Race Star Industries co-owner Mike Rabich says his company listens to the people and they are “the People’s Wheel”. See what makes Rabich believe they make the perfect wheel for grass roots racers here.
Bobby Kimbrough Senior Technical Editor
Bobby grew up in the heart of Illinois, becoming an avid dirt track race fan which has developed into a life long passion. Taking a break from the Midwest dirt tracks to fight evil doers in the world, he completed a full 21 year career in the Marine Corps. Educated at Chapman University, Syracuse University and Palomar Community College in California, today Bobby is the Senior Tech Editor for powerTV.
SEMA 2011: Race Star Industries Supports the Weekend Warrior
Posted by
Bobby Kimbrough
on 11/08/11
Comments (0)
SEMA 2011: Royal Purple’s Robust High Performance Street Lubrication
Posted by
Bobby Kimbrough
on 11/07/11
Royal Purple provides engine protection with a robust ZDDP additive package in their new HPS line along with convenient 5 quart packaging for 2012. If that wasn’t enough, the company has developed a 0W-20 low viscosity oil for improved fuel economy.
Edelbrock’s Big Victor 2 spread port manifold is designed for serious race applications only. If you have a large displacement, high revving Big Block Chevy with 24 degree heads, this might be a perfect fit for your next engine upgrade.
We stopped by the Lincoln Electric display to find a few new items that are sure to add another level of versatility to enthusiasts. Their latest MIG welder is sure to make sparks in the community.
SEMA 2011: Edelbrock Adds Vintage To Performer Series Carburetors
Posted by
Bobby Kimbrough
on 11/07/11
Edelbrock adds a choice in finishes to the popular Performer series carburetors. Black anodized or vintage finishes are now available and you still get the Edelbrock quality that you have come to expect. Like Vic says; “Still proudly made in the USA.”
Edelbrock’s new E-Street EFI kit is an economical package that takes you from a carburetor to modern electronic fuel injection without hassles of complicated tuning or wiring. Versatile enough to be the only fuel injection system that your project car will ever need, even if you want to do future engine upgrades.
SEMA 2011: MAHLE’s New Two-Piece Monotherm Duramax Diesel Piston
Posted by
Bobby Kimbrough
on 11/07/11
If you have a tow vehicle or are looking to try an aggressive tune on your diesel engine, you may want to take a look at the new two piece Monotherm pistons from MAHLE.
SEMA 2011: Justice Brothers Bring New Car Vitamins To Tradeshow
Posted by
Bobby Kimbrough
on 11/03/11
The Justice Brother’s line of professional car care products added a couple new items at this year’s SEMA tradeshow. The latest vitamins for your engine are just what the doctor ordered.
SEMA 2011:K1 Technologies Offers Connecting Rods For Stroked Engines
Posted by
Bobby Kimbrough
on 11/03/11
We stopped by K1 Technologies at the 2011 SEMA tradeshow and found some pretty clever solutions for economically building a stroker engine with connecting rods that allow using off the shelf pistons with stroked crankshafts.
SEMA 2011: JE Piston Goes Asymmetrical For Power in Sport Compacts
Posted by
Bobby Kimbrough
on 11/02/11
Not all pistons are created equal, or even with equal and symmetrical sides. JE Pistons has added more than 60 new Asymmetrical pistons to their sport compact line.
Even with the extensive line of gauges offered by Auto Meter, there is always requests for “one off” or a custom style gauges. Now thanks to Auto Meter’s Custom Shop there are over 14 TRILLION combinations of Auto Meter gauges available for you to build.
Cool Tool Tuesday: Unfreeze Your Frozen Nuts With Magnetic Fields
Posted by
Bobby Kimbrough
on 10/18/11
Have you ever tried using magnetic fields to loosen frozen fasteners? Check this cool tool out. The Guys at Induction Innovations have harnessed the power in magnetic fields to produce a controlled heat that can be applied to a specific area. We promise that after you see this, you’re going to want this cool tool.
Thursday Tech Tip: MIG Welding Sheet Metal for Restoration Work
Posted by
Bobby Kimbrough
on 10/13/11
Welding sheet metal can be a tough job, especially with today’s buzz box type welding machines. Thin sheet metal is easy to burn through and can warp quickly, we just found a home video that shows some quick tips to avoid common frustrations. Watch the video here.
Feeding the Engine – Product Review of Holley’s High Flow Fuel Pumps
Posted by
Bobby Kimbrough
on 09/29/11
With mechanical fuel pumps being redesigned to pump more volume at a higher rate than the stock versions of the muscle car era, why would you want to upgrade to an electric fuel pump? We take a good look at Holley’s new billet inline electric fuel pumps in this product review.
We’ve all seen engine bearings and more than likely have taken them for granted. Looks can be deceiving though, the simplicity of engine bearings hides the sophistication of decades of research and development invested into these essential engine components.
Disturbing the peace since 1968, Cherry Bomb is now making noise on Chevy Hardcore and Dragzine
Having recently completed a carburetor shootout between street and race carbs on our Dart small block 440cid “Test Mule” engine, we decided to do a carburetor to EFI upgrade to take a closer look at the differences between the two systems.
The answer to your in depth technical questions might be more available to you than you realize. Imagine sitting down with the likes of Doug Yates, Keith Dorton, Dr. Dean Hill, Ron Shaver, or Gary Stanton. Impossible? It might be easier then you think!
Weld Racing’s RT-S Series Wheels: 10,000 Fitments Can’t Be Wrong
Posted by
Bobby Kimbrough
on 08/24/11
How many times have you been to a car show and seen a beautifully built muscle car with a killer motor, maybe a couple of turbos, flawless paint and absolutely gorgeous in every aspect…until you get to the wheels and realize this brutish car has some really weak knees for wheels? Too many times we’ve [...]
