tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81213642009-02-09T19:32:21.246-05:00Technical Column by Don TerrillDon M. Terrillnoreply@blogger.comBlogger82125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8121364.post-1141098391638680122009-12-31T22:36:00.000-05:002008-01-08T19:49:12.936-05:00

My name is Don Terrill and you're reading the ONLY hardcore racing blog on the web. If you like the content here, you'll love my free hardcore newsletter - sign up today - 20,000+ racers can't be wrong.

Don M. Terrillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8121364.post-82633231782907755162009-02-09T19:30:00.000-05:002009-02-09T19:32:21.254-05:00

Recession Proof Horsepower By Don Terrill (c) - www.RacingSecrets.com Does the news media have you all wigged out about the economy? Are you looking to cut costs, but still need your racing fix? Well, you can't race for free, but you sure can be smart about how and where you spend your money. Build Affordable Horsepower: Only Build What You Need - The vast majority of racers will build their

Don M. Terrillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8121364.post-27080666180910647042008-11-17T16:15:00.003-05:002008-11-17T16:32:35.948-05:00

Racing Project Management By Don Terrill (c) - www.RacingSecrets.com If you're serious about racing you need to keep all of your data in one place - a project management folder if you will. Every single engine I've done has had one. Here are some of the things I've kept in my engine folders: Build Sheet - All the engine specs like bearing clearance, etc.Part Numbers - All of them Product

Don M. Terrillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8121364.post-66755269492552426292008-10-08T11:42:00.001-04:002008-10-08T11:43:39.812-04:00

"Best of the Best" - Raceology.com Gets 5-Stars! posted by Don Terrill Alltop.com has been one of my favorite sites for awhile now. I noticed the other day that they had added a section on auto racing. I clicked on the link expecting to see all the usual players like espn and nascar. They were both there, but then I noticed sites that I'd never heard of - interesting sites. Then, as I scrolled

Don M. Terrillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8121364.post-6151833612896851722008-08-20T01:26:00.002-04:002008-08-20T01:30:37.793-04:00

Gooseology and Lessons for Auto Racing By Don Terrill (c) - www.RacingSecrets.com Living in Michigan I get to see plenty of Canadian Geese. As most know, they fly in a V formation and make a lot of noise during flight. Just dumb animals right? Well, maybe we can learn something from them. Observations: Aerodynamics - Like water running downstream, they naturally find the path (in this case

Don M. Terrillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8121364.post-62084375033798705962008-07-22T11:29:00.002-04:002008-07-22T11:31:20.670-04:00

Horsepower Maximus - "At My Signal, Unleash Hell" By Don Terrill (c) - www.RacingSecrets.com Russell Crowe's character in the opening scene of the movie Gladiator wins the battle by heavily stacking the deck in his favor via an overwhelming force. We should do the same. I've written in the past about the failings of incrementalism - a method of improving by making small changes on a regular

Don M. Terrillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8121364.post-1139945487795581232008-06-16T09:00:00.000-04:002008-06-17T01:33:33.425-04:00

Horsepower Hide and Seek By Don Terrill (c) - www.RacingSecrets.com More power, it's there, you just have to know where to look for it. Sometimes it's right in front of you and other times you'll find it in the most unexpected places. Look at the Raw Numbers I while back I wrote some software for myself that showed where the piston was located and how fast it was moving. I then overlaid

Don M. Terrillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8121364.post-53918370607255320082008-05-06T14:57:00.000-04:002008-05-06T14:57:03.811-04:00

10 Early Season Power Tips By Don Terrill (c) - www.RacingSecrets.com It's your first time out this year and you're not happy with the results - Your car feels short on power. At this point most racers will go on a witch hunt to find the one item causing the entire shortfall. Rarely is this the case, more often it's 10 little things adding up to one big problem. Here are 10 I see over and over

Don M. Terrillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8121364.post-21274303220238035552008-03-12T16:40:00.003-04:002008-03-12T16:37:56.130-04:00

