engine builder, december 2013

2013DECEMBER

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>Business Toolbox >Future Alternative Fuels >Magnum Charity Build

SERVING ENGINE BUILDERS & REBUILDERS SINCE 1964

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2 December 2013 | EngineBuilder

ENGINE BUILDER founded Oct. 1964Copyright 2013 Babcox Media Inc.

ENGINE BUILDER (ISSN 1535-041X)(December 2013, Volume 49, Number 12): Published monthly by Babcox Media Inc., 3550 Embassy Parkway, Akron, OH 44333 U.S.A. Phone (330) 670-1234, FAX (330) 670-0874. Pe-riodical postage paid at Akron, OH 44333 and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to ENGINE BUILDER, 3550 Embassy Parkway, Akron, OH 44333.A limited number of complimentary subscriptions are available to individuals who meet the qualification requirements. Call (330) 670-1234, Ext. 275, to speak to a subscription servicesrepresentative or FAX us at (330) 670-5335. Paid Subscriptions are available for non-qualified subscribers at the following rates: U.S.: $69 for one year. Canada: $89 for one year.Canadian rates include GST. Ohio residents add current county sales tax. Other foreign rates/via air mail: $129 for one year. Payable in advance in U.S. funds. Mail payment to ENGINEBUILDER, P.O. Box 75692, Cleveland, OH 44101-4755. VISA, MasterCard or American Express accepted. Publisher reserves the right to reject any subscription that does not conform tohis standards or buying power coverage. Advertising which is below standard is refused. Opinions in signed articles and advertisements are not necessarily those of this magazine or itspublisher. Diligent effort is made to ensure the integrity of every statement. Unsolicited manuscripts must be accompanied by return postage.

COVER DESIGN BY NICHOLE ANDERSON

PHOTO BY PHIL KUNZ

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.13 Features ON THE COVER

Land Speed RacingThose in the automotive land racing groups will tell youthat the Speed Trials group is really taking off. Contributor Bill Holder travels to the Ohio Mile racetrack in Wilmington to report on this growing motorsports activity and show you the types of enginesracers are using to power their vehicles. ................42

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Alternative Fuels Can Be a GasWhy is natural gas becoming a more common fuel for tomorrow’s engines? As technical editor Larry Carley shows,natural gas is cheaper and cleaner than gasoline or dieselfuel, and it burns much cleaner in a diesel engine thandiesel fuel. Discover other reasons for the growth ofgaseous fuels and which ones will be the most popular engine fuel sources in the future. ......................................18

Building BlocksEvery engine project starts with the block because theblock is the foundation for everything else that follows.Technical editor Larry Carley shares engine building tipsand secrets to help engine builders get the most bang fortheir buck, and block. ..........................................................24

Business ToolboxMarketing your shop is an important tool for growing yourbusiness. As shops get ready for the new year, we provide you with a special management section to help you focuson ways to increase customers and improve profits. Topics addressed in this section include: improving time management, using Social Media more effectively and developing loyal customers. ..............................................28

BusinessBusinessToolboxToolbox

Columns

Fast Lane......................................14By Animal” Jim FeurerLearning to Race Pro Stock

Profitable Performance ................36By Dave SuttonMagnum Charity Build

DEPARTMENTS

Events ..................................................................4

Industry News......................................................6

Editor’s Page ........................................................10

Shop Solutions ....................................................12

Product Spotlights................................................51

Cores/Classifieds/Ad Index ..................................54

Final Wrap ..........................................................56

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Events

Industry EventsJanuary 27, 2014APRA Heavy Duty Remanufacturing Group SummitLas Vegas, NVwww.hdrg.org

February 22-23, 2014Race & Performance ExpoSt.Charles, ILwww.raceperformanceexpo.com or 815-727-1208

March 6, 2014HRIA Education Day and Training Detroit, MIwww.sema.org/hria-education-day or 909-978-6690

October 28-30, 2014Engine Expo Novi Novi, MIwww.engine-expo.com/usa/

What’s Ahead….Coming in the January 2014 issue of Engine Buildermagazine:

2014 Racing Engine ChangesSee which racing venues have had engine and rulechanges that could impact engine builders and partssuppliers.

Trade Show Reviews: SEMA, PRI Catch up the latest news and technology that dominated the recent trade shows that focus on theengine building and performance markets.

Performance Engine Builder of the YearEngine Builder magazine, along with Driven RacingOil, names its top engine shop for 2013.

Building for Mini Sprint Customers The Mini Sprint circuit is growing and if you or your staffbuilders have any experience in motorcycle engines,you may want to get in on some of the engine work.

Variable Valve Timing Vehicles with variable valve timing (VVT) have becomecommonplace over the last decade and are makingtheir way into your engine shop.

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For more industry events, visit our website at

www.enginebuildermag.com or subscribe to

www.aftermarketnews.com.

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Tony Kanaan is the100th ‘Face’ on theBorg-Warner TrophyThe 100th image on the Borg-Warner Trophy, featuring 2013Indianapolis 500 winner TonyKanaan, was unveiled to thegeneral public at the IndianapolisMotor Speedway Hall of FameMuseum in early December

Cast in a checkerboard pat-tern with the winner’s name,victory year and average speedunder each sculpted head, thetrophy features the three-dimen-sional sterling silver image of

every Indianapolis 500 winner dat-

ing back to Ray Harroun in 1911.Kanaan’s image was sculpted byrenowned American artist WilliamBehrends, who has created the win-ning drivers’ images since 1990.

James R. Verrier, president andchief executive officer of Borg-Warner, was impressed on the un-veiling: “Unveiling the 100th face onthe Borg-Warner Trophy was a truemilestone in a long tradition ofachievement at the Indianapolis 500.Each image represents a driver andteam that rallied to reach the pinna-cle of performance. At BorgWarner,the same spirit of competitive per-formance drives us to maintain ourown track record of technology lead-ership. We are proud to be part ofthis historic event.”

Kanaan also had some profoundwords for the media: “It was anhonor to win the 2013 Indianapolis500, something I’ll remember andcherish for the rest of my life, to takemy place in history as the 100th faceon the Borg-Warner Trophy along-side my friends Dan (Wheldon) andDario (Franchitti), and other greatIndy 500 winners like Foyt, Mears,Andretti and the Unsers is trulyhumbling.”

The Indianapolis 500 has beenwon 97 times in the past 103 years(Why missing six? Fun fact: therewere no races during WWI andWWII).

However, in 1924 and 1941, twodrivers actually shared the win, onefor starting the race and the other forfinishing it. In tribute to his rejuvena-tion of the track and the inception ofthe Indianapolis 500 following World


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War II, a 24-karat solid gold portraitof late Speedway owner and presi-dent Anton “Tony” Hulman, Jr., wasalso added to the trophy in 1988,bringing the total number of imagesto 100. Two bases have been addedto the original trophy, providingadded extra room for more winnersuntil the year 2034.

The Borg-Warner Trophy stays onpermanent display at the Indianapo-lis Motor Speedway Hall of FameMuseum. To console the winner witha personal keepsake, BorgWarner es-tablished the BorgWarner Champi-onship Driver’s Trophy (also knownas the “Baby Borg”) in 1988, whichincludes a duplicate image of thewinner.

The BorgWarner Team Owner’sTrophy was also established in 1998.Both sterling silver replicas of theBorg-Warner Trophy will be pre-sented during the Automotive NewsWorld Congress in Detroit on Jan. 15,2014.

For more information about theIndy 500 and its trophies, visitBorgwarner.com.

Maserati Enters its 100thYear as a CompanyWith the month of December,Maserati officially enters the 100thyear of its history.

A company 100 years young,Maserati showcased at the Los Ange-les Auto Show in early December itsnew brand look and marketing com-munication campaign.

Both are inspired by“The Opposite of Ordi-nary” concept, a testa-ment to the company’sfirst 100 years and aguideline for the next 100.For, as the whole historyof Maserati proves, whilesome automobiles are in-spired by basic geometry,Maseratis are simply in-spired.

Maserati was foundedin Bologna, Italy, on Dec.1, 1914 and officiallystarted operation on Dec.14, 1914. The nucleus ofthe company was then

represented by Alfieri Maserati andtwo of his brothers, Ettore andErnesto.

They all had an interest in me-chanics and a love for speed. Thoughengaged in all matters technical andcommercial of their new enterprise,they all at one point sat behind thesteering wheel of their racing cars inthe golden days of motor racing. A

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Industry News



fourth brother, Bindo, joined thecompany when Alfieri died in 1932.A fifth brother, Mario, is creditedwith designing the famed Maseratilogo, drawing inspiration from theNeptune fountain in downtownBologna.

Maserati produced its first car in1926 – a race car named Tipo 26. Itdebuted with a victory in the 1926Targa Florio, the first of an endlessstring of wins which include twoeditions of the Indianapolis 500, 9wins in Formula One and the 1957 F1World Championship.

In 1947 Maserati stunned theworld with its first passenger car, theA6 grand tourer.

And in 1963, with the first genera-tion Quattroporte, Maserati gave theautomotive market a car that simplywasn’t there – the world’s first sportsluxury sedan.

Maserati is planning a long seriesof activities to celebrate its first 100years as events will be organized inall major Maserati markets in theworld. The zenith of the year-long

activity will be the official Maseratigathering in Modena from Septem-ber 19 through Sept. 21, 2014.

An estimated 250 Maserati mod-els will convene in Modena from allover the world. The three-day pro-gram will include drives on scenicItalian roads tied to Maserati’s his-tory and multiple sessions on race-track. A full and detailed program ofthe event will be released at a laterdate.

A dedicated Maserati Centennialwebsite – www.maserati100.com –will keep Maserati friends, fans,clients and collectors informed of allthe activities planned to celebrate the100th anniversary.

As Maserati’s Centennial celebra-tions get underway, the special sec-tion to mark the occasion makes itsdebut on www.maserati.com. Thesection provides exhaustive detailson the legendary Maserati marque,from its establishment in 1914 to thepresent day.

The Maserati Centennial year willofficially end on Sunday, Dec. 14,2014, with a dedicated event.

Ocean to Ocean Record Setby Vintage Adventurer in83-Year-Old Ford Australian motoring enthusiast RodWade, aka the “Vintage Adventurer,”set a new world record in the Oceanto Ocean Driving Challenge withEvans Waterless Coolant runningthrough the engine of his 1930 ModelA Ford.

The non-stop drive was com-pleted in 50 hours, 20 minutes and 6

seconds, beating his goal by almost10 hours.

The journey began on a Fridaymorning, precisely at 12:01 a.m.,where Rod and his co-driver,Michael Flanders filled a bottle withwater from the Atlantic Ocean.

The engine ran reliably throughsnow and rain, and hills and plains,until arrival at California’s VeniceBeach Saturday night at 11:20 p.m.,where they poured the water fromthe Atlantic into the Pacific Ocean,officially completing the Ocean 2Ocean Challenge.

Rod and Michael traveled the2,947 mile trip averaging just over 58miles per hour without any water inthe cooling system, and without wor-ries of overheating either. Evans Wa-terless Coolant was used to ensurethe cooling system functioned underdemanding conditions.

Water was on board, but usedwhere it was needed the most – tohydrate Rod and Michael duringtheir marathon adventure.

Just before departure Rod said,“Evans waterless coolant performedso well when we drove through Asiain the hot summer that we insistedon using it for this trip. We are veryconfident with Evans.”

This past June, the car completedthe Peking to Paris Rally, consideredto be the world’s greatest motoringchallenge. Along this rigorous route,Evans waterless coolant successfullydemonstrated its capabilities of per-forming under extreme conditions.

With a boiling point of 375°F,Evans High Performance Coolant


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will function well past the failurepoint of water-based coolants.Evans High Performance Coolantprovides permanent cooling protec-tion for the life of the engine, andprotects against corrosion, electroly-sis and cavitation erosion.

The next goal of the Vintage Ad-venturer team will be to take on theOcean to Ocean Australia, again inthe Model A Ford. Scheduled forJune 2014, that event is a timed chal-lenge from Queensland to Fremantleand return. Rod’s goal is to raiseawareness and much needed moneyfor Kidney Health Australia and theAmerican Kidney Fund.

For more information on EvansCooling Systems, Inc. and WaterlessEngine Coolants, visitwww.evanscooling.com.

