engine builder, october 2013

2013OCTOBER

EngineBuilderMag.com

>Coatings & Treatments >A Blueprint for Balancing >Today’s Fuel Formulations

SERVING ENGINE BUILDERS & REBUILDERS SINCE 1964

CHOOSINGCAMSHAFTS –PICKING PERFORMANCESelecting the Cornerstone of Your Engine Build

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2 October 2013 | EngineBuilder

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

ENGINE BUILDER (ISSN 1535-041X)(October 2013, Volume 49, Number 10): Published monthly by Babcox Media Inc., 3550 Embassy Parkway, Akron, OH 44333 U.S.A. Phone (330) 670-1234, FAX (330) 670-0874. Periodical postage paid at Akron, OH 44333 and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to ENGINE BUILDER, 3550 Embassy Parkway, Akron, OH 44333.A limited number of complimentary subscriptions are available to individuals who meet the qualification requirements. Call (330) 670-1234, Ext. 275, to speak to a subscription servicesrepresentative or FAX us at (330) 670-5335. Paid Subscriptions are available for non-qualified subscribers at the following rates: U.S.: $69 for one year. Canada: $89 for one year.Canadian rates include GST. Ohio residents add current county sales tax. Other foreign rates/via air mail: $129 for one year. Payable in advance in U.S. funds. Mail payment to ENGINEBUILDER, P.O. Box 75692, Cleveland, OH 44101-4755. VISA, MasterCard or American Express accepted. Publisher reserves the right to reject any subscription that does not conform tohis standards or buying power coverage. Advertising which is below standard is refused. Opinions in signed articles and advertisements are not necessarily those of this magazine or itspublisher. Diligent effort is made to ensure the integrity of every statement. Unsolicited manuscripts must be accompanied by return postage.

COVER DESIGN BY NICHOLE ANDERSON

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.13 Features ON THE COVER

Choosing CamshaftsChoosing a cam can be a headache – especially if youchoose the wrong cam for a given application. There’s a lot of science involved in cam selection, which is detailed in this article from technical editor Larry Carley. Discover how choosing the “right” camshaft is not onlythe cornerstone of your performance engine build, butalso its centerpiece ..................................................32

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Maintaining BalanceBetter balance makes for a smoother running and quieter engine. Even more importantly, proper balance also maxi-mizes the engine’s longevity by reducing the pounding thatimbalance produces on the crankshaft’s main bearings. Thismonth, we take a look at some tips and techniques toachieve proper balance and reduce the NVH issues of notonly performance engines, but stock and low revving heavy-duty diesels as well................................................................22

Fuel FailuresThe recent changes in gasoline formulation may be a goodidea in theory, but since this modern gasoline contains lessenergy than it did in the past it may actually cause a loss inpower, fuel efficiency and driveability unless the engine isproperly tuned for these new blends of gasoline. HenryOlsen explains the impact of today’s fuels on carbureted engines ..................................................................................40

Crack Detection

Coatings & Treatments

Today’s engine builders have available to them a numberof state-of-the-art tools and techniques to locate, identifyand repair cracks and other damage in a variety of enginecomponents. We explore these methods and offer tips onrepairing cracked components to generate more dollars atyour shop ..............................................................................58

When it comes to performance parts, no single coatingor surface treatment can do it all because different partsapplications require different treatments. But we’ll showyou that knowing which kinds of coatings and surfacetreatments will work best for you can give your engines asignificant advantage over your competitors ................50

Columns

Old Iron ........................................18By John GunnelHarry Miller’s Masterpieces

Final Wrap....................................68By Doug Kaufman, PublisherThere’s No “I” in Team

DEPARTMENTS

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

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

NASCAR Performance ..........................................13

Shop Solutions ....................................................16

Product Spotlights................................................63

Cores/Classifieds/Ad Index ..................................66

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Events

Industry EventsNovember 5-7AAPEX ShowLas Vegas, NVwww.aapexshow.com or 708-226-1300

November 5-8SEMA ShowLas Vegas, NVwww.semashow.com or 702-450-7662

November 15-17Goodguys 16th Southwest NationalsScottsdale, AZwww.good-guys.com or 925-838-9876

December 5-7The Carolina Auto Racing Show (CARS)Charlotte, NC www.carolinaautoracingshow.com or 980-429-0398

December 9-1124th Annual Advanced Engineering TechnologyConference (AETC)Indianapolis, INwww.aetconline.com or 866-893-2382

December 12-14PRI Trade ShowIndianapolis, INwww.performanceracing.com or 949-499-5413

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

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

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

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For more industry events, visit our website at

www.enginebuildermag.com or subscribe to

www.aftermarketnews.com.

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PRI Show to Hold All-New Race IndustryWeek Events, Including AETCShowcasing more than 1100 exhibiting companieswhile drawing 40,000-plus motorsports professionalsfrom around the globe, the Performance Racing Industry Trade Show will be better than ever when itreturns to the Racing Capital of the World in 2013.

Known as “The Annual Epicenter of New RacingTechnology,” this year’s PRI Trade Show takes placeDecember 12-14 at the recently renovated IndianaConvention Center in Indianapolis.

Motorsports entrepreneurs, racing teams and moreare invited to this trade-only event in which all formsof racing are represented, including stock car, sprintcar, dirt late model, open wheel, drag racing, off-road,

karting and more.In fact, tens of thousands of racing retail stores, ware-

house distribution centers, professional race enginebuilders, race car production companies and more willmake inventory decisions for 2014 and beyond at PRI.

On the morning of December 12, the great heritage ofthe PRI Trade Show’s Grand Opening Breakfast continues with the special appearance of one of racing’sgreatest champions, Richard Petty.

Known to many simply as “The King,” Petty is themost decorated driver in the history of NASCAR racing,winning a record 200 career races and seven NASCAR

Cup championships. Admission to the PRI Show is complimentary, but all

attendees must prove they own, manage or are employedby a racing business. In addition to a three-day array of ex-hibits, over 45 conferences, seminars and special networking opportunities have been planned for Race Industry Week, which begins December 9. Encompassingthe days leading up to and including the annual PRI TradeShow, Race Industry Week 2013 plays host to a number ofco-locating events and ac-


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More than 3,300 booths dis-playing the latest products andservices in hardcore racing havebeen plotted on the ConventionCenter’s expansive show floor.

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tivities, including the Advanced En-gineering Technology Conference(AETC), the International Council ofMotorsport Sciences (ICMS) AnnualCongress, the Race Track BusinessConference, and the Vehicle Dynam-ics & Data Acquisition Seminar.

All-new Race Industry Weekevents for 2013 include the RaceSafety & Technology Center, featur-ing keynote speakers Dr. Terry Tram-mell and Jim Campbell, head ofmotorsports at General Motors; thenational champi-onships of the HotRodders Of Tomor-row engine chal-lenge; andEducation Day, or-ganized by SEMA'sMotorsports PartsManufacturersCouncil (MPMC),which offers dedi-cated product train-ing sessions by 15top-level manufac-turers in the motor-sports industry.

More information on the PRITrade Show can be found online at,www.pri2013.com.

APRA and ReMaTec TeamUp for New Automotive/Heavy-Duty Reman ShowThe Automotive Parts Remanufac-turers Association (APRA), theglobal association for remanufactur-ers all over the world and Amster-dam RAI, owners and organizers ofReMaTec, the world’s largest reman-

ufacturing show, have agreed to or-ganize a new comprehensive showfor automotive and heavy-duty remanufacturing in the USA.

The first edition will take place inLas Vegas NV, November 1-3, 2014.

The new show, which is namedBig R/ReMaTecUSA, is a continua-tion of the strong partnership between APRA and ReMaTec.

The new show has its origins inthe International Big R Show, whichhas been held in Las Vegas for


The Fifth Annual Muscle Car & CorvetteNationals will take place November 23-24at the Donald E. Stephens ConventionCenter, Rosemont, IL. Featuring more than500 of the world’s rarest and most desir-able muscle cars (RIGHT) and Corvettes,the interactive show and exhibit will givecar collectors, enthusiasts and their fami-lies a chance to experience the most extensive collection of museum-qualitymuscular vehicles ever assembled underone roof. Tickets are $20 online and $25at the door. Children under 12 get in free.For more information, visitwww.mcacn.com.



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decades, in association with thehighly successful ReMaTec showbased in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The new show will bepositioned as an annual kick off forthe automotive aftermarkettradeshows in Las Vegas each Fall.

The new partnership comple-ments the ReMaTec Amsterdamshow, which will still take place

every odd year.For more information, visit

www.apra.org.

DEI Introduces Mike Bucaas Brand ManagerDesign Engineering Inc. (DEI) recently added Mike Buca as thecompany’s new brand manager.

A seasoned performance enthusi-

ast, Buca has more than 18 years’ experience working in various posi-tions at JC Whitney including the lastfive years as the company’s

catalog and brand manager for bothJC Whitney and Stylin’ Trucks.

As DEI brand manager, Buca is responsible for the marketing andpromotion of all DEI branded prod-ucts and will report to Tom Miller,VP sales and marketing. A commit-ted enthusiast with more than 25years in the automotive aftermarket,he comes to this new position withextensive experience in marketing,copywriting and design.

For more information, visitwww.designengineering.com.

Weld Tech Makes Ownership ChangeDebra Weld, president of Weld Techa provider of CNC ported cylinderheads, recently entered into an agree-ment of sale with Chris Grace.

“Chris has been with Weld Techfor sixteen years, and we feel he isthe one who can continue to operatebusiness with the same quality andintegrity that is synonymous withWeld Tech,” said Weld. The day-to-day operations turned over to Graceeffective September 1st.

Weld Tech (www.weldtech.com) hasbeen a leader in providing CNCported cylinder heads to the highperformance motorsports industryfor 25 years. Weld Tech has aligneditself with world class port design-ers. They are contracted, for compen-sation, to develop a port shapedesigned to meet the needs of specific applications. The companyspecializes in reverse engineering ofprivately supplied port shapes andproviding the utmost confidentialityof its customers’ port profiles.

Weld Tech is now Weld Tech, LLC


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and will remain at the current loca-tion in Brownsburg, IN, with nochanges in its contact information.

Michigan Racer Wins$20,000 Engine Pro RacingEngineA Grass Lake, MI racer was the lastman standing in a drawing for a newracing engine held at US 131 Motor-sports Park in Martin, MI.

Tracy Muchler (below) wasawarded the engine, which was provided by Engine Pro and Pro-Filer Performance Products.

This is the sixth year for the promotion which is held toward theend of the racing season at the track.

The engine, valued at $20,000,was assembled by Performance Engineering with parts and servicessupplied by Pro-Filer, Melling Performance, Hastings Racing,Oliver, Ferrea, Comp Cams, JE Pistons, Clevite, Fel-Pro, Milodon, R & R Wireloom and Pro Finishing.

Racers had to earn their way intothe drawing by being in the top tenin points standings in two racingclasses. The event was held duringthe Ninth Annual Funny Car Nationals September 7, 2013. ■


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Enginebuildermag.com


Track Talk

NASCAR race cars require hun-dreds of welds – and every sin-gle one of them has to be per-fect.

At 200 miles per hour andaround every corner, racecarsare pushed to their very limits.They have to be strong for safe-ty, but light for performance.

The cars built at StewartHaas Racing are no exception.

Back at the shop, masterfabricators like Daniel Smithspend hours making sure everyweld is just right.

For Smith, simply put, it’shis passion.

“I’ve always wanted toweld,” said Smith, a native ofConcord, NC, born and raisedin the heart of motorsportscountry.

After graduating fromNASCAR Technical Institute

and 5 Off 5 On Pit Crew U in2004, 19-year old Smith land-ed a full-time position at whatwas then Haas CNC Racing.Being a typical adventurousteen, Smith quickly earned thenickname “Danger” among hispeers at the shop, but that did-n’t stop him from putting inlong hours of hard work andsacrifice to perfect his craft.

“In the beginning, I spenta lot of time in the shop,”Smith reminisced. “I wouldstay after work on my own timeto pick up pointers from otherwelders. I was welding any-thing and everything I couldget my hands on in the shop.”

Smith began his racingcareer in the teardown depart-ment, but soon earned a pro-motion to the fab shop.

Today, the 29-year-old vet-eran juggles bothpit crew and shopduties.

“On Sundays,I go over-the-wallas the rear tirechanger on theNo. 14,”explained Smith.“On Mondaymornings at 7a.m. sharp, I’mback at the shop,welding andbuilding suspen-sion pieces, uppercontrol arms, oiltanks, spindles,and exhaustpipes.”

Smith’s day job is criti-cal.

About 95% ofNASCAR racecars are TIG-welded by hand. Longbefore the racecar hits thetrack, welding and fabrica-tion consume roughly 950man hours on each racecarback at the shop.

