Tag: Tech Stories

Old School Repair: This Dude Welds A Crankshaft Back Together Like A Boss! It Was Broken In Two!

Dec 23, 20211320 Engine Tech, 1320 Tech Story, Apex Engine Tech, Apex Tech Stories, ENGINE, TECH, Tech Stories, Videos, XL Engine Tech, XL Tech Stories

Old School Repair: This Dude Welds A Crankshaft Back Together Like A Boss! It Was Broken In Two!

If you watch videos from other countries, where guys are doing repairs that would seem nearly impossible without modern tools, you start to appreciate and understand what our grandparents and great grandparents were doing to make similar repairs. It’s a true testament to how good something can be even without CNC machines or what have you. In this video, the only equipment used to fix this completely snapped crankshaft is a drill press, a stick welder, and a lathe. The lathe isn’t anything new, but it does seem to work well, and the guy using it clearly knows what he’s doing. But the lathe could be 50 years old or 5, it’s all the same.

Watch as this guy cleans and machines each end of the broken pieces, which might actually be from two different crankshafts, slides them together, indexes them, and then gets his arc welding on. He then straightens the crank, machines the crank, and finally drills the oiling holes in it and then sends it on its way to be used in some truck or what have you. It’s impressive and you’ll dig it.

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Qarantine Cruise Photos: The November 2021 Quarantine Cruise In Had Some Epic Machines. Check Them Out!

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Dyno Proven 500 Horsepower Combos: Three Stock Bottom End 5.3 LS Combos That Will Make You 500 Horsepower Or More.

Dec 23, 20211320 Engine Tech, 1320 Tech Story, Apex Engine Tech, Apex Tech Stories, ENGINE, ENGINES, TECH, Tech Stories, Videos, XL Engine Tech, XL Tech Stories

Dyno Proven 500 Horsepower Combos: Three Stock Bottom End 5.3 LS Combos That Will Make You 500 Horsepower Or More.

I get asked about LS engine combos all the time, and the overwhelming majority of them are from people who think that they need to build an engine with all aftermarket parts. When I ask them how much horsepower they want to make, the vast majority say something like 450 horsepower. This makes me shake my head, because making 400 to 500 horsepower is simple and doable if you have a 5.3 LS that runs. Stock they make 350 horsepower, so anything you do from there will make real power improvements. A camshaft and headers will make over 400, and when you combine an intake, heads, etc, there are real power numbers to be had. And then there’s nitrous! Okay that’s another video, these are completely naturally aspirated combos that are based on a stock bottom end 5.3L.

Check out Richard’s combos, dyno results, and more in the video below.

Video Description:

HOW DO I MAKE 500 HP WITH MY 5.3L? DO I NEED FORGED INTERNALS TO MAKE 500 HP WITH MY 5.3L? CAN MY 5.3L MAKE 500 HP WITHOUT BOOST? WHAT IS THE BEST CAM TO USE ON MY 5.3L? WHAT ARE THE BEST HEADS TO USE ON MY 5.3L? WHAT INTAKE SHOULD I USE ON MY 5.3L? CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO ON THREE (3) DIFFERENT 5.3L BUILDS THAT NOT ONLY EXCEEDED 500 FLYWHEEL HP, BUT DID SO WITH THE STOCK BOTTOM END (STOCK BLOCK, CRANK, RODS AND PISTONS). ALL YOU NEED ARE THE RIGHT HEADS, CAM AND INTAKE (WITH HEADERS) AND YOU TOO CAN REACH THE 500-HP MARK.

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Facebook Find: This 1980 Z28 Camaro Is Throwback Greatness I Would Drive Like A Boss

Best Torque Wrench? $450 Snap-On vs Craftsman, ICON, Kobalt, DeWalt, SK Tools, Proto, Wera

Several years ago the guys at Car Craft Magazine did a torque wrench shootout and found that the high dollar models from the big tool brands weren’t better, and in some cases were worse, than the cheap brands like you’d find at Harbor Freight, Home Depot, or Lowes. So when I saw this new test being done by the Project Farm youtube channel I immediately clicked on it. There are a lot of ways to test a torque wrench, but none are as good as using an actual torque wrench tester and that’s exactly what has been done in this video.