ExxonMobil And Toyota Extend PartnershipUnderscoring the performance bene-fits of high-quality motor oil technol-ogy, ExxonMobil has renewed itsmulti-year technological partnershipwith Toyota Racing DevelopmentU.S.A. (TRD). ExxonMobil will con-tinue to provide its Mobil 1 racing oiltechnology to TRD-supportedNASCAR teams.

Since the 2010 season, TRD-sup-plied NASCAR engines have beenfilled with specifically customizedsynthetic motor oil based on thesame technology of Mobil 1 engine

oils.The TRD-specific Mobil 1 motor

oils deliver a unique low-frictionsynthetic lubricant technology andanti-wear additives to protect andextend the life of engine hardwareduring high-performance applica-tions, the company states.

The extended partnership withTRD complements Mobil 1’s “Offi-cial Motor Oil of NASCAR” statusand ExxonMobil’s lubricant technol-ogy relationship with Stewart-HaasRacing and sponsorship of TonyStewart’s No. 14 Mobil 1/Bass ProShops Chevrolet Impala in theNASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

For more information about thispartnership renewal and Mobil 1, goto www.mobil1.com.

SEMA’s Gen-III InnovatorAward Goes to MSD’s PetersenTodd Petersen, the chief innovationofficer of MSD Performance, wasawarded the SEMA Gen-III Awardduring the 2013 SEMA Banquet.

The SEMA Gen-III Award creditsa young individual that generates agame-changing product or service toour industry.

Petersen has been instrumental inleading the MSD Performance teamto develop their line of Atomic EFIsystems for carburetor replacementand GM LS applications as well astheir new Brainwave Vehicle Man-agement Network.

Petersen’s forward thinking in fo-cusing on the customer’s experiencewhile installing and using products

has led to breakthrough technologythat has set the foundation for MSD’sAtomic EFI systems with an empha-sis on reduced wiring and self pro-gramming to ease the intimidation ofmodern electronics.

For 2013, Peterson led the MSDengineering team through the devel-opment of their Brainwave vehiclemanagement network that was intro-duced at SEMA 2013 and was amajor topic at the Connected Carpanel.

This innovative technology(www.gobrainwave.com) ties multi-ple vehicle control systems into a single communication network andpoint of control via a tablet or smart-phone device.

To learn more about MSD, visitvwww.MSDPerformance.com ■


Industry News



As we head into a new year, thestaff of Engine Builder magazinewanted to let you know we’vedone a little performance upgradesof our own.

Team Engine Builder is proud toannounce that we have redesignedour website to help engine shopowners like yourself stay on top ofthe latest industry happenings.

Featuring an updated look forthe news, technical and productssections of the website, the launchwas scheduled to coincide betweenthe industry’s top engine buildingand performance events — the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) tradeshow andthe Performance Racing Industrytradeshow — both of which occurin late fall.

We believe that the updatedwebsite is a true resource for en-gine builders and performance en-gine builders, and encapsulates notonly content featured in the printmagazine, but the latest news,products, videos, shop profiles,technical articles and tips from theengine building industry.

The site’s redesigned layout provides for larger photos andeasy-to-view sections, includingthe Tech Center, Management,Events and Gallery section.

Under the “Magazine” tab onthe homepage, technical articlesand columns from the past 10 yearsare better organized, allowing

visitors improved access to ourarchived content.

And, we have uploaded to thesite digital versions of each issue,beginning with the February, 2013issue. These digital issues, alsoarchived under the “Magazines”tab, can be easily viewed anytimefrom your computer or wirelesstablet.

As technology of increasingpower from engines continues toevolve, so too has our website.

The website boasts a modern,colorful design that’s not onlypleasing to the viewer, but is full ofthe technical and management con-tent that’s necessary for shops tostay profitable today and into thefuture.

The staff here at Engine Buildercontinues to regularly update thesite to bring our visitors fresh con-

tent that serves all segments of theengine aftermarket, from passengercar and light truck to performance,racing and heavy-duty diesel.

You also can have engine build-ing and performance-related newsdelivered each week to your emailaccount simply by signing up tothe Engine Builder e-Newsletter.

The e-newsletter contains notonly industry news, but engine-re-lated and performance videos,technical tips and features, the lat-ests tools and components avail-able to stock and performancebuilders and details on upcomingindustry events.

To sign up, use the “Subscribeto Newsletter” function at the bot-tom of the homepage.

Share with me your thoughts onthe updated website at [email protected].


On-Site ImprovementsEngineBuilderMag.com gets an upgrade

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Download a digital version of EngineBuilder magazine from your computer ortablet anytime using the “Magazine”tab on the homepage.

EDITOR Ed [email protected]

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Piston Ring Gapping TipSome of you may know this ring endgapping tip, but I have never seen itanywhere. Not even in ring packageinstructions.

This has to do with checking theflimsy oil rail gaps. Most conven-tional size bores are not much of aproblem. The rails on those sizesusually have a lot of leeway. But,when you do some odd, custom boresizes, the ring package may be acloser fit, and out of the box the oilrails tend to have closer gaps andneed more clearance. Under thesecircumstances, it is much harder tomeasure the rail gaps accurately.

For example, I am building an en-gine right now that inspired me towrite this tip. It is a Ford 428CJ. Itwas already +.040˝ (4.170˝). My cus-tomer wanted a Scat stroker kit. I in-structed Scat to make the pistons.045˝ over for the kit, for a bore of4.175˝. The extra .005˝ would cleanup some irregularities and scuffs andafford me enough to torque platehone to a perfect tolerance.

When the stroker kit arrived, it in-cluded the file fit Total Seal specialsize rings necessary for the odd sizebore. The Total Seal instructions required minimum .015˝ gap for theoil rails.

The engine is for a frame off restored ‘63 Ford Galaxy streetcruiser. It will use premium gas withperhaps a touch of octanebooster. No power adders, so nowide ring gaps. Gapping the two toprings was an easy job. They onlytook about nine cranks each usingmy old manual ring grinder.

The Total Seal instructions required a minimum .015˝ gap forthe oil rails. It is not easy to measurea thin .024˝ x .132˝ wide rail with thatnarrow of a gap on a large bore.

When I squared one in a bore, thegap looked pretty narrow. It was im-possible to snug a feeler gauge in thegap without disturbing the ring.

Here is what I did; I took the1/16th thick stiff top ring, which Ihad already gapped to .020˝, andsquared it back in the cylinder. Then

I placed the oil rail on top and linedup the two gaps. Gently, but firmly, Iused my squaring device to snug therail firmly atop the 1/16˝ ring. Thatkeeps the oil rail square and tightand does not squirm or fold up whenchecking it with a feeler gauge. Iwas able to fit a feeler gauge snug inthe rail gap.

I was thrilled! The gaps were.017˝. That would be perfect. Noway could I have measured it thataccurately without the 1/16th ringsupporting the rail.

Needless to say, the same can bedone with gapless rails or exotic thinrings or spacers. A used top ring canbe used for support if it is the propersize. It can be gapped wider to makelining the two ring gaps easier. Forthis 428 with an odd size bore, I justused the new gapped top ring for thesupporting role. No pun intended!

Jim FeurerAnimal Jim RacingLacon, IL

Your Shop’s Rolling Billboard

If you need to attract new customers,take a tip from many large, successfulcompanies. Consider wrapping yourcompany truck with advertising.

A rolling billboard can createthousands of impressions per mile.Your message will be read by peopleyou might not otherwise reach, evenwhen it is parked!

Steve RichSterling Bearing, Inc.Kansas City, MO

Checking Valve Heights inSolid Lifter HeadsI have made a simple tool to checkinstalled valve heights in non- adjustable solid bucket cylinder

heads. The tool is a short square barwith a dial indicator affixed to theend.

This allows you to use the camjournal to easily center over the tipsof the valves and record the valveheights before disassembling thecylinder head. By keeping the solidlifters in order, and noting the valveheights before machining the head,you assure yourself an accuratevalve lash upon reassembly. This is agreat time saver tool!

Sylvain TremblayCompeti-tech, Inc.Quebec, Canada

Rod-to-Piston Interferencein Early 466T John DeereModel 4440 Engines

Here’s a caution for engine builders.In John Deere 466T engines, do notuse the connecting rod (Howard#R71074) from later model 4450 en-gines in the earlier Model 4440 en-gines. The pistons look similar, butthe area under the combustion bowlof the late piston has about .090˝ moreclearance than that of the early piston.

L. ArnoldHoward Enterprises, Inc.Lynn, IN

Keep Parts in Stock for More SalesKeeping popular head gasket sets,head bolt sets, piston rings, bearingsand valves in stock is a proven wayto make more sales.


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Shop Solutions –The Power ofKnowledge

Engine Builder and Engine Pro present

Shop Solutions in each issue of EngineBuilder Magazine and at enginebuilder-mag.com.

The feature is intended to provide

machine shop owners and engine tech-

nicians the opportunity to share their

knowledge to benefit the entire industry

and their own shops.

Those who submit Shop Solutions that

are published are awarded a prepaid

$100 Visa gift card.

Engine Pro is a nationwide network of

distributors that warehouse a full line of

internal engine components for

domestic and import passenger car,

light truck, heavy duty, industrial,

marine, agricultural and performance

applications.

They also produce engine parts under

the Engine Pro name that offer premium

features at an affordable price.


Contact your supplier and ask him what discounts you canget for placing a large stock order. Ask them for a list of the mostpopular numbers in your part of the country. You may be surprisedat how willing they are to help you out. Also, ask for special termsfor a stock order.

Many shops don’t stock parts and the customer simply goes some-where else because of the convenience factor. Having parts on handboosts our parts sales more than 20 percent.

Jeffrey MyersMAR Automotive, Inc.Philadelphia, PA

What’s the Latest Buzz on Your Radio?Are your customers complaining about having a buzz or static on theirradio? Today’s cars are electrical computers on wheels and no one seemsto pay close attention to ground wires. I recently had a customer complain about noise on his radio. I showed him some dirty grounds, removed the bolts, cleaned off the rust and replaced them. The radioworks like a champ again and the headlights seem brighter according tothe customer. Keeping electrical connections clean and rust free also prolongs the life of your electrical system.

Roy MaloneyEngine & Performance WarehouseHouston, TX ■

12-13 Shop Solutions 12/17/13 9:11 AM Page 13

My transition in 1975 frombracket racing a 122˝wheelbase mid-eleven

second, two-ton ’57 Mercury to rac-ing in a low nine-second 99˝ wheel-base, Pinto Pro Stock car, was quitea jump. I was jaded with bracketracing and wanted to run headsup – all out with a door car. So, ProStock was it.

In September of 1975, I bought aused UDRA/Chicagoland ProStock Pinto called “The StonePony.” It was a serious player –engine was a 366˝ Gapp and RoushCleveland coupled with a Lenco 4speed and Dana rear end. Rear sus-pension was a four link, Panhardbar, and Koni coilover double ad-justable rear shocks. The Pinto hadbeen running low 9s at150-mph +.

However, my dragracing philosophy wasabout to radicallychange. My goal withbracket racing was topick a comfortable break out, beconsistent, cut a good light andknow when to take the stripe andwhen not to. Also, endurance is amust to go many rounds at a raceand for the season.

Once a comfortable E.T. wasestablished and you could gorounds, tuning or further modify-ing to go quicker was not wise.

I worked hard at the abovementioned recipe, and it oftenpaid off. I won a healthy share ofRun Tuff Eliminator bracketevents and the ’73 and ’74 Os-wego, IL, Track Championships.

Moving On Up Moving into Pro Stock was muchdifferent. Horsepower was the keyfactor. You ran all out, heads up. Ihad to get a ProStock license, andkeep up with changing safety rulesas well as performance and modifi-cation rules. The car had a mini-mum weight requirement.

Back then, Pro Stock minimumweights were factored as poundsper cubic inch. Decided by brand,type, wheelbase, performance his-tory of engine, etc. The factorsranged from 6.8 to 7.2. The Pintohad to be 7.2 pounds per cubicinch. Most Pro Stocks back thenused de-stroked small block en-gines for that reason.

Driving with a Pro Start four-tenth single

yellow bulb was no problem. Ifound it easier than a full 5-bulbtree. Going three seconds quickerand 35 mph faster in a much lighterand shorter wheelbase car, I gotused to it quickly, and it was ablast.

As I said earlier, keeping thePinto competitive, qualifying andgo-rounds within the rules was an-other matter.

