There is probably a transmission shop in almost every town in the country that can build a bulletproof transmission for American made vehicles. Whether it is a late model Mustang or a 60′s Chevelle, there are lots of aftermarket components and many years of technology available for the transmission rebuilder to utilize.

The same cannot be said for the 4EAT automatic transmissions found in Subaru vehicles. In factory form, these transmissions demonstrate several problem areas that can cause failure in as little as 20,000 miles with a stock engine and even sooner in modified applications.

Poor shift quality, anemic factory components, and above all, improperly configured torque converters plague the automatic transmission equipped vehicle. This is in conjunction with the automatic’s propensity to burn out the high clutch pack (third gear) and the 2-4 clutches (second and fourth gear) with even moderate increases in engine output.

Realizing the need to take import and sport compact automatics to their fullest potential, IPT Performance Transmissions- a New Jersey based company, committed a large portion of their research time and dollars toward improving the Subaru automatic transmission.

First up on the hit parade of internal modifications is the need to address the issue of valve body calibration. The valve body mods are really the foundation of any performance trans rebuild. An automatic transmission utilizes a network of valves, servos, solenoids, orifices, accumulators and passages that control and route hydraulic pressure to the appropriate places to apply the clutches and bands.

Without going into elaborate detail which would fall outside the scope of this article, suffice it to say that modifying the valve body effectively changes the rate of clutch apply and also increases the clamping force with which these components have to work with. This is why shift kits and modified valve bodies produce that firm, performance type shift that increases the transmission’s overall capacity for power handling.

Next, all critical support bushings need to be replaced to insure that the centerline of the transmission runs in perfect alignment with the centerline of the crankshaft. Ignoring this step puts a lot of undue stress on the internal transmission components.

Many of the other parts also such as the pinion shaft, the front differential ring gear and the planetary gearset undergo various metallurgical processes such as heat treating, Meta-Lax stress relieving, and cryogenic treatment (freezing them in liquid nitrogen at -300 degrees Fahrenheit to ‘reset’ the part’s structure on the molecular level).

Lastly, all of the required seals and gaskets are changed to materials that are better able to cope with the heat and stress that is common in high powered applications. Performance clutches and steel reaction plates are installed and their clearances set to much more exacting specifications than those that are used by the factory. Most importantly, IPT utilizes a proprietary six disk high clutch pack and a five disk 2-4 clutch pack which increases the second, third, and fourth gear torque capacity by over 25% versus the factory set up- this is the key to getting a high powered vehicle make a 1-2, 2-3, and 3-4 shift instead of just bouncing off the rev limiter.

As for the modifications outside of the gearbox, the next thing of importance is of course the torque converter. In an automatic equipped vehicle, one of the most important components in the entire car in regards to optimizing performance is a correctly configured converter.

In addition to being made with many strength improvements over the factory piece, a performance converter enables a vehicle to better take advantage of the RPM range at which maximum power is made. In simple terms, a properly designed converter will allow a vehicle to launch under more power by increasing the rpm at which the launch takes place. In essence, a torque converter is an infinitely variable transmission in and of itself, and altering its torque multiplying characteristics becomes absolutely necessary when other variables in the vehicle are changed (bigger turbos and bigger cams).

Even in otherwise stock turbocharged Subaru vehicles, ET reductions of over one full second are not at all uncommon with the addition of a properly configured converter.

Transmission, torque converter and valve body upgrades are not only for American made vehicles anymore. Increased performance, durability and more efficient shifting is now available for the vehicles of almost every manufacturer- thanks in part to the few companies that are willing to do the research and development work required for this rapidly growing segment of the automotive aftermarket.



By: John Lombardo

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Once your new car is delivered in your garage, you would want to see it always new, damage free, and clean. Of course you definitely would also want to always experience excellent driving with it. So why not maintain your car as striking as always while it is still new?

In whatever item, the first thing that people notice about is the outside appearance. In the case of your car, it is definitely the exterior. For your new car to have an ever striking appearance, the best thing to do is to maintain its exterior.

To prevent road salt and acid rain from marking the paint and eating into the sheet metal, apply some coat of wax. Religious waxing every after six months will protect the paint of your car and will surely keep it looking new for several years. Another option is a weekly car washing. As washing a teenager’s face regularly makes her younger looking, weekly car washing also makes your car fresh looking. But see to it that your car will undergo an under car wash section every car washing. This washes away road salt and keeps the car from rusting from the inside. This will also contribute to your car’s better performance because rust free auto parts function well.

