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 […]

Pistons must withstand tremendous heat and cylinder pressures during their four-stroke cycle. Pistons take quite a beating, especially in high-performance or racing applications. High-compression ratios and/or cylinder pressure boosting with nitrous injection, turbocharging, or supercharging places greater demands on the piston. Add to this the possibility of detonation, and you’re asking too much from these […]

Connecting rods are placed under more stress than any other component in the engine. Selecting the strongest rod for a performance target is absolutely essential. You have a variety of materials to choose from: powdered metal, forged steel, aluminum, titanium, billet steel, and aluminum. Connecting rods are offered in H- and I-beam configurations, and you […]

The crankshaft is the heart of the engine. Therefore, it must be durable enough to withstand the engine’s dynamic demands, and that means it must handle the specific horsepower and torque loads. It must also cope with the crank speed and the deflection forces imposed by cylinder firing. The main and rod bearing clearances must […]

This chapter provides information that will aid in understanding essential dimensions and volumes that are considered when planning and executing an engine build.   This tech tip is from the full book, MODERN ENGINE BLUEPRINTING TECHNIQUES: A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO PRECISION ENGINE BUILDING. For a comprehensive guide on this entire subject you can visit this […]

Your engine must provide a strong and steady supply of oil to all critical components. In essence the engine must deliver the correct volume of oil under a certain pressure to reach all the critical components during operation. If this does not happen, the engine experiences oil starvation and this obviously degrades performance. The engine’s […]

The engine block is the foundation of any build, and several critical machining processes are often required to bring the bores, deck, and dimensions of the block into precise and correct specification. When someone refers to an engine as balanced and blueprinted, this all too often means that the crankshaft has been balanced but the […]

To blueprint an engine block, you must accurize it. You must achieve the proper bore dimensions, but also must consider the total geometric state of the block and correct any deviations from ideal geometry. This means that you inspect and machine in order to optimize the block geometry. This primarily focuses on the main bore, […]

To achieve the highest level of precision engine building, you must perform diligent detective work and pay close attention to detail. When using flaw detection equipment, you are searching for damage that’s more and less apparent. And many kinds of damage are not easily recognizable to the naked eye. Flaw detection equipment and technology help […]