Competition Engine Development “CED”

A three day course which covers advanced-precision, full competition-level engine building techniques from a proven racing engine builder and 2018 AETC National Engine Builder of the Year.

!!!WARNING!!!
This course is way beyond “Blueprinting”.

This is a hands-on, instructor-led journey through the maze of items to be checked, measured and inspected during the engine assembly process, but with strong focus on the “Planning” phase of parts selection before the assembly ever begins.

This course is about the advancement of an engine’s performance by evaluating 3 main areas of “efficiency”

 Volumetric Efficiency, or the ability to move more air through the engine.  The components we choose must match the intended application and rpm range and we will discuss ways to evaluate our choices based on Dyno and race track results after the build.
 
Mechanical Efficiency, or the reduction in friction and drag which cause parasitic losses to the power created during the combustion cycle.  As we move parts and slide them together in the engine we create losses through friction, (which also generates more heat for our thermal efficiency considerations).  These losses are exponentially worse with more speed and as we continue to raise the RPM of our engine the parasitic losses due to drag can easily outpace the gains we’ve achieved from volumetric efficiency.  As we evaluate each component in the engine, we will consider the balance between its mass, stiffness and inertial effects on other engine components and try to find ways to maximize efficiency in this area by minimizing drag without sacrificing reliability.
 
Thermal Efficiency, or the ability to convert energy available in the fuel to Horsepower. In a standard engine, less than 30% of the heat we create during combustion becomes measured horsepower. The other 70% gets lost to the cooling system and out the exhaust pipe.  Anything we can do to shift these losses to our favor will result in more power. 
WHAT TO EXPECT DURING THE COURSE:
We will address issues related to each of these efficiency subjects over a 3 day period while we carefully investigate a high-rpm, drag-race competition engine.
 
 While we work our way through the engine design process, we will take many opportunities to understand the critical concept that we have a “series of dependent events” conspiring against us and 14484971_10157602758275441_4689657499584865976_nany change we affect in one component can have adverse effects on other systems or components.  (This is a cardinal principle of our philosophy and an exceptionally valuable lesson to be learned throughout the course).
 
We will have in-depth discussions combined with hands-on exercises designed to provoke students to think outside the normal accepted standards of engine building.
While examining the engine selection process we will explore ways to maximize airflow, increase thermal efficiency and reduce drag starting from a bare block and analyzing each and every critical component in the system.  
 
We will begin by placing special emphasis on understanding the role of the oiling system, pinpointing losses from too much or too little pressure, windage loss prevention techniques and we’ll explore ways to minimize engine oil flow requirements in an effort to control pumping losses.
 
Next, we will explore the block surface finishes and discuss the logic behind why a particular measurement needs to be what they are.  
 
For example:  we might use a “Profilometer” to take measurements of cylinder bore surfaces (down to millionth’s of an inch) and determine the ability of those surfaces to retain the proper volume of oil to lubricate the piston and rings without holding too much and causing issues and we will discuss ways to fix those issues should they arise in your future projects.  We will explore the “pros and cons” of piston ring selection.
 
We will also cover ways to accomplish all required block measurements and dimensional calculations in order to create a plan for reaching our power and reliability goals.
 
Once the bare block has been covered, we will perform (both in the classroom and engine shop) the measurement and documentation of  engine components and give special consideration to any modification to those parts before we assemble them.  
 
For example: in certain scenarios we may decide to reduce the diameter and narrow our connecting rod bearings or camshaft bearings and we’ll discuss how and why to do so during the course.14595595_10157602757605441_8562786470321090868_n
We will discuss engine fastener technology and theory and compare methods of ensuring our fasteners are up to the task we’ve selected them for.
 
We will discuss  the effects of various piston shapes, profiles, and ring packages and explain what the benefits of each type would be for a particular application, and we will look at the pros and cons of camshaft material and core diameter considerations along with lifter and rocker arm modifications available to increase strength and reduce mass.
 
We’ll consider  compression ratio, and its effect on performance then learn to degree the camshaft to check for proper installation in a manner you’ve likely never experienced before!
We will also discuss  the practice of creating a mold of the combustion chamber for the purpose of building custom Pistons made to order exactly for our engine.
 
Finally, we’ll spend time checking our piston to valve clearance and explore valve train geometry, how to measure it, and how to correct problems that crop up while we also explore the methods for setting up and checking the cylinder heads and valves themselves.
 
 
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Students will have an opportunity to take photos with their class engine and will receive a certificate of course completion before we wrap up and answer and final questions.
 
All in all, it will be an action-packed 3 day crash course and offer a peek inside what the pro’s do to “develop” a competition engine.

The popular Chevrolet LS V-8 will be used in the class, however, all of the information covered in this class can be applied to ANY engine you build.

Also students will have access to using the highest quality and most accurate assembly tools available and see why the investment in the correct tools will help you get the job done right the first time.    

Students will learn:

  • What needs to be measured
  • Where to measure the component
  • How to use measurement tools correctly
  • Proper documentation skills and procedures to catalog all measurements

Special emphasis will be placed on:

  • Finding and understanding problem areas
  • Understanding Min/Max Clearances and Tolerances for various applications
  • How to fix issues when they do crop up

Students will also learn:

  • Engine theory
  • Component identification
  • Assembly do’s and don’ts
  • Understanding Piston shapes for various engine types
  • Special techniques for N/A versus Forced Induction applications.

Our engine class not only dispels some of the magic and mystery of racing engine design, but our results speak for themselves on the track with the customers who WIN with our engines!

This 3-day class is only offered at our state-of-the-art training facility in Lake Havasu, Arizona and is limited to 6 students per class for an excellent student to teacher ratio.

Just consider the peace of mind you can get from your engine projects for less than the cost of a single rebuild.

Don’t build another engine until you attend this course!

Limited to 6 Students Per Class

Tuition: $3149.00USD

Sign Up Now!

 

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