horsepower is in the heads. But for a cylinder head to breathe efficiently, the valvetrain must be rigid and strong to minimize flex, but also lightweight. For most performance applications, that means replacing the stock rocker arms, valve springs and pushrods with some type of aftermarket roller rocker arms, stiffer valve springs and stronger pushrods.
Takin’ it to the Streets: Performance Valvetrains for [almost] Everyday Use
Even though the valvetain plays a supporting role in the overall performance potential of an engine it can still be a make or – frequently – break proposition for engine builders. In a street performance application in particular your customers are usually quite proud of their vehicles and spend a lot of money on appearance.
HD Remanufacturing Summit
The Heavy Duty Remanufacturing Group Summit ’09 in Orlando, Florida on February 16 will feature an outlook for the reman business by Bruce Plaxton, veteran industry observer and analyst. Bruce is President of BGP Marketing Solutions in Schaumburg, IL, a consulting practice with a focus on mobile capital goods. Plaxton has been an advisor to
Kicking Asphalt
In this election year it somehow seems appropriate to talk about a movement that reaches the common citizen…the working man…the small-business person. Political rhetoric aside, it has the potential to gain traction in the industry and showcase what’s great about America – grassroots road racing. There are no multi-million dollar sponsorships (multi-million dollar wallets not
Connecting Rods: So Many Choices
Choosing a set of connecting rods for a performance engine is not as simple as it sounds. The rods you ultimately choose to use in an engine will depend on a number of factors, each of which can be critical to the life of the motor and the success of your customer. Your decision will
Shop Solutions: August 2008
Top 10 Machine Shop Business Tips We recently held a series of 8 focus meetings in the Midwest. Each meeting consisted of 8 to 10 machine shop owners and a moderator. Three questions were asked during the meeting: 1) What’s working? 2) What’s not working? and 3) What do you need most to help you
The Inside Angle on Valve Seats: What you need to know to go with the flow
No one knows airflow better than the legendary Joe Mondello, who rose to fame back in the 1960s for his race-winning cylinder head work. “Back in those days, we didn’t have flow benches to test our work. Our test bench was the drag strip. If a modification worked and made the car run faster, that’s
Still The Same Old Grind?
The market for crankshaft grinding has changed a great deal in recent years. With many passenger car and light truck engines now lasting upward of 200,000 miles, there’s much less demand for grinding crankshafts than there used to be. By the time the engine needs major work, the vehicle has often depreciated to the point
Get Ready For The Perfect Storm
Prior to $5 per gallon gas many of us wouldn’t have given the sport compact market a second thought. After 13 years of meteoric growth, the high performance sport compact market stalled, nosed over, and settled into a holding pattern. The Fast & Furious crowd just lost interest. The huge sport compact enthusiast books suffered
Machine Shop Market Profile – Part 1
When life starts handing out lemons, say the feel-good self-help gurus, the smart money is on the person who not only makes lemonade but figures out a way to sell it for a profit. While the readers of Engine Builder might be hard-pressed to find time to manage a lemonade stand, the analogy still applies:
Performance Racing Industry Trade Show Extends Dates in Orlando to 2016
The world’s largest racing trade show, the Performance Racing Industry Trade Show, will remain in Orlando through the year 2016. Attended by 45,000 racing industry entrepreneurs from 50 countries, and featuring exhibits of the latest advances in motorsports technology by 1,450 companies, the PRI Trade Show’s first event in Orlando was in 2005. This year,
MAHLE Clevite Enjoys Positive Response From Grassroots Race Teams To Decal Transition and Series Support
Reaction has been overwhelmingly positive from grassroots race teams to MAHLE Clevite’s announcement earlier this year that the company would transition to the MAHLE white decal, according to the company. The change from the Clevite blue decal is occurring throughout all NASCAR Series in 2008. Mike David says even though the legendary blue Clevite
AMRA/MAP to Name Barry Soltz its New Executive Director and President
The Board of Directors of AMRA (Automotive Maintenance and Repair Association) and the Board of Trustees of MAP (Motorist Assurance Program) jointly announced the selection of Barry E. Soltz as the organization’s Executive Director and President. Mr. Soltz, who most recently was employed with CARFAX, Inc. as Program Manager, officially will take over upon the
Cylinder Head Cleaning
Being an engine builder is like being a chef. As a master of culinary arts you may prepare the most exquisite meals anyone has ever tasted, but a great dining experience can be easily ruined if the vegetables are not thoroughly cleaned. For more and more engine builders, aqueous cleaning systems are the new standard