engine builder, june 2014

EngineBuilderMag.com

SERVING ENGINE BUILDERS & REBUILDERS SINCE 1964

SPECIAL REPORT: ANNUAL MACHINE SHOP MARKET PROFILE PG 20

2014JUNE

CONNECTIONMaking the Right

Replacing Cranks, Rods and Bearings

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Circle 2 on Reader Service Card for more information

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2 June 2014 | EngineBuilder

ENGINE BUILDER founded Oct. 1964Copyright 2014 Babcox Media Inc.

ENGINE BUILDER (ISSN 1535-041X)(June 2014, Volume 50, Number 06): Published monthly by Babcox Media Inc., 3550 Embassy Parkway, Akron, OH 44333 U.S.A. Phone (330) 670-1234, FAX (330) 670-0874. Periodicalpostage 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 ANDERSONCOVER PHOTO BY LARRY CARLEY

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.14 Features ON THE COVER

Replacing Crankshafts,Connecting Rods and BearingsThe crankshaft, connecting rods and bearings areextremely important in every engine build. There arethree things that need to be considered when replacinga crank, rods and bearings: strength, clearance andbalance. Read this piece to find out how to make thesethree ingredients work right in your engine build.

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Machine Shop Market ProfileIn this issue, we present our Annual Machine Shop MarketProfile, an in-depth industry overview written by PublisherDoug Kaufman, who provides results from our examinationof the machine shop market. In this report, Kaufman addresses trends in the production of engines, cylinderheads and crankshafts, as well as specific business data tohelp your shop.

Improvements on Cylinder HeadsCylinder heads are a product line that warrant almost constantresearch. Both the OEMs and aftermarket are creating newapplications that solve problems, save time or money andgenerally make life easier for engine builders. But, these im-provements are only beneficial if those builders know what isout there waiting to help them. Check out our feature to getthe latest on head improvements.

Front-Mounted Oil PumpsOn late model engines such as Chevy LS, Ford modular V8sand Chrysler 5.7/6.1/6.4L Hemis, engineers have moved theoil pump from its cozy location inside the oil pan to the frontof the engine under the timing cover. Traditionally, most wetsump oil pumps have been mounted under the engine insidethe oil pan. Is the move to front-mounted oil pumps good ortroublesome?

Columns

Memory Lane ..............................14By Randy RundleReflecting on the Kart Kraze

Track Talk ....................................56By Bill Holder

Race Enthusiasts Set Sights on Wilmington Mile Records

Profitable Performance ................64By Dave SuttonThe 6.4L Magnum Build Marches On

DEPARTMENTSEditors Page ........................................................4 Industry News......................................................6Events ..................................................................6Shop Solutions ....................................................122014 Supplier Spotlight ........................................67Cores/Classifieds/Ad Index ..................................71

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If you attended WoodwardDream Cruise in Royal Oak, MI,last summer and peered under

the hood of a certain dark-colored2003 Ford Mustang – you may haveseen an unusual fuel set-up.

That’s because the pony car’sengine, which makes about 470 HP,runs on compressed naturalgas (CNG).

The street-legal CNG-powered Mustang is a projectof Daryl Patrishkoff of Shelby

Township, MI, who has a vision forthe American automotive industry– that our nation’s fuel of choiceshould be CNG, not gasoline.

Patrishkoff heads up a threeman technical team developingCNG engine design technology,and insists the advantages to thisfuel are:

• A 40% savings in fuel costs atthe pump;

• A 25-30% reduction in harmfulvehicle emissions;

• A 100% U.S.-provided naturalgas product;

• Meaningful employment forthe U.S. economy; and,

• A CNG-powered vehicle runson fuel that can be mined in theU.S.

Although CNG is used in morethan 15 million vehiclesworldwide, acceptance of thisalternative fuel has been slow inthe U.S.

There are only 120,000 CNGvehicles in the country, most ofthem company fleet and municipalbuses, which have been in service

for decades.Patrishkoff said it has taken

thousands of hours and asignificant amount of money to getthe Mustang developed toautomotive engineering standards.It is now a legitimate road vehiclewhich puts out 470 HP at the rear

wheels (over500 HP at thecrank) oneither fuelusing alcoholinjection.

Whilehavingdemonstrated

that using CNG does notdecrease HP from a gasolinebaseline, Patrishkoff said thenext step is to show it canincrease HP. For that reason,Patrishkoff is looking for about$55,000 of funding to test histheory. About $15,000 of the

money is needed for high-performance CNGcomponents and $10,000 isrequired for enginecalibration refinements onthe dynamometer. Theremaining $30,000 isslotted for EPA 75 testing.

In order to raise fundsfor this final phaseof this project,Patrishkoffrecently launchedan Indiegogocampaign. Formore informationon this project,check out www.performcng.com.

Patrishkoff isn’t the first toconsider using CNG in aperformance engine.

About four years ago, MarkMcConville used a CNG-powered1966 Pontiac GTO to generateawareness and educate Americanson the versatility of CNG. With atrip along America’s favoritebyway, McConville set out to showthe “freedom” domestic natural gas

can provideU.S.driversfromforeign oil. So, McConville and hisfriend Keith Barfield, drove thefirst CNG-powered muscle carfrom Santa Monica to Chicago onRoute 66.

The pair partnered with CNGstations, car aficionados andsupporters of natural gas to maketheir dream a reality during thesummer of 2010. The 2,400-miletrip – which included a specialrefueling truck – facilitated classes,lectures and appearances toeducate the public about naturalgas as a viable automobile fuel.

“We’re just a couple ofknuckleheads who modifiedtheir 1966 Pontiac GTO (Goat) torun on Compressed Natural Gas,”said McConville, who’s websitewww.route66goatgas.com

documented the trip.“Our goal is tohighlight the use ofalternative fuelstowards eliminating

our dependency on foreign oil.”Will CNG power more

performance and muscle cars of thepast into the future? It’s hard tosay, but interest in using CNG as anauto fuel is growing among someengine builders. ■


Making Natural Gas theNatural Choice

Edit

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EDITOR Ed Sunkin

[email protected]

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Speedway MotorsFounder "Speedy" BillSmith Dead at 84Victory Lane fell silent recentlyas the performance automotivecommunity lost a pioneeringracer, hot rodder and entrepre-neur. “Speedy” Bill Smith,founder and owner of Speed-way Motors, died May 30 athis home in Lincoln, NB, justweeks before his 85th birthday.He is survived by four sons,their wives, 10 grandchildren,and an extended family of

Speedway Motors employees andthousands of loyal customers.

Smith got hooked on cars early inlife and began buying, fixing andselling Model Ts for profit as a teen.Soon he was racing – firstmotorcycles, then cars – whileattending classes at NebraskaWesleyan University. After earning adegree in education, Smith followedhis automotive passion and openedSpeedway Motors in 1952, aided by a$300 loan from his wife Joyce.

A combination of passion, tenacityand innovation allowed Smith togrow a small 20x20 storefront into aflourishing mail-order business andmanufacturing empire. During its 62years in business, Speedway Motorshas grown to become one of thelargest manufacturers, distributorsand retailers in the performanceaftermarket. Working side-by-sidewith his beloved wife and all foursons, Smith built what is recognizedas America’s Oldest Speed Shop.

Smith’s countless contributions torodding and racing have beenrecognized by dozens oforganizations, with Hall of Fame and

Lifetime Achievement honorscoming from the likes of SEMA,NSRA, Goodguys, IMCA andUSAC. He actively supportedorganizations and sanctioning bodiesthat shared his mission to makerodding and racing safe, fun andaffordable.

A desire to preserve racing historyled his family to establish theMuseum of American Speed in1992. This world-class collection ofracing engines, cars and automotiveartifacts has allowed the Smithfamily to give back to the automotivecommunity and share their profoundlove of racing and rodding withfuture generations.

Melling Engine Parts 2014Catalogs are HereMelling Engine Parts hasannounced the release of a new 2014Engine Parts Catalog as well as anew Cylinder Sleeve Catalog.Included in these 2014 catalogs arenew charts, tech information, newpart numbers now in stock andavailable, and a complete full colorbrochure insertion about Mellingwith a message from companypresident Mark Melling.

The Melling division, Dura-Bond

Bearing Company, has also releaseda new 2014 catalog.

For more information, visitwww.melling.com.

Scott Biesanz Celebrates 35Years with Goodson June 2014 marks the 35thAnniversary of Scott Biesanzpurchase of Goodson Tools &Supplies for Engine Builders.Biesanz has led the company since

1977 when Goodson Shop Supplieswas a division of Winona ToolManufacturing Co. The purchase ofthe company was finalized on June 4,1979 and initially employed sevenpeople. Today, Goodson Tools &Supplies for Engine Buildersemploys 38 in three states.

To read more on Goodsonmilestones during Biesanz’s tenure,visit www.EngineBuilderMag.comand search”Goodson.”

King Presented 2013Overall Quality AwardFrom JasperKing Engine Bearings has receivedits second consecutive award fromJasper Engines and Transmissions,North America's largestremanufacturer of gasoline anddiesel powertrain and drivetraincomponents. King was awarded the2012 Jasper Outstanding ServiceAward, as well as the Key Supplier


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July 24-26Motor State ChallengeWatervliet, MIwww.motorstate.com/mschallenge

August 28-September 2NHRA Chevy Performance US NationalsIndianapolis, INwww.nhra.com or 317-718-8750

October 28-30Engine ExpoNovi, MIwww.engine-expo.com

November 3-6AAPEX 2014Las Vegaswww.aapexshow.com

November 4-72014 SEMA ShowLas Vegaswww.semashow.com

For more industry events, visit our website at

www.enginebuildermag.com or subscribe to

www.aftermarketnews.com.

Industry Events

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and Partner award, followed by themost recent 2013 Jasper OverallQuality Award. Only four suppliersout of more than 1,000 were awardedwith this honor, based on Jaspersstringent requirements.

Jasper's Overall Quality award isbased on scorecards that trackspecific manufacturer performanceacross multiple measures such asissue resolution, overall responsetime, product quality inspection, andoverall perception of quality, to namea few.

DIYAutoTune's 240SX LandSpeed Car Breaks WorldRecordDIYAutoTune’s Land Speed projecthas already led to broken records intheir class. At only their secondevent with the car, the DIYAutoTuneteam managed to crush the existingF/BGC record of 165.25mph byposting a run of 177.09mph. This runwas made at the ECTA sanctioned

event known as the Ohio Mile, inWilmington. (For more on the carsfrom that event, check out Track Talkbeginning on page 56 of this issue).

The 240SX is powered by a Toyota2JZ turbocharged ‘straight-six’ builtby Ball Engines in Lilburn, Georgiaand runs on the full lineup of KingEngine Bearings.

At this event the team was able toprove the potential of this car andwhat it can do to move the bar forthis class. With some additional timebehind the wheel and someimprovements in putting the powerto the ground, this 240SX is primedto break even more records in 2014.Watch for more updates as theserecords continue to fall, particularlyat Bonneville Speed Week in August,known as the ‘Big Show’ in landspeed racing. Follow the team’sjourney at their websitewww.diyautotune.com.

ATMC National Excellencein Training AwardsThe Automotive Training ManagersCouncil (ATMC) has issued a call forentries for the 2014 NationalExcellence in Training Awards. Theannual program is designed tohighlight the importance of trainingto the success of the transportationindustry by honoring highlyeffective or innovative trainingprograms The awards are open toany person or entity providingtraining in the industry.

The submissions are judged by anATMC panel and awards arepresented to programs that meet aprescribed level of excellence basedupon several criteria, including the

program overview, needs analysis,learning objectives, programmaterials/elements, deliverymethods, measurement of theprogram’s effectiveness and programmaintenance.

The application process is free toall ATMC members; $150 for non-members. The deadline to apply isSept. 1. Awards will be presented ina special ceremony during the ATMCreception November 5th duringIndustry Week in Las Vegas.

For more information or anapplication, see the Awards tab atwww.atmc.org or call 703-669-6670.

Beck/Arnley Celebrates100 Year AnniversaryHaving reached the milestone oftheir 100th year in business,Beck/Arnley has marked the historicevent with a variety of celebrationsand materials celebrating their firstcentury.

“We are very proud that

Beck/Arnley still carries on thestrong business traditionsestablished by Irving Beck in 1914,”said Sandy Norris, director ofmarketing. “We have adapted andchanged with the industry, and thefact that our brand has not onlysurvived but flourished for a centuryis a huge milestone and one we arehonored to continue.”

Part of marking the event is therelease of a special video and thecreation of an anniversary section ontheir website. Both highlight the richhistory of the company and its manyaccomplishments with vintagephotos accompanied by historicadvertisements and catalog covers.

For more information visitwww.beckarnley.com/get-to-know-us/history/.


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Federal-Mogul VehicleComponents RenamedFederal-Mogul MotorpartsFederal-Mogul HoldingsCorporation has announced the nextstep in its ongoing strategy to drivethe global growth of its premiumproducts and leading brands.Effective immediately, the company’sVehicle Components division willbe renamed Federal-MogulMotorparts.

Federal-Mogul Motorparts is aleading provider of premium brands,including MOOG, Fel-Pro,Champion, Wagner, ANCO andFerodo, to the global aftermarket.Federal-Mogul Motorparts alsoprovides high-quality vehiclebraking, chassis and wipercomponents to global originalequipment manufacturers.

“For more than a century, we haveremained focused on providing thehighest quality components acrosseach of the product categories andregions we serve. Vehiclemanufacturers recognize this, as ourfriction products are found on sevenof the top 10 vehicle models inEurope, and the best-selling vehiclein North America,” said DanielNinivaggi, CEO of Federal-MogulMotorparts, and Co-CEO of Federal-Mogul Holdings Corporation.

“Our aftermarket products aredesigned and engineered around theprinciple that vehicle safety andproduct performance matter most.Federal-Mogul’s premium brandsare synonymous with quality, whichwill continue to be the way wedifferentiate our products fromothers available in the market.

The new Federal-MogulMotorparts name and logo will berolled out globally effectiveimmediately, leading into newmarketing campaigns for its productbrands.

SEMA Hall of Fame GetsFour New MembersNile Cornelison, Jim Cozzie, JohnMenzler and Fred Offenhauser willreceive the industry’s highest honorand be inducted into the SEMA Hallof Fame—an elite group of leaderswho shaped and inspired the $31billion automotive specialty-

equipment market.The new members will be

recognized as part of the festivitiesduring the SEMA Installation Gala,Friday, July 18, 2014, at the SheratonFairplex Hotel & Conference Centerin Pomona, CA. The inducteesinclude one of the association’sfounding members, along with threeformer SEMA Person of the Yearwinners.

