Detroit, MI -- Our recent dyno session at Chris Holbrook’s wasn’t the first time we tried testing our engine. Back in October, we made an attempt that ended miserably when three brand new cylinder sleeves sunk in our aluminum block. This wasn’t the first time we had sunk sleeves but I was going to make darn sure it would be the last! We had hit rock bottom.

The next four months would be spent evaluating and re-engineering our cylinder sleeve configuration and the way they are installed in the engine block. We selected Joe Soller at Champion Performance to execute the program. Joe didn’t have a whole lot of experience in re-sleeving aluminum blocks, but his attention to detail and background working at some of the biggest named shops in the racing industry made him a good candidate for the job. Figuring out what to do wasn’t what took so long; it was getting the custom sleeves that killed us. It took roughly seven weeks to get those things. The plan was to take a very methodical approach to the machining and installation. This wasn’t going to be the ‘use a bigger hammer’ mentality that’s often seen in re-sleeving. Joe took a lot of precise measurements and care along the way and the favorable results were as expected. [ Read More >> ]

	Shine on you Crazy Diamond… When we last left you, I had just returned our Zircon mock up piston to the good folks at Diamond Racing Products and they were in the process of finalizing the design and manufacturing of our actual pistons. After verifying a few details, such as valve location, the Diamond Racing Engineering Department got to work. Just dial Diamond; D-I-A-M-O-N-D… If you lived in Detroit during the '80s and watched any TV at all, I'm sure you recall being pelted with commercials from the 'Diamond Factory', who's catch phrase at the end of their commercial was, "…just dial diamond; D-I-A-M-O-N-D…" Bar None… As ET Performance's John Marcella chopped, cut, and welded away on our new intake manifold, progress was also being made on our almost-experimental one-piece rocker arm mounting bar. And while I'm not usually one to pat myself on the back, I'm kind of proud of the rocker arm mounting bar.