Pinto PowerThe former Portage, IN, Pinto own-ers, Mark Seaman and Pete Richwere a big help.

Due to business demands theywere retiring from drag racing, sothey were willing to show me allthey could. As I got to know them,I realized it was a matter of pride.


Learning to RacePro Stock

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR “Animal” Jim [email protected]

A blast from the past: Racing to theFinish Line in the ‘Stone Pony’

Fast

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As time went on in my ProStock career, I learned manythings about the car as a pack-age. But maximum horsepowerwas still the main ingredient.

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They wanted me to do well in a carthey built.

When I decided to buy the Pinto,Mark and Pete had my crew chiefRick Davis and I come for the week-end. The Pinto was still apart likewhen I looked at it the week before.The Gapp and Roush engine wasapart. So were the Lenco 4 speed,Hayes Pro Stock Clutch and Danarear end. For two days, Mark andPete had Rick and I help put it allback together, teaching us as muchas possible.

By Sunday, the Pinto was ready.US 30 Drag Strip was only a shortdistance away. Being early Septem-ber, US 30 was open. All four of ustook the Pinto to the track so I couldmake a couple timed runs.

Mark and Pete's driver andUDRA Pro Stock Champion JoeGouger met us there. He showed mewhat to do. At the trailer, Joe had mesit in the car and talked me throughmock runs.

We went up to staging. Weplanned to make an easy run, so wekept the rpms 1,000 lower than an allout run. When my turn came, I drovejust as Joe instructed. The little Pintorang up 9.50 at 150 mph. Wow! Iknew this car would run low 9s allout.

In April of 1976, I did my ProStock NHRA license runs at Byron. Itall went smooth. The track ownerRon Leek let me run all six licenseruns in one day.

As time went on, I learned manythings about the car as a package.But maximum horsepowerwas still the main ingredi-ent.

In the ’70s, most all ProStock drivers were hands onmechanics and or enginebuilders and worked ontheir own cars themselves.No big crews. We usually brought inone or two volunteers or partner orspouse.

To keep up in Pro Stock, I gotmore involved in engine efficiencythan ever before. I learned head port-ing, using exotic parts, special toler-ances, torque honing skills, differentbalancing methods, filling blockswith epoxy, keeping slipper skirt thatpunished cylinders alive and round.

I learned things like the impor-tance of piston to head quench clear-ance. The first time I pulled theheads off that Cleveland, I could seethe machining marks in the soot onthe flat part of the pistons.

Alarmed, I called Jack Roush andhe told me that is exactly how itshould look. The tighter that quencharea can be compressed safely, themore power will be made and lesschance of untimely detonation mak-ing it possible to run more timing.

Going with the FlowJack Roush was my mentor in those days. As my Pro Stock effortprogressed I bought a couple moreRoush engines and parts.

Roush would coach me along.And eventually I built my own ProStock engines.

During my Cleveland Small blockera (1975 to 1983), I had many ofthese engines ranging from 339 to430 cubic inches. Some with Can-AmAluminum blocks and FurnaceBrazed Blocks.

Before long, I got myself a flowbench. I worked with it constantly.For myself and for my customers, itcreated a whole new business. Iworked on any kind of brand of en-gine imaginable.

I got into serious porting, learningmuch of it from my efforts in ProStock racing and affiliations with the

likes of Jack Roush and other bigtime engine builders, racers andmanufacturers.

I became an expert about valvetrains, cam tuning, oiling systems,carb mods and jetting, ignitions, in-dexing spark plugs, fuel, and listgoes on.

I used lot of this knowledge,where appropriate, with my cus-tomer's projects as well.

What I found interesting was thatall brand Pro Stock short blocks werevery similar – with super lightweightsub 400 gram, gas ported, slipperskirt pistons with 80 gram .075 walltool steel wrist pins and .043 oilrings.

Most of the engines used Chevy2˝ or 2.100˝ rod crank journals, pick-led and billet cranks, lightweightaluminum windage rods and bigroller cams. Most everything wasstill built using stock block and headcastings.

Induction was a highly modifiedtunnel ram with two modified 1050Holley 4500 Dominators. Sheet metal

intakes were not in vogue yet. Pro-duction tunnel ram castings werehacked, plenums reversed, exten-sively ported, welded and epoxiedwith Devcon inside and out. No twowere alike.

Heads were a huge determining


Fast Lane

Fast Lane continues on page 50

In the ’70s, most all Pro Stockdrivers were hands on mechanicsand/or engine builders andworked on their own cars. No bigcrews – usually one or two volun-teers or a partner or spouse.

14-50 Fast Lane 12/17/13 9:10 AM Page 16


17 american_Layout 1 12/17/13 9:20 AM Page 17

Alternative fuels such as E85 andbiodiesel that were once consid-ered fringe fuels are now main-

stream. You can burn any mixture ofgasoline and E85 in any vehicle that isFlex Fuel capable. As for biodiesel,blends ranging from B05 (5% biodiesel)to B100 (100% biodiesel) are being usedin all kinds of diesel applications. Sowhat other alternative fuels are beingconsidered today?

The front runners right now are natu-ral gas and propane. Thanks to frack-ing, natural gas is plentiful andrelatively cheap. Natural gas has longbeen used as an alternative fuel by somefleets (such as utility companies, wastehaulers, buses and municipal vehicles),but it appears now to be moving towarda wider market. In 2013, natural gasprovided the go power for only a smallfraction of the vehicle population (lessthan 1 percent). The U.S. Department ofEnergy says there are about 112,000 nat-ural gas powered vehicles on the road inthis country.

Most of the vehicles that burn naturalgas have to be specially converted fromgasoline or diesel to burn the gaseousfuel. General Motors, Ford and Chryslerall offer "bi-fuel" pickup trucks that havea dual fuel capability so they can burneither natural gas or diesel. The onlypassenger car currently available with anatural gas option is the Honda Civic,but that may be changing soon as moreand more auto makers are looking at of-fering natural gas versions of their carsand trucks in the U.S. market. Some of

these would be straight natural gaswhile others would be dual fuel gaso-line/natural gas or diesel/natural gas.At the recent Tokyo Auto Show, Mazdaunveiled a natural gas powered Mazda3concept car. The car has a dual fuel sys-tem that reportedly gets 20% bettermileage when running on natural gas.The Skyactiv 2.0L engine has a 14:1 com-pression ratio, so it works very well withnatural gas.

AdvantagesWhy natural gas? It's cheaper andcleaner than gasoline or diesel fuel, andit burns much cleaner in a diesel enginethan diesel fuel. Natural gas produces

lower carbon emissions (about 20 to 25%less than diesel) and contains no sulfur.Natural gas currently sells for a gaso-line-equivalent price of $1.95 per gallon,making it a third less expensive to burnas a motor vehicle fuel. In Europe, Asiaand even South America, natural gas ve-hicles are relatively common (over 14.8million vehicles worldwide according tothe DOE). Many see natural gas as amajor component in our future energyplans, and a better option than usingfood-based renewable fuels such asethanol made from corn or biodiesel


Future AlternativeFuels Could be a GasAbundance of natural gas couldimpact engine designs

Tech

Fea

ture

The BMW H2R (Hydrogen Race-car) is one of the first of a newbreed of racecars adapted torun on liquid hydrogen fuel.

BY LARRY CARLEY,TECHNICAL EDITOR

18-23 Alt Fuel 12/17/13 9:10 AM Page 18

made from soybeans.One application that may soon see

greater use of natural gas as an alterna-tive fuel is big Class 8 over-the-road 18-wheel heavy-duty trucks. In fact,according to the DOE, if all Class 7 and 8trucks were converted to CNG or LNG,it would reduce our nation's appetite foroil by 14%.

Natural gas has long been used as analternative fuel in stationary enginesand off-road engines, but recently dieselengine manufacturers have been devel-oping natural gas versions of engines forhighway use.

Cummins recently introduced twonew spark-ignited diesel engines (8.9LISL-G and 11.9L ISX12G) that can run oneither natural gas or diesel. When burn-ing diesel, the engine can meet emissionstandard without a diesel particulate fil-ter or urea aftertreatment. Cumminsalso has a 15-liter Westport ISX15Gdiesel engine that runs on a mixture of95% natural gas and 5% diesel. Volvo isalso introducing a high pressure directinjection natural gas/diesel option.

The difference in fuel mileage whenburning natural gas compared to diesel

can range from a 5% to 20% decrease toa 5% to 20% gain depending on the typeof fuel system and the modifications tothe engine that are made. When an en-gine is optimized for natural gas, it candeliver nearly the same fuel mileage asdiesel or gasoline.

Natural gas has a very high octanerating (130 Research Octane Rating orRON) and a low cetane rating (less than10), but burns at a slower speed andlower temperature than gasoline ordiesel. Increasing the engine's compres-sion ratio to take advantage of its highoctane rating improves thermal effi-ciency, while careful injection and igni-tion timing (when a spark is used)optimizes combustion.

The economics of burning naturalgas depends on the application, andwhether the engine is a factory option oran aftermarket conversion. Installing adual fuel system on a passenger car orpickup truck can cost thousands of dol-lars, and on a Class 8 truck a natural gasfuel system can add tens of thousands ofdollars to the cost of the truck! Even so,many say the cost savings between theprice of natural gas and diesel provides

a relatively quick payback as the milesadd up.

CNG & LNGNatural gas is actually a mixture ofgases, typically about 91 to 95%methane (CH4) with traces of other hy-drocarbons such as propane, ethane andbutane in the mix.

Historically, it has been a byproductof oil well drilling but today it is beingrecovered directly by hydraulicallycracking ("fracking") gas-bearing rockformations deep below the surface ofthe ground. It can also be recoveredfrom landfills and even cow farts!

Natural gas can be used as an alter-native motor fuel in either gasoline ordiesel-powered vehicles as CompressedNatural Gas (CNG) or Liquefied NaturalGas (LNG). Methane is a low pressuregas at room temperature. Since it is al-ready vaporized, it mixes well with airwhen injected into an engine via a spraynozzle or dual feed injectors. However,for natural gas to be stored in a fueltank, it must first be compressed orchilled and liquefied to increase its den-sity. When compressed, it is typically


Tech Feature


18-23 Alt Fuel 12/17/13 9:10 AM Page 19

stored inside a reinforced fuel tank at 3,000 to 3,600 PSI. Whenliquefied, it is chilled down to minus 260 degrees F (-162 de-grees C) and held in an insulated cryogenic tank.

CNG is typically used in applications where vehicles travelless than 200 miles in a day and return to a central location forrefueling. Centralized refueling works well for local deliveryfleets, buses, cabs and municipal vehicles that are running on

CNG or LNG, but a dedicated natural gas vehicle usuallylacks the range of a more conventional fuel -- and publicCNG/LNG refueling stations can be hard to find in manyareas. For longer range driving, LNG is a better option be-cause it is much more dense when it is chilled and condensedinto a liquid. This allows a greater quantity of fuel to be storedon the vehicle for an extended driving range.

Public CNG and LNG refueling facilities are availableacross the country (about 1,500 of them and growing), butthat's still only about 1% of all retail fuel outlets. Many morewill have to be added before natural gas can become a main-stream alternative fuel. This will require a major investmentin refueling infrastructure. Adding CNG or LNG capabilitiesto a new or existing filling station costs about half a million

dollars according to the Na-tional Association of Conven-ience Stores. A listing ofalternative fuel stations can befound at www.energy.gov.

One of the advantages ofusing CNG as a motor fuel ina private vehicle is that the

vehicle can be refueled in a home garage if the home has a nat-ural gas line for the furnace, stove and water heater. A homegarage high pressure CNG refueling pump costs about $4,000,which is nearly two to three times the price of a 240 volt homecharging station for a plug-in Chevy Volt hybrid or NissanLeaf electric car.Fuel Tanks


Tech Feature


This Gaseous Fuels Chartcompares energy output ofvarious future fuel sourceswith gasoline.

18-23 Alt Fuel 12/17/13 9:10 AM Page 20

CNG and LNG fuel tanks are bulky andexpensive, though not much heavierthan a conventional fuel tank in mostvehicles. Because of the size limitations,fuel storage capacity and range are notas great as with a conventional fuel --which can create range anxiety if a vehi-cle has a single fuel system that runs onCNG only. Trucks have more cargospace and can usually accommodatemuch larger fuel tanks, giving themmore range on CNG or LNG. The otheroption is to have a dual fuel system that

allows the engine to run on natural gasor a conventional fuel depending onwhich is available.