In addition to the torque wrench tester, they also did 1,000 cycles to see how accurate the torque wrench was after a lifetime of clicks. Accuracy was measured along with variation and all the results are given in this video. Check it out and see not only which torque wrench is best but also which one is right for you.

Video Description:

10 Wrenches Tested: Snap On, Wera, Craftsman, Kobalt, ICON, DeWalt SK Hand Tool, Proto Tools, Performance Tool, Lexivon, and a vintage Craftsman. Torque wrenches tested for initial accuracy when new at 50, 100, 150, 200 and 250 foot pounds. Wrenches were then tested at 50, 150, and 250 foot pounds in the counterclockwise direction. Subsequently, the wrenches were cycled 1,000 times at 100 foot pounds and then tested again for accuracy. My goal is to ALWAYS provide accurate and honest test results by avoiding outside pressure from manufacturers. To do this, I ALWAYS buy all of the products that I test along with the test equipment and supplies used for the testing. So, thank you very much for helping me achieve this goal by your support of the channel.

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New Product Install: New Mid-Mount Gen III HEMI Front Accessory Drive – HEMI Swap Greatness!

Dec 23, 20211320 New Drag Race Products, Apex New Products, ENGINE, ENGINES, New Products, TECH, Tech Stories, Videos, XL New Truck Products

New Product Install: New Mid-Mount Gen III HEMI Front Accessory Drive – HEMI Swap Greatness!

One of the most annoying and frustrating parts of any late-model engine swap can be fitting a bunch of accessories that never came in your car up front and in between the engine and radiator. Whether you realize it or not, almost all of the late model V8 cars are considerably larger than their previous counterparts. A new Challenger is bigger than a 1970 Challenger, for example, and so is the underhood space. These new cars are designed to fit around all the stuff that needs to be on these late model engines, and the older cars weren’t. Thankfully the gang at Holley has come up with the solution. Their new Mid Mount accessory drive system is a game-changer.

When Holley came out with accessory drive systems for the LS engine it made swapping one into just about anything much less of a headache, and now Mopar fanatics are going to benefit from the same technology. Their bracketless design means everything fits tight to the block minimizing any chance of interference between accessories and the chassis, body, etc.

Video Description:

Holley’s new Gen III Hemi Mid-Mount Accessory Drive Kits offers a simple, clean and reliable way to install all of the serpentine belt-driven accessories for your late-model Mopar engine onto our patent-pending bracket-less design. This allows the alternator, air conditioning pump, power steering pump, and everything else to be mounted tighter to the engine, making a Gen III Hemi swap an easier affair, regardless if you are using a VVT or non-VVT engine in your build! https://www.holley.com/products/engin…

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Best Torque Wrench? $450 Snap-On vs Craftsman, ICON, Kobalt, DeWalt, SK Tools, Proto, Wera

JUNKYARD TWIN TURBO BIG BLOCKS-HOW MUCH BOOST DOES IT TAKE TO MAKE 1000 HP? 3 DIFFERENT BBC COMBOS

Dec 19, 2021ENGINE, ENGINES, Hack of the Week, TECH, Tech Stories, Videos

JUNKYARD TWIN TURBO BIG BLOCKS-HOW MUCH BOOST DOES IT TAKE TO MAKE 1000 HP? 3 DIFFERENT BBC COMBOS

Big block Chevrolets are awesome. I mean, I love small blocks, and I love a good LS or LT, but a Big Block Chevrolet still just stands above them all. In this day and age, where everyone is swapping junkyard LS engines into everything, and making big power with them by simply adding a turbo for boost, a lot of people have forgotten about the Big Block. But not Richard Holdener.

Nope, Richard is still making big power with a big block and showing that just like junkyard LS engines, junkyard big blocks can make stupid power with some boost. But how much boost is needed to make a big block make 1,000 horsepower? Here’s the answer, on three different junkyard big block combos so you can decide which one is right for you!