Nile Cornelison: Having beeninvolved in the industry as amachinist, racer, retail store ownerand warehouse distributor (WD),Cornelison’s diverse background —coupled with his passion andinnovativeness — made himuniquely qualified to lead theindustry in what was uncharteredterritory.

Jim Cozzie: Cozzie served asSEMA chairman of the board in2008–2009. The 2004 SEMA Person ofthe Year winner used his foresightand knowledge to help SEMA domore than simply persevere throughthe recession. During this time, theassociation developed its strategicfocus on vehicle technology andexpanded efforts to help U.S.manufacturers find opportunities inoverseas markets.

John Menzler: He was amongSEMA’s most active and passionatevolunteers, having been involved onseveral SEMA councils andcommittees. Menzler wasinstrumental in establishing anumber of valuable SEMA programs,including the SEMA Hot Rod

Industry Alliance (HRIA) EducationDay. Menzler was named 2011 SEMAPerson of the Year and 2010 SEMAMentor of the Year.

Fred C. Offenhauser: Offenhauserbegan his career in the industry inthe ’30s. In 1944, he was inspired tostart his own company and launchedOffenhauser Sales Corp. He beganmaking aluminum intake manifolds,which were sold in every speed shopand distributed by most majordistributors over the years. The massdistribution made it possible forthousands of racers to modify theirengines and increase performance inways that were not availableelsewhere. Offenhauser was amongthe original charter members whenSEMA was founded in 1963.Although the innovator passed awayin 1992, his company continues tomanufacture and sell intakemanifolds out of the same buildingthe company has resided in since themid-’50s.

The SEMA Hall of Fame’s fournewest members join 143 previouslyinducted industry icons.

Porsche Announces New 4-Cyl Boxer EnginePorsche’s decision to develop a newfour cylinder engine stems from itsneed to improve fuel efficiency andemissions ratings across its modelline. The new engine will come standardin the Boxster and Cayman models.There has been talk of a four-cylinder911, but that’s rather unlikely.

EngineBuilderMag.com 9

Industry News


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The new engine features ahorizontally opposed, “boxer”engine, denoting a flat configurationwhere the pistons movesynchronously in and out, as opposedto in an alternating rhythm. Fora displacement, we’ve heard2.5 liters thrown around as themagic number, but that may besubject to change. Expect thenew engine to come in eitherdirect injected or turbochargedvariants. Engine output would

probably max at around395 hp, which is higherthan the current output ofeven the most powerfulBoxster and Caymanmodel variants.

There has also been talkthat an entire new familyof flat four engines will bedeveloped. The 2.5Lvariant mentioned abovewould be the mostpowerful, but 1.6L and2.0L variants are also

reportedly in the early stages ofdesign. A 1.6L variant would put out210 hp, the 2.0 would produce 286 hp,while the aforementioned 2.5L wouldhave a base output of 360 hp.

Since the next generation ofCayman and Boxster aren’t due forquite some time, it’ll be at least nearthe end of the decade by the time thisengine sees production, unless theengine appears in the face-liftedversions due to be released in 2016;this is possible but less likely. Porschealso employs a 2.0L straight four inits upcoming Macan crossover, butthat one isn’t anywhere near aspowerful or as advanced in terms ofefficiency.

Source: Speedville.com

View more news atwww.EngineBuilderMag.com


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In Depth Deck DiscussionI've found another use for a deckheight bridge. When replacing seatson race cylinder heads, especially BigBlock Chevys, I use a deck bridgewith an indicator extension to firstcheck where the valve was andshould be. Then, when machining theseats, it's an easy way to get all thevalves to the same depth from thegasket surface. This can be veryimportant for piston to valveclearance and equalizing chambers. It worked for me.

Randy TorvinenTorvinen's MachineMenahga, MN

A Business Without A Sign IsA Sign Of No BusinessThe U.S. Census reports 18% ofhouseholds relocate every year,meaning new potential customerspass your building every day. A one-time investment in a well-designedsign will pay for itself very quickly.Signs are cheap to produce and ifthey are mounted on your propertyor hang on your vehicle there is nomonthly advertising cost, and theywork 24-7.

Three signs to consider: 1) STREETsigns should be large enough to beseen from all directions and includejust enough information to let driversknow the nature of the business.Include your company name, type ofbusiness and phone number.2) BUILDING signs can include moreinformation because the reader isgenerally stationary. These signsshould include your companyservices and other contactinformation like your web address. 3) VEHICLE are rolling billboardsand are a great form of advertising.At the very least your company

vehicles should display removablemagnetic signs listing your companyname and phone number. Moreaggressive marketers will paint apermanent message, or wrap theentire vehicle in advertising.

Don’t miss out on maximizingyour advertising potential by notutilizing this cheap form ofmarketing. Signs are a greatadvertising value.

Steve RichSterling Bearing, Inc.Kansas City, MO

Saving The Old Parts WillSave You MoneyMany times a customer sends a headin with spark plugs in it, a tempsender or an exhaust gasket stillattached. No matter what is on thehead or block when it comes in, saveit. From time to time, our customerwill come back looking for his oldplugs or gasket to re-use. We end upbuying him new ones since we threwit out. No matter how bad the part is,let him or her make the decision tothrow it out.

Jeffrey MyersMAR Automotive, INCPhiladelphia, PA

Too Tight Tensioner TorqueWe have found that failures on 4.0LFord SOHC secondary timingtensioners may be due to overtorquing the tensioner at the time ofinstallation and failure to replace thevolume reduction plug. Wecompared the revised instructionsincluded with the OEM Fordtensioner (32 lb.-ft.) and theinstructions given by other industrysources (49 lb.-ft.).

From now on, we will include theinstallation instructions from Fordwith our parts.

DNJ Engine ComponentsChatsworth, CA

Main Bearing Rapture ForThe RaptorHere are some bits of info on the newFord 5.8L modular engine. It seemsClevite, nor any other bearingmanufacturer, have a listing for themain bearings for this engine. Here isa helping hand. Order part numberMS2202H quantity of 2. From thesecond set of main bearings, use thelower halves of position 2, 3, or 4 toreplace the halves bearings in the firstset that do not have a receiver notchprovision in the block. This is a quickfix for those who want to build thisengine and/or want the aftermarketClevite bearing for extreme boostedapplications. I have contacted Cleviteto investigate the findings to confirm,but it worked for my customer.

Roy A. MaloneyEngine & Performance Warehouse Denver, CO

Spark Plug PlugsMost popular engines have 14 MMand 18 MM spark plugs. The papercup type from engine equipmentsuppliers, or tape, will pop out whenthe engine is turned over. Idiscovered an economical way toplug the spark plug holes. 1/4 pipeloosely threads into 14 MM sparkplug holes. 3/8 pipe fits about thesame way into 18MM spark plugholes.

Our hardware store has plasticNYL 3/8 pipe by 3/8 barb fittingswith a 3/4 OD hex and 1/4 pipe with3/8 barb and a hex, just like brassuniversal fuel fitting. Only the plasticones are only 59-69 cents a piece.When snugged down with a thin 6-point socket, the plastic hex locksdown against the head, and theplastic fitting will stay put.

To cap the 3/8 flare I use a 1.5 inchpiece of 3/8 ID cheap clear vinylhose. I cut a small piece of new redscotch bright, fold it and stick it flush,or slightly below, in the top 1/2 inchof the cut off hose. Push the open endof the hose over the first barb. Nowthe spark plug holes are protected,and you can turn the engine over


12-13 Shop Solutions 6/5/14 11:24 AM Page 12

freely and not have thecaps pop off.

Another plus is, ifstoring for longperiods, light oil can beapplied onto the scotchbright to wick downinto the cylinders. Orjust remove the hosecaps and put a few drops into the barb's opening.

Animal Jim FeurerAnimal Jim RacingLacon, IL.


Shop Solutions –The Power ofKnowledge

Engine Builder and Engine Pro presentShop 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 theirknowledge to benefit the entire industryand their own shops.

Those who submit Shop Solutions thatare published are awarded a prepaid$100 Visa gift card.

Engine Pro is a nationwide network ofdistributors that warehouse a full line ofinternal engine components fordomestic and import passenger car,light truck, heavy duty, industrial, marine, agricultural and performance applications.

They also produce engine parts underthe Engine Pro name that offer premiumfeatures at an affordable price.


12-13 Shop Solutions 6/5/14 11:24 AM Page 13

The year was 1956. ArtIngeles is a veteran HotRodder who spends his

days working for the Kurtis KraftCompany.

The Kurtis Kraft Companywas a well-known fabricationcompany known for buildingmidget cars, quarter midget cars,Bonneville Cars, USACChampionship Cars and IndyCars.

The company was founded byFrank Kurtis who built his firstmidget car chassis in the late1930s.

In his off hours, Art designedand built a lightweight tubularchassis that was strong enough tohold his 210-pound body. To thatframe, he added a set of semi-pneumatic tires and a simplesteering mechanism.

He then rounded up a surplusWest Bend 2-cycle lawn mowerengine and attached that behindthe seat. Using a steel sprocketgear on the engine and another onthe left rear wheel assembly, heconnected the two using a bicyclechain. Adding a gas tank andsome controls and Art had a car…of sorts. When Art drove his newcreation in the back alleys andtennis courts in the

neighborhood, crowds of peoplewould gather wanting to knowwhere they could get one of thoselittle cars.

Fast forward…its 1958 andDuffy Livingstone and RoyDesbrow are partners in a mufflershop called GP Mufflers locatedin Monrovia, CA. Both Duff andRoy are quite handy at fabricatingand building projects out of

metal. After seeing Art's creation the

two partners decide to build a"car" of their own.

They ended up building acouple of extras for friendsincluding one for Bill Jeffery whoin exchange did the upholsteryfor all of the cars.

Bill Rowles a local sales repand a regular at the GP Muffler


Reflecting onthe Kart Kraze

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Randy Rundle

Mem

ory

Lane

14-18 Memory Lane 6/5/14 11:21 AM Page 14

*Excludes sales tax. See web site for complete details.

DAN COXowner, H&C Brakes & More

/// AutoZonePro.com. Just one more extra mile we go for guys like Dan.

Hear more from Dan and get 5% off all online orders for 90 days*

15 AZ 6/6/14 10:22 AM Page 15

shop, found a sourcefor cheap 2-cycle WestBend engines from abankrupt rotary lawnmower company. TheGP Muffler Companywas officially in the"kart" business.

The GP-built kartswere officially named"Go Karts" and wereoffered for sale via mailorder for the modestsum of $129.00

Business was brisk

so the three partners formed aloose partnership and continued towork out of the GP muffler shopfor the next two years.

Mail Order RidesSoon, an average of 30orders a day began arriv-ing in the mailbox. It wastime to get serious.

The partners formedan official corporationand rented a five-acre facility in Azusa, CAfrom the Aero Jet Gen-eral Corporation.

A test track was built


Memory Lane

Marketed as apurchase thatwould be fun forthe whole family,a typical kartwould run about$130 in the 1960s,and provide someengine enthusiaststhe opportunity totry and gain morepower from an engine.

The Go KartCompany useda renovatedbus to haul itsrace teamaround partsof Californiaduring the“kart craze”days.


at the new facility and the companyformed a factory race team topromote its product.

The "Go Kart" Company beganflying its six driver, four mechanicrace team, and seven or eight kartsand spare parts to places likeMansfield, OH, Rockford, IL, andthe Bahamas for newly establishedkarting events.

The company also had aconverted bus that hauled the teamto regional events throughoutCalifornia.

Its closest competitor, the newupstart Bug Engineering

Company, was located literallydown the street from the Go Kartcompany.

Competition was intensebetween the two companies – bothoff and on the track. The teamswould often race their transportbuses between events.

According to one report, BugEngineering was producing asmany as 320 complete vehicles aday.

By 1962, (the peak of thekarting craze), there were morethan 30 manufacturers buildingkarts.

The Go Kart was the original

and soon attracted the attention ofan unlikely buyer…Art LinkletterEnterprises (ALE).

Art offered to buy the Go Kartcompany in 1962 for the respectablesum of $750,000 dollars with theterms being $250,000 up front andthe balance to be paid at the end ofone year.

No GoThe Go Kart Company partners declined the offer in part because theproposal gave immediate control, including the day-to-day manage-ment of the company to Art

Linkletter Enterprises. The Go Kart company was

convinced that ALE did not havethe ability to properly manage thecompany.

Ironically, the Go KartManufacturing Co. would finditself in bankruptcy less than a yearlater, due in part to the recessionand declining sales of the karts.

The karting craze was ending asfast as it began.

Meanwhile, the Go Kartcompany continued to spendmoney even though sales weresteadily falling…which forced the

company into bankruptcy. Theywould not be alone; many likecompanies would go down thesame path.

One bit of irony concerning theGo Kart Manufacturing Companyis that for a couple of years prior toits bankruptcy, the company was

involved in a legalbattle over the “GoKart” name.

The Fox BodyCompany ofJanesville, WI, calledtheir Kart the "Go BoyKart," which the GoKart Company said


Memory Lane


By the early1960s, therewere nearly 30manufacturersbuilding thepopular, yetsimple, kartracers.



was an infringement on itstrademark name, so it took theFox Body Company to court fortrademark infringement.

Fox in turn filed a motion incourt to have the Go Karttrademark name dissolved,claiming the name was generic.The court battle continued, andremained undecided.

When the Go KartManufacturing Company endedup in bankruptcy, the FoxCompany bought the Go Kartname from the bankrupt estatefor just a few hundred dollars.

A few years ago I was luckyenough to track down an ownerof one of those early racing karts.It was well hidden in the raftersof his garage where it had beenfor close to 40 years.

I asked to buy it, but it was notfor sale.

Lots of fond memories he says.“We took the stock motor milleddown the head, stroked the crankand a few other things thateverybody else had figured outand we were getting 8 to 10horsepower from a once stock 5horsepower engine…That wasnot good enough, so we decided

to add a second engine on theother side.

During a test lap on a sidestreet early on a Sundaymorning, the local policemanclocked me at 77 miles an hour.

He was impressed at first, thenwe had a little talk.

“My buddies and I had a flashof guilt and common sense whenwe stopped to realize how fastthat was when you are literallyriding four inches off theground,” the classic kart ownerexplained.

“All it would have taken wasone pothole or a small rock towipe me out for good, not tomention a car pulling out from aside street. I have kept the kartall of these years as a reminder ofthe fun we had, but also as areminder of how lucky I was, andhow things could have ended upa lot different...”

I still want one of those karts,even now that I am old enough toknow better. I grew up riding dirtbike motorcycles instead.