Refueling takes somewhat longerthan filling a vehicle with gasoline ordiesel, and requires special hose connec-tions, fittings and dispensing equipment(a high pressure compressor or a cryo-genic storage tank). Safety may be aconcern with high pressure CNG orsuper cold LNG, but if there is a leakmethane is lighter than air and rises anddisperses quickly. It also has a much

higher ignitionpoint than gaso-line or diesel,making it less of afire hazard thanconventionalmotor fuels.

CNG As ARacing Fuel

Through CNG has long been used forordinary everyday driving and to powerstationary engines, it has also found asmall but growing niche among racingenthusiasts. Back in 1970, a CNG fueledrocket car called the Blue Flame set aland speed record of 630 mph. The BlueFlame produced an estimated 58,000horsepower and was the first vehicle toexceed 1000 kilometers per hour. Therocket car is on display in a museum inGermany today (which is interesting,considering the car was built and drivenby an American!).

Patrick Racing has developed a natu-ral gas powered race car for the Ameri-can LeMans Series. The purpose of thePrototype Challenge natural gas racecars is to raise awareness of the perform-


Tech Feature


The Blue Flame is the rocket-powered vehicle driven by GaryGabelich that achieved theworld land speed record onBonneville Salt Flats in Utah onOctober 23, 1970. It’s now ondisplay in the Sinsheim Auto &Technik Museum in Germany.

18-23 Alt Fuel 12/17/13 9:10 AM Page 21

ance potential of natural gas. Interest ingreen fuels has been growing lately,with E85 ethanol alcohol finding a nicheas a less toxic alternative for methanolalcohol in circle track and drag racing.The U.S. Dept. of Energy, EnvironmentalProtection Agency and Society of Auto-motive Engineers (SAE) have developed"Green Racing" guidelines to help fosterdevelopment of alternative fuels thatcan be used in future production vehi-cles, to enhance energy independenceand to reduce carbon emissions frommotor vehicles. The Prototype Chal-lenge cars are powered by a 6.2L ChevyLS3 engine that tuned to deliver 450horsepower on natural gas.

At the recent Muscle Car & CorvetteNationals car show in Chicago, therewas a vintage Pontiac GTO that hasbeen converted to run on CNG. The carfeatures an Chevy LS engine under thehood with a high pressure CNG fueltank hidden in the trunk behind theback seat. The CNG fuel filler fittingwas concealed behind the license platein the back bumper. A very slick setup,indeed.

PropaneAnother gaseous fuel that will play agrowing role in transportation ispropane (also called LPG for LiquifiedPetroleum Gas). According to the Na-tional Propane Gas Association, we havepropane coming out of our ears. TheU.S. became a net exporter or propane in2010, and in 2011 propane productionexceeded consumer demand for the firsttime ever.

Propane is a byproduct of natural gas

wells and oil refining, andthe abundant supply meansit is cheaper than gasoline,though not as cheap as nat-ural gas. Propane currentlysells for around $2.40 to$2.50 per gallon, and isavailable at several thou-sand outlets around the

country. It's used in everything fromfork lifts to buses to pickup trucks, andthere are numerous companies who cando propane conversions on existing cars,trucks and other types of vehicles (a con-version typically costs about $4,000 to$6,500 depending on the application).Currently, there are about 160,000propane-powered vehicles in the U.S.,and more than 13 million worldwide.

Propane's chemical formula is C3H8so it contains less carbon than gasoline.That makes it a cleaner burning fuelthan gasoline and more ecofriendly, butit also contains less heat energy per gal-lon than gasoline (91,000 BTUs forpropane versus 115,400 for gasoline), buton a pound per pound basis propanecontains more heat energy than gasoline(19,750 BTUs versus 18,970 BTUs forgasoline). Because of this, most enginesdevelop about the same amount ofpower with propane or gasoline unlessthe engine is optimized with a highercompression ratio to take advantage ofpropane's higher octane rating (112RON). When higher compression ratiosare used, propane will produce morepower.

Like natural gas, propane is a vaporat room temperature. But unlike naturalgas, it can be liquefied if chilled tominus 44 degrees F, or compressed andheld under pressure inside a sealedtank. It only takes about 128 PSI to keeppropane in a liquid state at 80 degrees F,which is much less pressure than is re-quired for a CNG fuel system. Conse-quently, propane fuel tanks have aworking pressure range of 175 to 250 PSI.

Propane is available in various

grades for various purposes. The ver-sion that is used for motor fuel is HD5,which contains 90 percent propane, plussmall amounts of butane, methane andpropylene. Propane burns similar togasoline and requires a slightly leanerair/fuel ratio of 15.7 to 1 (versus 14.7 to1 for gasoline). Propane mixes with airreadily but can be slow to vaporize atsubzero temperatures. Because of this, atank warmer may be required to deliverfuel vapor to the engine during coldweather.

Propane can be used in a singlefuel or dual fuel system on a gasoline ordiesel engine. Engines burning propanetypically run much cleaner than gasolineor diesel engines, so valves stay cleanerand the oil lasts longer. Motor oils withspecial additive packages for propaneare usually recommended.

HydrogenAnother gaseous fuel that can be burnedin an internal combustion engine is hy-drogen gas (H2). It's the lightest andmost abundant element on Earth, but ithas to be made from something elsesuch as methane, methanol, coal or evenwater (via electrolysis). Because it has tobe extracted from something else, pro-duction costs make hydrogen expensive(about $4 a gallon gasoline equivalent).

Hydrogen is the cleanest of all alter-native fuels, producing only watervapor when it burns. It contains no car-bon so there are zero carbon monoxide(CO), carbon dioxide (CO2) or hydrocar-bon (HC) emissions. However, oxidesof nitrogen (NOx) can still be producedas a byproduct of high combustion tem-peratures. Even so, EGR and a catalyticconverter can clean up any NOx in theexhaust, leaving only steam coming outof the tailpipe.

Because hydrogen is a gas at roomtemperature, it displaces air if it is fedinto the intake manifold by a throttlebody spray nozzle or individual port in-jectors. This can cause a loss of enginepower of up to 20%. By using direct in-jectors to deliver hydrogen directly intothe combustion chamber, and by in-creasing the engine's compression ratioto take advantage of hydrogen's high oc-tane rating (130 ROM), engine powercan actually be increased as much as 15to 20% over gasoline. Add a tur-bocharger or supercharger to cram moreair into the cylinders, and hydrogen canfuel a real screamer!

Like natural gas and propane, hydrogen must be highly compressed or


Tech Feature

Embracing natural gas as a safe and abundant rac-ing fuel, Patrick Racing Team last season enteredinto an agreement with the International MotorSports Association (IMSA) sanctioning body for theAmerican Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Pa-tron (ALMS), to identify development and testingopportunities for natural gas to power the Series'Prototype Challenge class.

18-23 Alt Fuel 12/17/13 9:10 AM Page 22

liquefied and held in a high pressure orcryogenic fuel tank. Typical storagepressures for hydrogen can be as high as10,000 PSI! To liquefy hydrogen, it hasto be chilled down to -423 degrees F (-253 degrees C)! Hydrogen can be storedat room temperature and low pressureby using other materials to absorb it likea sponge. These include metal hydridesand even charred chicken feathers orcorn cobs (no joke!).

By volume, hydrogen has a very lowvolumetric energy density, only aboutone third that of natural gas. On theother hand, by weight it has 3X the en-ergy density of gasoline. That's whyrocket fuel is often liquid hydrogen andliquid oxygen. You can get a lot of bangfor the buck when you burn hydrogen.When used as a motor fuel in an internalcombustion engine, hydrogen can runvery lean (stoichiometric for hydrogen is34.3 to 1).

Auto makers have been experiment-ing with hydrogen internal combustionengines for years. BMW has built anumber of hydrogen-powered cars, in-cluding a H2R concept car and a dualfuel luxury sedan called the Hydrogen 7

KE. The latter sports a V12 engine thatcan run on gasoline or hydrogen. TheBMW Hydrogen 7 KE gets about 17mpg on gasoline but only about 5 mpgon hydrogen. Why such a difference?The engine was not optimized for hy-drogen and it lacks a turbocharger or su-percharger to take full advantage ofhydrogen's higher octane rating. With a45 gallon cryogenic fuel tank, the car'srange on hydrogen is only about 100miles.

Most of the interest in hydrogenthese days is going towards developinghydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles.When hydrogen gas is fed into a fuelcell, the platinum catalyst inside the fuelcell causes the hydrogen to react withoxygen to make electricity. It works bet-ter than trying to power an electric carwith a battery, and it delivers much highfuel economy (say 60 to 70 miles per gal-lon!). But so far fuel cells have beenvery expensive and temperamental. Afuel cell produces a lot of waste heat thathas to be carefully managed with cool-ing fans. If the cell overheats, it can bedamaged.

General Motors, Honda and other

auto makers have been driving fuel celltest cars for years. Recently, I drove a hy-drogen fuel cell Chevy Equinox and wasamazed that it felt exactly the same as ahybrid or gasoline-powered vehicle. Toy-ota and Hyundai have both announcedthat they will start selling production-ready hydrogen fuel cell cars next year,even though there isn't much infrastruc-ture yet for refueling these vehicles.

Government programs are helping tofund the expansion of alternative fuelingstations across the U.S., so as we moveforward a greater and greater percent-age of our vehicle population will beusing some type of alternative fuel(CNG, LNG, LPG, hydrogen or biofuels)or an alternative energy source (plug-inelectric or hydrogen fuel cell). For now,the numbers won't be huge (only a fewpercent) so there will be minimal impacton engine builders who depend on theinternal combustion engine for theirlivelihood. But even as the numbersgrow, it will create new markets forservicing the engines and powertrains ofthe alternative fueled vehicles of tomorrow. ■


Tech Feature


18-23 Alt Fuel 12/17/13 9:10 AM Page 23

Every engine project starts withthe block because the block isthe foundation for everything

else that follows. The block determines bore and

stroke, camshaft and lifter location,oil pump location and oil galley con-figuration, what kind of main bear-ing caps can be used to support thecrankshaft, and what kind of cylin-der heads, oil pan and bellhousingcan be bolted to the block.

If you're starting with a usedblock, you have to clean it and thor-oughly inspect it to make sure theblock is free from cracks or excessivewear in the cylinders, cam, crankand lifter bores that would make itunsuitable for rebuilding. A sea-soned engine block that's accumu-lated a lot of miles can provide astable foundation for a performancerebuild.

But the accumulated stress andwear that comes with lots of milesalso increases the odds that theblock may have reached the end ofthe road and is better suited to serv-ing as a boat anchor. With everypassing year, it gets harder andharder to find good rebuildable usedblocks for engine projects -- espe-cially the more desirable enginesand displacements. What's more,some types of racing specify a cer-tain type of block (such as Midwest305 Sprint Cars which require a castiron 305 block). So if you can't find astock block that meets the require-ments, your only option is to gowith an aftermarket block.

Aftermarket Engine BlocksIf you can't find a good original

equipment engine block for a proj-ect, or the original equipment blockdoesn't have enough clearance,strength or rigidity to handle thekind of power you want to make,there are plenty of aftermarketblocks from which you can choose.Aftermarket blocks are usually pur-pose-built blocks that feature numer-ous improvements over the originalequipment design that they arebased upon. Today's thinner OEMcastings save weight and cost, butalso allow more cylinder bore distor-tion when power levels exceed fac-tory limits. Push them too far andthey often blow up!

A stock Chevy small block withtwo bolt or four bolt main caps canusually handle 450 to 500 horse-power, but when you start pushingit to much higher horsepower levelswith nitrous oxide, or lots of boostpressure from a turbo or blower badthings start to happen in the cylin-ders and bottom end. For such ap-plications, an aftermarket block maybe the only safe way to go.

Cylinder bore distortion affectspiston ring sealing, so the more thebores distort under high loads, thegreater the blowby past the rings.Blowby wastes power so the morerigid the block, the better.

An aftermarket block that hasmore metal around the cylinderswill experience less bore distortionand produce more usable horse-power – up to 20 to 30 more hp insome cases with no other changes!

Many aftermarket blocks havethicker deck surfaces to maintain abetter head gasket seal and to reducethe risk of cracking. More metal in

the deck also means they can beresurfaced down the road withoutweakening the block.