On the surface, the bigger is better thought process seems to make sense. A larger 950cfm race carburetor is bigger and therefore should pump more fuel and air to the engine and make more power. That’s not necessarily the case and we’re going to show you why.
There’s no replacement for displacement and usually there is a price tag to go with those cubic inches. It’s understood that horsepower comes at a price, so the question becomes one of compromise. BBC cylinder heads are a prime area where good money spent wisely can neutralize the price for power trade off.
Cam selection is crucial in producing the most horsepower possible out of your engine. With so many variables and options, we asked the experts the big question: Do you need a custom camshaft to get the most out of your engine?
After an expansion of the shop facility, the powerTV garage gets a much needed upgrade with shop equipment from a company whose roots are in California. BendPak steps in with BendPack two post lift and Ranger tire service equipment.
Our project car gets some help with a weighty issue: Front suspension and steering. Our latest update features a Spohn Performance Pinto manual rack and pinion steering kit, Spohn’s tubular K-member and tubular lower A-arms.
Exhaust systems don’t have to be an afterthought when you’re shoe-horning a massive powerplant into a cramped stock engine bay. Exhaust header master builder Dan Lemons, of Lemons Headers, explains how performance and fit can work together for exceptional performance on the track.
When it came time to pick a transmission for our All Air Camaro project car, we wanted one that would work for serious drag racing and could be mounting behind any engine combination that we could hang in front of it. The GM Powerglide is a tried and true gearbox for the track with its simplicity and toughness.
How To Build Custom Plug Wires With MSD’s Universal Plug Wire Kit
Posted by
Bobby Kimbrough
on 01/10/11
Custom spark plug wires can highlight an otherwise bland engine bay, making an ordinary engine look extraordinary, even in stock vehicles. you can save some bucks and get the look and efficiency of a custom set of wires by doing it yourself – and we’re going to show you how with MSD’s Universal Plug Wire Kit.
RaceQuip had just received the first shipment of their newly designed and approved Snell SA2010 helmets, and just in time to show them at the 2010 PRI trade show in Orlando. We talked with Patrick Utt of RaceQuip about the new helmet and design features.
Laptop computers are becoming more common around racecars, with most fuel injected cars using laptops to make adjustments to their timing and fuel curves. Intercomp saw the opportunity to use this technology in their new PC wireless scale system.
PRI 2010: Crane Cams Mechanical Roller Lifters for Competition
Posted by
Bobby Kimbrough
on 12/17/10
Crane Cams has once again upped their game and brought out another choice for engine builders using mechanical roller lifters. For those looking for something to tame the wildest engine combination, Crane’s Ultra-Pro Mechanical Roller Lifter fits the bill.
PRI 2010: Melling Billet Oil Pumps for Big and Small Block Chevys
Posted by
Bobby Kimbrough
on 12/17/10
Melling oil pumps have been a staple for performance car engine builders for decades, and with their latest release, Melling will probably continue to be a staple in oil systems. Introducing into their Select Performance line of products at this year’s PRI trade show, the Melling Billet oil pumps for big block Chevy and small [...]
If you are too young to have seen the original 409 BBC in action or if you think that the legendary motor is a fable, something along the lines of the Loch Ness monster, then you’re in for a surprise. World Products is releasing a new aluminum block based off of the original W motor.
Piston rings are often taken for granted. Many engine builders simply order whatever set of rings their supplier has on the shelf. The guys at Total Seal Piston Rings don’t take any detail for granted however. They have redefined gapless ring sets with their gapless top ring set.
PRI 2010: QA1 Wireless Remote Adjust System, Camaro & Mustang Struts
Posted by
Bobby Kimbrough
on 12/17/10
Whether you are into drag racing, circle track, autocross, road racing, street rodding or a muscle car enthusiasts, QA1 is a name that you are probably familiar with. With product lines that cover just about every type of autosport in the world, we knew that we had to drop by their booth at the 2010 PRI tradeshow.
At the 2010 PRI trade show in Orlando, we stopped by to see our friends at DUI Performance Distributors to see if there were any new sparks of genius from the sultans of spark. As it turned out, Steve Davis and crew had a few new items for us to check out.
PRI 2010: Ferrea Racing Components’ Brings Some Bang To The 5.0 Ford
Posted by
Bobby Kimbrough
on 12/16/10
With more than six months in development, Ferrea Racing Components has unleashed it’s Ford 5.0 package on the racing and street market. Zeke Urrutia, Director of Marketing at Ferrea, told us, “We’re pretty excited to get involved in this platform.”
Always one of the most popular booth’s at the PRI trade show is the Scorpion Racing Products booth with their robotic arms on display. We took a look at the latest products in their Endurance line of racing components.
Aeromotive has been wildly successful with the A1000 and A2000 series of pumps, and with the 340 Stealth, they appear to be poised to achieve even greater acclaim with the drop in replacement, high performance, in tank pump.
PRI 2010: Wiseco Performance Products, Pistons and Short Block
Posted by
Bobby Kimbrough
on 12/15/10
Wiseco’s Ralph Johnson called us over to their booth at the 2010 PRI trade show so that we could see a few additions to their product line. Johnson was pretty excited about Wiseco’s new 2011 5.o liter DOHC V8 Stroker short block which uses Wiseco and K1 rotating components in a ERL 95mm sleeved block.
One of our favorite stops at any trade show is DJ Safety to see Joe Hansen and his crew. When it comes to driver safety, Hansen always seems to go the extra mile with his products. The latest DJ Safety product on display at the the 2010 PRI tradeshow in Orlando, peeked our interest for the drag racing crowd.