Lincoln Electric, whohas provided Stewart HaasRacing with welding machines,consumables, and apparelsince 2008, says welding playsan important role in NASCARkeeping drivers safe first andforemost.

“Critical components suchas the roll cage, seat, and chas-sis need to withstand forcefulimpacts at speeds of 200+MPH,” said Mickey Holmes,sports marketing manager forLincoln Electric. “Quality weldshelp achieve this.”

Most welds join intersect-ing tubes that make up theframe and roll cage. These com-ponents are fabricated frommild steel, which allows theracecar to absorb the forces of acrash in a bend-before-breakmode.

When drivers often walkaway from high-speed crashesunhurt, it can be attributed tooverall safety improvements inthe chassis design – and weldquality.

Smith works with a varietyof Lincoln equipment at theshop, including Invertec V311-T AC/DC, Precision TIG375,

Invertec V205-T AC/DC, PowerMIG 350MP, Power MIG 256,and Power MIG 180C’s.

The team’s transports (orcrash carts as they’re common-ly called) are equipped withPower MIG 180C’s andInvertec V205’s.

“The welding technologyis really amazing,” said Smith.“They’re solid machines. Youcan kind of get spoiled workingwith all the nice equipment atthe shop.”

Smith understands if apart breaks on the track, it can-not break at the weld. Heknows the importance of asound weld, and that a driver'slife is on the line.

“My standards are a littlehigher from working inNASCAR – the welds have tolook nice and be clean andsound,” continued Smith.“The steering shaft has to holdup at every turn. Holding allof the suspension compo-nents together is very vital inracing.”

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

www.facebook.com/NASCARPerformance

Double-duty: Daniel Smith is a welder/fabricator at Stewart Haas Racing and rear tire changer

on the No. 14 Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet. Do you have a passion for welding, too? Start

your project today with help from Lincoln Electric at lincolnelectric.com/moneymatters

Where There’s a Weld, There’s a Way

By Kimberly Hyde,NASCAR

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Balloons Belong at BirthdayParties Not in TransmissionsI rebuilt a 454 GM engine that wentinto a motorhome application. It ranwell, and no problems immediatelyappeared. But later on, it was towedin with a main bearing failure in thethrust area. I gave the customer another engine, and a month later itcame back with the same problem.

Upon further investigation, I discovered that the torque convertorhad ballooned, causing the engineand also transmission problems. Itseems that it was severely over-loaded. The motorhome owner was aflea market vendor and was towing atrailer that was way too heavy for hissetup.

Lesson: If you build an enginewith an automatic transmission forsevere-duty, nitrous, supercharged orjust high-horsepower, be certain thatthe owner installs an anti-balloontorque convertor.

Hopefully, you will avoid thesame problem after reading this.

Lee JohnsonPro PerformanceDenver, CO

Note: Crankshaft grinders are usedto getting “defective” crankshafts returned to them with thrust flangeswiped out due to this type of problem.

– Engine Pro Technical Committee

Flyer Selling and SwappingAn easy and cheap form of advertis-ing is the 8-1/2˝ x 11˝ flyer. For abouta dime, you can print a flyer, andmost quick printers will help youwith the design. A broad genericflyer could take on the purpose of aresume, telling customers about you,your services, hours and contact information. A common practice isputting out a flyer offering free ordiscounted services. One shop Iknow advertises a free case of oilwith any engine build.

Once your flyer is printed, make adeal with other merchants in yourarea to provide a spot for their flyers

in your shop if they will do the samefor you. You will get exposure to adifferent customer base in another lo-cation. Picking like-businesses, suchas a towing company or a body shop,will increase your advertising results.

Steve RichSterling Bearing, Inc.Kansas City, MO

How to Resize OHC Oversize LiftersOccasionally, you will need to buylifters to make valve adjustments because the one piece tappet is of aspecific height and must be changed.This is the case with most overheadcam engines these days. But what doyou do when the lifter you buy is athousandth or two oversize? Youcould return it, but that takes time.You can also micropolish it on yourlathe to obtain the correct diameter,but how do you hold it?

Here’s how: Take a piece of aluminum stock that is a slightlylarger diameter than the lifter andmachine it to the lifter ID. Wood canalso be used. The total length of thealuminum/wood only needs to beabout 3˝ long and you only need tomachine the diameter to a length ofabout 1˝. You can drill a hole all theway through the piece and use acountersink to cut a taper on the endthat you machined. Machine a pieceof steel or aluminum that is the samediameter of the big end of the coun-tersink hole you machined in thepart. Next, machine a wedge anddrill and tap it for a 1/2-20 bolt thatwill slip into the 1/4˝ you drilled inthe body. Its length should be only as long as the total length of thebody, including the wedge you justmade. The wedge should sit flushwith the end of the body. The bodycan also be made from a piece ofwood doweling.

Now take the body, remove thebolt and wedge, and cut in twoplaces, 90 degrees apart so they willbe able to expand when you tightenthe wedge. Insert the bolt and wedgeback into the body of the fixture and

place the lifter on the machineend. This diameter should be only.001˝ to .002˝ smaller than the lifterID. Place your fixture into the latheand use your crankshaft polisher toreduce the diameter of the lifter tothe diameter you desire.

See the video on my YouTubechannel: http://bit.ly/1e92eDr

John EdwardsCost Mesa R&D Automotive Machine ShopCosta Mesa, CA

Keeping Valve Locks in PlaceBy using marine grease on the end ofa thin flat head screwdriver, you canrest the lock on the grease while youassemble heads with puck stylelifters. This way you are not constantly dropping the lock downinto the head.

Greg GossEngine & Performance WarehouseDenver, CO

Manufacturer Shop SolutionStandard and Reverse Rotation Marine Engines:What to Look ForBoats with twin engines usually turnin opposite direction so the torquereactions of the engines cancel eachother out. The following four draw-ings show how the crankshaft andcamshaft turn in the four combina-tions of drives. Some of the parts inthese engines may be interchange-able, but will not function properlyand can create problems for re-builders.

Crankshaft - Some of the reverserotation cranks have the oil holesdrilled symmetrically opposite.Check this closely.

Camshaft - In the above combina-tions none of the cams are inter-changeable. The lobe timing and/orthe distributor drive gear angle aredifferent.

Distributor/Oil Pump - In all ofthe applications, we know of boththe distributor and oil pump turn the


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EngineBuilderMag.com 17

Shop Solutions –The Power ofKnowledge

Engine Builder and Engine Pro present

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

The feature is intended to provide

machine shop owners and engine tech-

nicians the opportunity to share their

knowledge to benefit the entire industry

and their own shops.

Those who submit Shop Solutions that

are published are awarded a prepaid

$100 Visa gift card.

Engine Pro is a nationwide network of

distributors that warehouse a full line of

internal engine components for

domestic and import passenger car,

light truck, heavy duty, industrial,

marine, agricultural and performance

applications.

They also produce engine parts under

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same direction regardless of the crank rotation. This is done by makingthe angle of the drive gear on the cam and its mating gear opposite, whenthe cam turns the opposite direction. This makes the thrust of the gears inthe opposite direction. For example, the SE Chevy thrust is up and istaken by the base of the distributor housing and the drive gear. If the cam rotation and gear angle are changed, the thrust is down and there areno provisions for this in a stock distributor. A ball bearing distributor ormagneto is required.

When working on marine engines, be sure you know what the components intended usage is and do not vary from it. ■

George RichmondMelling Engine PartsJackson, MI

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Each year, in early July, somefive-dozen racing relics comethundering out of the pages of

history books to circle the famousone-mile long track at Milwaukee’sWisconsin State Fairgrounds.

There are Lozier, Mercer, Hup-mobile, Ford, Chrysler and Kurtiscreations with several carburetors,coffee can size exhaust pipes andnumbers on their sides. And then,there are the Millers.

Harry A. Miller was a native ofMenomonie, WI, who moved to LosAngeles in 1894 to started MasterCarburetor Co.

In early 1912, he developed analuminum-nickel-copper alloy hecalled Alloyanum. With it, he couldmake marvelous pistons and high-output manifolds.

Harry A. Miller ManufacturingCo. became the West Coast machineshop to visit if you wanted your carto go fast.

Miller’s started making enginesin 1915. This inline six-cylinder, sin-gle-overhead-cam aircraft enginecaught attention and led racing cardriver "Wild Bob" Burman to Millerfor a new engine for his 1913 GrandPrix Peugeot, which had suffered abroken con rod. A second engine for Burman was a twin-cammer with afully-enclosed valvegear, predating Bal-lot’s famous designby three years. Millerwas credited withcreating super-effi-cient unsuperchargedengines and became

the guru of supercharging. Headapted streamlining, front-wheeldrive and four-wheel drive to racingcars, and could focus on tomorrow’stechnology while perfecting today’s.

Miller’s engines and cars were —and still are — works of art. Twoyears ago the Miller Bowes Seal FastSpecial that won the 1931 Indy 500sold at auction for $2 million pluscommission!

A month earlier a Miller 110 en-gine owned by the same collector-the late – David V. Uihlein, Sr. –brought $72,000 in another auction.Both sales were conducted by Dana Mecum, an enthusiast who is currently president of the Harry A. Miller Club (www.harrymillerclub.com).

Miller made almost 100 percentof the engines and cars bearing hisname. He considered them motoringmasterpieces and built them artisti-cally. It required around 6,000 to6,500 man-hours to construct a com-plete car. Between 700 and 1000 ofthose hours went into cosmeticsalone: paint, chrome accessories.

In 1921, Miller designed a 183-cid185-hp twin-cam straight eight withfour-valves per cylinder. The Miller122 was the first pure racing car tobe series produced and about 15were made.

By 1923, nearly half of the cars atIndy had one and by 1925 three-quarters of the field ran Millers.When racing adopted a 91.5-cid for-mula, Miller created the Miller 91


Harry A. Miller’sMasterpiece Motors CONTRIBUTING EDITOR John Gunnell

[email protected]

Miller’s engines and cars were – andstill are – works of art.

Old

Iron

In August 2011, this MillerBowes Seal Fast Special thatwon the 1931 Indy 500, soldat auction for $2 million pluscommission.

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with a stock 154 hp andup to 285 hp in someapplications. By thelate-1920s, winnersdrove Millers for whichthey had to up around$10,000 (or $15,00 for a more advancedfront driver.) The front-drive cars were athing of beauty with their low radiatorsand long hoods.

In 1927, a Miller 91 rear-drive set aninternational speed record of 164.84mph, including a one-way speed of 171mph, and an international closed-coursespeed record of 147.729 mph. In 1930, aMiller 91 front-drive achieved 180.9mph. Many other international auto andboat speed records were established.

Just ahead of the 1929 Wall St. crash,Miller retired. Around that time,E. L.Cord had given him a $60,000 retainer toconsult on development of a front-wheel-drive car and he realized $150,000from selling his business. He was 54, richand relaxed, but unfortunately, he wasnot about to really retire. A new engi-neering business was launched just asthe Great Depression began, and withinthree years, Miller was bankrupt.

Miller's veteran machinist Fred Of-fenhauser bought rights to a Miller en-gine and improved it into the Offy,which became the most victorious racingengine of all time. Miller himself strug-gled through the 1930s, trying one proj-ect after another and teaming up withvarious parties from Preston Tucker toFord Motor Co. to Gulf Oil in trying to

create a success-ful and innova-tive racing car.

Miller eventu-ally moved to Indianapolis to tinker on aircraft projectswith Tucker, while his wife took off for California. By1941, he had moved to Detroit to set up a testing equip-ment and tool making business. However, he was notin good health and on May 3, 1943, he died from a heartattack.

The Harry A. Miller Club was founded in 1995 tohonor the achievements of the distinguished engineace. And each year, more people and cars come to the“Millers at Milwaukee- Vintage Indy Car Event” on the second weekend in July at the Milwaukee Mile. ■

For more information contact: The Harry A. MillerClub, PO Box 541, Germantown, WI 53022 or call (262) 388-5221.


Old Iron

The Miller 91 DOHC enginewas offered from 1926-1929and this supercharged versionproduced 148 hp at 6300 rpm.

This dress-up Miller showshow beautiful the design is. Itis in a body-less car known asthe “Naked Miller” This car was built in 1938 as a

Miller 8, but was retrofitted withan Offy engine after World War II.

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Nobody would argue with thefact that engine balancing isright up there with “blue-

printing” an engine. The goal is toequalize the reciprocating and rotat-ing forces inside the engine so it willrun smoother, last longer and achieveits maximum power potential.

Although balancing would seemto be most important for highrevving performance engines, it canalso provide benefits for relativelystock engines, as well as low revvingheavy-duty diesel engines. Whenproper balance isachieved, it reduces NVH(noise, vibration andharshness) that can be feltinside the vehicle,whether it is a dailydriver, a race car or over-the-road truck.