Oddly enough, in myneighborhood, the parentsconsidered dirt bikes to be saferthan Go Karts because they didnot go as fast. Little did theyknow! ■

The "Go Kart" Company began flying its six driver, four mechanicrace team, and seven or eight kartsand spare parts to places likeMansfield, OH, Rockford, IL, andthe Bahamas for newly establishedkarting events.



19 Auto Care Association_Layout 1 6/6/14 10:01 AM Page 19


Mar

ket

Prof

ile

When it launched in 1964,the magazine you’rereading now – then called

Automotive Rebuilder – expressedexcitement that we would be fillinga deep void in this industry. Wewere proud to devote ourselves“exclusively and 100 percent toyour problems, potential andopportunities.” It’s nice to knowthat some things haven’t changed.

In the same inaugural Editor’sNotebook report, we accepted “thechallenge of being the independentmonthly voice in the boomingautomotive rebuilding industry.”Booming? Well…

Thirty years ago, we begansurveying the jobber machine shopaudience to determine the size,scope and health of the enginerebuilding industry. Since thattime, a lot of things have changedat this magazine and in thisindustry. What hasn’t changed isthe commitment to the rebuilder.We have consistently surveyed thesame machine shop/customengine rebuilder (CER) populationto get a snapshot of this industryfrom the experts – you, the enginerebuilder. Numbers obviously

don’t tell the whole story, but webelieve the information in thisstudy is still the most reliable dataavailable for tracking trends in theproduction of engines, cylinderheads and crankshafts, as well asspecific business data. Othernational reports back up our basicanalysis and we thank every one ofour survey respondents for takingthe time to contribute to thisreport.

The data generated for thisyear’s Machine Shop MarketProfile was collected throughsurvey questionnaires sent to arandom sample of Engine Builder

subscribers, as well as the machineshop/custom engine rebuildingmembership of the Engine BuildersAssociation (AERA). Four differentquestionnaires, consisting of fourpages each, were developed toobtain the information contained inthis profile. In all, we heard frommore than 180 locations that areperforming machine work andbuilding engines in the U.S.Analysis of the data wascompleted by Babcox MarketResearch.

The survey information reflectsdata for production year 2013. Weasked multiple questions about

“GRANTED, IF THERE IS ONE THING TYPICAL

OF EVERY ENGINE BUILDER, IT’S THAT THERE

IS NO TYPICAL ENGINE BUILDER...DIVERSITY

IS A BLESSING AND WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO

USE THESE AVERAGES TO SEE HOW YOUR

BUSINESS COMPARES.”

BY DOUG KAUFMAN, [email protected]

20-31 MSMP 14 6/5/14 2:24 PM Page 20


Market ProfileEngine Production Data

readers’ monthly production ofengine blocks and cylinder heads,broken out by engine size as wellas by gas and diesel configurations,crankshafts, core sourcing, shopequipment ownership andpurchasing, and total productiontime spent in specific enginebuilding areas.

In addition, this year’s reportincludes information on the typicalshop’s financial data, size of shop,years in business, equipment andemployee information andcustomer-base analysis of thetypical CER.

Granted, if there is one thingtypical of every engine builder, it’sthat there is no typical enginebuilder. While we recognize thateach company is unique anddiversity is a blessing, weencourage you to use theseaverages to see how your businesscompares.

Nationally, the numbers looklike this: the average machine shopproduced nearly 22.4 gas and dieselengines monthly last year, up fromjust under 21 in 2012. It’s actuallythe highest number we’ve seen inat least six years – and the creditgoes to the smallest member of thefamily for carrying the weight.While declines were seen in six-cylinder gasoline engines (downalmost half an engine per month in2013) and eight-cylinder gasengines (down almost a full engineper month), four-cylinder gasengine production increased 2.3engines per month (up to 6.3 permonth from 4 per month in lastyear’s report). And despite declinesin six- and eight-cylinder engines,gas engine production is higherthan at any time since at least 2008.

On the diesel side, slightincreases were seen across theboard and the diesel enginesegment experienced another greatyear last year. Continued growth of

2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 GAS ENGINES 4 CYLINDER 6.3 4.0 3.7 4.0 2.9 6 CYLINDER 3.8 4.2 4.4 3.3 3.1 8 CYLINDER 8.5 9.4 5.6 10.1 6.1 OTHER .46 0.15 1.4 0.52 0.13 TOTAL 19.1 17.8 15.1 17.9 12.2DIESEL ENGINES 4 CYLINDER .81 0.80 0.57 1.8 0.68 6 CYLINDER 1.91 1.76 0.86 1.4 1.2 8 CYLINDER .46 0.44 0.65 0.46 0.6 OTHER .10 0.14 0.040 0.5 0.06 TOTAL 3.3 3.1 2.5 4.1 2.5 TOTAL NUMBER OF ENGINES 4 CYLINDER 7.1 4.8 4.3 5.8 3.6 6 CYLINDER 5.7 5.3 4.7 4.3 3.7 8 CYLINDER 9.0 9.8 6.3 10.6 6.7 OTHER .56 0.3 1.8 0.19 0.12 TOTAL 22.4 20.8 17.7 22.1 14.8

AVERAGE NUMBER OF GAS/DIESEL ENGINES REBUILT PER MONTH IN 2012

ENGINE PRODUCTION INCREASES/DECREASES

REBUILT ENGINE SALES – DOMESTIC AND IMPORT

RESPONSE 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 INCREASED 55.6% 40.6% 26.5% 29.3% 15.8% REMAINED THE SAME 28.9% 35.9% 70.6% 40.4% 47.4% DECREASED 15.6% 23.4% 2.9% 30.3% 36.8% TOTAL 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% AVERAGE INCREASE 11.3% 14.4% 13.0% 4.5% 29.7% AVERAGE DECREASE 14.0% 8.8% 20.0% 14.0% 20.8%

GAS 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 DOMESTIC 74.5% 71.5% 68.6% 69.6% 71.8% IMPORT 24.5% 28.5% 31.4% 30.4% 28.2% TOTAL 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%DIESEL 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009

DOMESTIC 82.0% 84.1% 86.2% 80.3% 88.8% IMPORT 18.0% 15.9% 13.8% 19.7% 11.2% TOTAL 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

20-31 MSMP 14 6/5/14 2:24 PM Page 21

22 June 2014 | EngineBuilder Machine Shop Market Profile

Market Profile

4-, 6- and 8- cylinder enginesindicates that industrial,commercial and agriculturalopportunities remain.

Overall, the number of dieselengines climbed to 3.3 engines permonth, a nice 6 percent increasefrom last year, which was up 24percent from 2011.

The average national monthlygas and diesel engine productionof 22.4 units translates to 269engines produced annually. This isup from the 252 reported last yearand exceeds the high-water markof 264 reported in 2010.

Projected onto a universe of3,000 to 5,000 full-service machineshops, it’s estimated that CERsaccounted for between 807,000 to1.35 million gas and diesel enginesbuilt during production year 2013.Last year the market range for thesame size universe was 648,000 to1.26 million units.

If you add in an estimated450,000 engines remanufacturedannually by approximately 30North American production engineremanufacturers (PERs), thecombined total number of enginesrebuilt in 2013 by CERs and PERswould be about 1.26 million to

Engine Production Data

2013 2012 2011 2010 AUTOMOTIVE GASOLINE 36.3% 46.2% 44.9% 38.7%

PERFORMANCE 27.4% 20.1% 19.6% 22.5%

INDUSTRIAL ENGINES 8.4% 6.6% 10.6% 4.7%

MEDIUM-DUTY DIESEL 3.4% 7.5% 6.3% 5.5%

AUTOMOTIVE DIESEL 8.3% 4.9% 6.3% 3.7%

PERFORMANCE DIESEL 2.0% 4.3% 2.0% 1.6%

MARINE ENGINES 5.0% 4.2% 4.0% 3.8%

MOTORCYCLE/MOWER/OTHER SMALL 2.5% 1.7% 3.2% 1.1%

HEAVY-DUTY DIESEL 6.2% 3.8% 2.1% 11.9%

OTHER TYPES 0.5% 0.6% 1.0% 5.0%

2013 2012 2011 2010 AUTOMOTIVE GASOLINE 96.2% 92.3% 93.1% 90.0%

PERFORMANCE GAS 88.5% 84.6% 86.2% 80.0%

INDUSTRIAL ENGINES 50.0% 46.2% 65.5% 53.3%

AUTOMOTIVE DIESEL 61.5% 46.2% 62.1% 56.7%

PERFORMANCE DIESEL 23.1% 15.4% 17.2% 23.3%

MARINE ENGINES 61.5% 61.5% 58.6% 60.0%

MOTORCYCLE/MOWER/OTHER SMALL 38.5% 34.6% 37.9% 30.0%

MEDIUM-DUTY DIESEL 46.2% 53.8% 44.8% 40.0%

HEAVY-DUTY DIESEL 38.5% 38.5% 27.6% 46.7%

OTHER TYPES 7.7% 7.7% 10.3% 16.7%

PERCENTAGE OF ENGINE REBUILDING FALLING INTO THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES

PERCENTAGE OF SHOPS THAT REBUILDTHE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES

PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL REBUILT ENGINE SALESRETURNED AS WARRANTY

PERCENTAGE OF WARRANTY RETURNS WHICH ARE ACTUALLY CUSTOMER INSTALLATION

OR DIAGNOSTIC PROBLEMS

2013 2012 2011 2010 Customer Caused 72.9% 86.2% 79.9% 63.0% Percent change -15.4% 7.9% 26.8% -10.5%

“OF THE 3,000 - 5,000

FULL-SERVICE

MACHINE SHOPS,

IT’S ESTIMATED THAT

BETWEEN 807,000 TO

1.35 MILLION GAS AND

DIESEL ENGINES WERE

BUILT DURING 2013.”

2013 2012 2011 2010 Returned 1.8% 2.8% 3.0% 1.5%

20-31 MSMP 14 6/5/14 2:24 PM Page 22


23 Engine & Performance Warehouse_Layout 1 6/6/14 9:59 AM Page 23

1.80 million units. This compares to an upper range ofapproximately 1.71 million engines produced by PERsand CERs during production year 2012.

At an average retail cost of approximately $2,600 perengine, we calculate that the totalrebuilt/remanufactured engine market generatedbetween $3.276 billion and $4.68 billion in rebuiltengine sales in 2013.

Many rebuilders said they saw a production increasein 2013 – and happily, fewer saw their productionnumbers decline. More than half of our respondents(55.6 percent) said production numbers increased. Ofthose who did report an increase, it was, on average,about 11.3 percent. While only 16 percent saidproduction decreased, for those who did, the averagedecline was 14 percent.

Sales of rebuilt engines in 2013 trended in differentways. Import gas engines continued to fall relative tothe previous year (down 2 percent from 2012) whiledomestic gas engines rose, albeit by a slightly highermargin; the diesel market again saw import engineshand the domestics a 2.1 percent decline – the same asin 2012.

We’ve discussed diversity for a long time, and in oursurvey it continues to be seen. Our 2013 numbers showthat – as probably expected – the bulk of our readers(96.2 percent of shops) build automotive gasolineengines. The remaining categories from there are:performance gas – 88.5 percent; automotive diesel –61.5 percent; marine engines – 61.5 percent; industrialengines – 50 percent; medium-duty diesel – 46.2


Market Profile

PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS 2013 2012 One to 10% 28.0% 31.4% 11% to 20% 15.1% 20.9% 21% to 30% 14.0% 11.6% 31% to 40% 5.4% 2.3% 41% to 50% 8.6% 7.0% 51% to 70% 4.3% 3.5% More than 70% 14.0% 17.4% None/no answer 10.8% 5.8%

2013 2012 2011 SHORT BLOCKS 8.7% 7.3% 7.9%

LONG BLOCKS 17.4% 11.9% 11.3%

COMPLETE ENGINES 15.2% 23.7% 31.5%

HEADS* 48.8% 49.3% 41.8%

CRANKS 9.7% 7.8% 7.5%

*Not used on long blocks or complete engines

2013 2012 2011 SHORT BLOCKS 3.3% 3.4% 4.7%

LONG BLOCKS 6.3% 14.1% 10.0%

COMPLETE ENGINES 11.2% 22.3% 22.3%

HEADS* 67.2% 52.4% 53.3%

CRANKS 11.9% 7.9% 9.6%

*Not used on long blocks or complete engines

PERCENTAGE RANKING AS #1ENGINE REBUILT

80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%Chevy GM Ford HD/ Import Chrysler Others 350 (Others) (Any) Comm (Any) (Any)

The small block Chevy 350 continues to be the most common en-gine rebuilt and despite its continuing decline and an increase in competition for the top spot, the numbers for 2013 show it continues tobe popular. This year, the small-block Chevy was noted as the #1 enginerebuilt by 44 percent of the shops – last year that figure was 50 percent.And proving that GM has staying power, “any other GM engine” accountsfor another 26% of shops, so about 70 percent of shops say a GM engineof some kind is their number one product. It’s likely the LS platform makes

up the bulk of this work.

44%

26%

10%13%

0% 0%8%

PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL REBUILDING BUSINESS IN GAS ENGINE PRODUCTION

FOR FOLLOWING CATEGORIES

PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL DIESEL ENGINE REBUILDING PRODUCTION

IN FOLLOWING CATEGORIES

PERCENTAGE OF ENGINE PRODUCTION (TOTAL) THAT IS PERFORMANCE-RELATED

Engine Production Data

20-31 MSMP 14 6/5/14 2:24 PM Page 24


25 Area Diesel Service Inc._Layout 1 6/6/14 9:58 AM Page 25


Market Profile Crankshaft Production Data

percent; heavy-duty diesel – 38.5percent; performance diesel –23.1 percent; and “other types” –7.7 percent.

According to our surveyrespondents, the percentage ofengine rebuilding falling intovarious categories in the typicalshop breaks down like this:automotive gas – 36.3 percent;performance – 27.4 percent;industrial – 8.4 percent; medium-duty diesel – 3.4 percent;automotive diesel – 8.3 percent;performance diesel – 2 percent;marine engines – 5 percent;heavy-duty diesel – 6.2 percent;motorcycle/mower/other small– 2.5 percent; and other types –0.5 percent.

The small block Chevy 350continues to be the strongestengine out there – though otherengines in the GM family(without question the LSplatform) are gaining traction.The 350 is ranked as the numberone engine built by 44 percent ofour respondents, down from aneven half last year. However, aGM engine of some kind is listednumber one by 70 percent of ourrespondents. Fords account for 10percent; heavy-duty andcommercial engines account for13 percent (a hefty increase fromlast year) and “other engines”garnered 8 percent. Imports andChryslers both fell off the radarthis year – no one ranked eitheras their number one engine.

