What is Shot Peening and Why is it Useful?
If you are a long-time MotoIQ reader you probably know we often prescribe shot peening for heavily stressed metal parts. You have probably read about us prescribing the shot peening…
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Tips and How-To
68 posts
Project SC300 Road Racer: Part 33 – A quick, dry break with Radium Engineering
While you haven’t heard from Project SC300 in a minute, it hasn’t been entirely idle. We took the car out to Carolina Motorsports Park last November for some additional testing…
Make Your Own Parts with Shareware CAD and 3D Printing!
Additive manufacturing is a booming industry. Due to advancements in technology, designing and 3D printing your own parts at home is becoming cheaper and easier than ever. You don’t need…
Wrench Tips: Pick the Correct Screwdriver
Wrench Tips: Pick the Correct Screwdriver By Steve Rockwood A spade is a spade and a Phillips is a Phillips, right? Nope. Apparently, there’s more than just matching up the…
DIY Alignment: The Basic Version
One day you have an alignment shop sponsoring you and your car gets set up and rides the track perfectly. The next day you move to the other side…
The Ultimate DIY Alignment Rig
If you’ve been following MotoIQ for a while, you know that Project SC300 has been around for a long, long, long time. If you’ve been paying close attention, you may…
Never Strip a Stuck Screw Again!
How many of you have stripped out Philips head screws? If you work on stuff at all, then you all have and if you say no, you are lying! Well,…
How to Pass The Drift League Pro Am Tech Inspection!
How to Pass Tech Inspection for The Drift League and Other Events! By Mike Kojima As the Technical Director for The Drift League, I was pleased that the quality of…
Wrench Tip: In Defense of Cheap Tools
Wrench Tip: In Defense of Cheap Tools by Matt Brown I have a $400 multimeter in my toolbox. I’m not sure why, but at some point in the recent…
The Tech Garage Low Cost Borescope!
The Tech Garage Low Cost Borescope! by Mike Kojima Just a few short years ago having access to a borescope was a luxury that few racers, engine builders, and…
TESTED: BG Syncro Shift II Gear Oil
Changing out the factory transmission fluid for a higher performance oil is a common solution to reduce the notchy-ness and improve shifting feel. This is especially important in the Getrag…
Wrench Tip: How to Do Your Own Alignment!
When most people hear the word alignment, they think of two things– lasers and alignment racks. There is a preconceived notion that in order to achieve an accurate alignment, you…
Why You Need to Get a 3D Printer!
Why do you need a 3D printer? A better question would be, why haven’t you got one yet? 3D printing has long been hailed as the “next big thing in tech”,…
Wrench Tip: Torquing Unreachable Fasteners
Have you ever looked at your service manual for a torque spec, only to curse, “What the hell were those engineers thinking?” We certainly have, but there is always a way…
Wrench Tip: The Ultimate Oil Filter Wrench That You Need to Buy Right Now!
Wrench Tip: The Ultimate Oil Filter Wrench that You Need to Buy Right Now! by David Zipf Aside from checking tire pressures, an oil change is the most basic automotive…
Wrench Tip: How To Fix a Faulty Key Fob
Wrench Tip: How To Fix a Faulty Key Fob by David Zipf If you drive an older car with keyless entry, you will notice over time that the buttons stop working.…
Wrench Tip: How to Fix a Bumper Cover
Wrench Tip: How to Fix a Bumper Cover by David Zipf Fender benders suck. Even a light knock can craze paint, crack light lenses, and put holes in bumpers. While…
Wrench Tip: Get a Jewelry Cleaner
Wrench Tip: Get a Jewelry Cleaner by David Zipf Cleaning small parts can be a real hassle. If you’re rebuilding, say, a carburetor, with lots of little jets, needles, and…
Wrench Tip: Alternate Bushing Press
Wrench Tip: Alternate Bushing Press by David Zipf I figured this trick out some years ago helping my friend fix his old Fox Body Mustang. It was his first car…
Wrench Tip: How To Remove a Bolt From Plastic
Wrench Tip: How To Remove a Bolt From Plastic by David Zipf I had the recent displeasure of being rear-ended in the Vehicross. Luckily, the accident wasn't too bad (and we…
How to PROPERLY select and size TIRES for PERFORMANCE
How to PROPERLY select and size TIRES for PERFORMANCE by Billy Johnson The most important part of your car is not the engine, suspension, or brakes. It’s the TIRES!!! This…
Wrench Tip: How To Make Diff Oil Changes Easier
Wrench Tip: How To Make Diff Oil Changes Easier by David Zipf Fluid changes are a necessary evil of owning a car. Of all the different fluids in a modern…
Wrench Tip: How To Plug A Tire
Wrench Tip: How To Plug A Tire by David Zipf This article originally ran on a defunct forum in 2010 and eventually made its way onto MotoIQ in April of…
Wrench Tip: Save your Exhaust Hangers!
Wrench Tip: Save Your Exhaust Hangers! by David Zipf Do you have broken exhaust hangers? These little rubber bastards are the bane of my existence working under a car. Between…
Project Viper GTS: Part 2 – General Maintenance
Before thoroughly enjoying the purchase of a used performance car, it’s important for the enthusiast to go through some routine maintenance items. We prepare our 1997 Viper to be driven…
Wrench Tip: Creative Spark Plug Removal
Wrench Tip: Creative Spark Plug Removal by David Zipf When we picked up our Isuzu Vehicross, we knew that mechanically it was in good shape. However we also knew that the…
DRIVER DEVELOPMENT: Learning Processes
DRIVER DEVELOPMENT: Learning Processes by Billy Johnson How do we become better at driving? Practice makes perfect, right? Well not necessarily. Without feedback and direction, additional practice won’t always improve…
Wrench Tip: Why Tire Age Really Matters
Wrench Tip: Why Tire Age Really Matters by David Zipf Dave Coleman told you how to figure out how old your tires are by looking at the date code. He…
Wrench Tip: Cheap Breaker Bar
Wrench Tip: Cheap Breaker Bar by David Zipf The saying goes “you need the right tool for the right job.” Truer words are seldom spoken. But what happens when you…
Wrench Tip: Stop Stripping Screw Heads!
Wrench Tip: Stop Stripping Screw Heads! by David Zipf Say you’re working on your brakes. Your rotors are gouged and worn out and they need to come off. But what’s this? …
DRIVER DEVELOPMENT: Car Control
DRIVER DEVELOPMENT: Car Control by Billy Johnson Braking late, hitting apexes, and powering out of corners: The goal of driving a car quickly requires keeping the tires at their limit…
Wrench Tip – Gapping Piston Rings
MotoIQ Wrench Tip – How to Gap Piston Rings by Mike Kojima Setting the gap on your piston rings is an important step to building an engine that performs at…