Better balance makes for asmoother running and quieter engine. But, even more importantly,proper balance also maximizes theengine’s longevity by reducing thepounding that imbalance produceson the crankshaft’s main bearings.

The centripetal forces generatedby any imbalance increases exponen-tially in proportion to speed. Doublethe rpms and you quadruple theforce. A 2 oz.-in. (ounce-inch) imbal-ance on a crankshaft will generateonly about 14 pounds of centripetal

force at 2,000 rpm. But when the engine revs to 8,000 rpm, that slightimbalance now becomes a poundingforce of 227 pounds! The resultingthrashing motion that the crankshaftexperiences with every revolutioncan pound the bearings and maincaps to death over time – and thegreater the imbalance, the greater thepounding force that is being exertedon the bearings and main caps.

When a crankshaft spins, it wantsto rotate around its center of gravity.That’s a basic law of physics. As long

as the rotating weight is evenly dis-tributed around the circumference ofthe crank, the center of gravity willline up with the center axis of thecrank and the crank will spinsmoothly without any wobble.

But, if there is an imbalance, itwill offset the center of gravity andforce the crank to oscillate from itstrue axis as it spins.

Of course, the crank can’t wobbletoo much because it is held in placeby the main bearings. Even so, thewobbling motion exerts a pounding


MaintainingYour BalanceEngine Building Tips to Reduce NVH and Increase Life

Feat

ure

Most racers today want theircranks balanced to within oneounce or less, and many of thebig boys (NASCAR, ProStock,etc.) will aim for fractions of agram.

BY TECHNICAL EDITOR LARRY [email protected]

22-31 Balanced Work 10/23/13 9:36 AM Page 22


23 qualityprods_Layout 1 10/23/13 9:16 AM Page 23

force against the bearings and caneven cause flexing and bendingwithin the crankshaft itself if theforces are great enough.

Over time, this may lead tometal fatigue, stress cracks andcrankshaft failure. It can also create annoying engine vibrationsthat can be felt throughout the vehicle, as well as harmonics inthe camshaft and valvetrain thatmay result in a loss of horsepower.

Whether you have a large im-balance force acting on the crank-shaft over a short period of time,or a relatively small imbalanceforce acting on the crankshaftover a very long period of time,the end result can be the same ineither case: bearing fretting andfatigue that eventually leads to bear-ing failure and/or crank failure.

A high revving racing engineobviously needs a good balance tominimize these destructive forces,but balancing can be just as bene-ficial to low revving engines, too,including big over-the-road truckengines that only turn 1,800 to2,800 rpm. Why? Because of thecumulative effect even a small imbalance can have on enginelongevity.

Recognizing this, the automakers have tightened up theirbalance tolerances in recent yearsto not only reduce NVH but toalso extend engine durability.What used to be “race only” bal-ance tolerances are now everydayproduction tolerances for many

engines. Today’s lighter andhigher revving engines can’t han-dle as much imbalance as older,heavier cast iron engines, so theyare typically balanced to muchcloser tolerances.

Little Tolerance for ImbalanceThe “old school” tolerances forbalancing used to be plus orminus 2 ounces for stock engines(56 grams), half an ounce (0.5 oz.or 14 grams) for street perform-ance and two-tenths ounce (0.2 oz.or 5 to 6 grams) for racing engines.

These numbers provided rela-tively good results with the engines and speeds that werecommon a couple of decades ago,but they are not even in the ball-park with today’s stock and racing requirements.

Most electronic balancingequipment that’s on the markettoday can easily achieve balancesto within 0.1 grams (0.004 oz.), oreven less for specialized applica-tions such as turbocharger impellers that spin at extremelyhigh rpms.

A dime weighs 2.268 grams(0.08 oz.). If you glued a dime tothe outside edge of a counter-

Balancing has become a sought-after service in some segmentsyou may never have considered,and it remains an importantprofit center in many machineshop operations.




25 fmfelpro_Layout 1 10/23/13 9:16 AM Page 25

weight on a crankshaft, it might notcause much of an imbalance in a lowrevving stock engine, but it would betoo much of an imbalance for mostperformance engines.

Most racers today want theircranks balanced to within one ounceor less, and many of the big boys(NASCAR, ProStock, etc.) will aimfor fractions of a gram.

On some of Ford’s newer V6 en-gines, the factory balance is within0.16 oz.-in. (4.5 grams) – which is oldschool racing tolerances. It’s impor-tant to keep this in mind because anytime you are rebuilding a late modelengine or a performance engine andchange internal parts (pistons, wristpins, rods or the crank), you changethe balance.

The same thing happens with externally balanced engines if youreplace the flexplate, flywheel or harmonic dampener.

Some aftermarket replacementpistons and rods weigh about thesame as the original parts, but othersmay be heavier or lighter depending

on their design. What’s more, somepiston and rod sets may be weightmatched fairly close (plus or minus 2grams) from the factory while othersvary quite a bit. Consequently, if youdo not weigh the parts on a highly

accurate scale, you have no way ofknowing how much they actuallyweigh or how much their weight differs from the original parts.

Balancing BasicsOne of the basic goals of engine bal-ancing is to equalize the weights ofthe pistons, wrist pins, rings, con-necting rods, rod bolts and bearingsso as to equalize the reciprocatingand rotating forces that are acting onthe crankshaft.

Each of the parts is carefullyweighed to determine which pistonand which rod is the lightest. Theother pistons and rods are thenground or machined to equalize theirweights to the lightest one in the set.Another trick that some enginebuilders use is to mix and matchheavy and light pistons and rods thatshare the same journal to equalizethe weights on each journal.

Once the weights have been measured and equalized, the rotatingand reciprocating weights need to be separate from each other. The


Feature


All crankshafts have a target bobweight (plus or minus 2 percenttypically) that approximates theweights of the pistons and rods thatare going on the crank. The closerthe target bobweight of the crank tothe actual parts, the less drilling ittakes to bring the crank into balance. Because of this, it's important to know the approximateweights of the pistons and rodswhen you are buying or ordering an aftermarket crankshaft.

The Bobweight Effect


rotating weight is the big end of the connecting rod, rod bolts and rodbearings, plus a few extra grams foroil while the reciprocating weight isthe small end of the rod, wrist pinand locks, piston and rings.

After these values have been determined (for a 90-degree V8 en-gine), bobweights that simulate 100percent of the rotating weight (times2 because there are two pistons shar-ing the same journal) and 50 percent

of the reciprocating weight (times 2for the two pistons also share thesame journal) are assembled bystacking metal weight shims. Thebobweights are clamped on each rodjournal and the crankshaft is thenspun on the balancer.

Highly sen-sitive motionsensors detectany wobble inthe crank, andthe balancer’selectronics splitthe crankshaftinto two halves

(right and left) and essentially bal-ance each half of the crank separately(2-plane balancing).

Some balancers also compare theresults of the left and right sides tosee how the forces interact (3-planebalancing) before displaying theindex location and amount of imbal-ance that needs to be corrected.Weight is then removed by drillingor machining the counterweights, oradded by installing heavy metal


Feature


A high revving racing engineobviously needs a good balanceto minimize these destructiveforces, but balancing can be justas beneficial to low revving engines, too.


tungsten (“mallory”) plugs into thecounterweights to offset the indi-cated imbalance. The crank is thenspun again to check the correctionsthat were made. This procedure is repeated as many times as it takes toachieve the desired degree of balance.

In the case of superlight racingcranks, the counterweights may beturned down so muchthat there isn’tenough metal to offsetthe bobweights. If thisis the case, the crankwill likely requireheavy metal plugs tobalance it and/or ex-ternal balancing withthe flywheel and har-monic dampener.

Another issue to watch out for isthat some cheaply made importcrankshafts may not have enoughmetal in the counterweights toachieve balance easily or inexpen-sively (heavy metal plugs are expen-

sive). Or, the counterweights maynot be positioned correctly on thecrankshaft to allow proper balancing.

There’s no way of knowing thisuntil you start to balance the crank

and realize it’s way off the mark andwill take a lot of work to balance it.

To reduce overall weight and cost,most crankshafts for 90-degree V8engines have six counterweights in-


Feature

The basics of balancing haven’treally changed over time – addweight if it’s required, take itaway if needed. What haschanged is the market’s expec-tations and the technologyavailable to make balancing anaccessible service.

Circle 18 for more informationCircle 28 for more information


stead of eight. No counterweightsare used on either side of the centermain bearing. If the crank had eightcounterweights (one for each cylin-der), each weight would be offset 180degrees from its journal.

But with only six counterweightsto serve this function, the counter-weights are offset 135 degrees fromtheir journals.

Some math whiz figured this outand saved the auto makers a lot ofmoney – but also made life harderfor anyone who is trying to balance areally high revving engine or onewith a long stroke crank.

So racing cranks with eight coun-terweights are available for applica-tions where the extra weight reallydoesn’t hurt from a performancestandpoint, but really helps from abalance standpoint. NASCAR en-gines typically run in excess of 9,000rpm for much of a race so having aneight counterweight crank helps con-trol vibrations and harmonics atthese speeds.

Weighing Your OptionsWhen it comes to balancing “tricks”some performance engine builderswill slightly overbalance or under-balance the crankshaft in an attemptto minimize vibrations and harmon-ics within a specific rpm range.Overbalance means adding extraweight to the bobweights when thecrank is balanced, while underbal-ancing means using less weight onthe bobweights when the crank isbalanced.

For example, if you want to over-balance an engine 2 percent, youwould use 52 percent of the recipro-cating weight of the pistons andsmall rod ends instead of the usual 50percent weight when assemblingyour bobweights. To underbalancethe engine 2 percent, you would use48 percent of the reciprocating weightinstead of the usual 50 percent.

Imbalances and harmonics in thecrankshaft are transmitted to thecamshaft and valvetrain by the tim-ing chain or timing gears. If a slightoverbalance creates vibrations that

offset any undesirable valvetrainharmonics, the engine runs smootherand makes more power. But if the vi-brations don’t offset and amplify oneanother, things only get worse.

Some say that slightly overbalanc-ing a high revving engine helpsdampen harmonics that may occurabove a certain rpm. Those who usethis technique claim it makes an


Feature


Engines that run at fairly constanthigh rpm typically benefit most fromoverbalancing (or underbalancing inthe case of Formula 1 engines). However, engines that have to operate across a wide range of rpmsmay or may not realize any benefitfrom overbalancing or underbalanc-ing, depending on the dynamics inside the engine. It may help atsome speeds and hurt at others.

Did You Know...


engine run smoother and makesmore power. The problem is, over-balancing may or may not smoothout high-rpm power and vibrations,and it may make things worse.

Many piston and rod suppliersrecommend a neutral balance (theusual 50 percent of the reciprocatingweight) unless an engine is really experiencing some severe high-rpmshakes. What works on one enginemay or may not work on another engine because of differences in val-vetrain geometry, stiffness and dy-namics.

Those who swear overbalancingworks typically recommend over-balancing 1 percent (using 51 per-cent of the reciprocating weight) ifthe engine revs above 8,000 rpm, 2percent if it revs to 9,000 rpm, and 4percent if it revs to 10,000 rpm.

By comparison, some Formula 1racing teams underbalance their engines several percent becausethey have found it helps offset thesecond order harmonics that occurat extremely high engine speeds (upto 18,000 rpm in some of these en-gines!) Underbalancing is alsobeing used in some monster dragmotors with long cranks (up to 4percent underbalance) to smooth

things out at high-rpm.The point here is that overbalanc-

ing or underbalancing essentiallycreates a dynamic imbalance insidethe engine. The imbalance will cre-ate vibrations the same as if the en-gine had not been balancedcorrectly in the first place.

But if the imbalance is tuned fora specific rpm range, it can offsetbad vibes that are hurting perform-ance. What happens outside thisrpm range in a racing enginedoesn’t matter because it’s outsidethe engine’s normal power range.

‘Ins’ and ‘Outs’ of BalancingMany engines such as small blockChevys are internally balanced. Thecrankshaft has enough mass in thecounterweights to allow the rotat-ing and reciprocating forces to bebalanced by machining the crank.

The flywheel and clutch are neutral or zero balanced, whichmeans engine balance is unaffected if the flywheel or clutch have to bereplaced later.

Smallblock Fords, by compari-son, are externally balanced, as aresome big block Chevys (454s).

This means the flywheel (or flex-plate) and harmonic balancer con-tribute to overall engine balanceand must be mounted on the crankwhen it is balanced to achieveproper balance. It also means theindex position of the flywheel (or


One of the basic goals of enginebalancing is to equalize theweights of the pistons, wristpins, rings, connecting rods, rodbolts and bearings so as toequalize the reciprocating androtating forces that are actingon the crankshaft.



flexplate) on the crank must bemaintained if it is removed and re-installed so balance isn’t upset.

