Understand the “magic” of how optimized camshafts extract the most performance from every engine component, eliminating valvetrain guesswork.
Camshafts are the coach and conductor of any four-stroke engine from early flatheads to modern Formula 1. Performance engines are amazingly sensitive to how and when the valves to the combustion chamber open and close. The valvetrain configuration and flow characteristics may change significantly between applications, but the fundamental principles are universal. This allows the language, setup, dynamics, energy, and pressure aspects of a valvetrain to be covered in a way that is just as useful for optimizing a sub-15-hp go-kart engine as it is on a 500-plus-hp street engine or modern 1,500-plus-hp NHRA Pro Stock engine.
In High-Performance Cams and Valvetrains: Theory, Technology, and Selection, farm-kid-turned-physicist Billy Godbold combines his quarter-century of experience with valvetrains at Comp Cams, Lunati, Crane Cams, and Edelbrock with the techniques he uses with professional teams in NASCAR, the NHRA, road racing, dirt-track racing, offshore racing, and land speed racing. He guides you to think about any valvetrain system with his perspective. Often lighthearted and filled with analogies, this book endeavors to make complex concepts easy to understand without watering down important details.
Specific configurations and applications are covered, providing techniques and examples for optimizing camshafts and the valvetrain around intakes, headers, superchargers, turbochargers, fuels, carburetors, and modern EFI applications. If you are planning or building a performance engine, or if you just want to know the science behind how cams and valvetrains work, this book is an indispensable resource.
1994 was a watershed year for F1 in so many ways, the fatal accidents of Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna shook the sport to its core. What followed was mayhem. For the first time all the arguments are painstakingly examined in one book. Fresh insights, exclusive interviews, and a plethora of evidence is brought together in a story that is guaranteed to amaze and shock.
This book is a thorough examination of a turbulent season, including…
′ Rushed car changes
′ Teams unhappy with how the crisis was managed
′ A power struggle for control of the sport
′ Vague rules being exploited
′ Accusations of politically motivated penalties
′ An alleged cover-up after a horrific pit-lane fire
′ A controversial conclusion
It also saw Michael Schumacher and Benetton first emerge as championship contenders, upsetting the establishment. Many believed their sudden rise was down to cheating, whilst others felt they were scapegoated because of politics. For the first time all the arguments are painstakingly examined in one book. Fresh insights, exclusive interviews, and a plethora of evidence is brought together to give the clearest analysis yet into the above events. The book contains over 250 photos which help bring this story to life, many of which are rare and from those involved.
There are exclusive contributions from former F1 driver Mark Blundell, Benetton insiders: Willem Toet, Frank Dernie, Simon Morley (the “junior employee” blamed for the Hockenheim fire). Williams’ insiders Paul West and Richard Wise. You will be astonished at what is unearthed. 1994 was tragic, chaotic, political, technical and involved some very colorful characters at the heart of the action. It’s a story that will amaze.
′ Did Senna hear illegal traction control on Schumacher’s Benetton at Aida?
′ Concealed launch control was later found on Schumacher’s Benetton. Why?
′ Was the Hockenheim fire caused by Benetton removing their fuel filter?
′ Despite pleading guilty, why did Benetton receive no serious punishments after the fire?
′ Schumacher was banned / disqualified from a quarter of 1994 races due to various infringements. Politics or cheating?
′ Did a return to simpler cars contribute to the accidents?
The book seeks to answer these and many more questions.
Jack Warner was the son of an Alaskan bush plane pilot. He shot out his TV when he was ten. Uncle Kenny taught him to make Old Fashioneds in the 5th grade.Jack learned to fly at twelve, braving storms, crash landings and wild animals to save lives. After crashing on a snowy glacier, he rebuilt the broken landing gear with bailing wire and duct tape.As an Air Force fighter pilot, he witnessed U.S. pilots being shot down over North Vietnam out of reach of our rescue helicopters. After scamming general’s jeeps and golf carts to get suspension parts, he built a bush plane. He rescued a downed pilot but the second one was killed. Urged to continue by a U.S. soldier who escaped from a Vietcong prison camp, he kept going. After rescuing 21 pilots, he earned the moniker, “Black Jack” Warner. After retiring from the Air Force, he headed for the good ‘ol USA. On the way home, a high stakes poker game in Hawaii changed his life. As a new private pilot, he flew celebrities, delivered priceless jewels and one of a kind collector cars. Jack piloted a TV news airplane but ended up crashing into the station’s helicopter.Warner bought “mothballed” planes and brought them back to life to start an air cargo business. Jack’s staff of “moles” went dumpster diving to get valuable intel info on competitors. Guerilla tactics like these helped him become the largest cargo carrier in the world.Jack once volunteered to fly a water dropping airplane, saving the lives of eight firefighters. But, he was the most proud of rescuing five Americans from Iraq, right under Saddam Hussein’s nose.His career of a never ending trampoline of ups and downs kept his life anything but boring.
