Cost Accounting In The Shop
Do you feel that your shop has the type ofcontrol over costs, expenses and productivity that it needs tosurvive in today’s market? Do you understand how to calculatethe actual cost of each job that you do and the efficiency thateach of your employees achieves on a daily, monthly or annualbasis? Unfortunately, most shop owners do
Motor Service, Inc.: Brian Casey, Incoming Engine Rebuilders Association (Aera) Chairman
What do you do after graduating from WorcesterPolytechnic Institute in Worcester, MA, with a degree in managementengineering? Why, run a heavy duty machine shop and service repairbusiness, of course. Well, maybe not always. But that is the wayit has turned out for Brian Casey, incoming Engine RebuildersAssociation (AERA) chairman and one of the guiding hands
Mopar Engine Platforms – 318, 360
Chrysler Corp. hasn’t built a rear wheel drive, V8-powered car (with the exception of the Viper) since the turn of the decade. And the cars that harbored V8s beneath their hoods during the late 1980s were about as appealing to performance enthusiasts as the front-wheel driven vehicles that replaced them. In spite of that fact,
Building Horsepower Through Dyno Testing
Pick up a copy of any racing-oriented automotive publication andas you thumb through its pages you’ll notice a smorgasbord ofads from engine builders. Most of them will have an assortmentof horsepower figures large enough to rival the national debt. Of course, all the numbers are suspect because, in most cases,they were obtained on the advertisers’
1997 Shop Kinks
Machine shops and custom engine rebuilders are, and always havebeen, a resourceful group. Our industry was founded on the principalof bringing component parts from a condition of disrepair to onethat offers equivalent performance to that of a new part. Rebuilt engines offer cost savings and performance benefits thatcan not be found with any other products,
Valvetrains: Better Materials & Design
Pushrods would seem to be an endangered species these days, atleast as far as most new engine designs are concerned. The onlybrand new engines built in recent years with a pushrod valvetrainhave been Chrysler’s 8.0L V10 for the Viper and Dodge Ram, andGeneral Motors new "LS1" 5.7L small block V8. All therest have either been
Niche Market Opportunities
In today’s highly competitive market, it makes sense to constantlybe on the lookout for new opportunities. Information on the marketsdescribed in this article may provide some new business prospectsfor those shops not already involved with them. However, rebuildersshould constantly be prospecting for other niche markets for theirexisting products or services. There are potentially many products
Can We Expand Demand: There Is A Better Alternative To Buying Or Leasing A New Or Used Car
Can the engine rebuilding industry increase the size of the marketfor replacement remanufactured engines over the next several years?Can engine rebuilders and their parts and equipment suppliersexpand consumer awareness about a rebuilt engine being a preferredalternative to buying or leasing a new car or truck, or installinga used engine? Chuck Barnett, president of Dura-Bond Bearing
Power Steering Pumps and Gearboxes
In today’s increasingly competitive marketplacethe quest for additional profits is of paramount importance notonly for continued growth and success, but for the survival ofthe company itself. This is particularly true for undercarriagespecialists such as CV axle and rack-and-pinion rebuilders. Niche market diversification can accomplisheconomic and strategic objectives that will not only improve the"profitable" cash flow
Power Investments, Inc.: Building An Empire In The Rebuilding Industry
Mike Jarvis, 53, president of Power Investments,Inc., is quietly building an empire in the rebuilding industry.If you want proof, just take a look at his frequent flyer miles(he’s averaged about 2,500 business miles per week over the pastfour years), and the fact that company growth has averaged between12-18% per year, mostly through acquisitions, since 1983.
Ensuring Bearing Life: Crankshaft Bearings Are Always Replaced When Rebuilding An Engine
Crankshaft bearings are always replaced when rebuilding an engine because they’re a wear component. Heat, pressure, chemical attack, abrasion and loss of lubrication can all contribute to deterioration of the bearings. Consequently, when an engine is rebuilt new bearings are always installed. “Reading” the old bearings can reveal a great deal about conditions that may
Piston Rings and Surface Finish
Horsepower is always paramount in the minds of customers who salivatelike a Pavlovian dog when the terms "high performance"and "engine" are used in the same sentence. Unquestionably,horsepower is heady stuff, capable of not only moving a vehicleto obscene speeds, but also of propelling its owner to a positionof prominence in the eyes of performance enthusiasts
Making A Big Splash In The Marine Market
The average individual that would have owned a performance car in the 1960s, and the baby boomers that did, in many cases no longer have a modern affordable toy they can tweak to their own satisfaction. Serious performance today is often available to only a few with large checking accounts or extra good credit, and
Rebuilt Market Reviews – Engines Market
Total engines remanufactured by all production engine remanufacturers (PERs) in 1995 increased a modest 3.5%, growing to 1.318 million units last year compared to 1.273 million units produced in 1994. Production totals are based on a U.S. and Canadian universe of 120 PERs that produced an average of 10,609 remanufactured engines annually in 1995. Survey
Grinding Techniques: In Thousands Of Years, The Basics Of Grinding Haven’t Changed
Grinding is one of the oldest methods known for shaping and sharpening objects. It was first used in prehistoric times to make weapons and other tools by rubbing wood, stones, bones and eventually metal against hard, abrasive rocks. In thousands of years, the basics of grinding haven’t changed. We’re still rubbing an abrasive against metal
Cv Market Travels Fast Track: Power To The Front Wheels Is The Drive System Of The Present And Future
Although sport utility vehicles, many still with rear wheel drive, are the hot sellers right now, few will dispute that power to the front wheels is the drive system of the present and future. A market for rebuilt front wheel drive axles and CV joints will be around for a long, long time. With few
Engine Installation – A Growing Opportunity?
Engine rebuilders who are looking to expand their share of themarket may want to consider engine installations. Although somerebuilders may think installations are better left untouched,others are finding installations provide a profitable niche ina competitive market. Terry O’Donnell, manager of RPM Engines andMachines, Rohnert Park, CA, is just one of many rebuilders inthe industry who
Making Power From Big Block Fords
As noted last month, the first part of a big block Ford power program is to select the appropriate components and machine them properly. Part two entails coordinating the camshaft and valvetrain with an engine’s intended use, and then bolting everything together using proven high performance techniques. According to high performance Ford specialist Norm Wizner,
Lane Parts Co.: Many Rebuilders Are In A State Of Transition
It seems that many rebuilders are in a state of transition. Whether it’s due to changing ownership, technology, products or markets, almost all machine shops and engine rebuilders are facing increasing competition in an increasingly consolidated market. Lane Parts Co., Eugene, OR, Automotive Rebuilder’s 1996 Machine Shop of the Year, is no exception. This Northwest