It also means engine balance willbe lost if the flywheel (or flexplate)is replaced with another unit unlessthe balance of the replacement isperfectly matched to the original(which it may or may not be).

Most performance enginebuilders say the best way to go is tointernally balance the engine (ifpossible) for the advantages listedabove.

Removing StressThe harmonic dampener or bal-ancer on the front of the crankshaftmay be used to externally balancethe engine, but it’s main purpose isto dampen torsional vibrations inthe crankshaft.

Every firing pulse twists thecrankshaft, so the dampener helpssmooth out the jolts to reduce stresson the crank. If the dampener failsto do its job because it is defectiveor lacks sufficient mass, the crankmay be stressed to the point wherethe nose snaps off or it breaks.

Consider Cam Balancing, TooMany people overlook camshaftbalance when balancing an enginebecause a camshaft has a relativelysmall diameter (only a couple of

inches) and it turns at half thespeed of the crank.

Even so, a slight imbalance in acamshaft can become a significant vibration in a high revving engine –possibly enough to cause lifterbounce, valvetrain harmonics and

ignition timing issues with a cam-driven distributor.

For this reason, many high-endracers are also balancing theircamshafts now, too. ■


Feature


Looking for equipment to handle balancing work?

We make it simple. Just visit Enginebuildermag.com/BuyersGuideand use the product search function tofind balancing equipment, accessories,weights and harmonic balancers, etc.

The basics of balancing really haven’tchanged over time – add weight if it’sneeded, and take it away if needed.


Choosing a cam can give any-one a headache –especially if they choose the

wrong cam for a given application.There’s a lot of science involved incam selection, so keep reading andwe’ll help you wade through thedetails.

A camshaft is nothing more than acast iron or steel shaft with a series oflobes strategically placed along itslength. Each lobe opens and closes avalve by moving a lifter, pushrod androcker arm, or in the case of an over-head cam engine by moving a camfollower or direct valve action.

The size, shape and placement of the lobes on the camshaft determines valve timing, compres-sion and the engine’s breathing char-acteristics, which in turn determinesthe engine’s performance potentialand the rpm range where the engine will make the most power andtorque.

Choosing the “right” cams haft,therefore, is not only the cornerstoneof building a per-formance engine butalso its centerpiece.The cam makes the engine and essen-tially determines allof the other partsthat should be cho-sen to build the en-gine (cylinder heads,pistons, valvetrain,

intake and exhaust manifolds, andcarburetion).

Most camshaft manufacturersoffer a wide range of off-the-shelfgrinds that have been developed forspecific applications. The secret tochoosing a cam that will deliver thekind of performance you want is tofigure out the rpm range where theengine should make the most power,and then choose a cam that willmatch the breathing characteristics ofthe cylinder heads, intake and ex-haust manifolds, weight and gearingof the vehicle the engine is going into.

If your building a big stroker

motor for a ProStock drag car with anaftermarket 500 to 600 cubic inchblock and cylinder heads with fist-sized ports that flow over 500 cfm at.900˝ valve lift, such an engine obvi-ously needs a big cam with lots ofvalve lift, duration and overlap.

On the other hand, if you’re build-ing a small block street performanceengine that’s going into a daily driverwith an automatic transmission andstock gearing, you’ll want a cam thatdelivers good drivability with plentyof low to mid-range torque and throt-tle response. You’ll also want tochoose cylinder heads that have rela-


Feat

ure

CHOOSINGCAMSHAFTS –PICKING PERFORMANCESelecting the Cornerstone of Your Engine Build


Blue Collar Performance built this Su-percharged Ford 4.6L 3V using a blowercam from Lunati (Lunati 21270726).RPM Range: 2,000-6,900; Intake dura-tion at 050˝: 237; Exhaust duration at050˝: 249; Duration at 050˝: 237 int./249exh.; Intake valve lift with factoryrocker arm ratio: .504˝; Exhaust valvelift with factory rocker arm ratio: .516˝ ;Lobe Separation: 114 degrees.

32-39 Choosing Camshafts 10/23/13 9:32 AM Page 32


33 mahleclevite_Layout 1 10/23/13 9:16 AM Page 33

tively small intake runner volumes forgood air velocity and throttle responseat low- to mid-range rpm, a split-plenum 180-degree hi-rise intake mani-fold and properly sized carburetor.

Don’t Overcam Your WorkThe biggest mistake many enginebuilders make is to overcam an engine. Using a cam that has too muchvalve lift, too much duration and/ortoo much valve overlap for the applica-tion can have negative consequences.Everybody likes big numbers, but if thecam specs don’t really match the en-gine you’re building or the applicationthe engine is going into, you’ll end upwith an engine that underperformsand fails to meet your customer’s expectations.

Keep Your Eye on Valve LiftIncreasing valve lift opens the valvefurther so more air/fuel mixture or ex-haust can flow past the valve. Valve liftis increased by using taller lobes on thecamshaft and/or higher ratio rockerarms. Increasing valve lift improvesairflow up to a point, so you wantmore lift in a performance cam. But airflow eventually peaks out becauseof restrictions in the cylinder head, intake or exhaust system. Increasingvalve lift beyond this point is pointlessbecause there’s nothing more to begained.

There are also physical limits as tohow far the valves can be opened be-fore it creates interference problems be-tween the valves and pistons, betweenthe valve spring retainers and the topsof the valve guides, and between the

coils of the valve springs. Modifications can be made to

increase clearances (such as cuttinglarger valve recesses into the tops ofthe pistons, reducing the height of thevalve guides and/or lowering thespring seats), but eventually the limit is reached beyond which no further increases in valve lift are physicallypossible.

So the only way to increase airflowfurther is to hold the valves openlonger (increase duration) by openingthe valves sooner and closing themlater, and/or by improving the scavenging effect of the exhaust to pull air/fuel mixture through the combustion chamber by increasingvalve overlap.

There’s a lot of science that goes intodetermining optimum valve lift, andhow quickly the valves open and close.Ideally, you want a fast acting cam that

opens and closes the valves quickly tomaximize airflow. You also want thecam to reach peak lift as quickly as pos-sible, although airflow at mid-lift actu-ally has more of an impact on totalairflow because it happens twice dur-ing each valve cycle (once as the valveopens and again as it closes).

Consequently, you want cam lobesthat open the valves quickly, hold thevalves open when airflow is greatest,and then close the valves quickly tominimize compression losses. With flattappet cams, the curvature of the rampon the side (flank) of the lobe thatopens the valve can’t be too steep, oth-erwise the lifter may dig into the ramp.Likewise, on the closing side of the


Feature

A lot of development work has goneinto revamping lobe profiles in recentyears to optimize performance, andmany cam suppliers have introducednew product lines that reflect these improvements.




35 epw_Layout 1 10/23/13 9:15 AM Page 35

lobe, the curvature can’t be too steep,otherwise the lifter may not follow thelobe and bounce on its way backdown.

Roller cams are much better in thisrespect because a roller on the bottomof a lifter can follow a more radical lobeprofile. A roller cam can open and closethe valves faster for more total airflowwith the same lift and duration.

Valve Timing Issues Valve timing includes the points atwhich the intake valves open andwhen they close, and when the exhaustvalves open and when they close. Ofthese four timing events, intake valveclosing actually has the greatest impacton now much power a particularcamshaft will make. If the intake valvecloses too soon, the cylinder may notfill completely during its intake stroke.

Holding the intake vale open longerallows more airflow into the cylinder –up to a point. If the intake valve re-mains open too long past the pointwhere the piston has reached andpassed bottom dead center, the up-ward motion of the piston can start toreverse airflow and push air back outof the intake port.

The point at which the exhaustvalve opens has the second greatestimpact on performance. If the exhaustvalve opens too soon, cylinder pressuremay be lost before it can complete itswork. If the exhaust valve is openedtoo late during the exhaust stroke, it in-creases the pumping effort required topush the exhaust out of the cylinder.

The closing of the exhaust valve andthe opening of the intake valve, bycomparison, have the least impact onperformance. If the exhaust valvecloses too quickly, some exhaust mayremain in the cylinder and dilute theincoming air/fuel mixture during thefollowing intake stroke. Holding thevalve open longer (even as the intakevalve starts to open) creates a scaveng-ing effect that helps pull air throughthe cylinder into the exhaust, but youdon’t want too much valve overlap asthis can rob some of the air/fuel mix-ture that would otherwise remain inthe cylinder (it also increases exhaustemissions).

The opening of the intake valve hasto occur early enough so the cylinderhas time to fill with air/fuel mixture,but if it starts to open too soon (beforetop dead center), you can get rever-sionary airflow back into the intakemanifold.

The point at which the intake andexhaust valves open and close is determined by the ramps on the cam lobes. As soon as the lifter or follower reaches the point where theramp starts from the lobe base circle,the valvetrain begins to move andstarts to open the valve. The openingpoint may be measured at a specifiedamount of lift (such as .004˝ or .050˝)and listed as lasting so many degreesof crankshaft rotation.

For example, a typical street per-formance cam might have a listed du-ration of 224 degrees for the intake andexhaust valves measured at .050˝ of lift,with a maximum lift of .470˝ (withstock 1.5 ratio rocker arms).

The lobe separation between the36 October 2013 | EngineBuilder

Feature

MANY CAMS TODAY HAVE “ASYMMETRICAL” GRINDS

THAT USE DIFFERENT PROFILES FOR THE UPSIDE

AND DOWNSIDE RAMPS ON THE CAM LOBES, AS

WELL AS DIFFERENT LOBES FOR THE INTAKE AND

EXHAUST VALVES.




peak lift points of the intake and exhaust valves might be 110 degrees.Street cams and cams that are designed to produce more low to mid-range torque typically have less over-lap and more lobe separation, whilecams that are designed more for maxi-mum high speed power have moreoverlap and less lobe separation.

Confusing CalculationsComparing one cam grind to anothercan be tricky because camshaft suppli-ers often measure their cam specifica-tions differently. If duration ismeasured at .004˝ of lift rather than.050˝ of lift, it inflates the numbers andmakes the cam appear bigger. Consequently, it’s important to note atwhat point lift is actually measuredwhen comparing advertised camshaftduration specs.

Generally speaking, the longer theduration the higher the rpm rangewhere the cam makes power. Short du-ration cams are good for low speedtorque and throttle response while long

duration cams are best or high revvingengines that need to make lots of topend power.

Cams with durations in the 195 to210 degree range (measured at .050˝cam lift) are usually considered best forstock unmodified engines and thosewith computerized engine controls.Once you go beyond 210 to 220 de-grees of duration, intake vacuum startsto drop. This upsets idle quality and af-fects the operation of computerized en-gine control systems.

Performance cams typically havedurations ranging from 220 up to 280degrees or more. The longer the dura-tion, the rougher the idle and thehigher the cam’s power range on therpm scale. A cam with a duration of240 degrees of higher will typicallyproduce the most power from 3,500 to7,000 rpm.

But there’s more to camshaft selection than lift and duration. Camsfrom two different manufacturers mayhave identical lift and duration specs,but have considerably different per-

formance characteristics because of theshape of the lobes. A lot of develop-ment work has gone into revampinglobe profiles in recent years to optimizeperformance, and many cam suppliershave introduced new product lines that reflect these improvements.

Some cam lobes may have steeperor shallower ramps to change the velocity at which the valves open andclose. A fast opening rate is great aslong as the valve springs and valvetrain are stiff enough to handle it.Closing the valves quickly is also good,but not good if the valves close soabruptly that they bounce when theyhit their seats or the lifters can followthe down ramp of the cam lobe.

Many cams today also have “asym-metrical” grinds that use different pro-files for the upside and downsideramps on the cam lobes, as well as dif-ferent lobes for the intake and exhaustvalves. Some cams even featureslightly different grinds for each of theengine’s cylinders, depending onwhere the cylinder is positioned in the


FeatureTHIS ISSUE: PG 40 >> Today’s Fuels PG 50 >> Coatings/Treatments PG 58>> Crack Detection

ACTIVATES AT LOWER TEMPS, PROTECTS AT HIGHER TEMPSComplex 2X Zinc structure protects for an extended temperaturerange, outperforming conventional break-in oils. By combiningtwo different zinc compounds, PERFORMANCE BREAK-INOIL activates at lower temperatures and offers moreprotection at elevated temperatures.

• Promotes ring seal and provides maximum protection for cams and all critical valve train components during initial break-in of flat tappet and roller cam engines.

• Compatible with petroleum, semi-synthetic and fully synthetic motor oils.

• Ideal for use in Race Engines, OEM Rebuilds and Crate Motors.

