Cracked block? There aren't many two-word combinations that send a shiver up a car guy's spine. In most cases that means the block is DOA, and it's worth its weight in scrap only. Sometimes there is ...

Those who want to fully customize their car might wonder if they can paint their engine block's lifter valley. Are there really no downsides to it?

Whether you're spinning your very first set of wrenches or tuning engines for a Pro Stock team, there's no denying that the beginning of any engine buildup is the cylinder block. Let's review its ...

Cylinders aren't the only feature that contribute to an engine's energetic output, but for good reason, they're the one we've settled on as shorthand. While it's just as accurate to say Corvettes have ...

When you find yourself in need of a new engine for your vehicle, you'll likely end up buying a remanufactured engine instead of rebuilding it or having it rebuilt. That decision depends on the type of ...

Hot rodders played with blocks as kids, and still play with them as adults. This vast level of experience notwithstanding, enthusiasts often insist on monkeying around with production blocks. They ...

For generations of American car enthusiasts, the argument over small-block versus big-block V8s has stood in for a broader debate about what performance really means. Displacement and physical size ...

A lot of people were celebrating when white smoke over the Vatican meant there was a new pope in town -– and that included plenty of gearheads with great ideas about what the new guy should use as his ...

Magnesium has found use in the broader automotive industry since the 1920s for a variety of applications, ranging from chassis to powertrain construction. Many vehicles utilize magnesium and its ...

Brian is a published author who has been writing professionally for a decade in politics and entertainment, but found his calling covering the automotive industry. His love of cars started at an early ...