If you're building a strokermotor and need a taller deck heightto accommodate more piston travel,you can usually get that too. It's thesame with raised camshaft locationsfor added crank clearance. Many af-termarket engine blocks are avail-able with standard deck heights ortaller deck heights, standard cam lo-cations or raised cam locations,and/or with oversized cam bores toaccept cams with oversized journals.

Another plus with some after-market engine blocks is that youhave greater flexibility with the kind


Building BlocksThe Foundation of any Engine Build is the Block

Tech

Fea

ture

BY LARRY CARLEY, TECHNICAL EDITOR

24-27 Engine Blocks 12/17/13 9:07 AM Page 24

of cylinder heads that will fit themotor. One supplier makes a modi-fied LS Chevy block that uses a SBChevy crank and oil pan but acceptslate model LS cylinder heads. Thecam in this particular block is 0.135inches higher, allowing the use of alarger 55 mm camshaft with a 4-inchstroke crank. Some suppliers alsoadd extra bolt holes around thecylinders so you can use specialheads with additional head bolts forbetter head gasket sealing.

What kind of crankshaft do youwant to use? Many aftermarketblocks for SB Chevy applicationsgive you the choice of using a 350 or400 Chevy crank. You can also getblocks with billet steel main capsand a splayed bolt pattern for addedstrength.

Some blocks have special rein-forcements in the lifter valley and onthe outside of the cooling jackets toimprove stiffness and support.These kind of improvements are especially valuable in high horse-power applications were rigidityand strength are critical.

The back of the block is anotherarea where aftermarket suppliersgive you more flexibility. You canget blocks with a standard bell housing configuration, a late modelconfiguration or a sprint car bell

housing mounting pattern. Theblocks may also have multiple motormount bosses so it can be used witha variety of different mounts.

When Bigger is BetterDo you need more displacement?Adding cubic inches is a great way toadd horsepower and torque. Youcan get SB Chevy blocks with 4.5inch bore spacing and BB Chevyswith 5-inch (or larger) bore spacing.

One supplier has a block with5.300 inch bore spacing that can han-dle cylinder bores up to 5.080 inchesand a crank with a full 6-inch stroke.Do the math and it adds up to 973cubic inches.

Others are pushing the envelopeto over 1,000 cubic inches! The pointis, if you can dream it somebody isprobably making it or will custommake it for you.

A lot of street performance ap-plications are running BB Chevysover 600 cubic inches these days, soto achieve that kind of displacementyou need a block that can handlebigger bore diameters and a longstroke crankshaft.

You can also get blocks withstandard or oversized lifter bores,and fitted with bronze bushings foradded durability if that's what youwant. Some also offer blocks with

relocated lifter bores to improve val-vetrain geometry.

Getting Better LubricationStock oiling systems often leavemuch to be desired when it comes toperformance engine applications.Some aftermarket blocks have recon-figured oil galleries for better oilflow to the lifters and valvetrain.

On factory LS engines, for exam-ple, cam and lifter bore wear is oftena problem, making up to 50% of sal-vage blocks unusable. By changingthe way oil is delivered to the lifters,these kind of wear problems can beeliminated.

On SB Chevy engines, oil is fed tothe cam bearings at the 6 o'clock po-sition, which is fine for a stock val-vetrain. But when stiffer valvesprings are used, the cam can bepushed down against the oil feedholes and restrict oil flow to the cambearings. Relocating the oil feedholes to the 5 o'clock position solvesthis problem as assures a steadysupply of oil for the cam.

Many blocks give you a choiceas to the type of oiling system youcan use (internal wet sump or exter-nal dry sump), and the oil pump andfilter location on the block. Differentoil pan rail configurations may alsobe available giving you more free-dom as to the type of oil pan thatcan be bolted under the motor.


Tech Feature

This Chevy LSX block is available with boresizes ranging from 3.990 to 4.25 inches. Itcan be fitted with a 4.5 inch stroke crank, orup to a 5.0 inch stroker if you want morethan 500 cubic inches of displacement.

With CNC machining, you can getessentially anything you want, like650 cubic inches in this partially finished aluminum block.


Addressing Cooling IssuesCooling problems in many origi-nal equipment blocks are causedby limited coolant circulation be-tween the cylinders.

Some aftermarket blocks havelarger water jackets and extraribbing to help cool the engine.These kind of improvements areespecially important with largedisplacement stroker enginesthat need more cooling.

Cast Iron and AluminumBlocksYou can buy aftermarket per-formance blocks in a variety ofmaterials including cast iron,Compacted Graphite Iron (CGI),cast aluminum or machined billetaluminum.

Cast iron blocks are usuallythe most affordable option, andoften use a higher grade of castiron that what is used in manyOEM blocks. CGI blocks use a

stronger, higher density form of ironwhich improves overall strength andwear resistance. CGI also allowsportions of the casting to be thinnerfor added weight savings. But CGIcan be very difficult to machine be-cause of its hardness so there aresome tradeoffs if you choose to gothis route.

You can buy unfinished blocksand do your own machining, par-tially machined blocks that only re-quire final honing and clearancing,or fully machined blocks that areready to assemble.

Often, the cost difference betweena raw casting and a fully machinedcasting isn't that much (less than$100 in some cases), so you need toconsider the advantages of doing thework yourself or having the supplierdo it for you.

The main advantages with alu-minum blocks are lighter weight (upto 100 lbs. or more depending on theengine), easier machinability andbetter cooling.

Aluminum blocks may be madefrom a high grade 357-T6 aluminumor other alloy. Aluminum blocks areusually sleeved, typically with cen-trifugally cast ductile iron sleeves.Iron sleeves are compatible with all


Tech Feature


Need cubic inches? How about a CNC block with 5.3 inch bore spacing.


ring types and added much neededstiffness to an aluminum block. Mostare dry pressed in sleeves whichmeans the sleeves can be replaced ifnecessary if a cylinder is damaged orworn.

There are also some wet sleevekits for cast aluminum blocks, butthey require extensive CNC machin-ing to install. You can also get alu-minum blocks with cooling jackets,partial cooling jackets or a solidblock with no cooling jackets at all(for drag racing).

Cast aluminum blocks are ex-pensive, however, and may cost$4500 to $5500 or more dependingon the application and whether youare buying an unfinished block or amachined block. Additional weightreduction by CNC machining addsto the cost.

The most expensive aftermar-ket blocks are ones that are CNCmachined from a solid chunk of alu-minum. Most of these engines are awork of art to behold – and arepriced accordingly. Some billet aluminum blocks can cost upwardsof $12,000 dollars, so they are mostly

toys for the big boys like Top Fueland Alcohol dragsters and IHRA ProStock race cars.

A billet aluminum block is typi-cally much stronger than a cast alu-minum block (36% higher tensilestrength and 66% higher yieldstrength according to one supplier ofbillet blocks). It's also 20 to 30pounds lighter than a typical castaluminum block thanks to the intri-cate and precise machining that goesinto making one of these blocks.The stiffness of the block also meansless bore distortion and more usablehorsepower.

Ductile iron dry sleeves areused in most billet aluminum blocksfor the same reasons they are used incast aluminum blocks, to add stiff-ness, durability and serviceability.

Because billet aluminum blocksare all CNC machined, they are cus-tom made one-at-a-time and offer alot of machining options (bore size,deck height, cam and lifter location,etc.). These are built to spec enginesso you can get just about anythingyou want. ■

EngineBuilderMag.com 27Circle 27 for more information

Dart’s LS Next block hasconventional style maincaps and oil pan, whicheliminates the windageproblems associated withthe stock LS engine’s separated crankcase bays.


Your engine shop may be greatat rebuilding powerplants forcustomers, but one thing your

staff can’t do is build “more time.”Whether it’s silver, gold, plat-

inum, diamonds, rubies or even cold,hard cash, we take numerous meas-ures each day to protect our valuableitems, some more drastic than others.

We use locks, banks, safes andalarms to ensure their safe protec-tion. We lock our homes, cars andbusinesses in order to safeguard ourpersonal possessions and the thingsthat are important to us.

And yet, what is com-monly overlooked, issomething more valuable;so valuable that once it’slost, you have no hope ofever recovering it. We allhave the exact sameamount of it each day,and tomorrow, we startoff with a fresh batch ofit. Some of us use it much betterthan others and make the very bestof it. What I’m talking about is time.

While we don’t know when “ourtime” will ultimately end, we doknow that each day we are given 24hours or 1,440 minutes. It’s up to usto make the most of that precioustime and do everything in ourpower to protect ourselves fromnonproductive use of it.

Time StealersEach day, engine builders and shopowners are confronted with a myriadof choices as to what to do with theirtime.

Furthermore, each day, everyonehas a vast number of time stealersthat are unmercifully ready to takewhat they don’t protect.

Much like steam rising from thetop of a boiling pot of your favoritepasta, once time is gone, it’s goneforever.

Identify ThemLike any security flaw, it’s necessaryto first identify the weakness beforeputting measures in place to betterprotect one’s valuable items.

So, let’s look at some time stealersand see if you can relate to a few.

Lack Of PlanningThis is when you show up at theshop and the day takes on a life of itsown. You find yourself surfing fromone challenge to another and reallynot getting anything accomplished


Identifying and Removingthe “Time Stealers” fromYour Shop One thing your shop can’t

build is more time

Man

agem

ent

To get the most use out of shoptime, schedule work accordinglyand have a plan. For example,when using the dyno, outlinebeforehand what you want totest and what specific parts youneed to test in order to useyour time more wisely.


BY VIC TARASIK

28-31 Business Toolbox #1 12/17/13 9:06 AM Page 28


29 motovicity_Layout 1 12/17/13 9:20 AM Page 29

until after you have put out most of the fires.Suggestion: The best way to combat a potential lack of

planning is to start off each day with a list of items youwant to accomplish and consider that list your road mapfor the day.

Like any journey, you may have side trips, but by theend of your day you’re closer to your destination. Start-ing out your day in this way will help keep you on track.

E-mail, Internet And Smart PhonesWow, these can be the “black hole” of time stealers! Ac-cording to The Harris Interactive Poll, the average personspends 13 hours a week on the Internet via their com-puter and smart phone.

Another recent study by Nokia says that we check oursmart phone once every 6 1/2 minutes, which amountsto 150 times in a 16-hour day!

Suggestions: Check the Internet and answer e-mailsduring down periods. Remember that keeping up withthings on the Internet won’t change their outcome.

Also, a ringing phone doesn’t always need to be an-swered; let it go to voicemail and tend to it when you candedicate time to the person who called.

InterruptionsHave you ever found yourself working on a project andsomeone stops in with a “quick question”? Well, it neverreally is quick and it can take you 15 minutes to get backon track once you wrap things up with the person whojust dropped in.

Suggestion: Have a method in place to communicateto your staff whether you are available or not. At Vic’s, Ihave a sliding sign on my doorway that shows my avail-ability.

If the sign indicates that I’m on “Green Time,” I’mavailable for any need. Whereas, “Red Time” signifiesthat it’s not a good time unless there’s an emergency.This works out really well for us and I have shared itwith others who have effectively put this practice intoplace.

Phone CallsAs a shop owner, you are most likely off the counter andyour shop/service manager is ordering parts online, right?If not, they should be, as it boosts their productivity.

As an owner, your phone rings for different reasons.Just because it rings doesn’t mean you have to pick it up,as mentioned earlier. Let it roll into voicemail and get toit when you have the time.

Also, if you want to be really focused, set your cellphone on “do not disturb” and you won’t be tempted topick up the ringing phone.

MeetingsWhether it’s with a customer, vendor or employee, pro-fessionals spend 5.6 hours a week in meetings, accordingto the Microsoft Office Personal Productivity Challenge(PPC) study.

Suggestion: Plan your meeting objectives well in ad-vance and set time limits for each specific area of discus-sion. Planning is applicable mainly to your vendor andemployee relationships.

Know How To Say ‘No’As a general rule, if people – customers or employees –can dump their issue at your feet, they will. We had acustomer who needed her 90,000-mile vehicle servicedone in two hours because she and her family were leav-ing for their vacation that afternoon and she had forgot-ten to come in earlier.

While my answer was “Yes, I can get you in and per-form the service,” we completed it on our schedule,which was later than she wanted. Our customer did notget to leave when she wanted, but her lack of planningwas not going to be an emergency on our part.

