How a Legend Got His Start
Last March, when Ed “Isky” Iskenderian picked up the Robert E. Petersen Lifetime Achievement Award at the annual Hot Rod & Restoration Show in Indianapolis, he talked about the automobile engine business in the early years. The Iskenderians were Armenians who fled Turkey and came to America around 1910, settling in Northern California’s wine country.
Oliver Racing Parts Kicks Off 30th Anniversary with Three Contests
Oliver Racing Parts, manufacturers of high-performance connecting rods for motorsports applications, is celebrating its 30th anniversary by launching three contests filled with prizes and merchandise between now and December 31, 2013. “Oliver Racing Parts has had a successful history – from setting land speed records at Bonneville to wins in NASCAR – so for Oliver’s
New AETC Website Debuts
Each year AETCbrings together engine builders, racers, engineers and media members from around the world to exchange information on the day’s most popular engine-building topics. In an effort to make information about the conference even more accessible, AETChas recently launched an updated, easy-to-navigate website. The redesigned site features an overview of the conference and a
Customers Will Remember Your Name With These Business Card Tips
With a great business card, people will remember your name and you company. BSchool.com recently had a great post on 50 Killer Business Cards That Put Yours to Shame. The post has lots of examples of great business cards. It’s a must-read for anyone with a boring business card. Here are some business card design
Common Causes of Water Pump Failure
1. Failure Symptom: Seal Leakage-Dirty System Evidence of seal leakage from weep hole (Figure 1) – This pump has been in service only a short time before rusty-looking coolant began to leak out of the weep hole, leaving behind large deposits of rust and calcium. Figure 1 shows a buildup of rust particles with a
‘Heads Up’ On Today’s Cylinder Heads & Bolts
Some say the air cleaner of an engine is like the front door of a house. That is, it’s what you see first and foremost. And the home owner can use that door to make a statement about the house without anyone seeing what’s inside. Much like what an air cleaner says about an engine
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
Green Strategies: Recycling Scrap and Precious Metals
Engine rebuilding, arguably the truest form of recycling, restores core durability and is part of the 3 Rs: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. In fact, the very definition of the word “recycle” could be interchanged with “engine rebuilding.” Recycling means to reuse or make (a substance) available for reuse for biological activities through natural processes of
NPW’s Speed Warehouse Opens New Facility Ahead of Schedule
Larry Pacey, NPW president and CEO, was on hand at the new facility on opening day and had these comments, “The crew worked hard over the weekend to have the new building ready for business by 8 a.m. Monday. Wealso had assistance from many suppliers and reps who pitched in to helpbeat our deadline. We
Coolant Leak from Front Right Side of BMW M52TU Cylinder Head
Situation: Cylinder heads with a machining flaw (hair line crack) may have beeninstalled on M52TU engines in production on a limited number ofvehicles. The machining flaw (if present) is located in the front rightside of the cylinder head and will cause a coolant leak in the area ofcylinder 1 as shown in the illustration (Figure
Gaining Performance from Ignition Timing
The cool thing about ignition timing is you can usually get a considerable performance increase for little or no money. But, some time and effort will be required. Let’s start with a simple explanation of why we need spark advance and how much of it we want. First – When you hook up the timing
Engine Builder Shop Solutions: March 2013
Safe Valve Spring Break-In Most engine builders are well aware of the fact that high performance valve springs should be compressed to coil bind through several cycles before being installed. The problem with this procedure is that it can be time consuming, costly and even dangerous. It is time consuming if each spring is compressed
The Crate Is Dead
Well, maybe not yet. But can you think of anything more boring than the same old 350 Chevy motor in every hot rod at the burger joint on a Friday night? I mean really? I was in a shop recently and commented about the Chrysler Hemi heads on the bench. The shop owner said, “Yeah,
Tuning In To The EFI Market
There are many variables that need to be calculated and calibrated when it comes to electronic fuel injection (EFI), but simple fuel flow is just the beginning. EFI goes far beyond a replacement for a carburetor, and the electronic part of the equation is where these systems seem so complicated. Many EFI systems give you
Rebuilding Chrysler’s ‘Revived’ Engine Family
Casting numbers, VIN codes, components and processes to rebuild/remanufacture these engines are compiled for Chrysler’s newly revised engine family including 4 cylinders, V6s and V8s Chrysler made some major changes in their engine line-up starting in ’07. They replaced their four cylinder engines in everything but the PT Cruiser in ’07, updated the 4.7L V8
Steel Compression Rings with Reduced Radial Wall Thickness
MAHLE Clevite Inc. is in the process of transitioning its ring sets from a grey cast iron top rings to a carbon steel top rings. They say the advantages include 35% more strength, 30% less weight and double the resistance to side wear which is a common problem on late-model engines. The net result is
Edelbrock to Giveaway 75th Anniversary Edition Mustang
This once in a lifetime promotion will allow enthusiasts the chance to enter and win a unique 2013 Ford Mustang featuring Edelbrock and Ford Racing Performance upgrades. The lucky winner will also receive a round trip for two, with VIP accommodations to the 2013 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. Once in Las Vegas, the duo
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
Restoration Engine Market Update
The resto market can be a good source of extra business or a solid specialization option You might joke that the restoration engine marketplace is a “dependable” business niche. Trying to get a handle on its size, shape and character depends on with whom you talk and what they consider a vintage car to be.
If You Win the Argument, You Lose the Sale
The true test of a business’ customer service effort is not when things are going right but, rather, what is done when things go wrong. In the book “Buying Trances,” author Joe Vitale wrote about the principle of “agreement melts resistance” and how when working with resistant sales prospects, agreeing with them is a more