Each year we ask surveyrespondents to tell us about theirengine building business bybreaking down their operation

into five specific machiningprocesses – production of shortblocks, long blocks, completeengines, cylinder heads (not usedon long blocks or completeengines) and crankshafts (also notused in long blocks or completeengines).

Gas cylinder heads – which hadbeen an increasingly bright spot

RESPONSE 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 INCREASED 25.0% 16.4% 16.1% 14.8% 9.1% REMAINED THE SAME 60.0% 65.6% 74.2% 55.6% 69.7% DECREASED 15.0% 18.0% 9.7% 29.6% 21.2%

TOTAL 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 TOTAL NUMBER OF CRANKSHAFTS 4 CYLINDER 6.1 7.8 7.3 9.2 6.6 6 CYLINDER 5.2 6.6 6.4 8.5 5.2 8 CYLINDER 8.8 13.4 10.4 9.1 7.4 OTHER .75 0.7 0.76 0.65 0.43 TOTAL 20.9 28.5 24.9 27.5 19.6

CRANKSHAFT PRODUCTIONINCREASES/DECREASES

AVERAGE NUMBER OF GAS AND DIESEL CRANKSHAFTS GROUND PER MONTH IN 2013

2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 GAS CRANKSHAFTS 4 CYLINDER 5.0 6.8 6.0 6.5 5.6 6 CYLINDER 3.6 4.6 4.7 5.6 4.0 8 CYLINDER 8.5 13.0 9.0 8.7 6.7 OTHER .44 0.5 .036 0.25 0.26 TOTAL 17.5 24.9 20.1 21.05 16.6 DIESEL CRANKSHAFTS 4 CYLINDER 1.1 0.96 1.3 2.7 1.0 6 CYLINDER 1.6 6.6 1.7 2.9 1.2 8 CYLINDER .31 0.4 1.4 0.4 0.7 OTHER .31 0.22 0.4 0.4 .17 TOTAL 3.3 3.6 4.8 6.4 3.1

TOTAL AVERAGE NUMBER OF GAS AND DIESEL CRANKSHAFTS GROUND PER MONTH

“CYLINDER HEAD WORK REMAINS THE SINGLE

BIGGEST PART BUT COMPLETE ENGINES AND

HEADS TOGETHER ACCOUNT FOR 64 PERCENT OF

THE TYPICAL REBUILDING BUSINESS.”

“DIESEL CRANK PRODUCTION DECREASED IN 2013RELATIVE TO 2012, FROM 3.6 TO 3.3 PER MONTH”

20-31 MSMP 14 6/5/14 2:24 PM Page 26


27 Safety Auto Parts Corp_Layout 1 6/6/14 9:57 AM Page 27


Market Profile

for the typical shop’s production,fell this year from an average of45 heads produced each monthin 2012 to 36.9 heads per monthin 2013. In gas, this accounted forabout 48.9 percent of the typicalshop’s production, down from49.3 percent. Cylinder head workremains the single biggest part,but complete engines and headstogether account for 64 percentof the typical rebuildingbusiness. This is downsignificantly from 78 percentcalculated in 2012.

For diesel engine builders,declines are seen in short blocks,long blocks and complete engineproduction numbers. Dieselheads and cranks saw sizeableproduction increases. Dieselcylinder heads account for 78.4percent of diesel enginerebuilding production numbers.

In fact, diesel cylinder headincreases were seen across theboard, but couldn’t overcome thegas declines. In 2012, shopsproduced an average total of 52gas and diesel heads per month,but in 2013 that number was 46.5heads produced monthly.

The national average numberof gas and diesel crankshaftsreground monthly by the typicalCER fell in 2013, from 28.5 unitsin 2012, to 20.9 units in 2013.

Diesel crank productiondecreased in 2013 relative to2012, falling from 3.6 to 3.3 totalunits per month. Gasolinecrankshaft regrinding alsodeclined, from nearly 25 totalunits produced monthly during2012 to less than 18 total units

2013 2012 2011 2010 GAS CYLINDER HEADS 4 CYLINDER 14.9 14.8 17.1 16.7 6 CYLINDER 7.3 10.0 11.5 8.6 8 CYLINDER 13.9 19.6 12.7 14.9 OTHER 0.8 0.8 2.6 0.78 TOTAL 36.9 45.2 43.9 41.3 DIESEL CYLINDER HEADS 4 CYLINDER 2.5 2.0 2.1 3.9 6 CYLINDER 4.2 3.3 2.9 5.8 8 CYLINDER 2.3 1.2 2.5 2.5 OTHER 0.6 0.3 0.6 0.6 TOTAL 9.6 6.8 8.1 12.8 TOTAL NUMBER OF CYLINDER HEADS 4 CYLINDER 17.4 16.8 19.2 20.6 6 CYLINDER 11.5 13.3 14.4 14.4 8 CYLINDER 16.2 20.8 15.2 18.4 OTHER 1.4 1.1 3.2 1.4TOTAL 46.5 52.0 52.0 54.8

PERCENT OF CYLINDER HEAD REBUILDINGTHAT IS ALUMINUM

PERCENT NAMING AS NUMBER ONE CYLINDER HEAD REBUILT

AVERAGE NUMBER OF GAS/DIESEL CYLINDER HEADSREBUILT PER MONTH IN 2013

Any Any Any Any HD/ Others GM Import Chrysler Ford Commercial

13%10%

6%

59%50%

3%

9% 9%

17%

3%

10%10%

Average 2013 49% Average 2012 51% Average 2011 42%

PERCENT OF CYLINDER HEADREBUILDING

THAT IS DIESELAverage 2011 16% Average 2012 20% Average 2013 36%

2013 2012

Cylinder Head Production Data

20-31 MSMP 14 6/5/14 2:24 PM Page 28

Market Profile

produced in 2013. Diesel heads rebuilt monthly

continued last year’s fall. Totaldiesel cylinder head productionfell from 8.1 units rebuilt monthlyin 2011 to 6.8 units in 2012, anoverall 16 percent decrease. Six-cylinder diesel head productionactually increased slightly, but allother categories fell.

The percentage of cylinder headrebuilding that is aluminum fellslightly in 2013, to less than half,giving back some of the gainsaluminum made in 2012. Thepercentage of cylinder headrebuilding that is diesel climbeddramatically, up 16 percent over2012.

As with complete engines, GMcontinues to dominate in thecylinder head rebuilding market,but some softening of TheGeneral’s power may be seen,according to our surveyrespondents. When asked what thenumber one cylinder head rebuiltin their shop was, 50 percentnamed a GM product, down from59 percent in 2012. And toparaphrase the old saw “What’strue for GM is true for theindustry,” other brands are feelingthe pinch. Import and Ford headsare claimed as top product by 10

percent of shops each; Chryslerdropped back to being namednumber one by just 3 percent ofrespondents. However, heavyduty/commercial heads saw ahuge jump in 2013, as did the“other” category.

Again, diversity reigns intoday’s shop environment and thatmeans shops continue to do anincreasing amount of various typesof engine builds and enginemachine work in a variety ofengine markets. CERs today aremore and more capable of doingeverything from a single cylinder

gas or diesel slugger to a 16-cylinder marine, industrial oroff-road engine to a highperformance street rod or racingengine.

Diversity means a shop that’smade investments in equipmentcapabilities to do its enginemachine work or engine buildsfaster, cheaper and at consistency.

Shops say that 62.5 percent ofthe equipment they purchased in2013 was new, while 37.5 percentwas used. This is a significantreversal from the 58 percentused/42 percent new split seen in

2012.From CNC software

designed exclusively forthe engine buildingindustry to shop toolingand equipment built tomake your job easier andmore profitable, it meansshops that have investedin training, technicalresources and havedeveloped relationshipswith suppliers makethem the known expertsin their fields. Theircustomers seek them outfor all of these reasons.

Average total grosssales volume (attributedto parts and labor) in2013 was $523,300 in2013, up from $475,000 in

Shop Management Data


2013 GROSS PROFIT MARGINON MACHINE SHOP PARTS AND LABOR

Avera

Average Years in Business: 30.2 Years

AAVERAGE YEARS SHOP HAS BEEN IN BUSINESS

51% or More:10.9%

41-50% : 10.9%

31-40% : 19.8%

21-30% : 32.7%

5 Years or Less: 8.8%

6-10: 5.4%

11-15: 8.8%

16-20: 8.8%

21-25: 12.8%

26-30: 9.5%

31-35: 12.2%

36-40: 7.4%

41-45: 6.1%

46-50: 7.4%

51 or more: 12.8%

11-20% : 15.8%

Up to 10%:9.9%

20-31 MSMP 14 6/5/14 2:24 PM Page 29


Market Profile

2009. Thirty-seven percent ofrespondents say this figure isup (by an average of 14.5percent); 45 percent say salesvolume was flat year-over-year;and 18 percent saw a decline(again, by an average of 14percent).

According to respondents, in2013 machine shop parts andlabor work accounted for anaverage of 74.6 percent ofshops’ gross sales volume.During the same period, 26percent of respondents saidtheir average gross profitmargin on machine shop partsand labor increased, onaverage, 8.4 percent over 2012.Thirteen percent said theirprofit margin fell, by anaverage of 12 percent.

The national average for thenumber of years a shop hasbeen in business is 30.2 years –an aging trend we’ve watchedfor the past few years. Many ofour respondents say they’vebeen reading – and retaining –this magazine since almost itsbirth. We thank them for theirloyalty.

But a bright spot too, is thenumber of new or young shopsresponding to our survey. Morethan 14 percent of shop ownersindicate they have been inbusiness 10 years or less. At theother end of the spectrum,nearly half of shops (47percent) have been in operationfor more than 30 years, anamazing 27 percent have beenbuilding and rebuildingengines since at least the early’70s, and 13 percent are olderthan we are!

Obviously, many businesspractices have changed sincethose veterans first hung outtheir shingle, and one thatwe’ve been watching over thepast few years has been thenumber of employees. Theaverage number of totalcompany employees is 4.5 and

CATEGORY 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 DISASSEMBLY/CLEANING 15.1% 17.3% 14.9% 16.7% 17.1% BLOCK RESURFACING 8.3% 6.0% 5.4% 5.5% 6.9% CYLINDER BORING 14.6% 12.4% 12.2% 12.4% 11.0% CYLINDER HEAD RESURFACING 15.3% 15.4% 13.5% 15.6% 15.4% VALVE GUIDE AND SEAT WORK 14.8% 15.5% 13.4% 14.0% 12.6% CYLINDER HEAD CRACK REPAIR 3.0% 2.5% 0.9% 2.0% 2.6% CONNECTING ROD RECON 6.3% 5.7% 5.8% 4.7% 5.8% VALVE RECONDITIONING 7.5% 9.9% 8.7% 10.6% 10.8% FLYWHEEL GRINDING 3.9% 2.6% 4.0% 4.2% 3.9% CLUTCH RESURFACING 0.4% 0.0% 0.6% 0.3% 0.3% CRANK GRINDING/POLISHING 4.5% 4.4% 8.5% 4.8% 5.1% CRANKSHAFT WELDING 0.5% 0.4% 0.7% 0.7% 1.2% OTHER 5.8% 17.6% 11.3% 8.5% 7.3%

AVERAGE AMOUNT SPENT ONMACHINE SHOP EQUIPMENT IN 2013

PERCENT CHANGE*

2013 $17,627 -8.8%

2012 $19,327 71%

2011 $11,274 -38.7%

2010 $18,400 78%

2009 $10,556 -22.8%

*From previous year

NEW62.5%

USED37.5%

PERCENT OF TOTAL PRODUCTION TIME SPENTIN THE FOLLOWING AREAS

PERCENT OF EQUIPMENT PURCHASED THAT IS NEW AND USED

Shop Management Data

20-31 MSMP 14 6/5/14 2:24 PM Page 30

the average number of machineshop employees is 3.0 per shop.This number has actually remainedfairly consistent for the past severalyears. The average tenure ofemployees is 16.4 years.

Other facts from our survey:• 45 percent of shops say they

have a dedicated shop foreman; 87percent of these foremen are alsoworking machinists.

• 77 percent of shops workregularly with an accountant; 23percent say they don’t.

• Average hourly labor rate(nationally) is $72.50. The averagemarkup on hourly shop labor (thatis, the markup from hourly shoplabor rate paid to employeescompared to the hourly ratecharged to customers) is 108percent. And for every dollar inshop labor billed in 2013, $6.30 inshop labor was generated.

Whether they do it because theywant to share the wealth orbecause the diverse range ofproducts they build requires it,survey respondentsoverwhelmingly choose to buytheir parts from multiple suppliers.Seventy-six percent say they shoparound; 24 percent are loyal to asingle supplier.

Computers – love ‘em or hate‘em – are a necessary part ofbusiness today, and even thisindustry is finally recognizing thatfact. Half of respondents say theyuse a computer to manage theirshop; 7 percent say they’re in theprocess of computerizing (aprocess that likely has been goingon for at least 30 years); yet asubstantial 43 percent of shopsinsist on doing business the “oldfashioned” way.

Shop operations can bemanaged without a computer, butcertain functions can’t. Shopwebsites – determined “essential”shop tools by many respondents –are found at just 47 percent of shoprespondents. Of those, 24 percentsell directly via their website orother online method – of theseforward-thinking shops, 13 percentof their total sales come from the

Internet.When we asked shops to rank

their biggest competitors, here’show they responded:

32 percent – used engines beinginstalled;

32 percent – the economy (inmany cases this manifests itselfmore in the performance business);

19 percent – better quality OEengines;

12 percent – customerspurchasing engines from retailoutlets, whether PER engines orother suppliers;

3 percent – low finance rates onused cars.

No one saw a problem with lowfinancing rates on new cars or withhigher gas prices, both of whichwere major concerns in years past.

Shops say they will continue todo what it takes to be strong andsuccessful in this business, but thatdoesn’t just mean surviving. Morethan 36 percent of respondents say

they plan to expand their enginerebuilding operation in the nexttwo years. This will beaccomplished in the followingways, they tell us:

• 58 percent plan to addrebuilding equipment;

• 50 percent will addemployees;

• 42 percent will add services;• 25 percent will expand their

production area.Whatever their methods, Engine

Builder will continue to supporttheir efforts. ■

Questions? Comments? We wantto hear from you. Contact Editor EdSunkin at [email protected] orPublisher Doug Kaufman [email protected].

For information on Babcox Media’smarket research capabilities, pleasecontact Bob Roberts [email protected].


