Overbalancing and The Use of Heavy Metal
By Mike Mavrigian While the “traditional” approach to crank balancing is to consider 100% of the rotating weight and 50% of the reciprocating weight, there are slight advantages in deviating from this by slightly increasing or decreasing this balance factor …
Sleeving Aluminum and Cast Iron Blocks
By Brian Roberts Machine shops are continually asked to help salvage engine blocks. This leads to the need to sleeve an aluminum or cast iron block. This information should be used anytime salvage operations are being performed on gas or …
Shop Supplies
By Andy Kennedy Shop supplies are a necessary component of any service or repair. Make sure you’re covered. When it comes to shop supplies, the cost of these items is often absorbed by many shops not realizing just how much …
Cummins Hydrogen 6.7L Engine
By Brian Roberts Cummins has released a new version of the 6.7L engine found in many trucks today. This hydrogen engine was developed to offer cleaner burning fuel for emissions on trucks and pieces of equipment. Europe is rapidly transitioning …
Engine Diagnostics
What every shop should consider By Chris Hamann How many times has a customer dropped off a cylinder head at your machine shop stating that it has a misfire. You go through the head, give it back to the customer, …
Improving Productivity and Quality with the 5S System
By Fernando Curello The need for better and more consistent productivity, quality and overall business results have been the motivation for the automotive manufacturing industry for more than 100 years. There is no doubt that the improved production systems and …
540 CID Big Block Chevy Build – Part 1
By Mike Mavrigian NOTE: This article covers our 2021 EREF engine build (part 1 of 3), originally published in our Q2 April-June 2021 issue. For this year’s engine build project, we decided to go “old school” and build one of …
540 CID Big Block Chevy Build – Part 2
Big Block Heaven By Mike Mavrigian NOTE: This article covers our 2021 EREF engine build (part 2 of 3), originally published in our Q3 July-September 2021 issue. Let’s be honest…even considering all of the advanced powerplant choices available today, who …
Cylinder Head Straightening
By Francisco Aristizabal One of the most frequently asked questions that we receive in the AERA technical department is regarding cylinder head thickness specifications and their limits for machining. Before the cylinder head can be reused, the cylinder head thickness …
Interview with a Heavy-duty Diesel Engine Part
By Steve Scott Some engine parts are always looking to be in the limelight, while others quietly do their jobs unnoticed in the background. We are hoping to interview one of those behind-the-scenes parts – the cylinder liner. Q: Excuse …
Using Liquid Nitrogen in the Shop
By Rob Munro As engine builders, we’re always looking for new ways to do things more efficiently to save money. But what about a few tricks to help take the headache factor out of some of those jobs we do? …
The EV Slowdown Has Begun
By Brian Roberts For the last six months of this year, car manufacturers have announced a slowdown in expansion to produce electrified vehicles. Consumer demand has cooled off and most folks who wanted an EV have now purchased one. The …
The Facts About Clamp Load, Torque and Friction
By Chuck Lynch As many of our readers know, AERA has a Tech & Skills Regional Conference program in which AERA members or associate members will host the event. The event usually consists of classroom training, a facility tour, as …
Aluminum Anodizing
Understanding the treatment process By Mike Mavrigian The use of aluminum components during an engine build is common from a standpoint of weight savings and appearance. This can include, but not limited to aluminum pulleys, engine mounting plates, -AN plumbing …
