Ask Away! with Jeff Smith: Troubleshooting a Noisy Starter Motor in a Chevy Big Block
I have a big block Chevy in my 1965 Bel Air and it runs great but has a very noisy starter motor. I am using a late model, permanent magnet […]
Ask Away! with Jeff Smith: Can I Run Solid Roller Lifters on a Hydraulic Roller Cam?
I have a small-block 350 street/strip engine that I continue to play around with. In my last session at the track, it seems like the engine doesn’t pull as hard […]
Building Ford’s Fabulous 429 Super Cobra Jet
Ford’s legacy of powerful big block V8s dates back to 1958 with the skirted Ford FE Series 332/352ci engines that ultimately grew to 427ci by 1963 and 428ci by 1966. […]
Cam for the Ram! 360 Magnum Cam Upgrade
What does the Dodge Magnum 360 have in common with the GM LS engine family? In fact, what does a Magnum 360 (or smaller 5.2L 318) have in common with […]
422 Cubes of Small Block Thunder, Part 2: Oiling System, Valvetrain & Induction
In Part One of our 700 horsepower small block Chevy build, Mr. Mavrigian got into prep of the Dart SHP block and Scat/Icon rotating assembly as well as installing the […]
Ask Away! with Jeff Smith: Troubleshooting a Chevy 454 with a Bad Vibration at 2,100 RPM
I recently had a 1970s 454 Chevy big block rebuilt and assembled by my local machine shop for my 1971 Monte Carlo. The engine was assembled with new pistons, rings, […]
Mailbag: Choosing The Right Fuel Pump Size for a Gen. III Hemi-Swapped Dodge D-Series Pickup Truck
Q. I’m planning to swap a Gen. III 5.7L Hemi with an Edelbrock supercharger into a third-gen Dodge D-Series pickup truck. My Question is about the fuel system: How do […]
What is a Leakdown Tester? And How Do You Use It?
If you build engines or if you campaign a race car (or any street-strip car for that matter), a leakdown tester is pretty much a go-to tool. Why Do a […]
Ford’s Legendary Y-Block—Still In Style
Ford’s first overhead valve V8, the Y-Block, remains the engine of choice for a lot of hotrodders. By modern standards, the Y-Block is dated with its stacked intake ports and […]
The Inch-Pound Torque Wrench: A Toolbox Hero for Leak-Free Valve & Differential Cover Gaskets
Like so many of our other automotive maintenance adventures, this one started with a few drips of oil on our garage floor. A quick inspection of our engine bay revealed […]