Video Description:

CAN I TURBOCHARG MY JUNKYARD BIG BLOCK CHEVY? HOW MUCH BOOST CAN I RUN? WILL MY TURBO 454 MAKE 1000 HP? HOW MUCH BOOST DOES IT TAKE TO MAKE OVER 1000 HP? WILL A BIGGER MOTOR MAKE MORE POWER WITH BOOST? SHOULD I MODIFY MY BIG BLOCK FOR BOOST? WHAT IS THE BEST BBC CAM FOR BOOST? WILL A GEN V 454 MAKE GOOD POWER? HOW WELL DO BPE POWER ADDER CRATE MOTORS WORK? THESE QUESTIONS AND MORE ARE ANSWERED IN THIS VIDEO, INCLUDING HOW MUCH BOOST IS REQUIRED TO EXCEED 1000 HP WITH DIFFERENT NA COMBOS. THE POWER YOU MAKE UNDER BOOST IS A DIRECT REFLECTION OF THE POWER YOU START WITH NA!

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PRI Show Photos: If You Missed Any Of Our PRI Show Photo Coverage, Find Them All Right Here!

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Uncovering Original Paint With Oven Cleaner! This 1934 Ford 5 Window Gets Even Cooler!

Sep 19, 2021Hack of the Week, MISC, Project Cars, TECH, Tech Stories, Videos

Uncovering Original Paint With Oven Cleaner! This 1934 Ford 5 Window Gets Even Cooler!

 

I’m a fan of original paint and patina, but I hate the fake stuff. Sometimes the patina on a ride doesn’t look great because of a horrible repaint that makes the car look worse than it probably does underneath as well, and that’s what Matt was facing on his 1934 Ford 5 Window. It had received a brush on paint job that was doing it no favors, but he thought that there was original paint still hiding under it. After doing some testing, he got it figured out and is going to use oven cleaner to get down to the original paint and hopefully make this thing look a jillion times better than before.

Check out the video description below:

In the last video on the 1934 Ford 5 Window we briefly showed some of the original paint that we had started to uncover. Well after 40ish hours, Matt stripped 99% of tan paint that was brushed on back in the 1950s. Matt walks us through some tips and tricks to using Oven Cleaner to remove unwanted paint. While the paint is worn through in spots, we think it looks way nicer. Let us know down below what you think!!

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Finnegan And Newbern Make The World’s Biggest Rooster Tail With The Rogers Jet Boat!

Sep 06, 2021FUNNY STUFF, Hack of the Week, MISC, OTHER, RACING & ACTION, TECH, Tech Stories, Videos

Finnegan And Newbern Make The World’s Biggest Rooster Tail With The Rogers Jet Boat!

Jet boat owners love a big rooster tail, because it looks cool not because it makes it go fast. With that said, there is an ideal angle for particular jet boat setups based on hull design, setback, etc. When in “race mode” a boat like this Rogers will want an angle of somewhere around 5 degrees up, but to get an ideal launch you want more water in the water. This is why race boats control the angle of the nozzle so that it can be in the ideal position for launch and then change to the ideal angle for high speed. But some folks use these to make a bigger rooster tail so they can look cool on the river. But not this big of a rooster tail. Cause this, this is something special. You know, like Newbern and Finnegan. This thing is a wheel standing, launch it out of the water machine now. It’s crazy.

They have stacked all the stuff that can make the nozzle aim higher, and taken off every single limiter. And now they have an insane angle that quite literally makes the biggest jet boat rooster tail in history. Oh and did I mention they tested it in a thunderstorm, on the lake, with the pouring rain and lightning all around them? Yeah, cause lightning doesn’t strike water….

Oh, and based on the level of giddy they have going on in this video, I’m expecting a second attempt for even bigger shenanigans.