If your car happens to be one with a convertible top, make sure the top is clean by applying some convertible top conditioner every six months to maintain its good condition.

Replacing the wiper blades once a year is also a good practice. Wiper refills only cost less. But despite this fact most car owners only replaced them when they start streaking and skipping. Use the appropriate wiper blades for the season to avoid possible wear and tear.

Remember that every part of your car is important. It goes with the saying that all should be clean and in good condition. While it is true the exterior is the first thing that is seen by the people, the interior is also important because it is where you and your family will be seating and that will determine your riding and driving comfort.

Much as you keep the outside part clean, do the same on the interior. On your leather seats, apply some leather dressing once a year to keep them flexible and prevent them from cracking. Frequent vacuuming of the carpets, mats and rags prevents dirt from your interior. Putting some accessories and spraying your desired auto fragrance can also help in maintaining a nice interior.

Other important aspects of your car that go hand in hand are the fluids and the engine. Without it, your car will not run.

In addition, regularly check the fluid levels. See to it that they are up to the full marks and top off your windshield washer fluid. But if it does not reach the exact mark, no need to worry; at least make sure it is nearing the full marks. Also see to it that it will not over flow in the cylinder. And remember that an always low fluid is a sign of leakage.

Try to look around the engine and see if there are any signs of growing problems. You may not know that something is wrong but eventually, you will understand what is normal for your car, and what is not.

Also inspect the tires. Analyze if there are loose parts. The exhaust pipe might already be hanging lower than normal or a piece of body molding is already starting to come off. To know if the car has shocks or struts that are starting to go bad, bounce the corners of the car and if it bounces more than two times, then something is wrong.

By doing this maintenance, you are assured of an always new looking car. And to make sure that your “always new looking car” will really be new looking always, maintain your garage’s cleanliness. Properly store unnecessary things around your car such as the tools you used while repairing it like the carburator rebuild kit and the vacuum cleaner.

Truly, things happen when you least expect them. Before anything gets worst, better prevent the undesirable things. Always maintain your car.



By: Evander Klum

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Recent History of Cylinder Types

The oldest and most common method of cylinder design is a cast iron block that is machined with a cylindrical bore directly from a solid casting. There is also a cast iron block that incorporates a sleeve that is pressed into the iron block. Generally iron block motors weren’t very successful in small engines. Most small engines were used in vehicles and equipment that needed to be light and mobile. This made cast iron blocks undesirable for this purpose. There were a lot of single cylinder motors used in lawn mowers, construction equipment, scooters, small tractors and small motorcycles that used cast iron block motors in the early years. These began to disappear in the 60’s and they were replaced by aluminum block motors with cast-in iron liners. This opened the door for new lightweight motors that could be used in many more applications and in bigger displacements than ever before. This was accomplished by placing a cast iron sleeve into the mold before the molten aluminum was poured into the mold. This made the sleeve an integral part of the cylinder block. The sleeve usually had locking rings or flanges around the outside to prevent it from slipping in the casting as the engine expanded from the heat generated by the combustion process. A major problem occurred often when air pockets would develop during the casting operation around the sleeve. This caused hot spots and often caused premature engine cylinder failure.

There is another type of aluminum block with a cast iron sleeve that wasn’t cast-in; it is installed in the block after casting. The cylinder bore of the aluminum block is machined to 3-5 thousands of an inch less than the sleeve diameter, block is then heated to around 600 degrees Fahrenheit, and the sleeve is dropped in. When the block cools the sleeve is held in place by the interference fit and the flange at the top or bottom of the cylinder. This cylinder can be rebuilt by simply re-heating the block to 600 degrees and removing the old sleeve and replacing it with a new one. Of course the finish bore will have to be machined to size and honed.

Near the end of the last century it was discovered that you could make a mold pattern using a computer aided molding system out of Styrofoam. This made it possible to have precise duplicate patterns of a particular cylinder that you wanted to mold of aluminum.

These are placed in a mold made of sand, molten aluminum is then poured slowly into the mold melting and replacing the Styrofoam pattern. This process is called total loss mold casting. Now all they have to do is a little milling and drilling, plate the bore and hone to size. For the two stroke market the best part of this is the finished product is an identical copy of the original. The factories love this because it just eliminated a whole lot of assembly line workers. No more absenteeism, no health insurance or pensions, and no coffee breaks. As far as the consumer goes they get a cylinder that doesn’t need a lot porting before they can be competitive.