•10W-30 & 15w-50



engine block. The end cylinders on a V8 with a

single carburetor manifold typicallybenefit with a little more valve dura-tion for the end cylinders to equalizeairflow through the intake manifold.It’s a trick that NASCAR has used foryears and is now available in some off-the-shelf product lines.

Choose WiselyPicking a cam at random out of a cata-log or on a website that has dozens oreven hundreds of different grindslisted can be a daunting task. The camyou choose may or may not deliver theresults you are looking for, so it pays toread all of the fine print for each grindand to study the recommendations.The cam supplier may say a particularworks best with certain cylinder head,piston and intake system combinations.

Various software programs are alsoavailable that can help you choose aparticular cam based on the informa-tion you enter into the program. The

software recommends a cam that bestmatches the information you have entered, and will even plot simulateddyno horsepower and torque curvesfor the engine you are building.Though not 100 percent accurate, theseprograms do a pretty good job of steer-ing you to the right cam.

The best approach, however, is towork directly with a cam supplierwhen choosing a cam. Most cam sup-pliers are more than happy to assistyou in the cam selection process.

They can provide you with a highlydetailed questionnaire you can fill in tonarrow down all of the engine specificsso a cam can be chosen that will deliverthe best all-round performance forwhat you are building. Details includeeverything from engine displacement,cylinder heads, compression ratio, in-take and exhaust systems, naturally as-pirated or boosted, manual orautomatic transmission, torque con-verter stall speed, manual transmissiongear ratios, differential ratio and tire

size to what kind of cam/lifter setupyou want (flat tappet, roller, solid orhydraulic) to info on how the enginewill be used (street, street/strip, circletrack, drag racing, road racing, off-roading, pulling, towing, RV or ma-rine) to the year/make/model andweight of the vehicle the engine isgoing into.

If you’re looking for an edge overthe competition, you might opt to havea custom cam ground for your engine.

This may require even more de-tailed information such as airflownumbers for each increment of valvelift through the cylinder heads, rodlength, stroke, brands of pistons, rodsor other parts, and so on.

The more information you can provide the cam supplier, the betterthey can match a custom cam to yourengine.

Some cam companies have evenused data recording to optimize a cus-tom cam for a customer. They hook upa data logger to record engine rpm


Feature



while a car is on the racetrack, then analyze enginespeeds down the straightsand into and out of the corners to determine wherethe engine really needs to

make the most power. A cam grind is then cho-

sen that maximizes enginepower out in the rpm rangewhere it really needs it. Abigger cam might makemore total power, but if theengine seldom revs highenough to take advantage ofthat extra power it’s morecam than the engine reallyneeds.

It’s better to have a camthat really works in the opti-mum rpm range, than tochoose one that makes bignumbers but doesn’t win

races on the race track. ■

For more on information on camshaftselection, requirements and needs, visit EngineBuilderMag.com.


FeatureTHIS ISSUE: PG 40 >> Today’s Fuels PG 50 >> Coatings/Treatments PG 58>> Crack Detection


This dyno sheet is from a Blue Collar Perform-ance 281 cid Ford 4.6 3V with ported heads,Roush TVS2300 Supercharger delivering 19 psi ofboost. The engine was stuck at 605 rwhp untilthe cam change. Final, hot pull, 660 rwhp withpump 93 octane, 47# injectors, GT500 dual fuelpump. 8.5:1 compression.


The pump gasoline sold at gasstations around the countryhas changed quite a bit over

the last several decades. The first major change was the

removal of lead from the gasoline.The next major change was to refor-mulate the gasoline to reduce boththe evaporative and exhaust emis-sions from vehicles. Then, the fed-eral government mandated the useof oxygenation of gasoline in manyparts of the country. The latestmethod to oxygenate the fuel iswith ethanol made from corn.

These recent changes in gasolineformulation may ormay not be a goodidea in theory, butsince this moderngasoline contains lessenergy than it did inthe past it may actu-ally cause a loss in power, fuel effi-ciency and driveability unless theengine is properly tuned for thesenew blends of gasoline.

Gasoline with EthanolThe addition of ethanol to the gaso-line is causing problems with manyfuel system components of in a vehicle’s fuel system that was notdesigned with ethanol in mind.Ethanol is very corrosive to manyof the materials that were com-monly used in fuel system of oldervehicles. Ethanol can also act as a

solvent that will attack any compo-nent made with plastic or rubbercompounds (such as the fuel hoses)that it comes into contact with, alsocomponents made from brass, cop-per and aluminum can become cor-roded over time if they are not givenproper surface treatments.

Heat is also a factor to considerin how quickly the rubber and plas-tic compounds used in the fuel sys-tem will degrade with the exposureto the fuel because the rate of reac-tion doubles for every 10°C rise intemperature.

Ethanol is also a hygroscopic

substance that readily attracts waterfrom its surroundings such as themoisture that is in the air in the fueltank, it takes as little as one table-spoon of water per gallon of gaso-line to cause the ethanol to phaseseparate from the gasoline.

When the ethanol and water mix-ture phase separates from the gaso-line it will drop to the bottom of thefuel tank.

This phase separated ethanol andwater mixture is extremely corrosiveto anything it comes into contactwith. Plus, it will also cause engineperformance/drivability problems

Eliminating PoorThrottle ResponseImpact of Today’s Gasoline on Carbureted Engines

Feat

ure

The combination of today’sgasoline, ethanol and heat cancause the rubber parts used in older vehicles’ fuel system to fail.


BY CONTRIBUTING EDITOR HENRY P. [email protected]

40-49 Fuels and Carb Engines 10/23/13 9:30 AM Page 40


41 motorstate_Layout 1 10/23/13 9:15 AM Page 41

as it flows into the engine through thecarburetor or fuel injectors.

Modern Gasoline and Vintage EnginesA 1997 or newer fuel injected vehiclehas an ECU/PCM (computer) that

should be able tomake the necessaryair/fuel mixture andignition spark tim-ing adjustments nec-essary for gasolinewith up to a 10%ethanol mixture. Most vehicles man-ufactured after 2005should be able tohandle up to 15% ethanol content inthe gasoline, but older vehicles willbegin to experience performance is-sues with the higher ethanol contentin the gasoline. The vehicles that aremost effected by the addition ofethanol to the gasoline are the oldercarburetor equipped engines whichwill need to have their air/fuel mix-ture and ignition spark advancecurves retuned for these new blendsof “cleaner burning” gasoline if theyare expected to perform their best.

The ethanol content of gasolinewill cause the air/fuel mixture of anon-computer controlled carburetorengine to shift leaner, which will often

cause a loss in driveability and throt-tle response. These new blends of reformulated gasoline (with and with-out ethanol) are actually quite differ-ent from the leaded gasoline that avintage carburetor equipped enginewas designed and tuned to use.

The main differences betweentoday’s gasoline and the leaded gaso-line of days past are the burn time ofthe fuel and the distillation profile ofthe fuel, but it actually goes deeperthan that. The composition of today’sgasoline is very different when com-pared to the leaded gasoline of the’60s because of the removal of lead,the addition of ethanol and the mod-ern fuel additives that are in the fuel.

Tuning a Vintage Engine for Modern Gasoline It’s important to understand that themodern, fuel-injected, computer-con-trolled engine is a very different


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Gasoline has changed quite a bitover the last few decades. Much ofthe gasoline sold across the countrytoday contains as much as 10%ethanol.

Here is a good example of rubberfailure on a fuel system componentdue to a combination of gasoline,ethanol and heat.

The concern regarding ethanol fuelshas led to many parts suppliers to de-velop products that are made to with-stand ethanol corrosion.



43 safetyautoparts_Layout 1 10/23/13 9:15 AM Page 43

animal than the carbureted engines ofyears past. The computer of a mod-ern, fuel-injected engine continuallyadjusts fuel and spark to adapt theengine to today’s ethanol and refor-mulated gasoline blends.

A vintage carburetor equipped engine simply cannot do this by itself,therefore you will have to retune thecarburetor and distributor for thesenew blends of gasoline. If your cus-tomer is experiencing driveability andthrottle response issues with a vintagecarburetor-equipped engine the prob-lem may be caused by the changes intoday’s reformulated gasoline with

the cure being to tune the ignitionspark advance and air/fuel curves forthe modern fuel blends of today.

Ignition System Tuning Most modern fuel injected engines

have a computer -

controlled ignition system thathas been programed with aspark advance curve suited fortoday’s gasoline, plus it pro-vides the spark plug with thehigher current and longer du-ration spark that is needed toprevent misfire problems. Butthe ignition system that mostcarburetor- equipped enginescame with can prove to bemarginal with today’s reformulated gas blends.

Today’s gasoline burns somewhatfaster than the leaded gas of dayspast, but it needs a hotter spark to ignite it. The ignition spark advancecurve that is programmed into thePCM of a typical modern fuel-injecteddomestic V8 engine would also workquite well with a vintage carburetor-equipped engine.

A typical vintage Ford or Chevy

small block (with a mild camshaft)will perform well with a spark advance curve that has 12 degrees initial timing plus 24 degrees of mechanical advance all in by 3,600rpm with an additional 10 to 12 degrees from the vacuum advance.


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This photo (left) illustrates what happens when moisture and gasolinemix with ethanol. The phase separated ethanol at the bottom ofthe container is very corrosive.

This chart from Demon CarburetorCompany is the guideline we use onwhere to set the initial timing basedon the camshaft in an engine.

Cam Duration Initialat .50 timing

Less than 220º 10 to 12 BTDC



Over 260º or 20 plus BTDC



Fuel System Tune-UpThe changes in the formulation oftoday’s gasoline most often causes acarburetor to shift about 3 to 5 per-cent leaner than the gasoline mostcarbureted engines were designedand tuned to use.

The most common problems wesee with carburetor-equipped engines are lean off-idle surge/misfire complaints and poor throttle

response com-plaints.

The tuningchanges needed tocure the lean off –idleproblem involves enriching the off-idlecircuit through enlarging the idlewell of a Holley-stylemodular carburetoror enlarging the idlechannel restrictor

(ICR) of the Rochester carburetors orthe Carter AFB and AVS carburetors(including the Edelbrock Performer and Thunder series carbu-retors). The throttle response issue isoften cured by making the acceleratorpump circuit more active by increas-ing the strength of the acceleratorpump duration spring and sometimesenlarging the accelerator pumpsquirter size.

Most of the high performance replacement carburetors built afterthe late ’70s have an accelerator pumpduration spring that is not as strongas the original spring strength that thecarburetor was originally designed tohave.

If you are rebuilding an engine for


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THE LAST THING ANY ENGINE BUILDER WANTS TO

HAVE HAPPEN IS TO HAVE THE ENGINE THEY JUST

BUILT HAVE ANY PROBLEMS CAUSED BY BAD

GASOLINE.

Here we see the damage that waterand ethanol can do to a carburetorbowl. Rust and corrosion are common.


vintage carburetor-equipped applica-tion you may want be sure your cus-tomer is aware that they will need toretune the ignition spark timingcurves and the air/fuel mixturecurves of the carburetor, plus the fuelcan create swelling problems with therubber (elastomer) and plastic partsthat are common in a carburetorequipped engine such as the rubbergas hoses, the accelerator pump and anitrophyl carburetor float.

Both ethanol and the aromatics

that are in gasoline(such as benzene,toluene, and xylene)have also been shownto have negative effects on parts that are

made with rubber and plastics. The gasoline sold today also may

have a higher level of aromatics thanthe gasoline that was sold decadesago. The combination of ethanol anda higher aromatic level in the gasolinemay increase the rubber and plasticswelling problems more than if thefuel had just ethanol or just high aromatic levels.

The exposure of any fuel systemcomponents made with rubber orplastics to high heat conditions

(including the normal underhood heat conditions after anengine is shut off) and today’sreformulated gasoline willalso accelerate the rate thatthe fuel will attack the rubberand plastic components itcomes into contact with.

The best way to help pre-vent these problems is to keep fuelhoses away from any heat sourcesand to use a heat insulating spacerunder the carburetor.

Vapor Lock VolatilityThe ability of a fuel to vaporize orchange from liquid to vapor is referred to as its volatility. Volatilityis an extremely important characteris-tic of gasoline because an engine canonly burn the vaporized portions ofthe gasoline.

Depending on the time of the yearand local regulations, ten percent ofthe fuel should be evaporated whenthe temperature reaches the 122°F to158°F range, 50 percent of the fuel


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The arrow in this cutaway shot of anAFB/AVS carburetor venture clusterpoints to the idle channel restrictor.The restrictor needs to be slightlyenlarged to cure a lean off-idle stumble that is common with today’sreformulated gasoline.


should be evaporated when the temperature reaches the 170°F to250°F range and 90 percent of the fuelshould be evaporated when the tem-perature reaches the 365°F to 374°Frange.