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How To Make Patch Panels You Can’t Buy New: How To Fix That Spot In The Trunk Right Behind The Wheel Tub

Jul 21, 2021Hack of the Week, OTHER, TECH, Tech Stories, Videos

How To Make Patch Panels You Can’t Buy New: How To Fix That Spot In The Trunk Right Behind The Wheel Tub

With all the restoration parts available today for muscle cars and classics of all kinds, we still sometimes come across damage that can’t easily be fixed with what is available. Or, there isn’t anything available at all. And even if there is a part available, sometimes it is not the right solution for the damage you may have. That’s the case in this particular Buick, which might be a GM A-Body but that doesn’t mean all the A-Body parts are just right for it. Thankfully our dude Fitzee knows what is up and has all kinds of great skills to share when it comes to making repairs like this.

The Buick in this video has relatively small rust damage, behind each wheel tub, in the trunk floor above the trunk brace. But if you look at the panel, the bracing, and the process as Fitzee goes through it, you’ll realize it is not exactly the same as a Chevelle, and with the right methods you can make a nicer repair using your own materials.

But this isn’t the most simple panel to replace. Or at least it doesn’t seem like it at first glance. Since nothing phases Fitzee, he gives all the direction and instruction needed to know how to make this repair yourself, and gives you the confidence to try it, and we love him for it.

So check out the video!

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Air To Water Intercoolers: What You Need To Know Before Installing One On Your Ride

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An Electric Subaru Brat? Okay, This Is An Electric Vehicle Swap We Think Might Be Real Fun!

Jul 10, 2021CAR FEATURES, DRIVETRAIN, ENGINE, Hack of the Week, Project Cars, TECH, Tech Stories, Videos

An Electric Subaru Brat? Okay, This Is An Electric Vehicle Swap We Think Might Be Real Fun!

The idea of taking a gas or diesel-powered car and making it electric intrigues me. I think it would be a fun project and have been thinking about a few different fun cars to do the conversion on. Of course, I have a jillion other projects going so there isn’t much need to be worrying about anything in the short term, but I certainly think it’s a fun idea and love checking out projects that other people are doing. So when James Fleischman at Flash Drive Motors sent me an email with a link to this Brat build I was intrigued.

Finding out that he’s located just outside of Austin, which is only a few hours drive from me, also made me want to go and play with electric cars so trust me that’s on the list of must-do things this summer.

But back to this project. This one is a Subaru Brat, you know, the little truck that came with the seats in the back. It was in really good shape, as it had been driven on the road up until 2017 but it still needed to get redone. Luckily, Flash Drive is all about restoring cars and not just making them electric. In fact, they will gladly work on your gasoline-powered ride, do EFI conversions, etc.

But I digress! Here are the first two videos in the Electric Brat conversion series, and we’ll have more tomorrow!

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How To Make An F-Bomb Out Of Aluminum! This Is One Cool Project You Should Check Out.

Jul 04, 2021Hack of the Week, OTHER, TECH, Tech Stories, Videos

How To Make An F-Bomb Out Of Aluminum! This Is One Cool Project You Should Check Out.

I’m not saying everyone wants to make a miniature bomb, but the steps required to make this thing sure could come in handy when building something else in the shop. And the lesson is coming from the master of metal manipulation, Ron Covell. I mean this dude knows what he’s talking about, has been teaching others how to do it for decades, and is about as humble as they come when talking about his skill. And he’s partnering with 6061.com on this one so you know the end result is going to be fun as hell! I can tell you that if you are not familiar with building bucks or forming metal, then these two videos will be life changing for you. Seeing just how easy it is to manipulate aluminum sheet into the shape  that you want will be an eye opener for sure. I’m not saying that you’ll be a master in a day, but with these two videos and trying out this project, you will be changing how you view sheet metal projects for sure.

And they don’t require special tools! In the second video Ron goes over shaping three identical pieces of aluminum and does each one using a different method. The first is literally just using a hammer on a metal workbench. That’s it! Then there is a planishing hammer and then an english wheel. Guess what? Each one does the job perfectly fine, with just a slight difference in finish work required. I’m telling you, this is a video series to watch. Here are the first two in the series, we’ll bring you the rest as soon as they are out!

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