Crane Cams Named Title Sponsor of V8 Stock Car Road Racing Series
V8 StockCar President Lee Arnold stated, “We are thrilled that Crane Cams, one of the great names in motorsports, has elected to partner with us. We look forward to growing the series and this partnership certainly affords us a great opportunity.”?? The V8 StockCar Road Racing Series is a touring, points championship series for fast,
Oiling Systems For Grassroots Racing
One of the first things to look at when building an engine is the oiling system. Dry sump systems are very scalable and efficient but are not known to be inexpensive by any means. Wet sump systems, on the other hand, offer affordability and can handle some impressive performance applications, but using all stock components
INDYCAR Names Will Phillips Vice President of Technology
Will Phillips has joined the sanctioning body of the IZOD IndyCarSeries and Firestone Indy Lights as vice president of technology. Phillips will oversee the direction and implementation of the technicalrules package for the next generation of IZOD IndyCar Series car andtheir enforcement starting with the 2012 season. Additionally, Phillipswill chair the INDYCAR Engine Committee, a
Timing Chains, Sprockets and Gears
Look back at the events in your life an examine how timing has played a part in the outcome. When you showed up at party and met the girl who would eventually become your wife? When you stayed late at work and missed the 18-car pile up on the interstate? Even without realizing it, your
Engine Builder Shop Solutions: September 2010
Mounting 2.3L Ford Heads on Serdi-Style Machines Many Serdi-style seat and valve guide machines mount off of the valve cover side of the head. Some heads, such as the one on the Ford 2.3L OHC engine, do not have a valve cover rail on one of its sides. This makes it difficult to mount the
Dynos and Test Stands: Profit Center or Business Black Hole?
Dynamometers allow an engine builder to test, tune and tweak his engines before giving customers the opportunity to do something foolish with them. In a recent poll on Engine Builder’s website, we asked our readers how important a dyno is to their business. According to our (admittedly unscientific) results, 44 percent of Engine Builder readers
High Tech Cleaning Options
Yet while machining tolerances and performance expectations have changed dramatically over the past few decades, when it comes to getting parts clean, many of those high-tech shops struggle with the same technology they used 30 years ago. The simple fact is, times have changed for parts cleaning, and so have the methods. Engine builders have
Turbocharging’s Not Just A Lot of Hot Air
With the uncertainty of fuel prices and the concern that gasoline couldagain top $4 a gallon across the nation, Americans have been shiftingtheir vehicle-buying behaviors toward more fuel-efficient vehicles. While gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles have been getting much of theattention as the next step in fuel-sipping vehicles, turbocharging —which is used by roughly half of new
Grassroots Road Racing: Will They Line Up For Your Engine Expertise?
Are there any opportunities in grassroots road racing? The answer depends on what is being raced. For the most part, track day cars and spec classes are going to offer only a few opportunities for engine builders, but there is a bright side in that you may get to do work for these racers after
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
Balance of Power (and Profit)
One of the keys to a smooth running, long lasting engine is proper balance of the reciprocating and rotating parts. When a crankshaft is out of balance, the uneven distribution of weight can generate centripetal forces that shake the engine with increasing intensity as engine rpm goes up. Centripetal force (which many people mistakenly call
Installing Deutz Diesel Liners
Many people sweat Deutz diesel liners simply because the Deutz 912 series diesel is an air-cooled German engine and everyone knows German air-cooled engines such as Porsche and VW are not exactly joys to work on. But the following is all you really have to know about Deutz 912 diesel cylinder liner installation. Identifying your
Shop Solutions: March 2008
Debunking the 10 x 10 Crankshaft Myth for Customers We’ve heard a lot of customers say they need a .010? x .010? undersize grind crank because “the vehicle will be towing a lot of weight” or “this guy drives his car/truck real hard” or “this boat runs at high rpms and I don’t want to
Timing Chains & Gears
As a rule, most pushrod engines use a timing chain to drive the camshaft, though some older four and six cylinder engines use a gear set. A short chain or gear set works well in this kind of application because the camshaft is located in the block just above the crankshaft. In overhead cam (OHC)
Rebuilding the Ford 3.0L
This engine came out of the Cleveland Engine Plant #2 (CEP2), originally opened in 1955 to manufacture the 361 cid truck engine. By 1985, this facility was down to 400 employees and on the verge of closing. Then in 1988, plant renovation was begun (with the 3.0L Duratec engine family on the drawing board) at
Engine Balancing
In the dark ages of the automotive industry, engine balancing was considered an art practiced exclusively by performance engine builders. Only those wizards of speed (it was widely believed) could understand the forces that caused drivetrain vibration – and more importantly, those that stopped it. Those few who could balance an engine were looked upon
The Smooth Science of Cylinder Honing
The basics of honing cylinder blocks hasn’t changed much in recent years, but what has changed are the type of abrasives being used by many engine builders. Silicon carbide and aluminum oxide honing stones of various grits have long been used in power honing machines and portable hones to finish cylinder bores. These types
Torque-to-Angle/Yield Threaded Fasteners
All the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have fastener labs with lots of sophisticated equipment and well-educated people working on fastening issues. They even have their own professional association – The Bolting Technology Council – which holds meetings and seminars about fasteners. I’m not a fastener engineer, and I’m not going to make you into one.
Threaded Fasteners Torque-to-Yield and Torque-to-Angle
All the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have fastener labs with lots of sophisticated equipment and well-educated people working on fastening issues. They even have their own professional association – The Bolting Technology Council – which holds meetings and seminars about fasteners. I’m not a fastener engineer, and I’m not going to make you into one.
Engine Cylinder Bore Surface Finishes
What’s the best type of cylinder bore finish for today’s engines? Most would say it’s a finish that allows the rings to seat quickly and completely so the engine doesn’t use oil. For many applications, that may mean a plateau finish. The surface finish must also meet the piston ring manufacturer’s specifications and have the