Even a performance engine shop considers themselvesas being in the service business. It’s in your nature towant to please our customers, whether they are internalor external customers.

Learning when to say no can be beneficial not only fi-nancially, but also when it comes to being more produc-tive time-wise.

The Bottom LineIf you don’t guard your time, no one will. So take inven-tory of the areas that need to be addressed and you willgive yourself more time to do what pleases you, and takecharge of your day. The end result will be a happier youand a more profitable shop!

Want to share your time-stealing tips? Drop me a line atvic@Vics Precision.com.

Vic Tarasik is the owner of Vic’s Precision Automotive, The Woodlands, TX.




I bet that you not only get solicita-tions from hundreds of vendors foryour website, SEO and Facebookservices, but also, just like your customers, you are asked to con-sume so much information in yourinbox and on your phone, that it’simpossible to process it all.

In fact, the amount of data gen-erated on the Internet every minute(YouTube users upload 48 hours ofvideo, Facebook users share 684,478pieces of content, Instagram usersshare 3,600 new photos, etc.) suggests that new engagementstrategies are needed. In essence,your customers only have so muchtime per day as well.

The experts at AutoVitals researched the clicks on videos embedded in dozens of auto repairshop websites and the results aredisappointing.

Videos on the homepage of web-sites are clicked on between 1% and

9% of the time. Videos as part ofblogs embedded in auto repairshop websites below the fold (visi-tors have to scroll down to watchthem) are clicked on less than 0.5%of all clicks on that page.

Why are the results so devastat-ing? The answer can be summedup in two words: User Experience.

If the information is not pre-sented in the moment of need, itgoes by unattended. The visitor ofthe website should find the answerto the reason why they came to thewebsite in the first place.

The good news is that perform-ance shops are not e-commercebusinesses like amazon.com whereno personal contact is possible andall products are commoditized andreadily available for price compari-son. The key is to focus on thevalue a local engine shop providesto the local community. You areyour own brand with these fea-

tures: Trusted, excellent customerservice, personalized recommenda-tions and performance-specific en-gine information.

Save Time with Social PowerYour business is on Facebook, isn’tit? If not, check out the next story inthe Business Toolbox – beginningon page 32.

Millions of motorists are on Facebook and have at least onefriend who comes across your busi-ness page, or the business page ofanother engine shop that’s affili-ated with the association to whichyou belong. Where individual reachmight be limited, an association’swide presence can help in attractingthe motorist’s attention.

Uwe Kleinschmidt is the CEO andfounder of AutoVitals (www.autovitals.com) in Santa Barbara, CA ■


Business Toolbox


Time Out: Internet Interaction At The Moment Of Need


Facebook is great for exposure –it will help you grow a strongerrelationship with your current

customers and it will help you toreach your best prospects: your cus-tomers’ friends.

However, you can’t think that byjust setting up a page, people willfind you, like you and buy from you.

You need to put time into it andmake the page work for your busi-ness.

Here are six ways you can takeyour page to the next level:

1. Have a nice looking page:Yes, how your Facebook page

looks matters. Think of it as the firstimpression many prospects will havefrom you.

If it looks unfinished,you are telling peopleyou don’t really careabout how your businesslooks – and people willbelieve that you don’tcare about your customers as well.

Make sure your page has a gooddesign and looks organized.

2. Create cool content: People are on social networks to

be social, so give them plenty of opportunities to interact.

Post funny things and ask questions to your fans. You can docaption contests and “fill in theblank” posts - they are very popularand help to get fans talking.

3. Be conversational:Posting a lot about your business

deals is not branding, it’s spamming. The biggest reason people use so-

cial media is to connect with familyand friends, not for business.

So, connect with your customersand get them to interact by talkingabout things that happen in every-day life and what is going on aroundyour community.

Show them new projects yourshop is working on or ask your fanswhat they would do with a specificperformance engine.

It is ok if you post about yourproducts and services every once in awhile, just don’t do it all the timeand don’t try to sell all the time –people don’t like to be told what todo and they won’t buy from you justbecause you told them you are thebest in town.

4. Use apps: The more options you give to

your fans, the more they will interactwith your page.

Facebook has tons of apps youcan use to promote fun. A great


Connecting with Your Customers Firing Up Facebook for

the Engine Shop

Man

agem

ent

The Cover Picture is the first impression a customer will haveof your business online, so picksomething appropriate thatmakes sense for your business.

BusinessBusinessToolboxToolbox BY NATALIA MORAIS

WWW.MOVINGTARGETS.COM


example is the Fan of the Week, afree application that motivates people to engage with your page byrewarding the person that interactedthe most.

Other great apps to use areMenuTab, Involver and Woobox –the last two will help you to add alltypes of tabs, like forms, coupons,contests, Instagram and Pinterest.

These are great to have your cus-tomers share photos of their engines,performance upgrades or just theirday at the track.

5. Use the features in your favor: There are many features on

Facebook that small engine shopbusiness owners can use to get morebusiness. One of them is the “Offers”tab located on the status update boxon your page.

Facebook will then give you threetypes of offers to choose from: In-Store Only, In-Store & Online andOnline Only. Choose the one thatbest fits you and follow the instruc-tions.

Another less known feature youcan use to get more business is theFacebook Check-in Deals – theywork just like Foursquare specialsand customers can get offers by justcheck-in at your place on Facebook.

To setup a deal, go to the AdminPanel and click on EDIT PAGE. Thenclick on UPDATE PUBLIC INFO.

On the left had side, click onDEALS. Select the type of deal youwant to offer and follow the instructions.

Check-in deals are great becausethey will motivate customers to keepcoming back and because they helpyou to show up first on Facebooksearches. Also, the deals are easy totrack and you’ll have a better idea ofhow your social media efforts areworking.

6. Work on the relationship:Facebook is all about creating

conversations. The platform is a two-way road, so you really need to talkto your customers.

Make sure you reply to comments, ask questions and showthe personal side of your business.Most of businesses don’t reply tofans or talk to them, so even if you

do just a little bit a day, your fanswill notice and they’ll rememberyou.

On Facebook, exposure is basedon how much interaction and en-gagement your page gets (for morein depth info, see Facebook EdgeRank). The more you talk toyour fans, the more they will replyand the more exposure you’ll get.

In addition, by having a nicepage, you will be building a strongrelationship with your fans andkeeping your business on the top oftheir minds.

So make sure you take the time toimprove your page, talk to your customers and post things they’dlike to see. That way, you’ll take yourpage to the next level and turn yourfans into real buying customers!

If you have any questions about this article or about any social media channels, feel free to contact me at [email protected].


Management


Show Off Your ShopUsing a Facebook page to promote and market your shopcan be a great opportunity tobetter represent your business. But it also can be a great disappointment if you don’t set itup the right way. To be sure you have a great design, choose a picture that represents your business and thatwill impress people, like a recentengine build, a performance carshot or something remarkableabout your business history. Remember: the Cover Picture isthe first impression a customerwill have of your business online,so pick something appropriatethat makes sense for your business!


While providing good enginerebuilding work is an essential component of

customer satisfaction, perhaps evenmore important — when it comes tocultivating loyalty — is deliveringexceptional customer service. Afterall, customers expect us to rebuildand engine or get more horsepowerout of it.

What they don’t expect is a convenient, easy and enjoyable experience.

If you can excel in the customerservice arena, you will give customers a reason to return.

Making A GoodImpressionYou may not realize thata customer’s interactionwith your shop starts be-fore they even walk inthe door.

A customer is going toform opinions aboutyour business based on your advertising materials, website, internet reviews and even thecauses you support.

Having a user-friendly websitethat features testimonials, photos ofyour shop and the benefits you offercustomers is a great way to buildtrust with potential new customers.

When it comes to advertising,make sure your offers are clear,easy-to-understand and easy to use.For example, maybe they saw a pro-motion of yours at a local track.

Your first conversation with a

customer when they walk in yourdoor shouldn’t involve you explaining a confusing promotionon a performance rebuild.

And, don’t forget to monitoryour online reputation. With somuch engine work being shippedcross-country, using the Internet as ameans to do business is a helpfultool. But you also need to keep upwith it and addressing bad reviewswill show your willingness to discuss concerns.

So, what happens when a cus-tomer finally visits your shop? Heor she should encounter a clean

facility,staffed byfriendly,

articulate, well-groomed employees. Remember, there are more

women these days becoming in-volved in racing or wanting theircar or truck’s engine modified.

So keep your entrance area clean,organized and maintained. First impressions say a lot and you haveonly a few seconds to provide a perception of integrity and superiorservice.

Separating Yourself FromThe PackServing customers well is tricky because the definition of what is considered excellent customer service keeps changing.

Benefits that were once


Creating Lasting Customer LoyaltyWin a customer over before they even win a race

Man

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ent

The more you can connect withyour customers and other people inyour market area, be it at races,swap meets, car shows, etc., themore you increase your chances ofthose people coming to you whenthey are ready to buy performanceand engine work.


BY TIM ROSS MUDLICK MAIL


considered unusual, such as enginebuild warranties and extended hourson weekends, towing in a racecar fora customer are now becoming thenorm.

Don’t be afraid to tap technologyto improve convenience and com-munication.

You can incorporate an onlinebooking form on your website toallow racers/customers to commu-nicate their appointment preferencewithout them ever picking up thephone.

Instead of having customers callyou to receive updates on the statusof their performance build, keepthem informed via text or e-mail.New applications also allow you tosend photos of damaged compo-nents that are found during a tear-down, inspection reports andestimates directly to customers’smartphones and tablets.

Efficiently managing the flow ofengine builds through your shopand effectively communicating withcustomers will help you establish areputation for strong customer service and a favorite for local racers.

What Can Customer Do For YouMaybe you have a good reputationaround the local racetrack for build-ing winning performance engines.

Or you operate a shop in a farm-ing community that depends on yougetting the locals’ diesel-poweredmachinery and equipment up andrunning smoothly back in the fields.

Or maybe you are the shop ofchoice that area fishing businessesturn to get their marine engine re-built to keep their head above water.

Do you feature testimonials fromthese satisfied customers on yourwebsite?

If not, you should consider usingyour customers to tell your story.

Customer-Focused CultureYou can have the best intentions ofdelivering unparalleled customerservice, but if you fail to train yourstaff on how to treat customers, howto better communicate during ordershipping, discussing pricing for per-formance upgrades and other busi-ness tasks, you’ll fall short.

Unfortunately, this is where a lotof shop owners drop the ball be-cause they either don’t have thetime or don’t make the time to es-tablish customer service procedures.Don’t make that mistake.

Create written standards outlin-ing how you want your shop tolook, how to handle customer in-quiries, parts and labor formulasand how to communicate during theengine build process.

Train employees on those stan-dards and let them know you’ll reg-ularly review their performance.Communicate often about changesin promotions and policies, so em-ployees have the proper informationwhen talking to customers, espe-cially outside the shop at the track ,tradeshows, etc.

If you create a customer-focusedculture, and then reinforce that cul-ture through training and evalua-tions, you’ll give customers a reasonto stay loyal for life and recommendnew customers.

Tim Ross is president of Mudlick Mail,a leading provider of direct mail cam-paigns to the automotive repair indus-try. Mudlick Mail has worked withclose to 1,000 automotive repair andtransmission shops across the U.S. andCanada, helping them improve their carcount and increase sales. The companyteaches its clients how to understandconsumer-buying habits and showsthem how to create effective systems tomaximize the value of their marketingcampaigns.



If you have the money, hire a third-party to gather customer feedback. These consultants can use varioustechniques such as focus groups and surveys to really getan insight as to what your customers are saying aboutyour engine shop.


Ever since the column I did inabout stroker motors a fewyears ago (“Love the One

You’re With,” Engine Builder,March 2010), the idea of buildingone of these engines, a less thaneveryday stroker combination, hasbeen on my mind.

To recap, the premise of the arti-cle was simple — Look at the po-tential of building a smalldisplacement, non-performance V8into a bored and stroked tireblazer.

Instead of searching out a re-buildable muscle motor to swap init’s place, use the money you saveyour customer by not getting a sec-ond engine, and all that it mighttake to put it in their vehicle. In-stead, purchase a stroker crank, amore expensive set of pistons(possibly custom) and a good setof heads.

It’s done everyday, I know. A302 Ford becomes a 347cid stro-ker. A 350 Chevy becomes theever popular 383, and so on.