Market ProfileShop Management Data


20-31 MSMP 14 6/5/14 2:24 PM Page 31

The crankshaft, connecting rodsand bearings are extremelyimportant in every engine build,

whether mild or wild, because theyconvert the reciprocating motion of thepistons into rotational torque. Thelonger the stroke, the greater theleverage effect and the greater thetorque output of the engine. There arethree things that need to be consideredwhen replacing a crank, rods andbearings:

1. Strength -- Are the parts going tobe strong enough for their intendeduse? A circle track car, drag car ormarine application will put far morestrain on the crank and rods than astock or street performance dailydriver.

2. Bearing clearances -- Are yougoing to build it loose or tight? Will theoil viscosity and pressure match thebearing clearances?

3. Balance -- Absolutely critical forengine longevity regardless of theapplication or RPM potential of theengine. Even a small imbalance at lowRPM over a long period of time canfatigue metal.

DurabilityStock engines and street performanceengines are expected to last a longtime: tens of thousands of miles if not a100,000 miles or more. Combustiontemperatures and pressures are lowerin a stock engine than a performanceengine, and RPM is usually limited toabout 6,500 RPM or less. Consequently,

a cast iron crankshaft, originalequipment powder metal rods andstandard bearings are usually adequatefor their intended use.

Original equipment cast iron cranksare usually made of 1053 high-carbonalloy steel. This material has a tensilestrength of around 100,000 to 110,000psi, which can usually handle as muchas 400 to 450 horsepower (dependingon the engine and size of the journals).Forged cranks, by comparison, may bemade from 5140, 4130, 4340 or otherhigh grade alloy steels with tensilestrength ratings from 115,000 psi up to165,000 psi or higher (depending onthe alloy and heat treatment).Essentially, you get what you pay forwhen you buy a high performancecrank made of a high quality alloy.

Most of the forgings that are used inaftermarket performance cranks todaycome from China. The quality of themetal depends on the supplier andhow the crank is heat treated. SomeU.S. crank suppliers do their ownfinishing work and heat treatment onthe Chinese-forgings they buy whileothers go with prefinished cranks.What's really important here is not thesource of the crank or the brand on thebox but the quality that has gone intomanufacturing and finishing theproduct. The journals on a highperformance crank should be perfectlyround and polished to specifications,and level side to side with no taper orconvex or concave curvature. Thelocation of the journals must also be

accurately indexed for proper valvetiming and ignition. Thecounterweights must also be in theright locations and have the propermass to offset the reciprocating mass ofthe pistons and rods. As long as acrank meets all of these criteria, itshould be a good, dependable crank.

Crankshafts can fail if they aresubjected to more power than they canhandle, and from metal fatigue. Askinga stock cast iron crank to handle morethan 400 to 450 horsepower in a smallblock V8, or over 550 horsepower inmany big blocks is asking for trouble. Ifthe engine will be equipped with sometype of power added (nitrous oxide, aturbocharger or supercharger), thedemands on the crank will go up evenmore and likely require an upgrade toa forged or billet steel performancecrank.

Do you want a light crank or aheavy crank? It depends on theapplication for which you are buildingthe engine. Circle track cars areprobably the most demanding on boththe crank and rods because the engineis constantly on and off the throttle. Ifthe rules allow it, a lightweight crankwill provide better throttle responseand allow the engine to rev and decelmore quickly than a stock weightcrank. On the other hand, if you arebuilding an engine for a drag car,weight doesn't matter because theengine will be running at full throttlefor a quarter of a mile. The extrarotating weight will also add


Making the Right ConnectionReplacing crankshafts, connecting rods and bearings

Rot

atin

g A

ssem

blie

s

BY LARRY CARLEY, TECHNICAL EDITOR

32-40 Cranks 6/5/14 11:39 AM Page 32


33 Scat_Layout 1 6/6/14 9:56 AM Page 33

momentum that can help a car launchoff the line without bogging.

Another point to keep in mind ifyou are building a blown engine is theextra stress the blower drive puts onthe end of the crank. The added stressand flexing over time can lead tofatigue cracks and crank breakage, solook for a crank that is available with alarger diameter nose.

Upgrading Rods

Many late model engines are factoryequipped with powder metal rods.The vehicle manufacturers like pow-der metal rods because they aremuch less expensive to manufacture.The rods can be cast to very closefinal tolerances and require less ma-chining than a cast iron or forgedsteel connecting rod. There is nograin structure in a powder metalrod so the rods can be cracked toseparate the cap from the rod. This isfaster, easier and some say betterthan cutting and machining rod caps

because crackingleaves a slightlyjagged surface onthe cap and rodwhich will onlymate together oneway. The advan-tage is that it pro-vides perfectalignment between the cap and rodbut the trade-off is that the cap androd cannot be machined to correctfor any bore distortion or wear thathas occurred over time. Because ofthis, powder metal rods are essen-tially throwaways if the big end isworn or the cap has loosened upover time (which they do).

If you're doing a performance build,therefore, one of the first parts that willhave to be upgraded is the rods.Replace the original equipmentpowder metal rods with some type ofaftermarket performance rod (I-beamor H-beam).

There are a lot of choices when it

comes to aftermarket rods. Choosing arod depends again on the application.You want a rod that's strong enough tohandle the power and RPMs the


Rotating Assemblies


The correct lengthis vital when se-lecting connectingrods. Rod ratio isthe length of aconnecting rod(center to center)divided by thestroke of thecrankshaft.

32-40 Cranks 6/5/14 11:39 AM Page 34


35 Lunati LLC_Layout 1 6/6/14 9:55 AM Page 35

engine is capable of producing. Youalso have to match the rod length withthe stroke of the crank, the pistons andpin location, and the engine's deckheight.

Strength is critical in a connectingrod. The forces that stretch andcompress the rods exert tremendousstress on the beam section of the rod. Ifa rod is going to fail, it will most oftenpull apart on a piston upstroke ratherthan bend during a piston downstroke.A rod can also fail if the bearing starvesfor oil, seizes and rips the rod apart.

The stock rods in most V8s are stoutenough to handle upwards of 400 to450 horsepower, and 5,500 to 6,500RPM. Exceed these limits and you'llneed stronger rods for reliability. Oneaftermarket rod supplier weinterviewed for this article said hisentry level rods can handle 800 to 990horsepower, and his top end rods arerunning in engines producing upwardsof 2000 horsepower. H-beam rodsmade of 4340 or 300M steel arecommonly used in many circle track

engines, while I-beam rods are popularwith drag racers and marine enginebuilders. The debate of I-Beam versusH-Beam often boils down to a matterof personal preference.

Most Top Fuel dragsters and funnycars use aluminum rods in theirmotors. So do many ProStock racers.Aluminum rods have a limited servicelife because they can stretch andfatigue in high stress engines like these.Even so, they work well enoughbecause the typical Top Fuel racerreplaces the rods after 8 to 10 runs.ProStock racers may replace the rodsafter 20 or 30 runs. In the lower dragracing classes, a set of aluminum rodsmay last 100 to 200 runs or longer.

Aluminum rods can work on thestreet, but it requires a high qualityalloy. For this reason, many enginebuilders prefer to stick with steel rodsfor their proven longevity.

Titanium rods are another optionfor those with deep pockets. Titaniumis light weight (about 24% lighter thana comparable steel rod) and has about


Rotating Assemblies


Choosing a rod depends on the application – you want a rod that'sstrong enough to handle the powerand RPMs the engine is capable ofproducing.

32-40 Cranks 6/5/14 11:39 AM Page 36


37 King Engine Bearings, Inc._Layout 1 6/6/14 9:53 AM Page 37

the same durability as a steel rod, buttitanium is expensive and tricky tomanufacture. If you can afford them,great! Otherwise, they are probably tooexpensive for the average streetperformance customer or weekendracer.

Rod length is another choice youwill have to make when selecting a setof rods. Rod ratio is the length of aconnecting rod (center to center)divided by the stroke of the crankshaft.Many performance engine builders saya rod ratio of 1.57 to 1.67 works best. Alonger rod ratio can make an engine'storque output peak more sharply.Lower rod ratios work well with lowerRPM stroker motors while higher rodratios are better suited for high revvingengines.

Another option is to use rods thatdo not have wrist pin bushings. Thisleaves more metal around the wrist pinfor added strength at high RPM. But itrequires a highly polished pin hole anda low friction coating on the wrist pinto prevent the pin from galling.

The type of bolts used to attach the

rod cap to the rod is alsoimportant. The stronger the bolts,the better. Poor quality bolts canstretch and allow the cap towander, leading to rod and bearingfailure.

Bearings

The bearings support the crank andbear the forces that are exerted bythe rods as they reciprocate up anddown. A thin film of oil is all that

separates the bearing from the crankjournals, so bearing clearances aswell as oil viscosity and oil pressuremust all be considered when build-ing an engine for a particular appli-cation.


Rotating Assemblies


Reducing the oil clearance between the rodand main bearings and the crankshaft has anumber of advantages. A smaller gapspreads the load over a wider area of thebearing surface and distributes pressuremore uniformly across the bearing.

32-40 Cranks 6/5/14 11:39 AM Page 38

Traditionally, most performanceengine builders have gone with"looser" bearing clearances (.0025 to.003 inches) for the rod and mainbearings because it works well with15W-40 racing oil and high pressure oilpumps. One crankshaft manufacturersaid the larger the journals on thecrank, the more bearing clearance youshould allow so the oil can get all theway around the bearing. If you set thebearings too close, you run the risk ofspinning a bearing.

On some applications, tightclearances work provided the rightcombination of shaft diameter, bearingclearance, oil viscosity and oil pressureis used. A tighter bearing clearancespreads the load over a slightlybroader arc on the bearing whereas alarger bearing clearance willconcentrate the load on a narrowerstrip of the bearing surface. Spreadingthe load across a larger area of thebearing is good in an endurance engineand street engine because it reducesmetal fatigue and extends the life of thebearing.

Indy cars and NASCAR can getaway with tight bearing clearances(.0015 or less) because many of theseengines have smaller diameter cranksand they are using low viscosity 0W-40or 5W-20 synthetic racing oils.

The crank journals also haveexcellent geometry and are finished toprecise tolerances (which may notalways be the case with a budgetmotor or a reground crank). The tighterclearances and thinner oil means lessoil pressure is needed to keep thebearings lubed, so oil pressure can bereduced to cut the amount of powerneeded to drive a wet dump oil pump.Thinner oils also reduce friction whichsaves horsepower.

The disadvantage of thinnerviscosity oils is that the oil can drain offthe bearings more quickly. When a racecar sits all week without running, thebearings may be dry when the engineis fired up. A heavier oil will cling tothe bearings better, but will requiremore bearing clearance so it will flowaround the bearings more easily.

It goes without saying that journaldiameters and well as bearing fitshould always be measured whenassembling an engine. Never assumeeverything has been manufactured tospecifications or has been boxedaccurately. Mistakes happen!

Balance ConsiderationsWhether an engine is internally bal-anced (usually preferred) or exter-nally balanced, a good balance isessential for crank and bearinglongevity. Imbalance in the rotatingassembly creates shaking forces thatcan fatigue metal over time. Thecloser the balance, the better -- evenin engines that seldom if ever see thehigh side of 5500 RPM. Imbalancegrows exponentially with engine

speed, so the higher the engine revsthe greater the force generated byeven a small imbalance.

When choosing a replacementcrank, you want to match the weight ofthe rods, wrist pins, pistons and ringsto the counterweights on the crank.

All crankshafts have a targetbobweight (plus or minus 2 percenttypically) that approximates theweights of the pistons and rods thatyou plan to use. The closer the target


Rotating Assemblies


32-40 Cranks 6/5/14 11:39 AM Page 39

bobweight of the crank is to the actualparts, the less time and drilling it willtake to balance the crank.

Determining the bobweight requiresweighing all of the parts. Rod weightstend to vary more than piston weightsdue to heavier mass.

With lightweight cranks or thosewhere the outside diameter of thecounterweights havebeen turned down toreduce weight, theremay not be enoughmetal in thecounterweights tocompletely offset thepistons and rods.This will requireheavy metal tungsten(Mallory) plugs in thecounterweights tobalance the crankand possiblyexternally balancethe engine withadditional weight on the flywheel andharmonic balancer. Heavy metal addscost as well as extra time and labor to

balance the crank.Most production V8 crankshafts

have six counterweights to reduceweight and cost. This works wellenough for most applications,including racing. But for high revvingendurance engines and longer strokeengines, adding two additionalcounterweights for the center pistons

allows better balance and reducescrank flexing that can lead to fatigueand crank failure.

Some cranks have holes drilledlengthwise through the main journals.This has no effect on balance and onlyreduces the overall weight of the crankmaybe 2 or 3 lbs. The main purpose ofthese holes is to allow air to move backand forth in the crankcase as thepistons move up and down. On ChevyLS engines, this type of breathing is

essential because the crankcase isvery tight and restricts airflowbetween cylinders.

If you are installing a windagetray on a Chevy LS, the tray needsto be positioned far enough awayfrom the crank so that it doesn'tinhibit this back and forth airflowwithin the crankcase.

The tray needs to be above the oillevel in the pan so oil is whipped upby the spinning crank, but at least aninch or more away from the crank toallow good airflow.

A dry sump oil system that hasenough suction to pull vacuum in

the crankcase will solve such breathingproblems by pulling out most of the airalong with the oil. ■


Rotating Assemblies


The journals on a high performance crank should be perfectlyround and polished to specifications. Photo courtesy of Scat Enterprises Inc.

32-40 Cranks 6/5/14 11:39 AM Page 40


41 Engine Parts Warehouse_Layout 1 6/6/14 9:52 AM Page 41

Heads are a product line thatwarrant almost constantresearch. Both the OEMs and

aftermarket are creating newapplications that solve problems, savetime or money and just generally makelife easier for engine builders. But,these improvements are only beneficialif those builders know what is outthere waiting to help them.

So, we asked a number of cylinderhead manufacturers about selection,technology, and even if the OEMs aredoing it right. Some of their answersmay amaze you, but they definitelywill educate you on today’s heads.

We started with the ‘chicken or theegg’ of head questions – what are thebest criteria for selecting a set of headsin a performance build. The basics arealways best for this question, but, likeknowing what is on the market, it’salways good to see what’s new.

One Ohio-based manufacturer toldus how he does it, “I have to knoweverything about the build and whatit’s to be used for. Even about thedriver and track size that it will beprimarily used for and what thecustomer expects. And last but notleast, how much money the customerhas to spend. We find that a lot ofpotential customers can’t afford to do itthe proper way. We ask that they do alittle at a time so they aren’t spendingtheir money twice or three times andgetting discouraged and go and dosome other form of entertainment.”

