Don Terrill’s Speed-Talk

Both of those rely on belt driven pumps

Just curious about the subject. Curious as a belt drive seems to be everybody's favorite and that option does not exist for my AMC application and under the NHRA rules I race under, "oil pump must be driven per OEM", or words to that effect. A gear drive, if there is no HP loss, would seem...

What forge shops still forge cranks in the US nowadays? It used to be that both the FIA and AFS had member lists you could get to, but I figure that there are now so few iron foundries and forge shops that both organizations don't put them out anymore. pdq67 PS., AFS = American Foundry Society, and...

I've always found those that recommend dual-plane intakes and vacuum secondary carbs for stout street engines..read to many magazines! Give me a single plane and a DP Holley any day. Your car should be plenty fast and able to use that Holley 300-25. I used to run a Holley Strip Dominator intake on a...

I've recently been using a shock dyno and I see no way a fish scale could simulate the conditions of a dyno which can be regulated for the rate of speed for bump and rebound. With a dyno you can graph the old shock and assuming it is good, set the new shock up as long as it is an adjustable shock. I...

Just another thing to think about. Friend once built a S/G Daytona. Pretty trick car but a relatively mild 440. I think it went 9.70's WOT? Went fast 1st time down the track at each event. Then progressively slowed down throughout the day. Replay at every event. Changed MSD out, plugs, carbs, pretty...

Couldn't believe nobody offered forged pistons for my daily driver 2003 SVT Focus after I melted a few pistons. All that was available was non-SVT pistons which have a crown that is completely different (less efficient) along with a different compression height which required non-SVT rods. So I had ...

Send 'em back to the printer for connecting rods and crankshafts. What about front end components like idler arms, pitman arms, etc.?
Interesting future for 3d printing. Should I have my 15 year old look into this as a career opportunity or will the NAFTA babies get this too?

I find, on a solid lifter cam, that if the feeler gauge is a tight pull then it's about right as I've found that once the slack is taken out of the poly-lock via the set screw you will pick up .002" more lash. And that's with ARP set screw which is parralel ground. I use a no-go gauge that is ....

Why the need for such a fancy part in such a mild engine? Why not something like a Rollmaster double row timing chain? If you want to get fancy Rollmaster makes an adjustable cam sprocket for SBC.

Thanks, guys. I was pretty sure it was being done. Who do you go to for the ring/spacer set - Total Seal? Who else? Are you opposed to new pistons with the ring lands built to yor (or your ring supplier) specifications? Getting it all built into the piston is the best way although I can't say there...

ICE Ignition....I would have been much happier in placing it all on the black at a casino table. At least I would have had a little fun while losing it all!

Technology moves forward and can only truly move forward in leaps and bounds when one gets "Out of the box" and throws away the idea of modifying an old design and comes up with something completely new. I see they have a performance guarantee and at $2500+ each, that will go a long way in...

jed wrote:What is "piston porting"??
I am not familiar with the term.

That's OK..I don't even know what a "relieved" cam is. I do run a larger than OEM camshaft core and bearings but I can't figure why that would be a "relieved" cam...

I have the -291 cast heads and you have the -990 cast heads. There are minor differences but not enough to matter here. I can tell you on my 1st Super Stock 390 my machinest basically made them like a SBC. The engine dyno came out to a little over 550HP or....about 15-20 HP more than my Stock Elimin...