Nothing new here. But what if you aren’t starting

out with an engine that has multi-ple stroker kits waiting to be pur-chased right off the shelf?

In my 2010 column, I proposedmany combinations that wouldn’ttake much imagination or breakthe bank.

Examples you say? If you havea 360 Ford, the building blocks areno different than if it were a moremuscular 390. With the right crank-shaft and a bore cleanup, we easilysurpass the legendary 427 and 428cubic inch marks with a 434 cid en-gine. That’s a massive 74 cubicinch increase and a perfect candi-date for a Cobra kit car or a Thun-derbolt clone.

Got a Pontiac? There are several

combinations available to turn a350 into a 383, or a 389 into a 421 oreven something just over 450 cubicinches. I could list many more.

Now we come to our project.I’ve been toying with the idea oftwo different Mopar engine buildsfor years.

There’s something about yourfirst love, and your first car thatyou never forget. Mine, car that is,was a 1963 Plymouth Savoy thathad spent most of it’s life on thedrag strip. It had a 383 in the carwhen I got it, and maybe we cantackle a project like that someday,but for now, we’re building a biginch small block.

To set this up, your customerhas a 70s-something Dart, Demon, Challenger or any one of many

For The Love Of A Good Cause

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Dave [email protected]

Building a 392 Magnum for the Independence FundPr

ofit

able

Per

form

ance

The LA 318 was a 318 cu in (5.2 L) rela-tive of the A 318 and predecessor to theMagnum engine released in 1992. Likethe A 318, it has a larger smog bore at3.91 in, as well as a stroke of 3.31 in. Ap-pearing shortly after the 273 in 1967,this engine proved tremendously suc-cessful in the 1970s and continued its rununtil 1991. It used hydraulic lifters and atwo barrel carburetor for most of its pro-duction, though performance carbure-tors were used in police applications inthe late 1970s. In the mid-1980s, the 318received roller lifters and a fast-burncylinder head. Photo courtesy of Chrysler


36-41 Prof Performance 12/17/13 8:49 AM Page 36


37 epwi_Layout 1 12/17/13 9:19 AM Page 37

38 December 2013 | EngineBuilder Circle 38 for more information

How to Build Big-Inch Mopar Small-BlocksAt one time, if you wanted big horsepower in your Mopar muscle caror truck, your choices were limited to a big-block swap or a covetedHemi. At the very least, you needed different engine mounts, K-members, transmissions, headers, etc. – and Hemis have never beencheap!But now there's another way to get more horsepower: boring andstroking your Mopar small-block to get more cubic inches – up to 476cubes! The small-block Mopar is one of the easiest engines in which toincrease displacement without extensive modifications or specializedmachine work; the engine was practically designed for more cubes!This book shows you how to get that big-cube power, and then itshows you how to optimize the small-block's other systems -- induc-tion, heads, valvetrain, ignition, exhaust, and more -- to make themost of the extra cubic inches.Author Jim Szilagyi served as a performance specialist for Dodge Motorsports and Mopar Performance Parts. In this book, he coversbuilding big-inchers from Mopar 318/340/360 ci LA or Magnum 5.2L/5.9L engines, using both factory and aftermarket parts. If youwant to make big power from your Mopar small-block, this is thebook for you.

Publisher: CarTech: www.cartechbooks.comPaperback: 144 pages Photos: black and white.Dimensions: 8.5000" x 11" Product Code: SA104P (In Stock)

midsize Mopars. Their plan is to remove the tired

old 318 and find one of the morepopular muscle car V8s — like a 340,383 or 440 to fit in it’s place.

Maybe he or someone else has

played with the motor a little overthe years and it’s now running analuminum manifold and a 4bbl carb.But it’s tired and he wants morepower.

Mopar MagicWhat if instead of searching out agood rebuildable core for one ofthese motors, he’s interested in hav-ing it rebuilt?

And, you offer to meet his needs



39 Safety_Layout 1 12/17/13 9:18 AM Page 39

with the iron we have right here? Besides, with its slightly smaller bore size, the

short block of your 318 isn’t that much different fromits coveted 340 big brother.

Add a small overbore and a 4-inch stroke crank-shaft and we’ll now have a small block package that’sdisplacing more cubic inches than a 383, weighs lessand with the help of a set aftermarket late modelMagnum heads, will make power like the big block.

The “more often than not” overlooked 318 has beenaround since 1957.

However, it’s a durable lightweight engine that hasproved it had more than enough strength to grow an-other 42 cubic inches in the factory 360 form.

Plus, there’s a good amount of aftermarket partsavailable for this engine. But what I believe is the bestbonus about this engine is that after so many years ofproduction there are still plenty around waiting to testtheir potential and their relatively inexpensive.

With a few upgrades we’ll not only increase itspower potential, we’ll have a very durable street rodmotor.

Game PlanSo this is what we plan to do. With the help of ourgood friends at Grawmonbeck’s Machine, their dy-namometer and a mix of stock and performance partswe’ll build a 6.4L, 392 cubic inch Dodge Magnum. Iteven sounds like a factory motor, and that is more orless how I see us building it.

We’re building the muscle car engine Chryslernever did. And muscle it should have. With a 4˝stroke, a medium length rod and the Magnum headsthis motor will make good torque numbers andenough horsepower to thrill a former 318 owner andshould have a fairly flat torque curve.

And like Dirty Harry and his Magnum Force, we’rebegging to ask the question, “Are you feelin’ lucky?” Because this engine could be yours following its auc-tion. Bid on it, and you’ll be serving others who have sacrificed a great deal for our country in the process.

We have decided to choose the 392 Magnum forour first Charity Engine Build.

We’re all conscious that there are a lot things hap-pening in this world that are a lot more importantthan building horsepower. After all, we are still atwar.

And, we at Engine Builder plan to honor some ofthe brave and wounded men and women returningback to civilian life.

I was recently introduced to the IndependenceFund and learned about its “missions.”

One of this fine charity’s goals is to supply hi-techmotorized wheelchairs (shown to the right) for ourwounded veterans.

So far they’ve raised several million dollars to buythese off-road capable hi-tech machines to try to helprestore some since of mobility and freedom for theseheroes.

And I for one get very excited just to think I can be

40 December 2013 | EngineBuilderCircle 40 for more information


a part of this noble endeavor. And socan you.

During the next year we’ll con-tinue to discuss the premise ofbuilding the less popular motors tomeet the need, options for our Mag-num and the steps and parts we useto complete it.

We’ll run it on the dyno and seejust how well we’ve done at provingthe point. But that’s not where itends. After completion and dynotesting we plan to ship our streetrod-worthy-and-ready creation toPRI 2014.

It will be featured in the EngineBuilder booth, and we hope to giveyou a chance to win it, with a smalldonation in the form of raffle tickets.Proceeds will be donated to the Independence Fund (www.independencefund.org)where they’ll go towards a portionof the cost of one of these wheel-chairs. ■Note: Special thanks to: Joe DeGraw,Stacy Remond and Steve Tosel of Graw-mondbeck Machine and John Steinauerand Steve Tosel who donated our 318core motor.


Profitable Performance


The Independence Fundis an entirely 100%,

all-volunteer, non-profitwhose board of directors is

comprised entirely of combatveterans. The organization'sadministrative costs are less

than 1% each year! Thatmeans that more than 99% of

every dollar that it receivesgoes directly to a veteran –thanks to amazing people

and communities like YOU!


The East Coast Timing Associa-tion (ECTA) might be a mys-tery to some motorsports fans.

For nearly 20 years, its vehicleand motorcycle racing venues havebeen held at two defunct airportseast of the Mississippi.

But those in the know will tell youthat the Speed Trials group is one ofa number of automotive land racingvenues in the country that is really“taking off.”

The organization was formedin 1995 by two ex-Bonneville racerswho started racing on a desertedWWII Army base near Maxton, NC.

However, in 2011, the promoterswere notified they could no longerhold racing events at the site. So,after 16 years of using the North Car-olina air base for grassroots speedtrials, the association took flight tohold venues at anotherairpark.

Enter the town ofWilmington, OH, whichhad been financially dev-astated by the departureof freight hauler DHL U.S. Express.

The shipping company’s depar-ture left behind not only a gap in thecity’s budget, but a vast aircraft fa-cility with miles of smooth, widerunways.

Deals were made and starting in2012, ECTA racing was initiated atthat location.

Rules of the RoadA little explaining is probably re-quired on the “hows and whys” ofthis growing motorsports activity.The goal is to determine the topspeed of a vehicle from a standing

start, getting up to speed and pass-ing through a 300-foot speed trap atthe end of the first mile and then get-ting it stopped before running out ofconcrete.

It could be loosely compared withdrag racing, but the difference is thatthe max speed takes place in themiddle of the track instead of at theend. The effects on the engine areharder with land speed racing, sincethe engine is under load for a muchlonger period than the several sec-onds of a drag run.

Speed Run EnginesOne might visualize the super-sleekstreamliners would be the vehicle ofchoice, but that's just not the casehere. The sport is designed to be af-fordable with numerous classes withengines as small as 44 cid engines up

to blown big block machines. Withthat in mind, it's easy to understandthat speeds vary from well less than100 mph and up to 250 mph.

Land speed powerplants aremany times one-of-one, varyinggreatly with single and multi-carbs,

Feat

ure

Big power is made from this1971 Nova with a 540ci blownbig block.

The actual vehicle seen here is a modified 1955 Crosley Super Sport.


BY BILL HOLDERPHOTOS BY PHIL KUNZ

42-48 Cover Feature 12/17/13 8:47 AM Page 42

fuel injection, turbo-charging, super-charging, nitrous, and just aboutanything else.

Some of the engines are profes-sionally built, while others are cre-ated in the home garage. Enginebrands were also quite varied withboth American and foreign brandsrepresented.

Track StarsThe following are a few of the pow-erplants that have taken on the OhioMile, as well as some details on theirbuild.


Feature

The C Production Firebird atspeed, its best effort being a190 mph effort through thetraps.


The East Coast Timing Association LLC (ECTA) isthe principal sanctioning organization for LandSpeed Racing in the Eastern United States. Fourtimes a year, scores of car and motorcycle racersgather at the Airborne Airpark in Wilmington,OH, to speed down the Ohio Mile race track.Vehicles range from production cars and bikes(basically off the showroom floor) to exotic, pur-pose-built racers.Source: ECTA


1988 Firebird/355ci Carbureted Chevy This C Production machine uses a355ci engine with a steel Bowtie Per-formance Block, Holley 750 cfm dou-ble pumper carb, a .660 lift CraneCam, Dart Steel Heads, and consid-erable valve and head work. It makes 560 hp at 8500 rpm burning110 octane pump gas. This is its fifthyear of racing.

The $15,000 engine uses a mechanical fuel pump for safetyreasons.

Wrench turner/driver FredMulliver explained, "If the engine stops, there is no fuelflowing."

Mulliver explained the

importance in this engine design. "We have a flat torque curve be-

tween 4000-6500 rpm. It's needed be-cause there is a lot of air to push. Weget most of our speed in the first halfmile of about 160 mph in a 190 mphrun."

Oil temperature reaches 230 degrees F at the end of the run.

Mulliver indicated that the car isowned and co-driven by Jeff Jacobs.

XF Class Drop-TankLakester/239ci Blown Flathead FordIf that looks like a tip tank, that's ex-actly what it is. It’s actually off of aWWII Navy Bearcat, said owner RonSangiovanni.

"It was buried and was part of anold bomb shelter. I considered it asthe 'holy grail.’"

Cradled within is a vintage Ford239 Flathead V8 (which Sangiovannibuilds) with a quite unexpected 6.71blower on top, this engine makes anamazing 450 horsepower using 117octane fuel.

Sangiovanni explained that thisisn't an original vintage speed runvehicle, but he built it to resemblethe originals as close as possible.

"There are just a handful of those


Feature


This 355 Chevy engine provides560 horses to its '88 Firebird.

Would you believe the powerplantbelow is a blown Flathead Ford? Itmakes about 450hp!


45 speedville_Layout 1 12/17/13 9:18 AM Page 45

late 1940s Lakesters left today, andsome of them still run," the Walling-ton, CT, native explained.

The engine was built to live with alate 1980s French flathead block."They were cast with a high nickelcontent which really made it a rock."