Last Minute Horsepower By Don Terrill (c) - www.RacingSecrets.com Ok, you're almost finished with your new engine - all the machine work is done and you're ready to assemble. But, you're starting to worry about power - it won't be enough. Now what? Well, this is no time to fiddle with cubic inches, compression or new cylinder heads, but there are still things you can do to help power that

Don M. Terrillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8121364.post-1145852607485461402008-03-12T14:15:00.001-04:002008-03-12T14:18:36.677-04:00

Competing with the "Big Guys" By Don Terrill (c) - www.RacingSecrets.com This will go against how society has taught us to think, but I believe it's dangerous to assume someone else is better or smarter just because of their position or title. I'll even go one step further and say it's dangerous to think that way about anyone, at anytime, on any topic. Use this as your default until you see

Don M. Terrillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8121364.post-17668364776967625532008-03-04T09:54:00.002-05:002008-03-04T14:08:32.211-05:00

2007's Most Popular Racing Posts By Don Terrill (c) - www.RacingSecrets.com Fatal Mistakes.... Indexing spark plugs ?? Micrometer choices???? old school vs modern, can it be done PUMP GAS When does a firing order swap on a SBC become an advantage?? Cam profile in relation to airflow curve Interesting flat tappet pre break-in treatment. power pulses and rpm Rotating weight.....crankshaft....

Don M. Terrillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8121364.post-56788619742784898802008-02-12T22:00:00.000-05:002008-02-12T10:05:40.489-05:00

The Car, It's a Drag By Don Terrill (c) - www.RacingSecrets.com We focus on making more power, but we should also look at what's keeping the power from becoming speed. Frictional Losses caused by Tires: Rolling Friction = Cr * M * G Cr = coefficient of rolling resistance M = total mass of the vehicle with driver G = acceleration due to gravity As you can see

Don M. Terrillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8121364.post-1148595248624155372008-02-12T09:45:00.000-05:002008-02-12T09:45:50.104-05:00

Picking the Right Cylinder Heads By Don Terrill (c) - www.RacingSecrets.com What needs to be decided and in what order: Head Design - It's been a long time since factory 23 degree Chevy heads were your best choice. If cost and rules won't stop you, get wild. Port Size - Manufacturers only advertise the Intake Port volume (cc), but the critical dimension is the area at the short turn - which is

Don M. Terrillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8121364.post-1145198199940025302008-01-09T14:02:00.000-05:002008-01-09T14:01:50.230-05:00

Airflow after Overlap By Don Terrill (c) - www.RacingSecrets.com "I pick up the .300, .400, .500 numbers and the car goes 1 tenth quicker!!!!!!!!!!! and the experts say no!" I received this email from a racer who has spent his entire adult life trying to prove that mid-lift flow is the most important. What I want to know is who is he arguing with? Who ever said picking up mid flow doesn't

Don M. Terrillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8121364.post-1142361933703651412008-01-08T13:42:00.000-05:002008-01-09T16:28:12.835-05:00

AVOIDING Catastrophic Engine Failure By Don Terrill (c) - www.RacingSecrets.com Have you ever noticed there are racers who have engine failures, one right after another? Then on the other hand, there are racers who never have any trouble, ever? Do you think it's luck? Not hardly! Here's how to be a member of group two: (1) Mock-Up I'm amazed how few people test fit engine parts before

Don M. Terrillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8121364.post-35360865818931120732007-07-16T17:10:00.000-04:002007-07-16T18:25:43.178-04:00

Popular Racing Posts from the Past By Don Terrill - www.RacingSecrets.com Quench "flame channels" in piston vs. head quench Port Vanes? HONING procedure DYNO Tails two ring piston experience? Valve/Rocker/Pushrod Geometry Area under the curve Guys I need some advise on bearings How to tell if headers are too small? Discussion: "Porting by Numbers" Darin Morgan Widmer Terms Merged Carb Spacers

Don M. Terrillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8121364.post-1142917192497642022007-02-12T23:58:00.000-05:002007-02-28T15:37:44.471-05:00

