There are a number of coating companies offering thermal barrier coatings, and some claim that internal combustion engine valves are an ideal candidate for these types of coatings. There are many whose advertisements target the racing community in particular. The coatings that these companies offer are generally quite thin ceramic coatings which offer very low thermal conductivity compared to the valve material. We should at this point note that a titanium valve has very much lower thermal...
Van Dyne Engineering of Huntington Beach, California keeps it local when looking for valve springs to fit their big block Chevrolet engines used for offshore racing. Building for the American Power Boat Association's (APBA) Super Cat two-time World champion and 11-time Western Division titleholder 36-foot The Renegade, driven by Garden Grove's Craig Ferguson, Stewart Van Dyne II and Stewart Van Dyne III (Tres) specify Tool Room valve spring material by Isky Racing Cams from nearby...
"Any time we need a 3/8-inch diameter pushrod with a 0.120 wall, we go to Manley Performance Products of Lakewood, New Jersey," state Stewart Van Dyne II and Stewart Van Dyne III (Tres) of Van Dyne Engineering in Huntington Beach, California. Pushrod sizing is important for the 830-horsepower, 510-cubic-inch big block Chevrolet (with spec heads and manifold) that the Van Dyne father-and-son combo prepare for the American Power Boat Association (APBA) Super Cat used by two-time...
Every part on a NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Top Fuel engine takes more abuse than in any other type of racing. It’s the nature of the beast. Even the pushrods can get hurt – although they might have the longest life span of any integral part in the valvetrain. This particular Manton intake pushrod was installed for eliminations at the penultimate NHRA round (of 24) on The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. It was being used in the Don Schumacher Racing Matco Tools Top...
As the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series 24-race season wound to a close in early November, the Matco Tools Top Fuel team with driver Antron Brown, a group that had changed ownership twice over the off-season, did so again when it was sold to Don Schumacher Racing just before the penultimate round on The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. That change will likely result in changes to parts distribution, as DSR campaigns two other T/F dragsters for [now] six-time consecutive champion...