The easiest and safest way tomeasure the volatility of gasoline isthe Reid vapor pressure (RVP)

method, which meas-ures the absolutevapor pressure ex-erted by the gasolineat 100 °F. The RVPhas changed from ashigh as 14 lbs. in the1960s to where it iscurrently, which is aslow as 7.2 lbs. in California during thesummer months.

The under hoodtemperature of manyvehicles will reach230°F or higher dur-ing a hot soak (afterthe engine is shutoff) so 50% of thegasoline (the mostvolatile parts of thefuel) in the carbure-tor may boil off. Thisheating and subsequent boil off offuel components can and does wreakhavoc on fuel curves and ignition timing requirements of a carburetorequipped engine plus it will create

vapor lock issues if the gasoline boilsin fuel lines or the carburetor bowl(s).

The answer, particularly in a car-bureted engine, is to minimize the ex-posure of fuel system components to


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The Holley carburetor pump arm on the left has theoriginal duration spring design from the 1960s & 1970s.The new design pump arm on the upper right is moreadjustable, but the duration spring is not as strong asthe original design. The pump arm on the lower righthas a duration spring that is used on the Demon carburetors. The stronger duration spring makes the accelerator pump more active, which improves throttleresponse.

The arrows in this cutaway shot of aHolley metering block (seen on thetape on right side of the block) pointsto the idle well, the size of the idlewell helps determine how rich the off-idle air/fuel mixture will be.


heat in every way possible.

Aging Gasoline The gasoline your customer buys attheir local station has a shelf-life thatcan vary from 90 days to at least oneyear from the day it was blended, depending on how it is stored. Mostgasoline made for the general publicis consumed within 30 days of being

blended but theslower selling pre-mium grades ofgasoline sell at amuch slower ratethan regular gradegasoline.

Premium grade gasoline makes upless than 5% of the gasoline sales atsome gas stations therefore it is possi-ble that it may be less than fresh ifyou buy it at the wrong gas station. Itwould be wise to advise your cus-tomer to be sure the gasoline theyhave in the fuel tank of their vehicle isfresh before they try to start the engine you just built for them.

The lastthing any en-gine builderwants to havehappen is tohave the en-gine they justbuilt have anyproblemscaused by badgasoline.

Whenever gasoline is exposed toheat, moisture, air or light it willbegin to go bad, as the gasoline agesthe most highly volatile componentsin gasoline tend to evaporate outthrough any vent in the tank. It willalso degrade with time and exposureto the elements.

As the gasoline ages, it will become less volatile, which will causethe engine to be hard to start plus itwill also cause the engine to produceless power. The use of this degradedfuel may be one of the worst things towhich you could expose an enginethat you just rebuilt to.


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Circle 48 for more information Circle 14 for more information

The AFB/AVS accelerator pump in the center isthe original design that Carter Carburetor Com-pany used. The pump on the right is the pumpthe new style that is used in the 500 thru750CFM AFB/AVS carburetor clones that are onthe market today. These new style pumps have aweaker duration spring than the original design.The pump on the left has a duration spring thatmatches the original design specs.


When gasoline is stored for an extended period of time, it will grad-ually turn into a varnish-like sub-stance that if used, will raise havocwith both a fuel-injected or carbure-tor-equipped fuel system.

The gasoline tank of most modernfuel injected vehicles is sealed, thus itsexposure to outside air and moisture

is limited but youstill have the heatissue to consider.

Most vehiclesbuilt before 1970have vented gastanks, therefore thefuel in these tankswill degrade at amuch higher rate

than a vehicle with a non-vented gastank. This is because the fuel is ex-posed to the outside air that containsmoisture that enters through the fueltank’s vents and venting to atmos-phere can allow some of thelighter/more volatile portions of thegasoline to escape.

Extending Gas ‘Shelf Life’If you can, it would be wise to adviseyour customer to add a gasoline stor-age stabilizer to the fuel tank if the vehicle will not be driven for any extended period of time. This is evenmore important in a vehicle that has avented fuel tank because there is aconstant source of fresh oxygen that

will cause the gasoline todegrade at an acceler-ated rate.

In addition, the use ofan ethanol treatmentproduct contains in-creased water handlingadditives that will help astored vehicle handle theexcess water that tends

to build up in an open vented system.Ethanol treatments also have enhanced corrosion inhibitors thatwill help protect the metal portions ofthe fuel system from corrosion that iscaused by any water/ethanol blendthat may develop over time in a fueltank. ■


FeatureTHIS ISSUE: PG 60 >> Coatings/Treatments PG 58 >> Crack Detection PG 63 >> Spotlights


Many of the pre-1970 General Motors V8 engines had exhaust passages that traveledacross the base plate of their carburetors.Many tuners block this exhaust passage in aneffort to reduce carburetor heat and reducethe failure rate of the rubber and plasticparts that are in most carburetors.


Various kinds of coatings andsurface treatments can be applied to engine parts like

icing on the cake to improve dura-bility, enhance scuff resistance andlubrication, control heat, boost ther-mal efficiency and reduce friction.

No single coating or surfacetreatment can do it all because dif-ferent parts applications require dif-ferent treatments. But knowingwhich kinds of coatings and surfacetreatments will work best for youcan give your engines a sig-nificant advantage overyour competitors. And thebest place to get this kind ofadvice is directly from thecompanies who make and apply thevarious types of coatings.

If you are one of those who stillbelieves coatings and surface treat-ments are more of a gimmick than anecessity, or that coatings or surfacetreatments don’t provide that muchbenefit for what they cost to apply,you might want to reconsider yourposition after reading this article.

There are a lot of myths and mis-information about coatings and sur-face treatments.

Some coatings will reduce fric-tion and parasitic horsepower loseswhile others help valve springs andother parts run cooler and last

longer. Some coatings can insulateagainst heat and reduce operatingtemperatures while others help coolby radiating and dispersing heat.Some coatings will last as long asthe parts they are applied to whileothers are temporary and will sacri-fice themselves to protect thoseparts.

The physical properties, perform-ance and surface adhesion of anygiven coating or surface treatmentwill vary depending on the makeup

of the prod-

uct, what it is intended for, how it isapplied and what it is exposed to.The biggest fear expressed by non-believers is that a coating may flakeor peel off and end up causing moreproblems than it prevents. But whenproperly applied and used, that isseldom an issue.

Reasons for CoatingMany engine parts would not sur-vive without some type of coatingor surface treatment.

Aluminum pistons in an engine


Surface Coatingsand Treatments When it comes to preserving performance parts, it’s the ‘Icing on the Cake’

Feat

ure

Many engine parts would notsurvive without some type ofcoating or surface treatment.


50-57 Coating and Treatments 10/23/13 9:25 AM Page 50

51 enginequest_Layout 1 10/23/13 9:15 AM Page 51

with aluminum cylinder bores require a thin coating of iron on theirskirts to resist scuffing. The ringlands and even the entire pis-ton in some engines may behard anodized to improvesurface hardness and wearresistance.

New methods of anodizing can also incorpo-rate molybdenum disulfideinto the micropores of thesurface to add much needed lubric-ity and friction reduction.

Anodizing also increases corro-sion resistance for aluminum parts,and is often used in marine enginesto protect aluminum heads andblocks. Anodizing also allows alu-minum parts to be colored with dyeto enhance their appearance and toprovide a longer lasting and moredurable finish than most paints.

Uncoated aluminum cylinderbores are relatively soft and have lit-tle wear resistance, so the cylindersin some aluminum block enginesand electroplated with Nikasil or asimilar blend of nickel and siliconcarbide to form a hard, wear-resis-tant surface layer.

(Note: Nikasil is a trademarkedprocess by Mahle, while “nicasil” is thegeneric name for these types of coat-ings.)

Theonly sub-stanceharder

than silicon carbide is diamond. Theresulting surface layer, which isonly about .0025˝ to .005˝ thick, hasa hardness rating of 600 on the Vick-ers scale and a sliding hardness of58 to 60 Rockwell C, which multi-plies wear resistance 3X to 10X overan untreated cylinder.

The surface treatment also attracts and retains oil to improvering and piston lubrication. Thesame process can also be used inconventional cast iron blocks andaluminum blocks with iron liners,but is not used in blocks made ofCompacted Graphics Iron (CGI) be-cause it doesn’t stick well to CGIand because the graphite in CGI pro-vides natural lubricity for the rings.

Wrist pins are another enginecomponent that can benefit from aspecial coating. Wrist pins arehighly loaded, lightly splash lubri-

cated and forced to run with verytight clearances.

A process called Physical VaporDeposition (PVD) can be used toapply an extremely thin (only a fewmicrons thick!) coating of chromiumnitride, titanium nitride or othermetal oxides to the surface of thewrist pin. The coating is applied byplacing the wrist pin inside a vac-uum chamber, negatively chargingthe part with electricity and vapor-izing the material that is being ap-plied as the coating.

The vaporized atoms are attracted to the negatively chargedsurface and form a long-lastingbond. The resulting coating is veryhard (2,400 to 3,800 Vickers) and ex-tremely heat and wear resistant, reducing the risk of wrist pin failurein a highly loaded performance engine. A similar coating processcalled Chemical Vapor Deposition(CVD) can apply vaporized non-metallic materials to electricallycharged parts.


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Uncoated aluminum cylinder boresare relatively soft and have littlewear resistance, so the cylinders insome aluminum block engines andelectroplated with a nickel and sili-con carbide to form a hard, wear-resistant surface layer.

Three Most Common Issues

Coatings Address

1. Friction2. Heat3. Corrosion

Piston skirt coatings are usually about .001" thick or less, but most piston manufacturers saythe added thickness of the protective coating can be ignored when fitting pistons to cylinderseven though the coating does reduce actual clearances slightly. A thinner coating is usually applied to engine bearings, typically .0002” to .0003” thick. Thecoating is thin enough that it won't affect installed normal bearing clearances.

COAT SIZE


Another process that uses PVDand/or CVD with a charged plasmabeam can apply a thin layer ofamorphous carbon to the surface ofa part, forming a hard (3,200 Vick-ers), wear-resistant, low frictioncoating of Diamond-Like Carbon(DLC). DLC coatings are used onwrist pins in many high end racingengines to prevent wrist pin failure.It is also being used on intake andexhaust valves, and lifters to improve durability.

Various types of DLC coatings areavailable and are engineered for specific types of parts. Gears, for example, require a variation of DLCthat is more resistant to sliding wear.

Coatings to Reduce FrictionThis category includes the PVD andDLC coatings previously mentioned,plus a whole range of dry film lubri-cants such as molybdenum disulfide,tungsten disulfide and/or PTFE(Teflon) mixed with some type ofpolymer surface coating. Anti-fric-

tion coatings are often viewed as "in-surance" coatings to protect the en-gine and reduce the risk of galling orseizure if the engine loses oil pres-sure during a race.

The coating creates a sacrificiallayer that can provide temporarilylubrication in critical situations thatwould otherwise result in metal-to-metal contact and catastrophic partsfailures. These types of coatings aretypically applied to piston skirts andengine bearings, but may be used onother engine parts too such ascamshaft lobes and valvetrain components.

An added benefit with anti-fric-tion coatings is usually cooler oiltemperatures, as much as 20 to 30degrees F cooler.

Are these anti-friction coatingsworth the extra cost? A lot of racerssay it’s the best insurance policythey ever bought. A set of coatedpistons and bearings only adds acouple hundred bucks to the cost ofthe engine. If something goes wrongduring a race and

the engine overheats or loses oilpressure, a coating that sacrifices it-self to save an expensive racingcrank or the engine itself will havebeen money well spent.

Thermal BarriersThermal coatings include both thespray-and-bake metallic/ceramiccompounds and plasma sprayedcompounds that are often applied toexhaust headers, the tops of pistons,combustion chambers in aluminumheads, and intake and exhaustvalves to reflect heat. This keepsparts cooler and improves thermalefficiency. Thermal barrier coatingsare usually only about .001˝ to .003˝thick, and require careful surfacepreparation for good adhesion.

When a thermal coating is ap-plied to the top of a piston, moreheat stays in the combustion cham-ber and less heat goes into the pis-ton. This can make a big differencein high-heat applications such asblown or turbocharged engines or


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those using nitrous oxide. Coatedpistons are also used in many dieselengines. Coating suppliers tell usthat in gasoline engines, top coatedpistons are usually good for an extra10 or more horsepower, and up to

30 or more horsepower in a dieselapplication.

When applied to exhaust head-ers, thermal coatings also deliver alot of bang for the buck by retainingheat and energy in the exhaust. The

coating insulates the pipes and increases exhaust velocity, which inturn improves combustion scaveng-ing and power (7 to 10 hp typically).If the coating costs $200 to have it

applied, that’sroughly $20 to$30 per horse-power gained –which is a rela-tively cheappower gain.