Don't Drink the Racing Kool-Aid By Don Terrill (c) Kool-Aid Drinkers - The term was coined in 1978 when 913 members of the People's Temple cult committed mass suicide on the direction of one man - Jim Jones. Today the term is used to describe anyone so committed to a position that they senselessly ignore the facts or any other viewpoint. Areas where racers tend to drink the Kool-Aid: (1)

Don M. Terrillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8121364.post-1135528294708976782007-01-25T11:24:00.000-05:002007-01-25T13:32:05.856-05:00

Horsepower Loss by Don Terrill (c) - www.RacingSecrets.com A large percentage of the energy in each gallon of gas is lost to friction and heat. So, instead of looking at how to increase power, let's look at what's reducing it. Frictional Losses Pistons - Optimization of the skirt design for your application can help minimize piston to cylinder wall friction, but if it comes at the expense of

Don M. Terrillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8121364.post-1148595195655465222006-12-12T13:13:00.000-05:002006-12-12T11:12:33.964-05:00

Picking the Right Headers By Don Terrill (c) - www.RacingSecrets.com Choosing the right Headers has as much to do with making more power as it does with where that power happens - at what RPM. What needs to be decided and in what order: Primary DiameterCollector DiameterPrimary LengthQuestions that need to be answered: Engine Size - More cubic inches = more cfm required. RPM - More rpm = more

Don M. Terrillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8121364.post-1135528522084700662006-11-14T16:07:00.000-05:002006-11-14T16:15:30.836-05:00

Big Power - Focus where it matters By Don Terrill (c) - www.RacingSecrets.com When trying to make more power, it's very easy to waste a bunch of time on things that don't matter. The following lists will help to focus your time and money - Do these first and then consider other areas. Rules may limit some of your options, but these are the biggies. The Engine: Power-Adders - Considered by

Don M. Terrillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8121364.post-1147881743649417562006-06-09T16:33:00.000-04:002006-10-06T17:16:20.950-04:00

Picking the Right Carburetor By Don Terrill (c) - www.RacingSecrets.com Comparing carburetors by their manufacturer's cfm ratings is the number one mistake racers make when picking a carburetor. In the old days it was easy - Holley was the only game in town. Today, with more competition has come more methods for rating carburetor air flow - It has become very hard to compare apples to apples.

Don M. Terrillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8121364.post-1142472108969969642006-05-17T11:55:00.000-04:002006-05-17T11:59:21.813-04:00

Picking the Right Torque Converter By Don Terrill (c)2006 - www.RacingSecrets.com What needs to be decided and in what order: Converter Size - This is physical size of the converter - the outside diameter. Choose too small and you'll end up with too much stall. Choose too large and you'll end up with too little stall or a converter that's very inefficient (high % of slippage). Stator - A

Don M. Terrillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8121364.post-1142471999051896602006-04-14T14:44:00.000-04:002006-04-24T00:16:04.410-04:00

Picking the Right Camshaft By Don Terrill (c)2006 What needs to be decided and in what order:Lobe Family - This is a group of lobes that have similar open/close ramps, but different durations. I truly believe the smartest thing Comp Cams every did was publish lobe specs in the back of their catalog - it instantly made me a fan. Intake Duration - If I had never run a Spin-Tron this would be my

Don M. Terrillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8121364.post-1136757262294460852006-02-20T15:57:00.000-05:002006-02-20T15:56:37.006-05:00

Case Study: Qualifying for Daytona By Don Terrill (c)2006 A few years back a group of local racers came to me to build an engine to run at Daytona - A place they'd never been. "Are they crazy?" Nope, actually Daytona is a great choice when you've got a driver new to the division. Why? Because Daytona requires the use of a restrictor plate that turns a tiger into a pussy cat. For the most

Don M. Terrillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8121364.post-1135527849272690942006-02-14T15:44:00.000-05:002006-02-14T15:45:11.213-05:00

Baseline Power By Don Terrill (c)2006 At the core of every racer is a deep desire to constantly improve performance. This desire, while responsible for many successes, can also lead to unnecessary failures. Sometimes the application just doesn't call for the most power - In that case, fall back on what you know works: YOUR baseline CombinationYOUR baseline CamshaftYOUR baseline Cylinder

Don M. Terrillnoreply@blogger.com