There are a lot of four stroke motors that use aluminum blocks and aluminum sleeves that are plated a variety of hard finishes. These sleeves can be removed and replaced. The replacement sleeve can be either iron or aluminum. If you want an aluminum sleeve it will have to be plated after installing otherwise it won’t be true and round.

There are several types of plating that has been used over the years, and the companies doing plating guard their formulas carefully. The finish in the early years was a simple chrome or hard chrome electro-plating. The plating was generally only a few thousands of an inch thick. If it was more than about ten thousands of an inch thick it was prone to chipping or flaking because of heat expansion and contraction. In the early seventies Electrofusion became popular. Electrofusion was different from electroplating in as much as it was a fusion process instead of electroplating. Next there was ceramic composites and Boron. All of these perform in about the same way as far as wear and durability. Then there was Nikasil. Nikasil was a new plating formula of nickel-silicon-carbide. It was harder than the others that came before it. For years you couldn’t get a cylinder re-plated when you damaged one, the only way to get going again was to buy a new one. Now you can choose from many companies doing their own version of Nikasil.

Now let’s look at a person’s choice of repair or rebuilding methods for their Motorcycle, ATV, Snowmobile, Personal Watercraft, or Outboard. You can have your Nikasil or other plated cylinder re-plated (or some called it re-coated). This includes the composite types.

Or you can have it sleeved with a hardened alloy steel or cast iron (when you add alloys to iron its considered steel). If your cylinder has an iron sleeve already, whether it’s cast-in or not, you’re only real choice is replacing it with another sleeve or a sleeve liner.

Let’s assume you’re an avid racer and race 25 weekends a year, you’re going to need a rebuild of your cylinder by the end of the year no matter what type cylinder you have. If it is a plated type cylinder you have three choices. 1- buy a new cylinder for $500-600 for the top end and expect to do the same next year. 2- re-plate it for about $300-400 with piston kit and gaskets and figure on doing it again next year. 3- have it sleeved for about $250-350 with piston kit and gaskets and next year have it bored (most models) to the next size for about $55 plus piston kit and gaskets.

A properly sleeved cylinder will perform as well as any plated cylinder. A properly sleeved cylinder is one that has the proper interference fit, proper pre-sleeve bore finish, accurate flange machining, and sleeve made from the proper alloys. The most popular sleeve is the Moly 2000 chrome-moly iron. The proper boring and honing to match the piston clearance requirements goes without saying.

Pros and Cons

Re-Plated Cylinder Bore

Pros

• Small advantage in heat transfer

• Slightly better wear factor

• Somewhat lower co-efficient of friction

• Weighs a few ounces less

Cons

• Costs slightly more

• Can’t be bored when damage occurs

• More fragile

• Can flake and peel

Iron Sleeved Cylinder Bore

Pros

• Costs less

• Boreable for future over sizes

• Honeable to keep bore true and proper ring seal

• Can be worked with common tools

• Can be replaced when needed

Cons

• Slightly slower heat transfer

The Bottom Line

Both systems perform equally well when professionally done, so it really comes down to economics. You can expect a sleeved cylinder to give more life for the money. Re-plated cylinders are as close to original as you can get. So if you’re happy with your OEM plated cylinder you should have it re-plated. If not have it sleeved by a company that has the reputation, experience, and warrantees to protect your investment. http://kustom-kraft.com



By: Thomas C Schueneman

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Summer is here and that means many men and women will be spending more time out on the links exploring new as well as familiar courses and improving their game along the way. Just as golfers get a workout each day of play, so does their golf cart. Golf carts work hard for us. They do, however, need some basic care to ensure they will last for several golfing seasons.

Golf cart maintenance is made simple when simple things are checked and cleaned often and regularly. By setting a schedule for check-ups and doing some basic clean-up and study of your small engine vehicle, your golf cart will last for several golf seasons.

Create A Maintenance Schedule

Keeping your golf cart in good working order can be accomplished by giving some of its basic functions a simple weekly check-up. If you golf every day, you may want to consider checking items more frequently. The objective of setting a maintenance schedule is to help you remember to give the cart time and attention on a regular basis.

Below are some basic items that should be checked during a regular weekly maintenance schedule.

Clean The Battery

Dirt can have an impact the usability of a golf cart. Dirt, dust and grass do not hurt but they can interfere with the battery connections leaving the cart under-powered. Spilled battery acid has the same affect. Cleaning the top and sides of the battery along with the cart itself is important to the long-term life of the cart as well as its day to day performance.

