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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

Getting Your Bearings

Engine bearings have a tough job to do for such a small component. They must support big loads on a thin film of oil (between .0001-.0004? thick) between themselves and the crankshaft journals to prevent metal-to-metal contact. One of the biggest causes of bearing failures is dirt and debris that enters into the oil pan

Debunking the 10 X 10 Crankshaft Myth for Customers (#5)

First of all, in normal use or even high performance use, a used crankshaft will not “clean up” to standard specifications and will usually have to be ground to .010? undersize.  The crankshaft has then remained 98+ percent as strong as new.  The problem arises when “spinning” or “hammering” (knocking) a bearing.  The crank will

Longtime Babcox Media Executive Becky Babcox Passes Away

For many years, Becky was co-owner of Babcox Media (publisher of Engine Builder magazine), along with her brother, Bill Babcox. Together, they were the third generation of the Babcox family to run the company founded by their grandfather, Edward S. Babcox, in 1920. Becky retired from the company in 2006, after nearly 30 years in

Hot Rodders of Tomorrow National Championship Coming to the PRI Show in 2013

The 26th Annual Performance Racing Industry Trade Show in Orlando, Florida, will host the final round of the nation’s premier engine build competition for young automotive talent, it was recently announced. Each year hundreds of automotive technology students from high schools across the country take part in regional competitions to determine which teams can disassemble

Cashing In On The Cafe Racer, Vintage Bike Revival

The Rockers who rode on the racy-looking machines sculpted after grand prix motorcycles gained the nickname “cafe racers” because they were often seen parked outside a coffee shop and were considered wannabe racers. The name was originally intended to be an insult but later turned out to be a proud moniker. A right of passage

Understanding and Profiting From the Caterpillar C7

I believe society naturally directs the outcome of its environment: if someone manages a quality independent automotive repair shop, they will always be looking for ways to increase their education and specialty tools as technology changes. In order to take care of their customers when the warranty runs out and they no longer visit the

Musings on Presents, Prizes and Presidents

Sometimes these tips are of a very technical nature. Sometimes…well, not so much. “My wife decided to help me out this winter by buying me a new jacket to wear during the cold weather. She purchased a new camouflaged-colored work jacket. The jacket is just fine, except when I take it off and lay it

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

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

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

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

Still Time to Register for AERA’s Tech & Skills Regional Conference in Denver

Everyone owes it to themselves and their business to gain knowledge and network with other people within the same industry. AERA understands that traveling to national trade shows to gain this knowledge and networking opportunities is very expensive. Therefore, AERA has decided to help by teaming up with a regional host and offer these opportunities

Good Carbs And Bad Carbs

If you still have any small thought that slapping a quick kit into anold carb will be the end of it, you are deep in denial. For thatmatter, if you think that you can grab a new carb off the shelf andmake it work right, you are equally uninformed. This is important in that when

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

GM 8.1L Ring References

Type the word "ring" in the Google search engine and get beyond all thestuff that is being sold and you will be amazed at how many occurrencesthere are. It is mind boggling. There is even a site that monitors andarchives data relevant to planetary rings. You can’t talk about rings and not mention the Olympic

Head Gaskets 101: Part 1

In 1991, Ford introduced the 4.6L OHC V-8, commonly referred to as the Modular Ford V-8. It had, for its time, a revolutionary new head gasket design called MLS. Prior to that, most head gaskets were steel core designs with some sort of gasket paper attached to the core, so this was a big change

Why Does A First-Time Caller Choose Your Shop?

Although well intentioned, the folks who think that a first time caller decides where to bring their engine for a rebuild is based solely on price are dead wrong.  Price is not, never has been, and never will be the most important consideration for a first time caller who is trying to decide where to

How Do You Reuse Cummins ISX and QSX Connecting Rods?

There are two types of ISX & QSX connecting rods; “Drilled” and “Non-Drilled”. A drilledconnecting rod has an oil passage drilled up through the shank of the rod to supply lubrication tothe connection at the piston pin. A drilled rod can be used with either two piece articulated orone piece steel pistons. There is no