The crankshaft is the backbone of any Mouse or Rat. Without a good, strong crankshaft, your high performance Chevy engine (or any engine, for that matter) risks catastrophic injury. Whether you’re building a small or big block from the ground up, or adding serious modifications to your existing mill, it’s important that you match your crankshaft
There’s a long list of benefits that come from jamming a big engine into a little car: the speed, the sound, the terrified wife, and so on. But a big drawback is unwanted heat and noise. To address this issue in our Project Thunderbolt Miata, I ordered up LizardSkin products from Summit Racing. LizardSkin is
[portfolio_slideshow id=41993] Off-road vehicles have unique charging requirements. While a hot rod or muscle car may have a high compression engine that requires a lot of cranking amps to fire, once the engine is started hot rods generally do not draw many amps and even the factory alternator can handle most all charging demands. Contrast
You’ve got questions. We’ve got the answers—the Summit Racing tech department tackles your automotive-related conundrums. This week, we’re examining how changing rocker arm ratio can help performance. T.Y. Thornton, IL Q: I am in the market for roller rockers. I own a 1966 SS Chevelle with a 396. The engine is bored .030 over, has 10.25:1
I bought a 4L80E automatic trans out of a late model pickup to put in my ’66 Bel Air. We swapped a big block Chevy into the car a few years ago with a TH-400 transmission and now I’d like to add an overdrive transmission. What will it take to convert this new trans into
Over the years, drag racers with door cars have gone through all sorts of suspension arrangements. Lift bars, slapper bars, Super Stock springs, leaf links, ladder bars, three-links, four-links, and torque arms (there may be others too, but it’s a start). Of all of the systems, the most common you’ll see today is the equal
When it comes to race safety, it doesn’t pay to take chances. Stuff like harnesses, roll bar padding, ignition cutoff switches, and fire suppression systems may not be glamorous, but your life may well depend on them. That’s why we’re going to give you some handy tips on how to choose and install a fire
What’s the latest trend in automotive paint? Green. Not the color green, necessarily. We’re talking “green” as in environmentally friendly automotive paints. These are paints that meet environmental regulations for Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) within paints and coatings. Found in traditional solvent-based paints, VOCs are essentially solvents that are emitted into the atmosphere as gases
You’ve got questions. We’ve got the answers—the Summit Racing tech department tackles your automotive-related conundrums. This week, we’re diagnosing rough engine operation at highway speeds. H.R. Marshfield, WI Q: I have a 1967 Corvette with a fresh 460-cubic-inch big block. It has square port aluminum heads, a Weiand manifold with an 800 cfm Holley double pumper, Chevy
Editor’s Note: Mike Mavrigian has been building and writing about engines almost as long as there has been internal combustion. Mike’s shop, Birchwood Automotive, specializes in street performance and racing engines as well as vehicle restoration. As you’ll see in this article series, he includes a wealth of information on his engine builds. In Part
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