Water Levels

It is important that you check the electrolyte water levels in each cell of the batteries because the leaded plates in the battery must be submerged in order for it to work properly. Check the water levels weekly and refill them as needed using distilled water. The owner’s manual will indicate how full the cells should be for your golf cart model. Take the appropriate safety precautions when doing this by wearing gloves and goggles.

Connection Check

Again, a golf cart runs on the power of several batteries that work together through connecting cables. These cables should be checked weekly for corrosion or debris. The connections and the battery caps should also be tightened if needed. Damaged connectors can be change by yourself or you can take it in for professional repair. Keeping these connections in quality condition is vital to keeping a golf cart running smoothly and at its top performance potential.

Beyond Weekly Maintenance

Golf cart owners should also plan a major check-up every three months. The golf cart’s break system, suspension, engine and tires can be thoroughly looked at, cleaned and fixed as needed during these visits. Conducting these thorough checks a few times a year and before a cart is put away for the winter will help catch any major functionality problems early to better save you time and money.

Golf carts work hard for us every year. They also make the sport of golf a little more fun. Take some time to help ensure that you golf cart lasts as long as you need them.

~Ben Anton, 2008



By: Ben Anton

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Mike Tredway of Lebanon, Missouri has spent the better part of his life as an over the road truck driver. He knows the highways and back roads of our great United States and Canada like the back of his hand. Whats more so, is that he also spent many years working on these big rigs and then later he began rebuilding cars and trucks that had been wrecked.

One look at Mike, and 10 minutes into any conversation with him, you will immediately peg him as a trucker. His real passion, however, is building Peterbilt Pick-Up Trucks. Meshing together the chassis of full size pick up trucks such as Cheverolet,Dodge,Ford and GMC with the bigger dogs such as Peterbilt,Freightliner,Mack, etc., is the perfect blend for Mike. His experience and love for trucks, big and small has helped to create a true work of art.

Where does one start when contemplating such a task as building a “little big truck?” The chassis is the first place to start. Mike can start with a regular chassis, super-duty or what ever and add the motor of your choice, suspension, transmission and most importantly…the cab of what ever big rig you choose.

The first truck he built, he didn’t cut down any on the size of the cab. The finished product was beautiful but the lines of the body didn’t suit him. It was too obvious that it was two different vehicles put together to make one.

Mike is somewhat of a perfectionist, and realizing how this truck looked just didn’t set well with him. He decided there would have to be some subtle modifications made to the cabs of the big trucks in order for them to match the lines of the pick up truck beds/wheel wells, etc.

Since that first inseption, he has grown and developed his process of building Peterbilt Pick-Up Trucks to the point that they look like they could have been built in Detroit. But one closer look to the custom interiors, paint jobs, wheels, stacks and his favorite 502 Crate Motor, and you can see there is nothing ordinary about these pick up trucks.

Each pick up truck that is built starts with an indepth conversation with the potential buyer. Mike likes to get to know the customer so their wants, dreams and desires regarding their Peterbilt Pick Up Truck can be incorporated into the build to make it truly a custom, one of a kind rig.

Contact is usually made via e-mail over the internet after someone has visited his internet site. There you can see pictures of the first one built. It of course was the very first one befor he decided the lines didn’t fit just right.

Mike then likes to meet (if possible) with the customer and goes over things like weather they want a Chevy, Ford, or Dodge chassis. Then they discuss the size of the engine, transmission, suspension, etc. After that a price quote is given to the customer and half is due at the time of order with the balance due in full upon delivery.

The pride and care that goes into these Peterbilt Pick-Up Trucks shows up in his shop as well. The 40X80 shop is almost as spotless as what you see on TV watching someone like Boyd Cottington. He is very organized and detail oriented. It’s just himself and his son that built these rigs so it takes about 160 days from start to finish and I can guarantee you he knows where every wrench, nut, bolt, screw,jack and lug nut is at in his shop.

This little shop is probably one of the best kept secrets in his community. Peterbilt Pick-Up Trucks are a custom and very unique vehicle which is also why they are considered a high end luxury vehicle. Not everyone can afford them. Which is probably a good thing because if everyone could, Mike would never get a break to rest.

Now as far as a fiberglass kit is conserned…need I say more? You get what you pay for. Even though I’m a car kind of lady, I want one of these Peterbilt Pick-Up Trucks.

By: Holly Hendrick

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