Exhaust ther-mal coatings

provide additional benefits, too. Bykeeping more heat within the ex-haust system, underhood tempera-tures are also reduced as much as 40to 50 degrees depending on the ap-plication. Everything runs coolerand better.

On a street vehicle with catalyticconverters, a thermal barrier coatingon the exhaust manifolds or headersallows the cats to reach light-offtemperature sooner to reduce coldstart emissions. The coating will also


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Coating experts say that cus-tomers for coated engine partsare coming from all over theautomotive spectrum with onething in common – the need forprotection against wear and again in performance.



Feature

help keep the converter lit at idleand low speed for more efficient operation and cleaner exhaust.

Thermal barriers coatings on exhaust components protects thepipes against rust and corrosion,and is far more durable and long-lasting than high temperature paint.

Thermal coatings can also be ap-plied to combustion chambers in

aluminum cylinder heads. Alu-minum absorbs a lot of heat fromthe combustion chamber. Heat dissi-pation reduces combustion tempera-tures somewhat and lowers the riskof pre-ignition and detonation. Italso allows the use of high compres-sion ratios, but it also robs some ofthe heat energy from the combus-tion process that would otherwisegenerate more pressure on the pis-tons. With a high-octane racing fuel,pre-ignition and detonation are lessof an issue, so coating the inside ofthe combustion chamber with a heatinsulating coating does the samething as coating the tops of the pis-tons. It keeps the heat in the cham-ber and squeezes more power out ofthe engine.

Thermal barrier coatings can alsobe applied to the underside andflange surfaces of intake manifolds,and the carburetor or throttle bodyflange to keep heat away from theincoming air charge. On a normallyaspirated engine, every 10 degree

Coating the face of both valves re-flects heat back into the combustionchamber and helps the valves runcooler (especially exhaust valves).

EngineBuilderMag.com 55Circle 55 for more information


reduction in inlet air temperaturecan increase engine power almostone percent (cooler, denser airequals more power). On a turbo-charged or supercharged engine, a10 degree reduction in inlet temper-

ature is good for up to two percentmore horsepower.

Another type of thermal coatingis the “thermal dispersant” that ab-sorbs and dissipates heat ratherthan reflects heat. This type of coat-

ing can be applied to oil pans, valvecovers, radiators and heat exchang-ers to help radiate heat away fromthese parts more efficiently. It alsoworks well on valve springs byhelping the springs run cooler.Many racers say coated valvesprings last 2X to 3X longer thanuncoated valve springs.

Coatings that ShedA coating that is both a thermal dis-persant and sheds oil is also a good

choice for crank-shaft counter-weights. Thesetypes of coatingshelp pull heataway from thejournals while reducing crank-

shaft drag and windage by flingingoil off the spinning crank. Oil shed-ding coatings can also be used onthe undersides of pistons to reducehigh rpm oil windage drag.

Oil-shedding coatings often con-tain PTFE (Teflon) or similar fluo-ropolymers, and may be applied toany internal engine part (connect-ing rods, cranks, the inside surfaceof valve covers, timing covers, oilpans, intake manifolds, etc.) to im-prove oil return to the crankcase.

Such coatings also help reducethe buildup of varnish and sludgedeposits inside an engine, and pro-tect bare metal surfaces from rustand corrosion. Added benefits in-clude reduced oil foaming and oiltemperature.

Protective PowderThough many engine builders leavethe final assembly and finishingwork to their customers, a completedengine has to look good especially ifit is going into a street rod, classicmuscle car or show car. Powder coat-ings are often used as an alternativeto paint for finishing the externalsurfaces of engine blocks, heads,valve covers, oil pans, timing coversand intake manifolds. Unlike paint,which is sprayed on wet and uses asolvent to hold the paint in suspen-sion until it dried, powder coatingsare sprayed on dry with an electro-static sprayer and is heat-cured toform a tough, long lasting protectivecoating.

As with painting, proper surface


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Ceramic thermal barrier coat-ings used on the top of a pistonallows the piston to reflect heatback into the combustion cham-ber for better combustion andmore power.

Circle 119 for more information Circle 120 for more information

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


preparation is essential for a highquality and long lasting finish. Allsurfaces must be clean, dry and oil-free. The surface of the part is thenchemically etched or sandblasted topromote good adhesion of the pow-der coating. If a powder coated sur-face needs to be redone, the originalpowder coating can be removedchemically (acetone or methylenechloride) or by sandblasting.

Plain Ol’ PaintHigh temperature engine paintsand epoxies are coatings that can beapplied to engine parts for cosmeticpurposes and corrosion protection.Aluminum blocks, heads, timingcovers and intake manifolds areoften left “as is” because fresh alu-minum has a nice bright finish anddoesn’t rust like iron or steel.

Aluminum forms a protectivelayer of oxide on the surface thatprotects the metal underneath. Butaluminum can stain over time andtake on a grungy appearance if it isexposed to dirt, grease, oil and road

splash. Coating aluminum with clear

paint or aluminum-colored painthelps the metal retain its like-newappearance longer. Aluminum canalso be polished to a chrome-likefinish, too – which can also benefitfrom a top coat of clear paint orsome type of protective sealer.

As with powder coating, propersurface preparation is essential for along lasting finish that won’t peelor flake.

Chrome FinishesChrome used to be the “it” finishfor glamorizing and dressing upvalve covers, oil pans and variousengine accessories. The morechrome, the better. Today, it’s moreabout powder coating and anodiz-ing. Chrome plating is usually applied electrochemically by dip-ping steel parts in an acid tank, butit can also be applied to metal orplastic parts electrostatically in avacuum chamber.

The quality of a chrome finish

depends on surface preparation(cleaning, degreasing and polishingthe part), whether or not a baseplating used (nickel prevents corro-sion), the thickness of the platingand the number of layers (more isbetter).

Chrome plating cleans up easilyand has a nice shiny appearance,but if it is applied without a basecoating it provides minimal corro-sion resistance. Cheaply platedparts typically start to rust ratherquickly, and the plating may flakeor peel off over time. Chrome-plated exhaust headers usually blueand discolor rather quickly, too, anddon’t offer the same kind of dura-bility or heat retention that ce-ramic/metallic coatings offer.

A process called hard chromeplating can be applied to crankshaftjournals to improve hardness anddurability. It can also be used tobuild up badly worn journals sothey can be remachined back totheir original dimensions. ■


FeatureTHIS ISSUE: PG 58 >> Detecting Cracks PG 63 >> Product Spotlights PG 68 >> Final Wrap



Cracks are often blamed as thecause of a head failure. Inmany instances, the cracks are

not the cause of the failure, but asymptom of another underlyingproblem such as overheating, detona-tion or incorrect installation (wrongtorque on head bolts, dirty boltthreads, etc.).

The good news is that cracks donot necessarily mean a cylinder headhas to be replaced. In fact, manycracked heads that were once thoughtto be “unrepairable” are now beingfixed. Repairing a cracked cylinderhead always involves a certainamount of risk, but when done prop-erly is usually much less expensivethan replacing a cracked head with anew or used casting.

Today’s engine builders haveavailable to them a number of state-of-the-art tools and tech-niques to locate, identifyand repair cracks andother damage in a variety of engine compo-nents. However, withoutexcellent crack detectionand repair methods, relying on goodol’ 20/20 eyesight may not beenough.

Crack HappensDepending on their locations, crackseverity will vary. They tend toform, spread and get worse as heat,thermal stress, heavy loads, repeatedbending and flexing, metal fatigue,pounding and vibration take theirtoll on a part. Cracking is an indica-tion that an area is experiencingmore stress than it can handle.

Finding those cracks will enableyou to determine whether you

should repair or replace those parts.You simply can’t afford to spend a lotof time machining or reconditioningcores or used parts that may be destined for failure.

With hard-to-find and high value

cores and parts, the decision mayhinge on the extent of the damage. Ifthe part can be repaired economically

and with a

high degree of success, then it’s prob-ably worth fixing. But if it can’t, you’llhave to factor in the cost to replace it.

Always assume there may becracks – although, because engineparts are made of so many differentmaterials these days, finding themmay be a challenge.

Detecting CracksThe following are some helpful procedures your builders can use tohelp detect cracks, flaws or otheranomalies that can be repaired (at aprice), and prevent engine damagedown the road.

Magnetic Particle Inspection: Mag-netic particle inspection is most oftenused to inspect cast iron or steel alloys that are “ferromagnetic” andcan be temporarily magnetized forsuch things as surface cracks in and


Stress FracturesSalvaging Cracked or Flawed Engine Partsthrough Detection and Repairs

Feat

ure

Without crack detection toolsand techniques when buildingengines, what you can’t see canmost definitely hurt you.

BY ENGINE BUILDER STAFF

FINDING A CRACK

ISN'T NECESSARILY A

BAD THING - NOT

LOOKING FOR THEM

DEFINITELY IS.

58-62 Crack Detection 10/23/13 9:24 AM Page 58

59 speedville_Layout 1 10/23/13 9:14 AM Page 59

around the cylinder head combustionchambers and for inspecting crank-shafts, camshafts and connectingrods. But the technique can also be

used to check gears, shafts,axles and steering and sus-pension components forcracks, too.

Magnetic particle inspec-tion won’t work on nonfer-rous metals such asaluminum, magnesium, ti-tanium, nonmagnetic alloysof stainless steel or plastic.

A magnetic field createdin various ways causes tinyiron oxide particles that aresprayed or brushed on the

part to reveal any cracks. If there areany cracks in the surface of the part,they will disrupt the magnetic fieldand act like a pole to attract the ironparticles.

The iron particles (sized between.125” and 60 microns), may be ap-plied in a dry powder or a wet solu-tion. They can be dyed yellow, white,red, gray, black or other fluorescentcolor to improve their visibilityagainst the metal background. Withthe fluorescent particles, an ultravio-let black light is required to make theparticles stand out.

The wet particle detection methodis more sensitive than the drymethod for finding very small cracks,but dry particles are better for findingcracks that may be just under the sur-face (subsurface flaws).

The light, size of the particle andeven the type of electrical currentyour equipment can produce can impact your ability to find cracks andother anomalies.

Remember, for this method, thetraining of the operator is imperative,and so is part cleanliness. Dye Penetrant Inspection: Thoughused mostly on aluminum parts, thistechnique also works well on castiron, steel, composite materials andeven plastic.

The theory behind this techniqueis that a very light oil will wick into acrack. It’s the same idea as using pen-etrating oil to loosen a fastener exceptthat the oil contains a dye. If the oilfinds its way into a crack, the dyeshould then make the crack visible.Some penetrating dyes use fluores-cent dyes and a black light to makethe cracks stand out, while others usea chemical developer to make the dyemore visible.

Several different styles of pene-trant are available, depending onyour needs. If you’re using a UV lightand fluorescent dye, a shroud thatblocks ambient light will make it eas-ier to see the cracks.

Cracks will glow green under theblack light. With ordinary dyes, nospecial light is needed. Cracks usu-ally stand out as a stark red lineagainst the bright aluminum metal.

Multi-stage penetrating dyes typi-cally use a three-step process to high-light cracks.

The advantage of this process isthat it is simple to do and can be usedwith non-ferrous metals. However,the drawbacks to the process are thatit can only locate cracks or defectsthat break the surface of the part, itmay be less sensitive than some othermethods, it uses a relatively largeamount of solution and may takeextra time to complete testing.

Note: While magnetic particle inspection and penetrating dyes cando a good job revealing surfacecracks, neither technique can


Feature

There are a variety of techniques thatcan be used by themselves or in com-bination with other methods to findcracks in castings and other compo-nents, including crankshafts,camshafts, etc. These include mag-netic particle inspection, various typesof penetrating dyes, pressure testing,vacuum testing and ultrasonic(acoustic) testing.



effectively look below the surfaceor find damage hidden inside acasting. In this case, pressuretesting will help you see what’sgoing wrong inside the engine.

Vacuum Testing: This is the samebasic idea as pressure testing, exceptin reverse. Instead of using air pres-sure to test the cooling jackets forleaks, vacuum is used on a head orblock after the water outlets havebeen plugged. If the casting holdsvacuum, there are no leaks. But if itdoesn’t, you’ve found a leaker.

Unfortunately, this technique doesnot use water or dye to pinpoint theleak, so you still have to use one ofthe other techniques to find the leak.It’s mostly a quick check for verifyingthe integrity of a casting.

Ultrasonic Testing: More commonlyused in industrial and aviation appli-cations, ultrasonics can also be usedto find internal flaws in castings andother parts. The technology usessound waves to find cracks. A

transponder generates an acousticsignal (up to 25 MHz) that passesinto and through the part. Cracks orflaws will reflect some of the soundwaves back to the detector, which al-lows the information to be displayedon the tester.

