Gasoline Engines: - Tuning and Modification Manuals (1/3)

Tuning the A-Series Engine (3rd Edition) - The definitive manual on tuning for performance or economy

For 30 years, the A-Series engine was used by BMC (and later British Leyland) in numerous models, including the Austin A30, A35, A40 / Metro, Allegro, Maestro, Montego / Austin-Healey Sprite / BLMC 1100, 1300 / MG Midget / Mini / Morris 1000, Minor and Marina. It soon became apparent that this popular engine series had plenty of reserves to be tuned.

This thick tuning book provides a lot of information about tuning the A-series engine (803 - 1275 cc), both for economy and performance. For example, it explains how a standard 53 hp engine with the necessary modifications can deliver 138 hp, so that a Mini accelerates from 0 to 160 km/h in 15 seconds.

• This extensively illustrated standard work contains chapters on air filters, carburetors, intake manifolds, cylinder heads (valves, combustion chambers, changing the compression ratio), exhaust systems, camshafts (different cam profiles, rocker arms and valve lifters), forced induction (turbos, mechanical compressors), the engine block (pistons, connecting rods, crankshaft, bearings), increasing the displacement, the lubrication system (oil pump, oil cooler), ignition and cooling (water pump, thermostat, radiator).
• This book also provides various tuning examples, information on nitrous oxide (N2O) installations, measuring power and adjusting for economy.
• Although intended for the A-series, this book also provides a great deal of useful information for tuning other, comparable petrol engines.

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Four-stroke Performance Tuning (4th Edition)

First published more than 30 years ago and in continuous print ever since, this remains one of the most comprehensive references available to the enthusiast engine tuner and race engine builder.
Drawing on the author's many years of practical experience in tuning and modifying high-performance road, rally and race units, every aspect of an engine's operation is explained and analysed.
Detailed modifications and improvements are suggested and described in the author's practical, down-to-earth style, making this book essential reading for anyone involved in building high-performance engines.

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How to Build Horsepower - Proven Methods for Increasing Horsepower in Any Engine

Extracting maximum torque and horsepower from engines is an art as well as a science. David Vizard is an engineer and more aptly an engine building artist who guides the reader through all the aspects of power production and high-performance engine building. His proven high-performance engine building methods and techniques are revealed in this all-new edition of How to Build Horsepower.

Vizard goes into extreme depth and detail for drawing maximum performance from any automotive engine. The production of power is covered from the most logical point from the air entering the engine all the way to spent gasses leaving through the exhaust.
Explained is how to optimize all the components in between, such as selecting heads for maximum flow or port heads for superior power output, ideal valvetrain components, realizing the ideal rocker arm ratios for a particular application, secrets for selecting the best cam, and giving unique insight into all facets of cam performance.
In addition, he covers how to select and setup superchargers, nitrous oxide, ignition and other vital aspects of high-performance engine building.

Vizard's "How to Build Horsepower" explains the latest and most effective engine building techniques and strategies. The reader is treated to the secrets and methods for building virtually any automotive engine. Vizard's unique and entertaining style of writing clearly explains the key principles and provides extreme detail and uncommon insight.

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Competition Engine Building

The needs of a true competition engine are quite different than those of the engine under the hood of a typical commuter car. From the basic design needs, to the base component materials, to the sizes of the flow-related hardware, to the precision of the machining, to the capabilities of each pertinent system, very few similarities exist.

Many books exist showcasing how to make street-based engines more powerful and/or durable.

This book is different, in that it focuses purely on the needs of high rpm, high durability, high-powered racing engines. It begins by looking at the raw design needs, and then shares how these needs are met at the various phases of an engine's development, assembly, testing and tuning.

This book features reviews of many popular modern tools, techniques, products, and testing/data collecting machinery. Showing the proper way to use such tools, how to accurately collect data, and how to use the data effectively when designing an engine, is critical information not readily available elsewhere.
The special needs of a competition engine aren't commonly discussed, and the many secrets competition engine builders hold closely are openly shared on the pages here.

Authored by veteran author John Baechtel, Competition Engine Building stands alone as a premier guide for enthusiasts and students of the racing engine. It also serves as a reference guide for experienced professionals anxious to learn the latest techniques or see how the newest tools are used.
Baechtel is more than just an author, as he holds (or has held) several World Records at Bonneville. Additionally, his engines have won countless races in many disciplines, including road racing and drag racing.

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Engine Blueprinting Techniques - A Practical Guide to Precision Engine Building

Engines are built to fall within a wide set of standards and specifications, often not optimized to meet the original design. In short, cheap and fast engine production results in a sloppy final product. Of course, this is not idea for high-performance engines.

To maximize the performance of any engine, it must be balanced and blueprinted to the exact tolerances that the factory should have adhered to in the first place. Four cylinder, V-8, American or import, the performance of all engines is greatly improved by balancing and blueprinting. Dedicated enthusiasts and professional racers balance and blueprint their engines because the engines will produce more horsepower and torque, more efficiently use fuel, run cooler and last longer.

In this book, expert engine builder and veteran author Mike Mavrigian explains and illustrates the most discriminating engine building techniques, so the engine is perfectly balanced, matched, and optimized. Balancing and blueprinting is a time consuming and exacting process, but the investment in time pays off with superior performance.

Through the process, you carefully measure, adjust, machine and fit each part together with precision tolerances, optimizing the design and maximizing performance. The book covers the block, crankshaft, connecting rods, pistons, cylinder heads, intake manifolds, camshaft, measuring tools and final assembly techniques. It provides an unprecedented level of detail and instruction on the process of balancing and blueprinting your engine.

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V-8 Horsepower Performance Handbook

Provides the working knowledge for keeping a V-8 at the top of its form. And for those who'd like to understand how the engine works, the book also includes lucid explanations, beginning with the theory of cylinder head flow.
In clear, easy-to-follow terms, custom V-8 builder Scott Parkhurst offers detailed information and expert advice about block preparation, choosing a reciprocating assembly, and selecting a cam to compliment the heads and meet your own driving needs and performance goals. He also addresses ancillary components such as carburetion, fuel injection and header selection.

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Wege zum Hochleistungs-Viertaktmotor - Ein Handbuch für Liebhaber und Tuner von Viertakt-Motoren

In this book, the author has recorded the wealth of his experience and explaines it with many instructive sketches. He doesn't beat around the bush - his detailed explanations of the ways to increase performance, even in many series engines, represent practical work instructions.
For the technically interested layman, these explanations are interesting and informative, and for the experienced hobbyist, they offer recipes for sure-fire success.

Contents of the book:
Foreword
I. The history of the four-stroke high-performance engine
II. The gas exchange processes
III. Control times, valve lift curves and cam shapes
IV. Cam production
V. Transfer of the cam movement to the valve
VI. Valve acceleration and elasticity in the valve control
VII. Unusual valve controls
VIII. Valves and valve springs, valve control test bench
IX. Cylinder heads
X. Light metal cylinders
XI. Pistons and piston pins
XII. Connecting rods
XIII. Crankshafts
XIV. Crankcases
XV. Single-cylinder test bench engine
XVI. Tuning of existing engines
XVII. Toolmaking
XVIII. Case hardening and tempering
XIX. Slide control for four-stroke high-performance engines
Appendix

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