THE DYNO RUN Build, text and photos by Mike Mavrigian . Well, we finally ran this engine on dyno. The dyno location was Platinum Engine Designs in Norwich, Ohio, a clean-as-a-whistle top-notch race engine shop in southeast Ohio, equipped with a late-model SuperFlow engine dyno.
The final product is a bit more enhanced than the in-progress photo shown here. I’ll discuss our chrome water pump upgrade, the final custom alternator setup and the complete fuel system setup in the next article. ….. This installment of our Ford Flathead series discusses the timing cover/distributor housing, setup and installation of the MSD [...]
She’s done. In this article, we’ll cover crankshaft balancing, valvetrain and crankshaft assembly. How do you like the plug wire routing? I’ll cover this in a later article installment. I’m considering having the water pump pulleys polished and chrome plated. By the way, the water pump/alternator belt pulley alignment is perfect. If the belt looks [...]
Our flattie is almost finished. Compared to an original, she’s looking pretty snazzy. Build, text and photos by Mike Mavrigian The Ford flathead was a popular platform for early rodders, and basically started the hot rod and performance engine movement. The engine production ran from 1937 through 1953, with one of the most popular versions [...]
All main studs are installed finger-tight, with just an added scooch to make sure they’re seated. The main caps slid on easily, with no stud splaying interference. Be careful when installing the main caps. Each cap is numbered for location, as is the block. Be sure to install caps with cap numbers on the same [...]
LS PROJECT, PART 2 BLOCK PREP AND BALANCING by Mike Mavrigian all photos by author We swapped out the OE torque-plus-angle main cap bolts for a set of ARP studs. This will provide added strength and will eliminate wear on the block’s female threads during future servicing. I recently visited Gressman Powersports where Scott Gressman [...]
A precision mounting plate is installed to the rear of the block. This accurately locates the block to the machine’s base fixture. A centering bar is inserted through the main bores. The main bore centering bar is bushed to accommodate the specific block’s main bore diameter. A camshaft tunnel centering bar helps the machine to [...]
CNC-MACHINING AN ENGINE BLOCK A step-by-step overview of a specific block being machined on a CNC from start to finish. by Mike Mavrigian all photos by author CNC machines vary in terms of footprint size and axis capabilities. Thinking about taking the plunge and buying a CNC (computer numeric control) machine? Or have you wondered [...]
CARBURETOR/FUEL PLUMBING Our big-gulp carb is Holley’s Ultra Dominator (P/N 0-80673), an 1,150 cfm race carb that features billet metering blocks, three-circuit metering, mechanical secondaries and oversized sight windows for easy float adjustment. Recommended fuel pressure is 5-7.5 psi. The anodized billet metering blocks feature changeable idle feed restrictors for easier tuning of the idle [...]
HOW DO I USE THE MACHINE? If you opt for a “universal” CNC machine, you’ll need extensive training to learn the computer “coding” language required to create programs. However, if you choose a CNC machine that was designed specifically for use by engine builders, operation and the overall learning curve is much simplified, since programs [...]
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