Day Four AMSOIL EMC Winds Toward Close

What a week it's been. 38 teams of builders have been putting their engines through the paces and we're down to the last three runs. Right this minute Hot Heads Research is getting their Mopar hooked onto the dyno, tightening and tuning. On deck in the other dyno cell is Judson Massingill from the School of Automotive Design. The final contestant of the day will be last year's winner Jon Kaase of Jon Kaase Racing.

Tonight there will be an awards banquet for the builders while the top six engines remain locked in quarantine, untouchable till rolled out for the final day's runs tomorrow. Two teams will receive checks for $1,000 courtesy AMSOIL for highest torque and highest horsepower of the week. But tomorrow is the big prize... The numbers will tell the story.

We asked one of the students, Craig Buckets, to tell us a little about this school that hosts the AMSOIL Engine Masters Challenge, University of Northwestern Ohio. "We have an automotive program, a diesel program, an alternative fuels program and then we are actually back right now in the high performance program. I’d say right now we’ve probably got somewhere between 1,000-1,500 kids in the high performance area. We do just about everything as far as even in the high performance building. We do stuff like wiring stereo systems, pinstriping and airbrushing, anything involving power trains, engines, transmissions, rear ends, high performance steering & suspension set ups. We do welding, fabrication, chassis work, whatever. We’ll teach you how to mill stuff. The amount of equipment that we have here definitely helps us keep busy."

"This is just a great experience for the students. We get to talk to a lot of these engine builders and hopefully they will impart some of their knowledge to us, it’s just what you can squeak out of them. It just depends on what some of these guys are into. Some of the stock car racers are a little more into chassis building and getting all your steering stuff set up and they are not quite into the engines. Then we have other guys that are into doing engines and transmissions and all that drive train stuff."

Many of the instructors told us how really wonderful this experience is for the students, even beyond these walls. For example, last year's winner Jon Kaase stopped at the UNOH booth last year at the PRI Show to visit with the students. He then took them for a walk around the show floor and gave them insights into all the various things going on, sharing lessons with the appreciative students there.

Just a few minutes ago the Hot Heads teams got some rum luck as detonation caused two head gaskets to blow, with sparks flying and a a lot of excitement in the room. As we entered the dyno cell, was could see water pouring out in a stream... and Dan Miller's crew ended with a DNF. A dramatic moment here as the last two teams set their sights on pushing two more engines out of quarantine.

Oh no. Judson Massingill's Ford engine failed to run its paces. Never even got to run a pull. They're bummed. Two DNFs in a row. We're down to one final competitor, last year's champion... and we're setting up. Nothing is wholly predictable, however, and no one is taking anything for granted.

Till next, from UNOH and the AMSOIL Engine Masters Challenge.

AMSOIL Engine Masters Challenge Is Firing On All Cylinders

We're here at the University of Northwestern Ohio for the AMSOIL Engine Masters Challenge presented by Popular Hot Rodding. It's an experience unlike any other. Forty engine builders from around the country bring their engines for a head-to-head dyno shootout with the ultimate build going home with the title Engine Master. It's King of the Hill and Super Bowl all rolled into one week, four solid days of dyno runs and one more day for the six finalists. But don't let the time frame deceive you. These teams prepare all year, constantly studying the finer points of the rules in order to see how and where each one can get their edge.

Fords, Mopars, Chevys, big blocks and small bocks, Fuel Injected and old school motors all compete on identical dynos under identical atmospheric conditions. Many competitors are simply here for the adventure, but others only have their eye on the prize.

The scale of the event is itself enormous as technical staff are flown in from various parts of the country to work alongside the Univerity technical experts. Students also assist in the process, helping uncrate, assemble, hook engines to dynos. All of it gives these young people an incredible opportunity to gain new insights into how to enhance performance on internal combustion engines.

The process runs like this. Engines are unloaded into the staging area in another part of the building. The crated engines are uncrated, placed on cradles on dollies. At the appointed time, each team’s engine is rolled to one of the two dyno cells where the engines are hooked up. No one is inside the room when the engine is run through its paces, watching the activity through a large window with shatterproof glass.