Jimmy Sills enjoyed a spectacular career that spanned some of the most exciting times in sprint car racing and carried him to the Hall of Fame. Life With Luke tells the story in Jimmy’s unique, entertaining style.
Jimmy began his career as a fast and exciting rookie in his native Northern California. In due course he hit the road, following a tough and demanding schedule from coast to coast.
Jimmy’s life has been filled with adventure and excitement, and that’s what you’ll find on every page of Life With Luke. His travels led him down every road, encountering characters and situations never to be forgotten.
Sprint car racing, USAC Silver Crown racing, the Jimmy Sills School of Open Wheel Racing, Australia, New Zealand…it’s all in here. And oh yes…Buckwheat and Luke Warmwater (from Hot Springs, Arkansas!) are in here, too.
Life With Luke is a complete story of a racing life. Highs and lows, laughter and tears, it is filled with emotion from the opening page until the finish.
If you enjoy racing, you will LOVE this book. Here you’ll find the stories that Jimmy has previously only shared with his closest friends, and now he’s willing to share with all of us. Some are hilarious and some are tragic, but ALL are interesting. Most of all, you’ll never forget…Life With Luke.
Your step-by-step guide to restoring a Mazda MX-5/Miata
An easy to follow guide to restoring a classic Mazda MX-5/Miata – the world’s favourite small sports car. This book takes you step-by-step through choosing a project car, looking the car over, planning the restoration, and buying parts and tools to perform the work. The comprehensive text is fully supported by high-resolution photographs, guiding you through stripping the car down, cutting out and repairing rust, restoration of interiors, replacing the hood, refurbishing the underside of the car including the floor pan, suspension, brakes, undersealing, reassembly, replacing the cam belt and waterpump, replacing engine seals and gaskets to cure common leaks. It also provides a guide to handy upgrades as you go along. Whether you are looking to restore to original condition or build an out-and-out track weapon, the techniques described in this book will assist you in getting the right base to start with. The book is based on an actual restoration of a vehicle carried out by the author, with before and after shots.
Iconic, aluminum-bodied Airstream trailers have been around for 85 years–get the full story in this photo-rich book.
Airstream is America’s best and oldest manufacturer of travel trailers, and those retro silver coaches are iconic on America’s highways. Representative of the age-old desire to explore, these trailers are unmistakable in design with distinctive aerodynamic rounded lines and an aluminum outer skin. Airstream: America’s World Traveler celebrates the eight decades since the first Airstream graced America’s highways.
Airstream chronicles the fascinating history of Airstream trailers through a detailed history, stories, and beautiful photography. Although its roots stretch back to 1926, the first Airstream-brand trailers were introduced in 1936, just as America was emerging from the dark days of the Great Depression. Of the 400 travel-trailer manufacturers of that era, only Airstream survived. Dubbed the “Airstream Clipper” after the first trans-Atlantic seaplane, the 1936 Airstream featured a unique lightweight aluminum body that cut down on wind resistance, improved fuel efficiency, and made for easier towing. It slept four, carried its own water supply, was fitted with electric lights, and cost $1,200. The Airstream provided travelers with a way to see the world at their leisure and in solid comfort. It was the perfect vehicle for a country emerging from a long struggle.
In the eight decades since that first Airstream, the company has produced some of the finest trailers in the world and gained a worldwide reputation as the Rolls-Royce of travel trailers. The Airstream story is one of travel, adventure, and memories that last a lifetime.
Fire apparatus aficionados Walt McCall and Matt Lee, have assembled these beautiful photographs to illustrate the wide range of body designs used on the classic Seagrave chassis.
See all kinds of Classic Seagraves, ranging from wide-open doorless cab models with sporty one-piece fold-down windshields, to radically streamlined completely enclosed Safety Sedan bodies. This design was utilized for virtually every type of fire apparatus – pumping engines, aerial ladder trucks of both the straight frame and articulated tractor trailer type, city service ladder trucks, quadruple and quintuple combinations, and special units like rescue squad trucks and hose trucks.
The classic Seagrave is timeless. Its distinctive waterfall grille is widely regarded as a high mark in the 20th Century American fire engine builder’s unique art. If you’re a fire apparatus enthusiast, you’ll want to add this book to your collection.”
