Professional racers have used internal engine component coatings for more than 20 years. These coatings offer increased horsepower, reliability, and engine longevity. They are not, however, intended for everyday commuter engines (since the cost likely isn’t justified). Instead, these coatings should be considered for high-performance street and racing engines only, where power and engine life […]

In this post I discuss the three most commonly used methods of camshaft drive (the manner in which the camshaft is driven by the crankshaft). These are chain drive, belt drive, and gear drive. Chain drives are the norm for most traditional OHV V-type engines in the performance arena. Many late-model OHC and DOHC OEM […]

For any engine to operate at its peak, all vital components of the rotating assembly must be balanced. You need to perform the balancing procedure once all components have been verified for use and all primary machining and fitment has been accomplished. Don’t waste time and money by balancing the crank until you’re certain that […]

The intake manifold provides a pathway for the intake air charge. On an engine that is carbureted or that has throttle body injection, the manifold carries the air and fuel mixture to the cylinder head. On an engine with direct-multi-port fuel injection, the intake manifold’s job is primarily responsible for ducting the intake air charge. […]

Pushrods are often taken for granted by novice engine builders; they need to meet the loads and performance demands of a particular engine. In many cases, if someone is building, say, a smallblock Ford engine, they tend to simply order the replacement size (diameter and length) listed for that particular engine, without any regard to […]

Cam timing events are transmitted to the lifter, pushrod, rocker arm, and then the valve. You need strong rocker arms for particular applications, so the valves are precisely actuated. Rocker arms are installed on all overhead-valve engines and transmit lifter movement to the valves. Because the rocker arm is essentially a lever, the length of […]

To realize optimal performance, maximize airflow around the valve so air/ fuel mixture quickly enters the combustion chamber, efficiently burns, and then expeditiously exits the cylinder. This chapter delves into the intricacies of optimizing the valve and valve parts for your particular setup. The valves and related valvetrain hardware need to precisely match one another […]

The cylinder head largely controls the all-important process of burning the air/ fuel mixture. If your engine is to operate at the optimum, the heads must be properly inspected, measured, and corrected if necessary. Blueprinting heads involves attention to several areas, including deck surface, intake and exhaust port shape, valve selection, valve seating depth, and […]

The camshaft can be viewed as the brain of the engine. Its profile dictates when and for how long the intake and exhaust valves open and close, which is a major factor in how the air/fuel package enters, remains in, and exits the cylinder. Today’s cam technology has made great strides in engine performance and […]

Piston rings, in simple terms, form the dynamic seal between the piston and cylinder wall. Consider, for example, that the rings must provide a perfect seal in spite of a wide range of temperature extremes, from winter morning cold starts to prolonged high-RPM, high-load operation in hot weather. Also consider that most pistons move and […]