The Best Way To Boost Your Business? Build a Rapport and Relationships
It’s important for you to get familiar with and interact with many more people in your business than just your customers. Getting familiar with your banker, suppliers, services and the media can be a big help. One thing that helps me has been my racing and involvement in motorsports. Even if you are not a
Lost Art of Head Porting
If I had my current shop rate paid to me in a lump sum for every hour I spent porting and flowing heads and intakes in the ’70s and ’80s, I could build a new race car. In ’76 when I started running Pro Stock, my wife Linda got me a SuperFlow 110 for Christmas so I could flow my own heads.
I Object!
Much can be learned consulting and comparing notes with colleagues and even clients. But carefully consider their comments and perhaps double check with another source to be sure their view is valid.
Old Cars Never Die – Not If I Can Help It
I have not worked on everyday, common engines for years. Everyone who comes into my shop is a hobby-level special car enthusiast. I build all types of performance American brand engines. A huge part of my business has become building and rebuilding engines for classic cars, which it turns out, there is an adequate market for engine builders.
Damien Was All Wrong
From 1987 to 1990, Animal Jim’s 666-inch A/R Ford Hemi Boss that was called Damien, was all wrong for Jim’s purpose, which was running with a nitrous NOS Fogger power adder. In ‘90 and ‘91 Pro Modified, Damien was one of three engines that powered his Rick Jones Pro Mod Probe. Find out how Animal Jim made Damien work.
Learning To Race Pro Stock
My transition in 1975 from bracket racing a 122˝ wheelbase mid-eleven second, two-ton ’57 Mercury to racing in a low nine-second 99˝ wheelbase, Pinto Pro Stock car, was quite a jump. I was jaded with bracket racing and wanted to run heads up – all out with a door car. So, Pro Stock was it.
Blast From the Past: Learning to Race Pro Stock
My transition in 1975 from bracket racing a 122˝ wheelbase mid-eleven second, two-ton ’57 Mercury to racing in a low nine-second 99˝ wheelbase, Pinto Pro Stock car, was quite a jump. I was jaded with bracket racing and wanted to run heads up – all out with a door car. So, Pro Stock was it.
Learning From Broken Parts
In 1973, I was a sportsman drag racer. My car was the two-ton orange ’57 Mercury named, “The Big Animal.” The transplant engine was a pure stock Ford 427 FE 8V low riser I called “Old Reliable,” shifted by a top loader four-speed with a Hurst Competition Plus shifter. In August of that year, I
HPBG: Burnt Aluminum and Motor Oil
It’s a late-August Sunday in 1988 and I am staging up my Outlaw Pro Stocker for the final at the World Series of Drag Racing at Cordova, IL. I am driving my legendary ’79 Mercury Zephyr (Zeke) powered by the NOS assisted 1,600 hp “Monolith,” a 672-inch Kaase Boss Hemi Ford engine. I need