Speedway Racing Engines Shop Tour
On Day Four of Racer Appreciation Week, the Speedway Motors team pays a visit to the Speedway Racing Engines shop, and gets a tour of the facility, learning a bit about what the team does to turn out quality racing engines.
The video starts with meeting Zach, one of the engine specialists. Zach starts by showing us one of the Stewart balancers used to make sure the rotating assembly you purchase is up to their standards. He also shows us a small workstation where the complete heads are assembled should you choose to purchase a set that are ready to bolt on.
Zach then takes us up to the main machine shop, starting with the cylinder head room, where usually one employee puts together a head at a time. They have the ability to do valve jobs, replace valve guides, and they also can reface valves, titanium and stainless as well.
Next on the tour is the assembly room, where the complete engines are built and tracked. Currently in progress are three different engines, one being a USMTS engine, another a 360 Sprint engine, and the last (but not least) is a specialty 512 inch Chrysler motor one of the in-house engineers is building as a standing mile car.
In the main machine area, they have a rod and piston machine, making sure that the parts they have are correct to the needs of the build. Next to the rod shop is the cylinder hone, where every block in the door resides for a bit. They’ve developed a special process for honing that is proprietary to the engine shop. They also have a surfacer, to ensure that both heads and blocks are set to the correct deck heights and capacities.
Speedway Racing Engines has two dyno rooms, one is empty right now. The other is playing host to an LS7 being tuned for the 1971 Camaro of Team Speedway, piloted by Al Unser, Jr. Holley stopped in to help dial in some settings to help Al pull the most out of the engine. You even get a chance to hear that beefy LS7 roar to life and purr like a kitten, albeit a large, powerful kitten. What a way to end a shop tour where some great racing engines are built!
For more information on the various services Speedway Racing Engines has to offer, visit them online by clicking here.