A California-located designer andmanufacturer of cylinder headsprovided his punch list, saying, “I

would say the most import parametersto keep an eye on would be enginedisplacement, compression ratio,camshaft style, (and aggressiveness)RPM range, and application (street,drag, road race, marine, etc.) whenselecting the ideal head for yourproject. Everything I just listed plays alarge role in head selection with‘compression ratio’ possibly playingthe least importance, although anengine with high compression shouldautomatically boost all the otherparameters (more RPM, larger cam,etc.) helping by default to guide youinto a larger, higher flowing head that

would better fit that more aggressiveapplication. The key is really looking atthe intended application and buildinga motor purpose built to best optimizeand compliment the type of powercurve and engine manners thatapplication dictates is best. A street carwill always have compromises madein an effort to keep it friendly on thestreet so a smaller head than what youmight consider in the same vehicle thatonly sees the strip is likely going tobring better overall results with thecam and other components alsomatched/selected to give it a moredual purpose personality. A high


Head ExaminationsThe Latest Improvements on Performance Cylinder Heads

Perf

orm

ance

Hea

ds

For some high-end performanceheads, a raw casting is CNC machined to specific dimensionsfor that application to deliverpeak performance.

BY JOHN CAROLLO, CONTRIBUTING WRITER

42-49 Heads 6/5/14 11:53 AM Page 42


43 AAPEX_Layout 1 6/6/14 9:50 AM Page 43

compression dragrace engine is just theopposite. It lives from5000 – 8000 RPM,hypothetically, andperformance below5K isn’t aconsideration withlarger, moreaggressive cams, larger heads andmanifold all make sense.

“The right combination of parts isparamount in extracting the most theheads have to offer in the particularenvironment you will be utilizing them –not only is selecting the right headsimportant, but the rest of the supportingbits and pieces as well,” he continued.“The hardest running engines are usuallythe most sorted out and perfectlyoptimized with all the components complimenting oneanother.”

An Alabama-based head manufacturer listed his topfactors, “When a person is looking at a set of performanceheads, there are several factors that figure into the equation.First off, is the size of the engine. I have customers all of thetime that call and want to put a 225 runner cylinder head on

a SBC 355. This is a deal where bigger is not better in mostapplications, which leads me to factor number two.Application; cruiser, street/strip or all-out race. This is a bigfactor because it determines the RPM range in which youwant your engine to run its best. Another factor is thecamshaft. This is what usually determines the springpackage for each head. These are just a few of the factors weconsider before we suggest a cylinder head for a customer.It’s been our experience to supply the proper size runner,combustion chamber, valve and springs for a total packagethat meets customer’s needs.”

The Tennessee racing head manufacturer agreed. “Thebasic criteria to begin with are the size of the engine,compression ratio, fuel type and application. Then, theengine builder needs to define their intended horsepower,torque and RPM band. This information will be used toidentify the runner volume and combustion chamber size.The most common mistake we see is when individualschoose a larger runner volume head with impressive high-lift flow numbers. Unfortunately, these ‘big’ numbers do notnecessarily translate into ‘big’ power for their application.Though the big flow numbers are impressive, they are notindicative of the performance of the engine. Quality of the


Performance Heads

Head Games: Small block Chevy cylinderheads are installed during a COMP CamsEngine Builder Duel, as teams raceagainst a clock in a performance enginebuilding competition. Similar competi-tions are held at performance tradeshows by seasoned engine builders, aswell as youth, in competitions such asthe Hot Rodders of Tomorrow.


“This is truly the golden ageof hot rodding with the

largest difference being youcan make big power now

thanks to modern technologywithout paying the penalty of

poor driving manners andpoor fuel economy.”

42-49 Heads 6/5/14 11:53 AM Page 44

airflow and the overall curve are muchmore important in achieving thedesired outcome and making powerand torque when and where needed.”

Another Ohio-based manufactureradded one more factor. “We feel thebest criteria for selecting a set ofcylinder heads is to know the cubicinches of the engine, the RPM you

want to turn, the application and theweight of the car. From there, you canselect the correct runner size and theamount of air flow required to supportthe engine.”

As head builders, our sources areeven more tuned into the marketthan most folks. So we asked them

for some of their intel on any newOEM technology on heads that maybe a factor for engine builders nowor in the future.

The California manufacturer said,“Right now, the newest technology isDI (Direct Injection) where the fuel issprayed under very high pressure directly into the combustion cham-ber instead of the manifold or intakeport of the head. It’s much more precise and offers the end user moretorque, more fuel economy, andmore power. And my guess is mostof the OEMs will be implementingthis technology into their entire lineup of cars in the next few years. Eventhe more sedate basic transportationmodels; in an effort to better meetthe tightening CAFE standards without imparting power output in a


Performance Heads


According to one cylinder head maker, thedemand for larger, higher-flowing heads isjust is one of the options engine buildersare looking for when building today’s per-formance engines.

42-49 Heads 6/5/14 11:53 AM Page 45

42-49 Heads 6/5/14 11:53 AM Page 46


Performance Heads

negative fashion.”While another head

manufacturer echoed that with asimple, “direct injection issues”response, one of thespokespersons we interviewedsees a different issue. “The majorthing that we see, which is notreally new, is the overhead cam.It seems most engines on theOEM side are using thistechnology. I often wonder doesthis just complicate somethingthat did not need complicating.We see cam journals damagedeveryday on these heads. I canonly speak of my personalexperience, but I have hadmultiple Chevy trucks with200,000 to 350,000 miles that Inever had a moment’s trouble

out of with the old push rodtechnology.”

Another aftermarketmanufacturer addressed adifferent issue. “Today’s OEMheads are a big factor in theaftermarket. Gone are the days of‘smog’ heads that choked downhorsepower and limited theengine builder. Since theintroduction of fuel injection andadvancements in design softwareand computer aided modeling,the OEMs have had the ability todesign fuel efficient, emission-friendly engines that still havethe ability to make goodhorsepower.

“This has opened up theoption for engine builders to use

off-the-shelf parts that do notrequire a lot of modifications toachieve their performance goals.At the same time, it has educatedthe aftermarket and providedthose folks with the ability topush the envelope a little further.In addition to improvements inthe cylinder heads, the OEs haveimproved some of the valve traincomponents that, with someinexpensive upgrades, can beused in performanceapplications.”

An Ohio manufacturer alsoaddressed OEM technology. “Asfar as new technology from theOEMs, they are making progress,but you just can’t get the sameperformance from them that youcan get from the aftermarket.”

With the proliferation of heads flying out of casting shopsthese days, we wondered whatour sources have seen as far asany new technology in anyOEM or aftermarket heads.

The Alabama supplier saidhe’s seen improvements, too.

“It seems to me that both theOEM and aftermarket headmanufacturers are constantlyraising the bar in performance.While this newest technology isusually expensive, it is amazingwhat is being done but rightnow. If I were putting together aperformance application, giveme an old school big block.”

The Tennessee supplierreturned to the DI issue. “Direct

“In the past, most enginebuilders liked to put their

finishing touches on the cylinderheads themselves, but with the

variety of heads and optionsavailable today, and the qualitycomponents in our assembled

heads, there is no need to investadditional labor hours.”

42-49 Heads 6/5/14 11:53 AM Page 47

injection is the latest technology that isbeing introduced at the OEM level. Theplacement of the injector into thecombustion chamber allows thecomputer management system theability to adjust the amount of fuelneeded for the given condition, andlets it determine at what point of timeduring the combustion cycle fuel isneeded.

“The result is more efficientcombustion, which also results in morepower with less waste. This is a bigplus when the emissions in an OEapplication need to be limited. Thistechnology is migrating into theaftermarket where we can utilize theOE architecture and adapt thattechnology to all-out performanceapplications without the limitations offuel economy, emissions andmanufacturing cost,” he said.”

The second Ohio manufacturerspoke on both the tech and production,“As far as new technology going intocylinder heads, we use a lot of wet flowdevelopment coupled with a CFDprogram when developing a new portor chamber design. Then, of course, we

back that up with testing on the flowbench, dyno and race track.

“From a casting side, we are alwayslooking into different alloys andprocesses that are being used in the

Aerospace industry to see how theycould benefit us in the aftermarketautomotive performance business.And we are seeing some things therethat look very promising,” he said.


Performance Heads


42-49 Heads 6/5/14 11:53 AM Page 48

The California supplier chimed in aswell. “Variable valve timing comes tomind here as well. Some systems aremore elaborate than others, but all ofthem are allowing the valve events tooptimize the RPM range and load thedriver commands with his right foot,”he said, adding, ”This allows an engineto act like it has a very small cam,down low, boosting MPG, low speedtorque, and part throttle response. Atthe same time it’s able to hang onupstairs making big power at highRPM and not rolling over quickly pastpeak power (the camshaft events nowoptimized for that part of the RPMband).”

One of the Ohio headmanufacturers said he hasn’t seenmuch in the way of new improved OEtechnology, yet opened up an area for anew product. “There’s nothing that Iam impressed with. The new Vette LTmotor is nice, but there is lots ofimprovements that could be made tothe head layout.”

Lastly, we asked our sources whatengine builders are asking for in newheads?

The West Coast manufacturer saidthey want products that they can buildbetter with.

“Lighter components are popularand also the demand for larger, higher-flowing heads as the ability to buildlarger motors becomes more affordable(which then places a higher demandon the cylinder head to properly feedthe larger “air pump” beneath them).This is truly the golden age of hotrodding with the largest differencebeing you can make big power nowthanks to modern technology withoutpaying the penalty of poor drivingmanners and poor fuel economy.”

Another supplier said the answer towhat builders want is simple, “Enginebuilders want quality. And, they wantto put their name on quality. We areconstantly improving our products tooffer the maximum quality andperformance at a minimum price.”

One manufacturer responded thathe sees more growth in engine sizesand performance.

“What we have been seeing enginebuilders ask for are cylinder heads tofeed more cubic inches and turn moreRPM. They want this and want to keepit user-friendly. This is what spurredthe development of our new Sniper XL

cylinder head. This is a 24 degreeconventional BBC head that flows over500 cfm. This cylinder head has beendesigned with all of the latesttechnology while working very closelywith engine builders and othermanufactures that will supply differentparts for the head.”

Another manufacturer believes theLS market is really picking up steam.“We can offer builders the latest andgreatest for all forms of racing. We alsomake heads that will stand 3500 HP ofabuse.

The Midwest manufacturer alsoaddressed tomorrow’s LS applications.“The cylinder head aftermarket isgrowing at a rapid rate. Larger cubicengines continue to push the airflowrequirements from the cylinder heads.In addition, the trend towards latemodel engines continues to grow.

“We, too, place a lot of emphasis onour LS cylinder head line, where weoffer a variety of runner, valve size andcombustion chamber configurations tofit anything from a 3.900" bore OEblock all the way to heads to

accommodate 500 CID with our LSblock.

“The large cubic inch engines arenot just limited to the race track,however, as they are becomingcommonplace in the street market, too.Big cubic inch, high-horsepower pumpgas engines are becoming the norm.We have also experienced a trend thatour engine builders are looking topurchase heads that are ready to installright out of the box, from CNC-portedto fully assembled heads.

“In the past, most engine buildersliked to put their finishing touches onthe cylinder heads themselves, butwith the variety of heads and optionsavailable today, and the qualitycomponents in our assembled heads,there is no need to invest additionallabor hours.”

Heads have always been a quick fixfor adding and even controlling howan engine runs. With today’s increasingselection of products and application,that quick fix can even receive a tuneup. ■


Performance Heads


42-49 Heads 6/5/14 11:53 AM Page 49

On late model engines such asChevy LS, Ford modular V8sand Chrysler 5.7/6.1/6.4L

Hemis, engineers have moved the oilpump from its cozy location inside theoil pan to the front of the engine underthe timing cover. Traditionally, mostwet sump oil pumps have beenmounted under the engine inside theoil pan because it's an ideal location forthe pump. With the pump partially orcompletely submerged in oil, primingis no problem. The pump can startdelivering oil flow as soonas the engine is crankedand starts.

With front-mountedpumps, it's a long waysfrom the pickup tube in theoil pan to the pump on thefront of the engine. Thehigh mounting of thepump also means oil can drain backdown the tube from the pump whenthe engine is shut off. Depending onhow long the engine sits between runsor the next time the vehicle is driven, itmay take a few seconds for the pumpto reprime itself and start delivering oilto the engine when the engine isrestarted.

Most late model engines use thinnerviscosity 5W-20, 5W-30 or even 0W-40motor oils. Thinner oils flow moreeasily following a cold start, especiallyduring cold weather. That's good for

speeding start up lubrication. A lowerviscosity motor oil also helps to reduceinternal friction for a slight gain in fueleconomy. With overhead cam engines,its especially important to get the oilflowing quickly to the overhead camsfollowing a cold start.

On the other hand, thin oils alsodrain out of the bearings and a frontmounted oil pump more quickly whenthe engine is shut off (thicker oils tendto cling longer). So the oil pump has togenerate pressure quickly to get the oil

flowing once the

engine starts. Thinner oils also requirecloser bearing clearances to maintainnormal oil pressure (see the relatedarticle in this issue on cranks, rods &bearings).

Another difference with front covermounted oil pumps is that they rotateat 2X the speed of a distributor-drivenpan mounted pump. A front oil pumpis mounted around the end of thecrankshaft with the inner pump gearbeing driven directly by the crankitself, so the pump turns at the samespeed as the crank instead of half


FRONT-MOUNTEDOIL PUMPS:GOOD OR TROUBLESOME?

Oil

Pum

ps

Front mounted oil pumps onhigh mileage engines are oftenworn and should be replaced.Don't take a chance on a wornpump that might not deliver adequate oil pressure.

BY LARRY CARLEY, TECHNICAL EDITOR

50-55 Oil Pumps 6/5/14 11:55 AM Page 50


51 Mellings Engine Parts_Layout 1 6/6/14 9:49 AM Page 51

speed as is the case with cam/distributordriven pumps. The faster rotationalspeed provided by the direct drive setupis good for oil flow because the faster thepump rotates, the more quickly it buildspressure and the more oil it flows -- up toa point. But like pan-mounted pumps,cavitation will eventually limit howmuch oil the pump can flow at higherengine speeds.

Many oil pumps start to cavitatearound 5,000 to 6,000 engine RPM.Cavitation occurs whenthe pump gears arespinning faster than theoil can be pulled into thepump. The gears arespinning like crazy, butthe oil just can't keep up.Tiny air bubbles formalong the trailing edges of the gears and aerate the oil,causing the pump's output to flatten or drop. An erratic oilpressure gauge reading at high RPM is a sure sign the oilpump is cavitating.

