M.Beyerstedt | June 24, 2011

Why doesn’t the valve do what it’s supposed to do?
By Gary Lewis, Dema Elgin and Rich Olivier

When building performance engines, we often ask a production engine to go well beyond where it was intended to go, both in output and in RPM. Since we did not design the engine, we are limited to selecting improved components and otherwise doing the best we can with what we have.

In regard to the valve train, we do have much more information available to us as a result of the camshaft analysis tools now widely available. This data tells what the valve should do as it travels through the cycle from opening, to wide open and on to closing. Add a rocker arm or follower ratio and superimpose that valve open curve over the cam lobe lift curve and there will be another clean, somewhat taller curve showing the motion of the valve through the same open cycle. In a perfect world, the valve motion would match the data generated curve but in reality, the actual valve motion will be different than predicted (see Fig.1). Continue Reading »

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J.Goodman | June 23, 2011

CROSSVILLE, Tenn. (June 21, 2011) – Despite Joe Mondello’s recent passing, the crew at Mondello Tech Center in Crossville, Tenn., is committed to carrying on the legacy of their founder. Calvin Hill has been named general manager of the company’s high performance machine shop and brings with him a renewed dedication to building performance engines and their components.

“I’m so pleased to have Calvin as part of our team and to know that he’ll carry on ‘The Mondello Way,’” said Mary Mondello, owner of Mondello Tech Center. “Joe was a mentor to Calvin, as he was to so many of the people Joe knew throughout the years, and I know Joe would be proud today.”

Hill, owner of Hill Performance in Lakemoor, Ill., has a strong background in cylinder head and port development and carved an impressive niche in the Pontiac performance community. Upon accepting the position, Hill stated, “I’m honored that Mary and the team at Mondello Tech Center has put their trust in me to lead the company and to carry on Joe’s legacy. Joe was well respected in our industry for everything he accomplished and he certainly left big shoes to fill. I’m excited
about the challenges and the possibilities and can’t wait to get started.”

The high performance shop at Mondello Tech Center specializes in engine and cylinder head development and features superior workmanship with the latest technology, including the SuperFlow NSCR 902 dyno cell.  For more information, please visit them online at www.mondello.com.

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Tags: engine, engine rebuilder, race engine

J.Goodman | June 1, 2011

Recently AERA held a regional conference that was sponsored by Sunnen Products and Mahle-Clevite and hosted at Hendricks Motorsports in Concord NC. With great support from attendees as well as tabletop exhibitors, this regional conference was a big success.

With the draw of Hendricks Motorsports as conference host, pre-registration numbers exceeded over 140 attendees. Additional on-site walkup attendees and tablet top exhibitors pushed the number who attended this conference to over 180 people for this event. Continue Reading »

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