Tech How-To’s / 20 posts found

How to Use a Degree Wheel

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Join Jeff Smith, former editor of Hot Rod and Car Craft Magazines, as he shows us how to use a degree wheel.

Milodon 440 Chrysler Main Cap Upgrade

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Strengthening a 440 Mopar block is easy with Milodon's redesigned cross-bolted caps.
arp bolts

ARP’s Secret Fastener Technology Lab

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ARP's test lab has quantified the potential for a 20% or more loss in clamping force with used nuts...
compression ratio

Understanding Dynamic Compression Ratio

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Your engine actually has two compression ratios, static compression ratio and dynamic compression ratio.
RTS PD Valve

RTST Ported Flow Testing Valves

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The RTS kit permits precise mapping of the airflow values around the circumference of the valve at any lift value. It helps identify shrouded...
Engine Builing

Engine Building Rules Part 1: Planning

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Consider a typical performance engine build plan that holds true for many budget based bracket racing builds and illustrates how insufficient research and planning can steer an engine project down the wrong path right from the beginning. The first mistake is...
Cam Lobe Profile diagram

Effects Of Changes in Cam Timing and Lobe Separation Angle

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The following tables provided by COMP Cams illustrate how variations in lobe separation angle and cam timing affect engine behavior. Engine builders can refer to these characteristics often to determine the likely effect of any cam timing alterations they may contemplate...

Camshaft Basics

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Pushrod based engines use two basic types of camshaft; either flat tappet or roller tappet. It’s a little more complicated than that, but it basically comes down to the type of lifter. Up until the mid-eighties most production engines used flat tappet lifters with a crowned face that rides directly on the camshaft lobe...
Piston Speed

Calculating Piston Speed

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Mean piston speed has long been used as an indicator of component durability under severe service. It is a good rule of thumb for evaluating engine potential and it is even more instructive if you calculate maximum piston speed since one of the axioms of engine performance dictates that power comes from engine speed...

Porting Pointers

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The objective of porting a cylinder head is to improve engine performance via constructive enhancements to the intake and exhaust flow paths. Before you get to this point however, it's important to determine the rpm range of the desired power band and how you want to shape and position the torque curve...

Tuning Tips for Intake Manifold Deficiencies

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Various modifications and adjustments can be applied to intake manifolds to fine tune them for specific performance requirements. Today we wanted to share an inside Tech Tip with you taken from the new CarTech book, Competition Engine Building: Advanced Engine Design and Assembly Techniques...

How to Use a Dial Indicator

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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...
deck bridge

How to Use a Deck Bridge

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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)...

Priority Main Oiling

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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

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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 ...
Stgraight Shot Oiling

Straight Shot Oiling

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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.
Fillet Radius

How to Avoid Rod Bearing Fillet Ride

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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...
Crank Thrust

Checking Crankshaft End Thrust

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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

ARP Rod Bolt Stretch Gauge How-to

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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...
Drilling for pin oiler

CV Products Chevy Pin Oiler Installation

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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...