Cavitation can be minimized in a number of ways: byenlarging the oil pump inlet so it will flow more oil, by using

a larger oil pickup tube to maximize oil flow to the pump, byusing a low restriction open mesh style inlet screen on theend of the oil pickup tube in the oil pan, by contouring andshaping the pump inlet port in such a way that more oil canflow more easily into the pump gears (no sharp corners orbends), by adding a second inlet port to some pumps toincrease oil flow into the pump, by maintaining closetolerances inside the pump to reduce internal pumpinglosses, and by using a lower viscosity motor oil (which flowsfaster than a thicker viscosity oil).

One aftermarket pump supplier has developed aninnovative "energy-recovery" design for some of its ChevyLS oil pumps that reroutes a small amount of the pump'soutput back to the inlet tube. Injecting oil back into the inlettube creates a siphoning effect that helps prime the pump,improves oil flow into the pump, reduces cavitation andallows the pump to maintain a consistent output at higherengine speeds.

Chevy LS Oil Pump IssuesOf the current generation of engines that use front covermounted oil pumps, the Chevy LS has received the mostattention because of various lubrication problems thathave been reported. On Chevy LS2 and LS3 Corvette ap-plications, the stock wet sump oil system runs the risk ofsucking itself dry when cornering forces exceed 1.3 G'sfor more than a few seconds.

For street driving, these kind of forces are seldomencountered so it's not an issue, but on a road race circuitwith R-compound sticky tires, it can be a problem. One fix isto replace the stock oil pan with an aftermarket pan that hasbaffles and trap doors which prevent the oil from sloshingaway from the oil pickup. Another fix is to replace the stockwet sump oil system with a dry sump system.

The Chevy LS7 engine in the Corvette comes factoryequipped with a dry sump system of sorts. It uses ascavenge pump to pull oil out of the pan like any other drysump oiling system, and it routes the oil into an externalreservoir. But it then sends the oil back to a sump in the oilpan so the front mounted oil pump can suck it up like aconventional wet sump oiling system. This "hybrid"


Oil Pumps


This pile of debris is what wasfound inside a brand new set ofEDM lifters that were never dis-assembled or cleaned after theoil holes were burned in thebottoms of the lifters.

50-55 Oil Pumps 6/5/14 11:55 AM Page 52


53 Schummans_Layout 1 6/6/14 9:48 AM Page 53

approach is less expensive than a fulldry sump oiling system with anexternal oil pressure pump, yet it stillsuffers from the shortcomings of a wetsump system in that oil starvation canstill occur under extreme corneringforces. The problem with the LS7 oilsystem is that oil can climb up theinside of the reservoir tank, cutting theflow of oil back to the sump. The fixhere is to replace the stock oil reservoirwith an aftermarketreservoir that has betterbaffling inside, or toswitch to a full dry sumpoiling system.

GM uses a number ofdifferent pumps on its LS engines.There's the "standard" pump that’sused on a wide variety of LS engineapplications, a high flow pump forengines with cylinder deactivationand/or Variable Valve Timing (VVT), ahigh flow pump for certain truckapplications, and a special race onlypump. A Gen III front mountedstandard pump flows 4.1 gallons perminute (gpm) at 1,000 RPM, while ahigher output Gen IV front mountedpump flows 5.5 gpm at 1,000 RPM. Bycomparison, a typical small blockChevy cam/distributor drivenstandard oil pump flows about 3.1gpm at 1,000 RPM.

Increased oil flow is usuallyrequired for engines with VVT, pistonoil cooler jets or cylinder deactivationsystems, regardless of make or model.Ford and Chrysler both use highvolume oil pumps on their VVTapplications that flow up to 33 percentmore oil than their standard pumps.Installing a high volume oil pump mayseem like a good idea to assure goodoil pressure, but too much oil volumemay generate excessive oil pressure ifthe engine doesn't need it. Looserbearing clearances can benefit fromincreased oil flow, but tighter bearingclearances don't really need it.

On stock and performanceapplications where you are usingtighter bearing clearances and a lightviscosity oil (5W-20), it's best to followthe OEM lead and use a replacementpump with an output comparable tothe original equipment pump (astandard volume pump for engineswithout cylinder deactivation or VVTand a high volume pump on engines

that do). On the other hand, if you'reopening up the bearing clearances andgoing with a more traditional 15W-40or heavier racing oil, then a higher flowpump would probably be a must tomaintain good oil flow and pressure.

Another issue with the Chevy LSfront mounted pumps (as well as thosein Ford and Chrysler engines) is thatthe pump cover is stamped steel andtends to leak oil at higher engine

speeds.

The cover has no gasket and lackssufficient rigidity to maintain a tightseal against the pump housing. Aspressure builds, the cover bows outand allows oil to blow out around theedges. "Some of these pumps look likea fire hose at 6,000 RPM," said onepump manufacturer.

To address this issue, someaftermarket pump manufacturers havegone to more rigid cast iron pumpcovers. Not only does the heavier ironcover resist distorting under pressure,it also provides a better wear surfacethan plain steel. Galling can occurbetween the gear seat and cover in thestock Chevy LS pumps, leading topump failure.

Oil Pump Installation IssuesBecause a front-mounted oil pumpcenters on the crankshaft, the pumpgears have to be centered in thehousing before the housing bolts aretightened. Misalignment inside thepump may cause the pump to bind

when the engine is cranked over ifthe gears are not centered accurately.

On the Chevy LS pumps, there is athin centering ring that protrudesslightly from the center bore to helpalign the gears and crank. On Ford andChrysler, there are three or four raisednodes to center the pump. These aresacrificial elements that will weardown, so if you're rebuilding a highmileage engine with a front mountedoil pump, chances are these centering

aids will no longer be there to realignthe pump if it is reused. That's onereason why high mileage frontmounted oil pumps should not bereused.

One technique for centering a frontmounted pump is to turn the block upon end so the crankshaft is vertical.This way, the crank will be morecentered in the main bearings ratherthan resting on the lower main bearingcaps. The pump can then be mountedand centered around the crank usingthree equally spaced shims betweenthe crank and inner gear, and threeequally spaced shims between theouter gear and pump housing.

The thickness of the shims willdepend on the tolerances of the pump,but should generally be .002 to .003inches on a Chevy LS pump. Morethan .004 inches of clearance is toomuch for a Chevy LS pump.

Another suggestion is to looselymount the pump on the front of theblock with the bolts barely finger tight,


Oil Pumps

The cover on this oil pump ismade of cast iron rather thanstamped steel to better resistwear.

50-55 Oil Pumps 6/5/14 11:55 AM Page 54

then rotate the crankshaft several turnsso the pump can center itself aroundthe crank. Once this has been done,you can tighten the pump mountingbolts to specs to lock down its location.

One pump manufacturer says its

front mounted ChevyLS pumps shouldNOT be disassembledor shimmed whenthey are installed. Justbolt the pump on.Disassembling thepump will void thepump warranty!

On Ford 4.6Lmodular V8 engines,oil pump failures canoccur when asupercharger isinstalled on the engine.The blower drive putsmore strain on thehose of the crank,

which may cause the nose of the crankto deflect under load and bind the oilpump. To date, this problem has notbeen seen on Chevy LS enginesequipped with a supercharger.

One thing all pump manufacturersagree on is the importance of prefillingthe pump with oil and pressurepriming the oil system before cranking

and starting the engine.Good oil filtration is also critical.

The pump runs on unfiltered oil butthe rest of the engine receives clean outthat has passed through a full-flow oilfilter. Traditional pleated papercellulose filters do an adequate jobtrapping larger particles (larger than 30microns) but are not very good attrapping smaller particles. Syntheticmedia filters do a better job withsmaller particles.

One aftermarket supplier hasdeveloped a reusable oil filter that useda stainless steel mesh filter element.The mesh element was originallydeveloped for food and drugprocessing, but also works well withmotor oil and traps particles as small as5 microns.

Because the filter element isremovable for cleaning, it also allowsyou to identify debris that may havefound its way into the filter so you caneliminate the source whatever it mightbe (poor air filtration, metal particlesfrom bearing wear, etc.). ■


Oil Pumps


Shims .002 to .003 inches in thickness can be inserted betweenthe inner gear and crank, and theouter gear and housing to centera Chevy LS oil pump.

50-55 Oil Pumps 6/5/14 11:55 AM Page 55

In the December issue of EngineBuilder, our cover featureexamined the unique one-of-one

engine build-ups to maximizeperformance in all-out speed runs.The article also noted the presenceof a new land-speed location at theformer DHL facility at theWilmington, Ohio airport.

The super-smooth 9,000-footrunway is perfect for this high-speed activity and has garneredinterest from all over the country.Since the first article just barelytouched the innovation of theseengine builders, it was decided totake another look at some more ofthese unique powerplants.

LS-1 Powered LakesterBelly Tank Racer Owned by Don Gilmore of Pittsburg, PA, this machine was inthe 158/BFL Class.

The 5.3L engine is mounted in a2900# 2002 Chevy Avalanche pick-up. The engine is hyped up with aturbocharger from a CumminsDiesel pick-up which providesabout 30 pounds of boost.

The engine carries stainless steelvalves but a stock crank and pro-duces about 750 on the dyno and1,000 at the crank, and burns an E-85 methanol blend. Gilmore ex-plained that the E-85 works wellwith the turbo.

To date, its best run through thetraps at Wilmington has been a159.9 mph dash with a best run atBonneville of 167.7 mph. The en-gine has a compression ratio of 8.5and perks at 6500-7000 RPMthrough the speed traps.


Mile MarkersBY BILL HOLDERPHOTOS BY PHIL KUNZ

Race Enthusiasts Set Sights on Wilmington MileRecords

Trac

k Ta

lk

The belly tank lakester at speedon the Wilmington, Ohio track.

The engine for the Lakester machine is an LS-1 modified tomake a thousand horsepower at the crank.

It’s easy tovisualize the bellytank configurationof this Lakesterland speedmachine. It’sactually areproduction of aP-38 drop tank.

56-63 Track Talk 6/5/14 1:17 PM Page 56

EngineBuilderMag.com 57Circle 57 for more information

Big Block Chevy Powered Firebird Racer This AA/Blown Fuel ‘82 Firebird is owned by GrandRapids, MI native John Planger, and its Bowtie 8-1 pow-erplant has been bored and stroked out to 550 cubicinches. It’s based on a Dart aluminum block, a CalliesCrank, Oliver Rods, Weind Intake, Diamond Pistons, andBrodex Heads. But the real power booster comes fromthe Bowers 8.71 blower 30% overdriven.

Although it’s putting out a big-time 1,050 horses,Planger indicates he could use more. ”I like the E-85 fuelwe use as it acts like an intercooler with thesupercharger,” Planger explained. Weighing in at a hefty3,600 pounds, the swift Firebird’s best run came atWilmington with a 218.47 mph jaunt. No improvementsare planned for the powerplant in the near future.,

This 1982 Firebird retains its stock looks with the exceptionof that monster engine sticking out where the hood used tobe.

This blown 550 Big Block Chevy, with its 8-71 blower, is capable of 1,100 HP.

This 3,600-pound Pontiac at speed at Wilmington where ithas a best speed of 218+ miles per hour.


Corvair-Based Land Speed Racer New Yorker Jim Dunn has one interesting speed run ma-chine with his Corvair, but under the skin it’s certainlynot what it appears. It’s actually a mid-engine machinewith the engine mounted about 36 inches in front of therear axle.

The original Corvair design had its powerplant aftof the rear axle. But, we are not talking Corvair powerhere, rather a 2002 injected LS-1 350cid/350 horseengine, and the engine is kicked up with a 76mm turbothat provides 10-14 pounds of boost. The engine ishooked to a stock 4L60 automatic transmission with a2.73 posi rear end which has provided a best run of


Track Talk

Circle 56 for more information Circle 58 for more information

This ‘66 land speed Corvair looks stock from the outside, butthat sure isn’t the case under the body.

This photo shows the mid-engine installation of an LS-1 enginein front of the rear axle.

To keep the front end down at speed, this sizable front spoilerprovides considerable downforce.


172 mph at Wilmington. It has yet to run onthe sand, which should probably provide asignificant increase in speed. The aspect ofthe spiffy machine that catches your eye isthe significant front spoiler which providesneeded downforce, as only 42% of theweight is on the front wheels.

By the way, the unique Corvair machinehas also drag raced with a best of 126mph/11.40 second run.

Mopar 4449 Jesel If you think this stock car has a NASCAR lookabout it, you would be completely correct.

This is a former 2003 Busch GrandNational car that was owned then by thesame owner (Wayne Jessel), who is nowrunning it in land speed racing. During itsNASCAR days, it was driven by CaseyMears and Hank Parker Jr.

Jessel explained he started land speedracing in 2005. “It still carries the Buschengine, (Dodge R5 P7 engine), but it hasbeen bored out to 380 cubic inches (from358) and the compression ratio was raisedfrom 12-1 to 15-1. It also carries a second HolleyDominator carb, a Bryant Crank and Tri-Y Headers

which help push the HP to about 900 and 550 poundsof torque. It’s a rocket through the traps with a best


Track Talk


Engine installation details of this former Busch Grand National vehicle.


time of 229 miles per hour,” Jesselsaid.

Needless to say, theaerodynamics of the machinewhich were done in wind tunnelsduring NASCAR days certainlypay big dividends during this laterland speed application.

Big Block Chevy Powered‘54 Vette racer Another big block Chevy gets the jobdone with this A/GMS Class ‘54Vette bodied machine.

The engine displaces 499 cubicinches, explained owner DanTackett from Mississippi, who is aretired state trooper. The enginemakes 1,000 horsepower on gas.The engine innards includealuminum K-1 rods, a Profilealuminum intake, and a 1250Dominator carburetor.

Tackett said future plans call fora pair of 1050 Dominators.

The tranny is a vintage ChevyPowerglide, and includes a GearBender Overdrive which can be

60 June 2014 | EngineBuilderCircle 60 for more information

With the exception of the hood scoop, this Dodge has the look of a NASCAR racer,which is exactly what it was back in the early 2000s.

This engine is a modified NASCAR 358 engine that has been modified to produceabout 900 horsepower.


engaged over 3000 RPM. He’s runthe car at Bonneville with a topspeed of 170, but that was whenthere was a fuel problem so he’shoping for better in the future.

27T Ford Model BRoadster This vintage Ford roadster really getsbigtime attention when it hits thetrack.

Owner Steve Sturim of GrandRapids, MI, explained that thisunique machine carries its vintagelook to the engine compartmentwhere there is a tiny Ford Model Bpowerplant. Originally producingabout 50 horsepower, it has beenupgraded to about 125 HP.


Track Talk


This beautiful land speed machineuses a modified ‘54 Corvette body.

At speed, this machine really hugs thetrack.


