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Race Engine Development

 


Here are some pics of a very small fraction of the type of engine development work we do here in conjunction with all the engine related products we innovate, design, and manufacture.  these pics are mainly from the motorcycle race engine department side. We have been careful not to reveal any of our many secrets learned over the last 28 years of doing this form of work.  Instead we are showing just typical, first class work. This is just plain old 'grass roots' work, that is just standard for true professional engine builders and factory race team engine designers.  We have seen so many engines come to us over the years, that had been built by well know name engine builders, that are actually very unfortunate samples of their customers being taken to the cleaners.  Not so much by price, but rather what they got, (or thought they got) for whatever price they did pay.  Sometime we may put up a section of pics of "disaster waiting to happen" poorly machined, (or not machined at all) components in engines or some that were disasters.  Since we have done engine annalists for other companies/racers for many years, we have a lot of very interesting data, and some very very humorous (except for the engine owner of course.)
These casting lines are the type of thing we are after as they cause a weak spot This is the last stage before shot-peening, which the results can be seen in the next pics.
This shows the untouched big ends and a the completely finished big ends, side by side. Another view of the big ends before & finished.jpg (26162 bytes)
A super accrurate dial bore-guage that reads in tenths is a must. Br clearances are checked all across the width at several diff. angles. The only way to correctly check bearing clearences is with a good dial-bore-gauge Fitting wrist pins to new pistons with our Sunnen Rod Hone
 Connecting rod balancing. An extencively reworked rod having it`s small end weighed for balancing. Balancing race rods. Balancing an OEM connecting rod.
high quality precision scales are a must. A stock rod after resizing & setting the side clearance. A performance connecting rod after side clearancing & sizing for br clearance A set of new race rods ready for side clearancing, sizing, pin fitting, & balancing.
An OEM rod after magnafluxing, resizing, fitting the wrist pins, contouring, lightening, & shot-peening. There are several little tricks to The only way to properly check side clearance in a race eng. is with a dial indicator. If you can`t easily rotate the crank like this after the cases are tq`d, the clearances are not correct.
u  One of our thermal barrier coatings.jpg (35265 bytes) If your engine builder uses much more sealer than this between cases & etc, you need a new one! Some more transmission parts prepped & coated ready to go do battle. t coating on top done but not buffed yet.JPG (26692 bytes)

  It's common knowledge among "TRUE" racing professionals that even for a motorcycle engine, 20, $30,000 or even twice that for certain factory level plus, engines is not too much to pay. If you're getting what you wanted. We've just seen too many guys and gals pay way too much for engines not really worth half what they paid for them. As we get time, we'll add more, just for food for thought. We aren't in the business nor would we publicly name any of these 'engine builders' as we try to be a whole lot more professional than that. We'll some time be posting engine components that show how you don't want your engine builder to build your engine as well. 

 **A very important note here**; The finish appearance in the of a chamber or port, as shown below means absolutely  nothing when it comes to performance. You can look at  work that looks beautiful but performs worse than stock. You see pics regularly in magazines of "beautiful work" that really isn't worth the hassle of removing the parts & sending them to get done. Although top level work can look great, its the shaping, contouring, matching machine work, matching of all related parts, etc etc, that really matters. Sometimes an area in the head benefits from being as smooth as glass, sometimes we actually cut grooves in an area, or don't touch it at all. Sometimes we even weld in an area and rework it.  

 The following pics show just a fraction of what our capabilities are, but at least  will help familiarize some people on some things they maybe have wondered about for a long time.

a  We use several types of seat cutters in our Kwikway, whichever is best for the particular seat & guide combo..jpg (48796 bytes) b  Typical flow bench development wk.jpg (66847 bytes) c  Initial milling of a head to precisely square things up. .jpg (40554 bytes) d  A critical spec is the valve shim depth in the retainer, when building radical engines..jpg (33862 bytes)
e  A true race seat in not 3 or 5 angles, but has infinite angles when at least 3 to 5  are all blended together..JPG (39600 bytes) f  After doing the aluminum appearing ceramic coating on the valve faces & chambers but no buff yet..jpg (38026 bytes) g  Cam towers after precision prep. .jpg (25190 bytes) h  After cam journal bore prep, we specialy coat the critical surfaces.jpg (41664 bytes)
i  cc`ing a motorcycle hd.jpg (51309 bytes) j  If the exact valve spring shims are not available, we manuf. precise SS ones.jpg (45576 bytes) k  Seemingly insignificant things such as a chamfering a hole are actually very important.jpg (25194 bytes) l  Spot facing & chamfering head bolt holes on a radicaly built hd is a must..JPG (38321 bytes)
m  We always use a metric indicator when degreeing becuase one revolution is only .039 rather than .100.jpg (14208 bytes) n  Getting an exact TDC location is essential.jpg (44363 bytes) o  Making sure the cam sprocket bolts are properly tightened after degreeing.jpg (36382 bytes) 8  ready for initial seat machining, cc`ing & several other proceedures..JPG (49426 bytes)

1 The  port & chamber design we want to use is decided on..JPG (41022 bytes) 2 ex port rough-in well under way & starting intake.jpg (58327 bytes) 3 chamber roughed in ready for seat wk, cc`ing, milling  final shaping and thermo barrier application.JPG (35044 bytes) 7 no machine wk or final flow work done yet.JPG (63364 bytes)
4 stock intake ports.jpg (43119 bytes) 5 very carefully shaped nearing completion.JPG (28700 bytes) 6  intake runners about 75% done.JPG (29875 bytes)

1x  another OEM chamber.JPG (52659 bytes) 2x  Ready for final seat machining, & the very important multi angle blending, cc`ing, & final milling..JPG (41690 bytes) 3x ampo guides aready installed,  and the first stages of chamber shaping & cc`ing, seat wk & mill wk .jpg (30273 bytes) 4x ampo guides aready installed,  and the first stages of chamber shaping & cc`ing, seat wk & mill wk lg.JPG (57199 bytes)
5x an ezhaust port on its way to completion..jpg (34460 bytes) 6x intake  port basic shaping done, ready for the tedious wk. .JPG (33180 bytes) 7x Ready for final mill, cc ck, water-port chamfer, thermal barrier coating & assembly.JPG (40102 bytes) 8x ready for coating.JPG (35165 bytes)

Performance Design
136 Airport Road
Headland, Al. 36345
1-334-693-9203