A drag racer, Sangiovanni echoedthe common opinion that speed runsare a different animal. "With thelonger runs, the tune-up is very im-portant and I work hard to get thesame pressure on each of the eightcylinders.

"The goal was to enter the speedtrap at about 6400 rpm. I put it intothird gear shortly before hitting thetrap. My best time is 171.89 mph," heexclaimed.

1971 Nova/540ci Blown BB


Feature


A look at Ron Sangiovanni’s tip-tankLakester as it rounds the airport-based track in at Wilmington, OH.


ChevyKeith Vandenburg admits that he's an amateur at thisspeed trial game, but he's learning fast.

His '71 Nova carries a custom alcohol-injected 540cibig block Chevy hooked to an F2 Pro-Charger Super-charger, which enables in excess of 1300hp.

Cooling is accomplished by a homemadeintercooler that Vandenburg constructed fromspare parts.

"I have used the car for drag racing up untilnow, but decided to try it in the speed trials for

the first time. I really enjoyed it more since there wastime to check the gauges and make changes during therun," the Ontario, Canada resident explained.

His best effort on the drag strip was 145 mph done in10+ seconds. "In the speed trials, I was able to reach 210mph,” he said, adding, "With the dragster, the engine ishitting 6000 rpm after the quarter mile.

'94 Nissan/183ci Dual-Carb Half-Ford V8 One of the few import-label cars was this unique Nissan240SX. It was identified as carrying small block Fordpower, but that didn't jive with the Three Liter Class inwhich it ran.

Owner/driver Don McMeekin of Westerville, OH,


Feature


Keith Vandenburg readies his540ci big block powered ChevyNova for another run aroundthe track.

One of the few import racers toseek a record time was thisunique Nissan 240SX ownedand driven by Don McMeekin.


who works as an industrial designer, explained hisunique powerplant. "I wanted something a little differ-ent, so I actually cut the V8 in two and used half of it,”McMeekin said. “Then, I added a pair of Holley 350 cfmtwo-barrel carbs. I spaced them so that they would lineup with the ports and provide better flow. I initially trieda single four-barrel, but this set-up worked best.

"Next I added some good parts with a flat 180-degreeMoldex Crank and a Racer Brown Roller Cam. It's got adry sump oiling system, and finally, there is an FMS alu-minum cylinder head. It makes about 300 horsepower atabout 8,000 rpm."

McMeekin indicated that he thinks this is apretty optimum set-up for this type of racing. "Iran 173 mph at Bonneville where the record is174. At Wilmington, I ran 151. It's a ball of fun forme and I hope to keep getting those trap speedshigher and higher.”

2010 Dodge/358ci Dual-Carb NASCAR V8One of the most familiar vehicles at the event was aNASCAR-appearing Dodge Charger with the even-more-familiar 'Keselowski' name down its side. Cousins Bradand Brian are now driving in NASCAR.

As many know, that family and that engine brandhave been uttered as one for many years. Ron (Brad's

dad) and Bob (Brian'sdad) were on hand withthe car and made an

awesome 250 mph run through the traps. Both had rac-ing careers using Mopar power.

For this application, a modified nose was installedwhich provided better aerodynamics. Also, the off-set ofthe body was eliminated by removing the right rearquarter. There is also a larger spoiler in the rear.

Engine modifications saw the addition of a twin four-barrel carb set-up which provided about 845 horsepowerfrom the 5.7L NASCAR Mopar engine.

The car first ran in 2012, but many more runs areplanned with further refinements.

1955 Crosley/44 ci Carbureted CrosleyGranted, there are a number of classes in ECTA, butwhen you hear that the Class XX allows engines of lessthan a 100 ci, you have to be surprised.

Would you believe that a '55 Crosley Super Sport car-rying a 44 ci engine capable of putting out 60 hp at thewheels could top 100 mph? It’s true.

Using a tiny Weber 2-barrel carb, it was clocked at108+miles per hour through the traps. ■


Feature

The father and uncle of Brad Keselowskifielded this car. That's father Bob on theright and brother Ron on the left.

The Keselowski team uses a NASCAR Mopar 358 enginewith a non-NASCAR legal pair of four-barrel carbs.



49 web ad_Layout 1 12/17/13 9:17 AM Page 49

horsepower factor. The photo onpage 16 is an example of a Roush ProStock Cleveland head by 1980.

Even though a Cleveland headhad great flowing attributes, theystill received serious modifications.That’s why they were so dominantback then.

First, the exhaust side had 1.400˝milled off. An aluminum plate thatthickness 2 5/8˝ high was bolted inplace relocating the exhaust portshigher. This was known as high port-ing. The original iron part of headport was welded or brazed and re-contoured to match the plate port,making the exit as smooth andstraight as possible. The longer youcould keep the primary header tubestraight off the port, the better theflow. A 19˝ long 1˝ wide X .250˝ thicksteel girdle was used on top the alu-minum plate. Torque sequence andpoundage was also altered.

The intake port also had radicalmodifications. It was ported to themax flow and the pushrod boss cutthrough. Then braze or epoxy sealedthat area. The intake rocker studswere moved over .250˝ to the rightalong with the push rod slot. Theguides were plates cut, rebridgedand welded.

Then blades were carefully in-stalled in the port entrance to calmthe turbulence. That blade installa-tion had to be done on a flow bench.If placement was not perfect, it couldruin the efficiency.

Then we had offset dowels toindex the head. We reinforced theheaddeck by posting. Posting wasdrilling, tapping and installing 1/2˝studs into the larger open areas inthe head’s deck against the roof.Then mill the deck smooth.

Another must were the 3/8˝ loadbolts from the outside ends of theheads through tapped holes nestlingagainst the thin intake seats on #1and #8 to keep them round. Thework done in the combustion cham-bers was an art form. All was hand-work. No CNC.

There were ghost porters backthen. A renowned engine builderwould work up a sample cylinder,then have a porting talent do theother seven. Jon Kaase told me oncehe had a porting guy chained to abench in the basement (I’m prettysure he was joking!).

All this modification was legal.There were limits, however.

Imagine the cost of doing a set ofheads like that today. In 1980, a typi-cal Roush Pro Stock engine completefrom carbs to pan was only $10,000.

Everything I learned as a ProStock, and later as a Pro Modifiedracer, was a double positive. It bene-fited me and I passed on what Ilearned to my customers when appli-cable.

One huge thing I learned wasjudgment of cause and effect andhow to correct them. I find that notknowing cause and effect is the

biggest problem with the novicehotrodder. Not realizing what theyare looking at and jumping to conclu-sions. Therefore, not knowing how toproperly correct or move forward.

End of the RunThere is a myriad of information Iwould have never known if had notbecome a Pro Stock racer. I couldwrite a million words on this subject.

As the years passed and I movedup, I won more races, championshipsand awards.

Much of what I learned in almost50 years has become rudimentary tome, but is probably unknown to somegeneral hot rodders or technicians.

Today, that situation is better thanksto trade magazines like this one. ■

Want to read more about Jim’s racinghistory? Visit: animaljimracing.com.


Fast Lane

Continued from page 16

Here are examples of lightweight parts most all SB Pro Stocks ran.The piston on right is a classic narrow cylinder punishing but biggerHP slipper skirt. Piston on left is the stronger but heavier full skirt.The Brooks "Windage" rods were light and incredibly strong. In my339 cid Cleveland, we spun those parts almost 12,000 rpms.

Even though a Cleveland head hadgreat flowing attributes, they still received serious modifications. That’swhy they were so dominant back then.

14-50 Fast Lane 12/17/13 9:10 AM Page 50


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51-53 Spotlights 12/17/13 8:45 AM Page 51

Web-Based Valvetrain Parts Catalog

SBI has released a Web-based version ofits acclaimed catalog in order to provideusers with real-time updates on additionsto the company’s line of replacement val-vetrain parts for close to 3,000 applica-tions divided among late-model domesticand import passenger car, light truck,performance, marine, agricultural, heavy-duty and forklift/industrial. The catalogalso features listings of K-Line BronzeBullet-brand valve guide liners and mis-cellaneous K-Line tooling stocked by SBI,Exclusive Master Distributor for K-Line.Based on SBI’s CD-ROM catalog, the SBIWeb-based catalog allows the user tosearch the database by part type/partnumber, vehicle type, engine manufac-turer, or specific engine and make codes.

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Speedville.comSpeedville.com is the new address for performance.Whether you’re into drag rac-ing, circle track, road racing orstreet performance,Speedville.com has you cov-ered! Speedville features all ofthe quality technical contentthat Babcox Media can provideand that readers have come toexpect from its top-notch tradepublications. Be sure to stop byand sign up for the Pit Crew toearn miles towards gear in theSpeedville Mall and a chanceto win prizes!

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DNJ Engine Components 1

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Dura-Bond Bearing Co 21

Egge Machine Company 19

Engine & Performance Warehouse 53

Engine Parts Group 13

Engine Parts Warehouse 41

ESCO Industries 26

GRP Connecting Rods 46

Injector Experts 8

Liberty Engine Parts 5

Mahle Motorsports 43

Manton Pushrods & Rockers 48

Maxima Racing Oils 6

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Babcox Media Inc.Bill Babcox, President

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In Memorium:Edward S. Babcox (1885-1970)

Founder of Babcox Publications Inc.

Tom B. Babcox (1919-1995)Chairman

Brian Benson from Dakota PartsWarehouse says he’s tired of see-ing this industry stand by and

watch itself bleed to death.“I have been involved in this indus-

try for over 30 years and I have noticedmore people who have been in the in-dustry longer than myself are just upand calling to say that they are doneand closing their shops. Sadly, mostoften the cause given is that they aregetting close to retirement age and can'tfind anyone who is willing to take overtheir business,” he wrote recently in anopen letter to the industry.

“Remember back when you were ateenager and you walked into a ma-chine shop for the first time and howyou were blown away watching themtear down those greasy engines?” heasks. “When you saw the inside an en-gine for the first time and you wantedto get your hands greasy and check itall out? Back then you could watch acrank being ground and wonder howthey set it up or watch someone boringa block – you just knew that this iswhat you wanted to do!”

Brian has done something we probably don’t do often enough – en-couraged us to look back at why wegot into this business in the first place –before it became a headache … a hassle… a job … when it was a passion.

Here’s what he suggests: The nexttime a young person comes in and asksquestions, take the time to visit withthem and encourage their interest. Ifthey show real interest then maybeoffer them a part time job cleaningparts. Tell them everybody starts outby cleaning parts to prove they canwork and learn other jobs as they go.

Some states offer a program calledOJT (on the job training). Check withyour local or state unemployment of-fice about it and if you can find a per-son who qualifies for it the state maypay for the training up to X amount ofhours.

“Also take some time and go to thelocal high school or Vo-Tech – if theyhave a shop class, talk to the teacherand find out if he or she has a studentthat might be worth talking to about afuture in the industry. Offer the teachera chance to do a field trip to your shopto let the kids check it out – you neverknow, you might find a good employeeout of the bunch,” he says.

I’d also suggest making a presenta-tion to students in the physics classes,math classes and engineering clubs –those smart ones who know numbersand can understand technical informa-tion could make ideal trainees.

Though their numbers have cer-tainly declined, high schools and tech

schools are still helping develop thosekids with gasoline in their blood-stream. Our sister publication Tomorrow’s Tech magazine(www.TomorrowsTechnician.com) istestament to the passion that still existsin young people today. And, a strongnumber of colleges are doing a greatjob training gasoline, diesel and highperformance machinists and enginebuilders.

In 2014, look for a regular column inEngine Builder from training instructorsall over the country who will extol theskill and preparation of the next generation.

“If you’re nearing the age of retire-ment, you need to start talking to theemployees you have now,” Bensonsays. “See if they’re interested in own-ing your place one day. If you’re proac-tive, you can teach them what theyneed to know to own the business …and keep this industry alive.”

Brian Benson’s concern is legiti-mate: “Things have to change or therewon’t be any shops left.” Let’s changeour own mindset first: the days of theautomotive industry being the only op-tion for those not going to college areover. We need to bring passion and ex-citement back to our shops and thesooner the better. ■

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER/EDITOR Doug Kaufman

[email protected]

PUBLISHERDoug [email protected]

Stop theBleedingIndustry Veteran Challenges ParticipantsTo Change

56 Final Wrap 12/17/13 8:41 AM Page 56


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engine builder, december 2013

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