Keyword search by Subject, Title, Author, Part Number, or ISBN Number
|
by Barry Rabotnick
The Ford FE (Ford Edsel) engine is one of the most popular engines Ford ever produced, and it powered most Ford and Mercury cars and trucks from the late 50s to the mid 1970s. For many of the later years, FE engines were used mostly in truck applications, but there has been a renaissance of FE engine in high-performance street, strip, muscle cars, and even high-performance trucks. While high-performance build up principles and techniques will be discussed for all engines, author Barry Rabotnick will focus on the max-performance build-up for the most popular engines, such as the 390 and 428. With the high-performance revival in FE engines, a variety of builds are being performed from stock blocks with mild head and cam work to complete aftermarket engines with aluminum blocks, high-flow heads, and aggressive roller cams. The FE engines are an excellent platform for stroking, and this book provides an insightful, easy-to-follow approach for selecting the right crank, connecting rods, pistons, and making the necessary block modifications. Finally, Ford FE fans have the one book they have been looking for. More... |
|
Tech Article Replacing and Upgrading MacPherson Struts and Shock Absorbers by Ralph Kalal With rare exceptions, suspensions on modern cars fall into one of three groups: “parallel arms,” “MacPherson struts,” or “solid axle.” Your car almost certainly employs one of these systems and may use two of them, as the suspension system for the steered front wheels is often different than that used for the rear wheels. Parallel arm systems employ upper and lower suspension arms parallel to each other. One end of each arm is connected to the car and the other end is connected to the upright that bears the spindle on which the wheel is mounted. The suspension arms are often called “A-arms” or “wishbones” because they have that shape. In practice, the upper suspension arm is shorter than the lower arm to maintain the wheel’s angle to the road as the body rolls in a corner. A coil spring is mounted so that it bears against either the upper or lower arm. The shock absorber can be mounted separately from the spring, or centrally within the spring, in what is known as a coil-over-shock or “coil over” configuration. The MacPherson strut system—so named because it was invented by Earl S. MacPherson—employs only a lower suspension arm, which is connected to the bottom of the upright holding the wheel, called the “steering knuckle.” The top of the steering knuckle, which will be not much higher than the level of the spindle, is connected to the lower end of a strut. The strut extends almost to the level of the hood, where it bolts to the car body at the side of the engine compartment. More... |