Additions include a WicoMagneto, a Brierley Cam, and analuminum flywheel. The engine hasalso had a .125 inch overbore. Butprobably most important, it’s beenfitted with a Simmons performance

cylinder head. Certainly anattention-getting feature is the pairof Weber side draft carbs which aremounted externally, which providefor better air intake. It is fueled byhigh-test pump gas. The engine is


Track Talk


The Vette Racer is powered by a 499 cu. in. Chevy engine that pounds down closeto 1,100 HP on gas.


attached to a five-speed Chevy S-10transmission. The vintage hauler made 113mph through the lights with the engineturning at about 6,000 RPM. ■


Track Talk


Check out those externally-mounted side-draft carburetors.

The Model B’s best runwas a 113-mile perhour run through thetraps.

The tiny Model B Ford engine is visible from this view.

Note: There are two more weekendsof racing at the Wilmington Mile –- July 12-13 and - Sept 27-28 For more information, visit:http://ecta-lsr.net


Irecently had my forth call from ashop with interest in our 392 ciChrysler build as a project they are

hoping to tackle. The budget andpower needs for his project were notto the scope of our project and he wasdiscussing a less expensive cast steelcrankshaft and the factory connectingrods. This would not be a badcombination at all. For a street motorthat might only make onehorsepower per cubic inch, thesecomponents will be more thandurable enough. The heavier stockconnecting rod, mixed with the sameforged dished head piston, will yielda bobweight that will make thecrankshaft balance much easier.

Stacey Redmond and JoeDegraw, owners ofGrawmondbecks CompetitionEngines, have been extremelyhelpful with our 392 ci, 6.4L Magnumcharity engine build.

In our previous article, wehighlighted the teardown, cleanupand inspection of the Steve Toselsupplied core 1977 318 engine. Wedetailed the main cap repair, thealign-bore, cylinder bore and hone,clearancing, decking and the rest ofthe machine work required toblueprint our cylinder block. In thisarticle we'll concern ourselves withour high performance rotatingassembly, our plans for cylinderheads and touch upon several of theother parts that have been sogenerously donated to our cause.

Our rotating assembly consists ofa gorgeous set of ICON forgedpistons. These should yield anapproximate 9.5:1 compression ratiowith our zero deck height, Fel-Pro

head gaskets and Engine QuestMagnum cylinder heads. Ourpistons all weighed in at a paltry 597grams, with pins. This is 142 gramsless than the factory parts theyreplaced. Our Engine Properformance nodular iron plasmamoly ring set will add a little to thatweight loss program with their1/16” thick first and second rings.

The Scat Enterprises 4340 I-beamconnecting rods added significantlyto our diet plan, while addingstrength and durability. Our newrods came in at a flyweight of 574grams. A full 179 grams lighter thanthe factory rods, plus their cap screwdesign has helped to keep theclearancing to a minimum. Both rodand piston sets were within a gram ofeach other within the set andwith a quick matching of thelightest rod to the heaviestpiston, our parts required noadditional balance work to giveus our 1731 gram bobweight.

The Scat 4340 crankshaftwas inspected and all journalsmeasured. It mic'd out perfect,mid spec. But, the newbobweight was significantlyunder the factory projection.Instead of making Swiss cheese

of the counterweights, Joe set thecrank up in their crank grinder and,after adjusting for the stroke, grounda significant amount off thecounterweights. This time, whenbrought up to speed in the CWTbalancer, the crank did not want tolaunch itself out in some resemblanceof a NASA moon shot.

To round out our rotatingassembly, we have an Engine Properformance harmonic balancer. Thisone is neutral balanced for the 318 or340, not the external balanced versionfor a 360. It also has etched timingmarks which will be useful when itcomes to start up and tune. A MahleAftermarket H-series rod bearingwas used to get our final bobweightfigure. They also supplied the H-


Step-by-Step: CONTRIBUTING EDITOR DAVE [email protected]

The 6.4L Magnum Comes to Life

Prof

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Parts are starting to stack up.ICON pistons, Engine Pro rings,Mahle bearings, Scat crank andconnecting rods and an EnginePro harmonic balancer make upthe rotating assembly. ADuraBond cam bearing set andfinish kit along with the Mellingplug kit, oil pump, screen anddrive will all come into playonce assembly begins.

64-66 Prof Perf 6/5/14 1:19 PM Page 64

series main bearing set the wholeassembly will turn on.

My goal was to emulate a factorystyle performance engine. To me thismeant a forged steel crank and a goodset of I-beam connecting rods. If thefactory rods or a set of H-beam rodshad been used, the work required tobalance the crank would have beenless. There is a lesson here, whenmixing and matching variouscomponents off the shelf. We knewwhat we wanted, and accepted the factthat these parts do not just fall intoplace. The block required a smallamount of clearancing and the balancerequired some work. In this case wedid not have to add expensive heavymetal, but we had a whole newmachining operation that may nothave been planned for. Don't getyourself boxed in on a performancebuild over a cheap price. Make sure toleave yourself some wiggle room, abuffer to cover any unexpected parts orlabor expense.

You have two choices, either padyour estimate, and when your finalcost comes in less then what you havequoted you will have a very happycustomer, or set it up from the start that

this is a quote based on what weknow now, and there will mostlikely be some additions as you getunder way. Remember, these arenot your typical bread-and-butterbuilds. For those who “dare-to-be-different,” problems will surelyarise. Hopefully we can addresssome of those problems here andahead of time for you. Still, beprepared to cover it.

Like I stated in the previous article,we have the place and the people to getthe work done and we also have partscontinually arriving. We discussed thedonation of the core motor and ourrotating assembly. We also need tothank DuraBond for the cam bearingsand finish kit we'll be using atassembly. Melling will see to our oilpump and drive needs, as well as thebrass freeze plug kit. Engine Pro sent


Profitable Performance

ON


Our ICON pistons all weighed in ata paltry 597 grams, with pins. Thisis 142 grams less than the factorycounter parts.

Both rod and piston sets were withina gram of each other within the setand with a quick matching of thelightest rod to the heaviest piston,our parts required no additionalbalance work to give us our 1731gram bobweight

64-66 Prof Perf 6/5/14 1:19 PM Page 65

us a billet timing set and the tensionerwe're excited to share with you comeassembly time. Engine Quest hassupplied a new timing cover toenclose them with. And FederalMogul donated our engine kit gasketset to seal the whole thing up.

Beyond the short block, we just tookarrival of a pair of Engine Quest powerimproving Magnum cylinder heads.

This set is drilled for the early LA-styleintake manifold. These heads havestuds, not shafts and use a 1.6 ratiorocker arm, not the 1.5 ratio of the earlyengines. We’re currently exploringwhat intake valve we’ll open up theseats for to go with their 1.625” headfactory exhaust valve. These headsflow substantially better than the earlyLA style head that was on our truck

motor and are an improvement overthe factory Magnum head.

Edelbrock has stepped up to covermany of our needs including that LA-style dual plane manifold, an 850CFM carb, Magnum style valve coversand matching air cleaner and breather.On the front of the motor we'll sport anew Edelbrock water pump.

Holley has offered to supply thebalance of the fuel system in the formof high pressure mechanical fuelpump, filter and fittings. Thanks go toFel-Pro who sent us the intake, headerand Magnum style valve covergaskets. Design Engineering Inc.donated a set of plug boot protectors,and wire protectors to help us get astart on our ignition system. When thetime comes to fire it up, DrivenRacing Oils supplied the 10w-30break-in oil. Talk about yourChristmas coming early!!

Calls from manufacturers whowant to be involved with not only ourbuild, but want to help with our goalto make a sizeable donation to theIndependence Fund continue to comein. We're still working out the camshaftand valve train. And like I just said,we've just begun to address theignition system. So stay tuned. There isplenty more to come as we take a tiredold and often ignored small block andput it on steroids. By adding 74 cubes,modern cylinder heads and an array ofoff the shelf performance parts we'lltake a “dare-to-be-different” approachand show you why it pays to ”love theone you're with.” ■


Profitable Performance


The Scat Industries I-beam connectingrods added significantly to our dietplan, while adding strength anddurability. Our new rods came in at aflyweight 574 grams. A full 179 gramslighter than the factory rods.

Our bobweight was significantly lowerthan the Scat target weight. After wealmost launched our crank out of theCWT balancer, a portion of the crankcounterweights were removed on thecrank grinder.

The CH318B head from Engine Questis a power improved version of thelate model Magnum, but with an LA-style intake pattern. It uses a latevalve cover and stud mountedrockers.

For a list of all suppliers who have donatedparts for our Magnum Charity Build, visitwww.EngineBuilderMag.com.

64-66 Prof Perf 6/5/14 1:19 PM Page 66


Product Sp

otlights

High Volume Oil Pumps

Orbit performance oil pumps are designedwith high output and volume capabilitiesrequired for high RPM engines. The gero-tors are precision machined from steel-copper alloy (FCO205), an exceptionallydurable metal that assures dependabilityand durability. Tight housing and gerotortolerances provide optimum pressure andflow requirements. Housings are die castDC-12 aluminum and are anodized to pre-vent corrosion. All pumps are individuallyinspected and tested. Passenger carpumps are equivalent to OEM design, en-gineering and metallurgy to meet or ex-ceed original equipment specifications.Present applications include nine applica-tions (three performance and six passen-ger car); new applications will be added.

ACL DistributionPhone: 800-847-5521www.orbitoilpumps.comCircle 110

Valve Spring TesterPerformance Trends has released amajor High Force upgrade to is auto-matic spring tester, letting you test to2500 lbs or more. Drag racers likeJohnny Gray and Shane Gray of GrayMotorsports say “we saw an improvedconsistency in our engine performanceand greater reliability of our valvesprings. We even had a situation whenwe caught a valve spring that wouldhave failed before it got put into serv-ice. This tool has proven to Gray Mo-torsports it is the best way for us to testvalve springs for our race teams."

Performance Trends248-473-9230www.performancetrends.com

Circle 112

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 valvetrain parts for close to 3,000 applications divided among late-modeldomestic and import passenger car, lighttruck, performance, marine, agricultural,heavy-duty and forklift/industrial. Thecatalog also features listings of K-LineBronze Bullet-brand valve guide linersand miscellaneous K-Line tooling stockedby SBI, Exclusive Master Distributor forK-Line. Based on SBI’s CD-ROM catalog,the SBI Web-based catalog allows theuser to search the database by parttype/part number, vehicle type, enginemanufacturer, or specific engine andmake codes.

S.B. InternationalPhone:1-800-THE-SEATwww.sbintl.com

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67-69 Spotlights 6/5/14 1:23 PM Page 67


Prod

uct

Spot

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Engine Pro High PerformanceConnecting Rods

Engine Pro H-Beam Connecting Rods areforged from 4340 steel and produced onCNC machinery. They are finished in theU.S. to ensure precise big-end and pin-endbore sizes. Rods are magnafluxed, heattreated, stress relieved, shot peened andsonic tested to ensure they provide thestrength required for high horsepower ap-plications. Engine Pro connecting rodsequipped with standard 8740 bolts are ratedfor up to 700 horsepower in small blocks,and 850 horsepower in big block applica-tions. Visit, www.goenginepro.com.

Engine ProPhone: 800-ENGINE-1www.goenginepro.com

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Speedville.comSpeedville.com is the new address for performance.Whether you’re into drag racing, circle track, road racingor street performance,Speedville.com has you covered! Speedville features allof the 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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71-72 Class-Cores 6/10/14 8:12 AM Page 71

Track Talk

For Joe Slingerland, rear tirechanger on the No. 88Hendrick Motorsports team,the first quarter of the 2014 raceseason is bookended with spe-cial moments.

“It’s hard to put into words,”claimed Slingerland about theseason-opening Daytona 500win. “It was my first Daytona500 win and to get it with anEarnhardt made it extra special.It was an awesome night.”

Equally as important for

Slingerland occurred MemorialDay weekend when NASCARkicked off its annual NASCAR:An American Salute program tohonor active and retired servicemembers and military familiesthrough July 4th.

The military tributes, forSlingerland, are cherishedbecause of his family.

“My dad was in the mili-tary,” he said. “My older broth-er (Jeff) was in the service andmy younger brother (Jason) isstill in the military.” He didthree tours in Afghanistan as aBlack Hawk helicopter pilot.”

Slingerland and his youngerbrother enjoy exchanging talesabout their trades.

“It’s pretty cool. I talk aboutmy brother all the time beingthe Black Hawk pilot. And, hetalks about me with all his mil-

itary buddies.”And while there is a signifi-

cant difference between activemilitary duty and the role of aNASCAR rear tire changer, thereare some parallels in the jobs.

“There is a lot of teamworkfor both,” said Slingerland. “Mybrother used to be the crewchief on the Black Hawk before

he became a pilot.He worked with thepilot who had toentrust that he wasfixing the helicopterright before eachmission.”

“So, there are alot of things we doon the racecar thatcorrelate to what hedoes from the team-work perspective.”

With competi-tion in today’sNASCAR Sprint CupSeries racing so tight,the battle on pitroad is critical to rac-ing up front and win-ning races.

Teamwork isessential, and Slingerlandbelieves the key to the 88 pitcrew’s success is years in themaking.

“This is my thirteenth sea-son,” said the 35-year-oldnative of Inverness, FL. “And formost of our guys, it’s theirfourth or fifth season.”

Today’s pit stops are so fastthat pit crews have to jell prettyquickly.

“To have the 88 teamtogether for these years and nothave many changes is reallyimportant. We all know whateach other’s next move is goingto be, so it’s seamless on the pitstops.”

Slingerland and the No. 88over-the-wall crew’s perform-ance so far this season is notgoing unrecognized. The teamwas recently voted among crewchiefs as the first quarter win-ners of the Mechanix WearMost

Valuable Pit Crew Award com-petition.

“It’s an honor to be voted onby all your peers as the best pitcrew on pit road,” saidSlingerland. “The gloves we usehave come a long way to give usmore protection from the heatof the tires during a race.”

In celebration of NASCAR:An American Salute, gloveprovider Mechanix Wear hasoutfitted the 88 crew and otherteams with a brand new cam-ouflage-pattern glove linecalled MultiCam®, whichmaintains the dexterity andultimate hand protectiontoday’s pit crews have becomeaccustomed to.

Fittingly for Slingerland, henow has a new pair of military-inspired gloves to tell his broth-er about.

By Steve Post

Military Tributes, Pit RoadAccolades Significant for HendrickMotorsport’s Slingerland

Follow NASCAR Performance on Twitter and Facebookwww.twitter.com/NASCARauto

www.facebook.com/NASCARPerformance

The No. 88 Team captured the first quarter Mechanix Wear Most

Valuable Pit Crew Award due in no small measure to proper train-

ing, technique and uniform selection.

Joe Slingerland. Rear Tire Changer and

proud brother.

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