Dyno operator Sidney Bonnecarrere ensures that every run gets loaded and pushed through identical paces from 2500 rpm to 6500 rpm. Bonnecarrere does all the throttle work on all the dynos throughout the week with a detached objectivity. Each builder team and EMC staff watch from the control room where the measurement equipment spits out data.

After three warm up pulls, teams have three minutes to study the data, then fifteen minutes to make adjustments. When the allotted time is up, three more dyno pulls are completed and the numbers are final.

In another space there is a locked room where the top six qualifying engines are placed so that they remain untouched until Friday’s runoff. The first six engines may have been put in there Monday, but as scores mount, new engines are set in quarantine and other engines removed. Thursday night, there will be only the top six engines in this room, under lock and key till the next morning.

The competition director is Wesley Roberson of West Monroe, LA who has served with the NHRA since 1968. According to Ed Zinke, publisher of the performance group of magazines with Source Interlink, this competition is significantly different from timed engine building events. To see day by day action and constantly updated results, visit http://www.popularhotrodding.com/.

AMSOIL is represented this week by technical manager Len Groom and director of advertising Ed Newman.

Last NSRA Nationals Event of 2010

This weekend marks the final event for the NSRA Nationals events of 2010. Tampa, FL will host the 23rd Annual Southeast Street Nationals Plus at the Florida State Fairgrounds. Over 1600 pre-1980 specialty vehicles will be on display over the weekend, the largest automotive event in this area. Street rods, customs, pick-ups, restored muscle cars and more will be on hand to show how hugely popular this market is.

NSRA events offers more than just a view of spectacular cars. Drawing people of all ages, there is something to do for the entire family. The Women’s World arts and crafts show, model car display, vintage swap meet and trade show, plus games for the young and old alike ensure everyone in attendance has a great time. Don’t miss the Circle of Winners awards area on Sunday to see which cream of the crop vehicles take home an award.

What:
23rd Annual Southeast Street Rod Nationals Plus

When:
Friday October 8 8:30AM-5:00 PM
Saturday October 9 8:00AM-5:00 PM
Sunday October 10 8:30AM-2:00 PM

Where:
Florida State Fairgrounds
Tampa, FL

Cost:
Adult $14.00
Child 6-12 $5.00
5-Under Free
Discounts available to NSRA members, Military personnel, Senior Citizens & UPS workers with valid ID

AMSOIL Joins Forces with Deer & Deer Hunting TV

Fall is now upon us, and with it comes the start of the hunting season millions of enthusiasts wait for all year. This summer AMSOIL increased its visibility in the hunting market by becoming a sponsor of Deer & Deer Hunting TV. Deer & Deer Hunting also produces a high quality magazine and holds a strong online presence. Founded in 1977 by avid hunters, Deer & Deer Hunting has become the go-to place for hunters seeking to perfect their craft.

AMSOIL not only has lubricants for guns, we also take care of the ATVs and UTVs as well as the food plot equipment many deer hunters use.

The 2010 Deer & Deer Hunting television season kicked off with footage of publisher Brad Rucks taking a nice buck in Kentucky, bringing motivation to the team from the start. Be sure to tune into the Versus Network to catch this season of Deer & Deer Hunting TV, and let AMSOIL help you have a successful season. Check www.deeranddeerhunting.com for full details and schedule.

You can also follow the D+DH team on Facebook.

PHOTO: Executive producer Chris Hermans captures footage of an exchange between editor Dan Schmidt and hunting enthusiast Ted Nugent. Ted discussed ethics and the future of hunting in his standard tell it like it is style.

2010 Top Truck Challenge Now Airing on Outdoor Channel

The editors and publishers of Four Wheeler Magazine are into torture. That is, they spend eleven months of every year trying to dream up ways to torture vehicles in the annual Top Truck Challenge in Hollister, California. It has been described as a week of organized chaos, and it turns ordinary off roaders into heroes when they simply survive this grueling experience.

The Outdoor Channel is currently airing the Top Truck Challenge, beginning last Monday and going for the following several weeks at 7:30 EST. If you want to check it out, here's a link to their schedule. Or contact Four Wheeler Magazine to get the whole spectacle on DVD.