Engine Tech / 170 posts found
GM LS-Series General Engine Specs
GM LS Series engines have become the default hot rod engines of the new millennium. Check this chart to find all the basic specs and and factory RPO codes for these very desirable performance engines. Then print a copy for your toolbox.
A Conversation with Jim McFarland
When you want straight talk from an industry insider it's always best to ask someone who has been around a long time and is fully comfortable with voicing his opinions. That would be Jim McFarland, career engineer, long standing member of the SAE and a man with...
AFR Mongoose Strip Cylinder Heads for GM LS
Increase performance and save yourself the hassle of having the stock heads reworked by replacing them with AFR’s 225cc Mongoose Strip Cylinder Heads. The new combustion chamber design with a double quench area generates huge low and mid-lift airflow numbers. The heads are ideal for aggressive, normally aspirated 396-427 cubic inch...
Goodson Valve Spring Bench
Designed to work with virtually any cylinder head, units available in pneumatic and manual models Goodson offers a wide range of valve spring compressors including two top-of-the-line valve spring benches. The pneumatic model (PSB-5000) is designed to work on virtually any multiple valve head and is ideal for heads with recessed springs. A key feature is the pneumatic valve support that holds...
Trend Performance New Hard-Tip Self-Lubricating Pushrod
Trend Performance has introduced what they believe to be the world’s first self-lubricating 5/16˝ hard-tip competition pushrods. While their lower ends, those that engage the lifter seats, remain unaltered their upper ends now feature self-lubricating tool steel tips hardened to 60Rc. Both 5/16˝ diameter ball ends are formed with a 210-degree 210-degree radius at the end of a 1-5/8˝ taper to...
Make More Power With An RHS Pro Elite Cylinder Head
RHS Pro Elite cylinder heads set the standard with unrivaled performance, superior quality and cutting-edge design features. Perfect for extreme performance and race applications, RHS Pro elite headsRHS Pro Elite heads are available as cast, assembled or RHS Pro Elite heads are available as cast, assembled or CNC ported in a variety of runner/chamber configurations to fit...
Elgin Industries 1-piece Thickwall Pushrods
Elgin Industries new thick wall 1-piece pushrod design allows higher spring loads and RPM in performance engines according to engineers at Elgin Industries. The innovative new Elgin PRO-STOCK® push rods are manufactured from aircraft-quality 4130 seamless steel tube with wall thicknesses of 0.137-in. (3/8-in. diameter rods) and...
How to Use a Dial Indicator
Dial indicators are one of the primary measuring tools used in precision engine building. They are typically used to measure deck clearances, crankshaft thrust and straightness, lifter travel and other measurements that involve the distance between two surfaces...
Dart 18° Big Chief Cylinder Head Selection
We selected a set of Dart 18° Big Chief cylinder heads for this project. They are offered as cast or with your choice of Super Mod porting or Full Port CNC porting. To match our application we chose the Super Mod porting configuration.
How to Use a Deck Bridge
A deck bridge is a basic comparator tool that allows you to easily read dimensional differences between adjacent surfaces like the deck surface of your engine block and the top of your pistons. It is most commonly used to check deck height (either positive or negative)...
Engine Building Tools
Anybody can screw an engine together with a socket set, but would you really do that without checking all the important mechanical relationships? Engine building is all about precise mechanical relationships and precision measurements that can’t be determined without...
Priority Main Oiling
Most OEM and aftermarket race cylinder blocks are configured for priority main oiling to protect the main bearings at high RPM. This oiling strategy gives priority to directly oiling the main bearings first. Pressurized oil within the main oil gallery follows a direct path to...
How to Install ARP Main Cap Studs
Serious race engine builders mostly use high strength ARP studs to anchor the main caps. Studs provide a more even clamping force with higher tensile strength than most bolts and they are less highly stressed in the block ...
JEGS Adjustable Billet Fuel Log
JEGS adjustable billet fuel log provides an effective fueling solution for single four barrel carburetor applications. It fits all center-to-center combinations of Holley 4150 and 4500 style dual feed four barrel carburetors and the adjustable length feature also offers increased fuel capacity in close proximity of both float bowls via the 1-inch diameter fuel log...
Straight Shot Oiling
Many years ago racers decided that cross-drilling an additional hole straight through the mains provided better lubrication to the bearings, likely a result of trying to fix an oiling problem or some other problem caused by improper clearances and bearings that were not originally designed for the stress of a racing environment.
How to Avoid Rod Bearing Fillet Ride
Fillet ride is a potential cause of rod bearing failure in racing and high performance engines. This condition most often occurs with racing crankshafts that have a larger fillet radius on the transition from the journal surface to to the side thrust face of the rod journal...
Checking Crankshaft End Thrust
Checking crankshaft thrust endplay is a basic engine building step that is sometimes frustrated by finding a convenient place to anchor the magnetic dial indicator stand. Builders generally check crank end-play with the dial indicator reading off the front of the crank...
ARP Rod Bolt Stretch Gauge How-to
Most engine builders concede that torquing rod bolts during final assembly is no longer an accepted practice. While no doubt adequate for general engine rebuilding where loading rarely approaches that of competition levels, basic rod bolt torquing simply cannot account for...
CV Products Chevy Pin Oiler Installation
Most dedicated race blocks for Sprint Cup racing, Formula 1 and other high end applications are equipped with piston dome/pin oilers to provide pin lubrication and piston crown cooling. You can install pin oils on Ford and Chevy engines with CV Products kit...
Dart Big M Block Selection
The high demand performance requirements of this particular engine application require a cylinder case of superior design and construction. We chose a Dart Machinery "Big M" cylinder block equipped with all the best design features and attending hardware for a high RPM, 1,000 HP+ package.