Ask Away! with Jeff Smith: How Much is Too Much Crankshaft Clearance?
I have a 350ci small block that I thought would be easy to rebuild. My brother ran it out of oil in his 1957 Chevy so we pulled the engine […]
Engine Building 101: How to Polish a Thrust Bearing (Video)
Crankshaft end play is a delicate balance. Too much crankshaft thrust can lead to lead to engine damage, but too little thrust bearing clearance can cause problems as well. If […]
How to Check Crankshaft End Play (Video)
Crankshafts are among the most abused engine components because transmissions create tremendous forward force on them, especially in high performance applications. That’s why it’s important to check crankshaft thrust clearance, […]
Mailbag: Key Differences Between Internal & External Engine Balance
Q: What’s the difference between internal and external engine balance? … A: An engine must be balanced to ensure smooth operation. Balancing an engine minimizes vibration which maximizes engine life. […]
Mailbag: Adjusting Bearing Clearances and Crank Alignment on an Engine That Won’t Turn
This week in our Mailbag, the Summit Racing tech department is troubleshooting bearing-clearance measurement and engine-cranking issues in a small block Chevy. *** Q: I’m building a 350 Chevy engine and […]
Project Strokers Wild (Part 2): We Build 393 CID Ford 351W
After you build a serious 347 cubic inch Ford 5.0—like we did in our first installment of Project Strokers Wild—what do you do for an encore? You build it a […]
Project Strokers Wild (Part 1): Building a 347CID Ford 5.0L
In the great big book of automotive clichés, the phrase, “There’s no replacement for displacement,” can be found at the top of page one. But as much as the phrase […]