The best applications for ultra-sonic testing include heavy castings,large shafts and expensive parts thatmay be used for racing or extreme-duty service.

Ultrasonics can also be used tocheck the integrity of welds and


Feature


Cracking is an indication that anarea is experiencing more stressthan it can handle.


welded castings. They can also be used to check for the in-tegrity of cylinder wall thicknesses before or after boring.

And the Survey Says...According to Engine Builder’s 2013 Machine Shop MarketProfile, “Repair before replace” is an increasingly commonmantra in some segments of the cylinder head business.Though production numbers have shown some declines,cylinder heads continue to be profitable in gas and dieselrebuild facilities.

Our research found that a smaller percentage of dieselheads are being scrapped (although aluminum heads con-tinue to be scrapped at a higher rate). When they are re-paired, rebuilders continue to leave the work to theexperts.

Our survey results indicate that 36 percent of respon-dents say they do aluminum cylinder head crack repairsthemselves and 35 percent do their own diesel head repair.

Welding is used as a repair method nearly 75 percent ofthe time with aluminum cylinder heads and 36 percent ofthe time with diesel heads.

Pinning remains the most-often used method for repair-ing diesel cylinder heads (done 65 percent of the time) butis used in only one-quarter of the aluminum head repairs.

Pinning is also the most commonly used technique forrepairing cracks in cast iron heads because it’s fast, reli-able and cheap. It can also be used to repair aluminumcastings, too. Pinning is a relatively easy technique tolearn and use, doesn’t require any special tools other thana drill, guide fixture and tap, and uses no heat.

The technique involves drilling holes in both ends ofthe crack to keep it from spreading, then drilling holes at

various intervals along the length of the crack, installingoverlapping pins to fill the crack, thenpeening over the pins with an airhammer to seal and blend the surface.Either tapered pins or straight pinsmay be used.

Tapered pins pull themselves intoa crack as they are tightened to pro-vide a tight seal along the entirelength of the pin. This occurs becausethe threads on both the tapered pinand hole have an interference fit.Sealer really isn’t necessary, but maybe used for added insurance. Theholes for tapered pins must be care-fully hand tapped with a tapered tap,and the pins hand tightened.

Straight pins, by comparison, canbe installed with an ordinary straighttap and a power drill. Straight pins,however, must be sealed by a taperedshoulder on one end of the pinand/or with sealer. ■

Check out our Engine Builders BuyersGuides for pinning and welding toolsand equipment.


Feature





Product Sp

otlights

Ergonomic Blast Cabinets

ZERO blast cabinets are now available in anergonomic body style, which allows the op-erator to sit while working. The cabinet con-figuration provides comfortable knee-roomfor the operator without interfering withthe free flow of media for reclamation andre-use. Standard cabinet features include:large, quick-change window, reverse-pulsecartridge-style dust collector, suction-blastor pressure-blast models. HEPA filtration asan option. Cabinets can work with glassbead, aluminum oxide and other recyclablemedia. Applications: cleaning, de-burring,peening, and finishing.

Clemco Industries Corp.Phone: 800-788-0599www.clemcoindustries.com

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Valve Guide Run-Out Gauge

Goodson has released its newValve Guide Run-Out Gaugewith the following features:• Check concentricity to .001”• Never install an incorrectly

machined guide again• Indicator included• Use with your existing pilots;

comes in .375˝, .385˝ and .437˝.

Goodson Tools and Supplies for Engine BuildersPhone: 800-533-8010www.goodson.com

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Web-Based Valvetrain Parts Catalog

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

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

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TurbochargersMAHLE Original supplies 14different turbochargers for theFord Power Stroke® family ofengines plus mounting kits,service kits, inlet gaskets and amounting pedestal where ap-plicable. Find specific infor-mation on your applicationusing our eCatalog atwww.mahle-aftermarket.com.

Mahle ClevitePhone: 1-284-305-8200www.mahle-aftermarket.com

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Product Sp

otlights

SV-20 Cylinder HoneThe Sunnen SV-20 cylinder hone incorpo-rates the high-end features that satisfy bothproduction engine builders and perform-ance shops, but at a cost that won’t break thebank. SV-20 features include:

•True linear stroking system for consistentdiameter from top to bottom of the bore,cylinder after cylinder

•Powerful 5.5 Hp spindle motor drives Sun-nen’s two-stage diamond hone heads forshorter cycle times and super accuracy

•Rotary servo tool feed system allows auto-matic 2-stage honing with both rough andfinish stones

•Advance PLC control with color touchscreen for easy operation and optimum con-trol of honing parameters

•Full bore profile display to quickly see andcorrect tight spots

Sunnen Products CompanyPhone 1-800-325-3670www.sunnen.com

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Cla

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ores

Call now to order or to receive a free 2013 catalog 1-800-434-5141www.autobodysupplies.com

Visit EngineBuilderMag.com

The Engine Builder website - www.enginebuilder-mag.com - provides weekly updated news, prod-

ucts and technical information along with thesame in-depth editorial content as the magazine.

Technical, product and equipment, market re-search, business management and financial infor-

mation is all searchable by keywords making iteasy for engine builders to find the information

they need from current and past issues. Currentlythe site receives more than 100,000+ page views/

impressions per month and growing!

Engine BuilderPhone: 330-670-1234

www.enginebuildermag.com

To Advertise in

CLASSIFIEDS!Call Roberto Almenar at 330-670-1234, ext. 233

[email protected]

enginebuildermag.com

Simply the Best Lists:Automotive Aftermarket

Truck Fleet & Powersports Markets

What Type of Direct Marketing

Initiatives Do You Have in Store

for 2013?

Don Hemming, List Sales ManagerBabcox Media, Inc.

Phone: 330-670-1234 x286 Fax: [email protected]

Direct MailE-Mail MarketingTelemarketingNew Business• ProspectingDrive Web Site

TrafficDatabase

EnhancementCatalog MailingPromote Upcoming

Tradeshows

66-67 Class-Cores 10/23/13 9:22 AM Page 66


Classified

/Cores

USED AND REBUILT EQUIPMENTCBN TOOLING:WE RESHARPEN

CBN’S!

MACHINEREBUILDING

JAMISON EQUIPMENT1908 11th St., Emmetsburg IA 50536

800-841-5405Check out our used equip. list atwww.jamisonequipment.com

Advertiser IndexCOMPANY NAME PAGE # CIRCLE # American Gasket 62 63

Apex Automobile Parts 21 21

Atech Motorsports 28 28

Avon Automotive Products 39 39

Blue Devil Products 46 46

Brad Penn Lubricants 4 4

Brock Supply 12 12

Centroid Corp. 57 57

Chrysler Group LLC 6 6

Clemco Industries 38 38

Cloyes Gear & Products Inc. 29 29

Dakota Parts Warehouse 36 36

Dart Machinery Ltd 3 3

Darton International 4 13

Dipaco Inc. 47 47

DNJ Engine Components 1 1

Driven Racing Oil, LLC Cover 2 2

Dura-Bond Bearing Co 45 45

Egge Machine Company 27 27

Engine & Performance Warehouse 35 35

Engine Parts Group 17 17

Engine Parts Warehouse 61 61

EngineQuest 51 51

ESCO Industries 48 48

Fel Pro 24, 25 24, 25

Goodson Mfg Co 26 26

GRP Connecting Rods 55 55

Henkel Corp 7 7

Injector Experts 48 14

King Electronics 62 62

Liberty Engine Parts 5 5

Mahle Clevite 33 33

Manton Pushrods & Rockers 53 53

Maxima Racing Oils 37 37

Melling Engine Parts 8 8

Motor State Distributing 41 41

Motovicity Cover 3 69

National Cylinder Head 60 60

NPR of America, Inc. 11 11

Packard Industries 54 54

PAI Industries Inc 44 44

Performance Trends 36 35

PRI Show 10 10

PRW Industries Inc 31 31

Quality Power Products 23 23

Rottler Manufacturing Cover 4 70

Safety Auto Parts Corp 43 43

SB International 19 19

Scat Enterprises 14, 15 15

SCE Gaskets 42 42

Schaeffler Group/INA 28 18

Spectro Oils Of America 49 49

Sunnen Products Co 9 9

T & D Machine Products 30 30

Trend Performance 34 34

MACHINE SHOP EQUIPMENTALL EQUIPMENT SPECIAL

TOOLS AND SUPPLY$30,000

CALL FOR LIST 973-823-8887

66-67 Class-Cores 10/23/13 9:22 AM Page 67


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PublisherDoug Kaufman, ext. [email protected]

EditorEd Sunkin, ext. [email protected]

Senior Executive EditorBrendan Baker, ext. [email protected]

Graphic DesignerNichole Anderson, ext. 232 [email protected]

Tech EditorLarry [email protected]

Advertising ServicesTina Purnell, ext. 243 [email protected]

Director of DistributionRich Zisk, ext. 287 [email protected]

Circulation ManagerPat Robinson, ext. 276 [email protected]

Sr. Circulation SpecialistEllen Mays, ext. 275 [email protected]

Sales RepresentativesBobbie [email protected], ext. 238

Roberto [email protected], ext. 233

David [email protected] ext. 210

Don [email protected] 330-670-1234, ext. 286

Jamie [email protected], ext. 266

Dean [email protected], ext. 225

Jim [email protected], ext. 280

Tom [email protected], ext 224

Glenn [email protected], ext. 212

John Zick [email protected] 949-756-8835

enginebuildermag.com3550 Embassy ParkwayAkron, OH 44333-8318

FAX 330-670-0874

330-670-1234

Babcox Media Inc.Bill Babcox, President

Greg Cira, Vice President, CFOJeff Stankard, Vice President

Beth Scheetz, Controller

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

Founder of Babcox Publications Inc.

Tom B. Babcox (1919-1995)Chairman

On most fall Friday nights, you’ll find me at a high schoolfootball field. If our local team

is playing on the road, I’m sitting inthe stands. If we’re at home, I’m sit-ting in the press box announcing thegame.

I’ve had the great opportunity to bethe stadium public address announcerfor the Tallmadge (Ohio) Blue Devilshigh school football team for the pastfive years.

I’ve been able to watch friends’ kidsgrow up and move into and throughthe program, both as players andcheerleaders. Our teams have enjoyed state playoff runs ... andthey’ve endured some tough seasons.

I’ve been in stadiums that were sopacked and noisy you couldn’t hearmy “Tallmadge First Down!” calls ...and I’ve been in others that were soempty you could hear individual con-versations in the visitors stands on theother side of the field.

There’s virtually no atmosphere better than Friday Night Football, andthrough it all, I’ve been accepted as asmall part of the team. I thank the administrators, coaching staff and athletic department and, with theirpermission, I’m not going anywhere!

And speaking of “team” and “not

going anywhere,” I’m pleased to tellyou about some great changes we’vemade at Engine Builder. I’ve recentlyhad the honor of accepting the title ofPublisher of this fine publication –obviously, with great power comesgreat responsibility, which is why I’msurrounding myself with a great team.

Ed Sunkin, who has been editor ofour sister publication Underhood Serv-ice for the past 14 years, has joined ourteam as editor. Ed will be primarily responsible for continuing and advancing the mission of providingour readers and advertisers with thebest technical, marketing and business information in the industry on amonthly basis.

Wait, let me amend that – on aDAILY basis. Our website, EngineBuilderMag.com is a constantlyupdated source of information thatcomplements the monthly printedissue. We encourage you to use thetwo resources together to build andgrow your business.

Ed rejoins our team (he was man-aging editor of this magazine 17 yearsago) to help fill the shoes of BrendanBaker, who, has stepped up to becomecontent director of Babcox Media’s ex-citing new website, Speedville.com.

Speedville.com will be the new

address for performance. Much morethan just the typical consumer-focused website, Speedville.comallows Babcox Media to merge the enthusiast’s passion for cars, trucks,motorcycles and boats with the professional’s demand for relevanttechnical information.

Babcox has been a media force inthe performance aftermarket since before there WAS a performance after-market. This exciting new propertywill bring our nearly 2 million readers,viewers and visitors directly into thereach of the entire automotive indus-try’s leading performance productmanufacturers and suppliers.

Luckily for Engine Builder, Brendanwill continue to be part of the maga-zine team even as he works to developa website that serves the undercar, appearance/refinishing, safety/conve-nience and, yes, engine segments ofthe racing, restyling and restoration markets. You can get a sneak peek ofthe fun at Speedville.com and sign up toreceive our weekly newsletter!

Thanks to Ed and Brendan, not tomention superstars Tina, Nichole,David, Roberto and the entire Babcoxvarsity, we have a winning program.I’m proud to be part of such a team. ■

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER/EDITOR Doug Kaufman

[email protected]

PUBLISHERDoug [email protected]

There’s No ‘I’ In TeamWe’re Doing Great Things Together

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engine builder, october 2013

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