Whats Your Definition Of a Engine Builder ??

[CamKing]

A person who take care to do Critical measurements and apropriate changes to machine parts to fit a combustion engine and, in the end, assemble the engine and make it more reliable, longer lasting & higher output than a layman would.

So true.
I had the great fortune to learn about engine building from the group my dad put together at Champion Spark plug's test facility in Long Beach CA. At the time, there was nothing like it. The men that worked there, were all the top in their fields. Rocky Philipp, former Indy Crew Chief, and fantastic fabricator. Art Oehrli, former Engine Builder for Jim Hall Chaparrel Race Team. Earl Parker, former Indy Crew Chief. Robert Strahlmann, former Indy Crew Chief. Art Lamey, former USAC and NASCAR Chief Mechanic, and fuel systems expert. Dick Jones, ran dyno development for Harman & Collins, turbine development for Garrett AiResearch, supercharger development for Paxton Division of McCulloch Motors, and was a top engine builder in boat and land speed racing.

This group was responsible for developing many successful engines in IndyCar, NASCAR, Formula 1, USAC, SCCA, IMSA, and other forms of racing.
When I was old enough to get to work around these people, I quickly learned their "Speed Secret" that made them so successful. Their "Secret" was, they took the time to measure everything, and make sure it was correct, and made sure everything was put together correctly. For many things they wanted to measure, there wasn't tools made to measure them, so they made their own tooling. The first lesson I learned, was from Rocky. He told me to disassemble a multi-stage oil pump, clean it, and put it back together. No problem. I spent a good amount of time, making sure it was clean, and put together correctly. When I was done, Rocky said, OK, now you can take it apart, and do it correctly. He had me measure each pump gear O.D., and each gear housing I.D., and match the gears with the correct housings, so the clearances between each gear and it's housing would be as close to the same as possible. To a 16 year old, this sounds like overkill, but it was this type of attention to detail that made them so successful.

[piston guy]

One KEY factor here is engine development is constantly evolving BECAUSE of engine BUILDERS , not parts assemblers.
Darrin Morgan doesn't have a PHD after his name but can TELL a PHD HOW TO PORT a HEAD!!!! Hastings "used" to offer a certificate called "Doctor of Motors' as some form of a customer confidence booster. Too bad our education system never recognized that title. Many would have PHDs because they created what teachers teach students seeking degrees.

[engineguyBill]

Hastings "used" to offer a certificate called "Doctor of Motors' as some form of a customer confidence booster. Too bad our education system never recognized that title. Many would have PHDs because they created what teachers teach students seeking degrees.

Actually, it was Perfect Circle that has the "Doctor of Motors" program. Was discontinued in the late 70's.

[piston guy]

Thanks Bill , you are correct of course! I knew it was a ring deal. My grandfather had a certificate framed. His nickname was Doc so it must have been important when he got it. ( 30s or 40s)

[midnightbluS10]

What a builder is Not: one of the plethora of clowns , despots and tyrants on the Car channels' Car programs.

Notice how they're all experts; some even selling tour tickets of their shops.

But tell me last time you saw one of em do much more with a motor than start a new crate; then it's high drama.


A fellow who has someone else build/assemble his lower end but then bolts his new pair of heads on himself, is neither assembler or builder. Give it a year or so & Same guy will often times refer back to himself as having built same motor.

I can't speak for all of them but 1 was an instructor at SAM Tech and worked at KB Racing. One of the hosts of Engine Power(aka Horsepower TV back in the day), Pat Topolinski, use to work at KB Racing from 06' to '14 machining, assembling, and testing their 500ci DRCE3 pro stock engines. He also did engine maintenence at races as well as clutch/transmission duties.

They aren't all hacks. Jared from another show I can't recall used to work for Troy @ Rad Rides by Troy. His co-host is Lou Santiago that used to be on Spike TV/Paramount Channel on the Muscle Car show. IIRC, Jared was on it for a year, then went back to Troy's. Then him and Lou started this other show years later. But they don't claim to be engine builders, either so I guess Jared doesn't really apply in that sense.

[gunt]

When your getting in to measuring , that goes with out saying ,

when training the guysi would always get them to measure up and see out side of spec how much it was , and being new to this they always came back sur its nothing , barely measurable . so i would then make them work out the percentage of how far out it was , [ due its small measurements % is best ] them scale it up , measure the front wall of the workshop , then apply the percentage and see how far out the wall would be , [ i'd make them mark it out on the ground ] but one guy just never got it , till he went away training , when he came back he full understood , no idea what the other trainer said but this young fella went on to win the world skill .

i do a bit of expert witness , usually against main dealers , or a muppet who shouldn't have his own place , any way ,a clown put and engine together , all piston very slightly hitting the head , told the owner it was just the tappets and it would go with the engine bedding in , a 20k euro engine .
i stripped it done the report for court , they sent in their guys to inspect , i have a clean temp control engine room under camera . these photographers [ that's what i call assessors , as its mostly accident damage with bent panels ] but usually are guys that once tried to be mechanics , one had much higher papers . he took a rod bolted it to the crank asked for a spanner so i gave him a stubby 1xmm so he nipped up the ARP bolts and rocked the con rod , he then asked for feeler gauges .
in his report later he stated that he severely doubted any human could measure as low as i was claiming and that everything looked within spec , so i just submitted the manufacture workshop manual for the engine . Basically any muppet mechanic would be expected to be accurately measure just to keep his job in a dealership .

[engineguyBill]

one of the most important talents that any machinist (automotive or tool & die maker) must possess is the ability to develop a "feel" for using precision measuring tools such as micrometer. Practice and experience is necessary to be able to feel the right amount of drag/resistance as the micrometer is being pulled across the item being measured. Then the successful machinist must be able to preform basic mathematics problems and the "real" machinists will have a much more universal knowledge of math and physics and the ability to use this knowledge to solve problems, understand theories, etc., etc.

[LSP]

Many definitions of an engine builder already stated, not sure I could elaborate any better.

I will say that a premier engine builder to me is one who can pick the parts, build an engine combination to a fixed set of parameters/rules, and outperform the competition where the BS stops - on the scoreboard. Examples would be the yearly dyno competitions where several engines builders compete on the same dyno, or compete at the same race track.