How to Build Racing Engines: Ignition Systems

by John Baechtel

How to Build Racing Ignition Systems is an in-depth instructional guide covering ALL of the tips, tactics, and steps in detail. High-quality educational images are also included for further explanation and understanding.

How to Build Racing Ignition Systems is just one guide in our full series, COMPETITION ENGINE BUILDING.

The needs of a true competition engine are quite different than those of the engine under the hood of a typical commuter car. From the basic design needs, to the base component materials, to the sizes of the flow-related hardware, to the precision of the machining, to the capabilities of each pertinent system, very few similarities exist. Many books exist showcasing how to make street-based engines more powerful and/or durable. These guides are different, in that they focuses purely on the needs of high rpm, high durability, high-powered racing engines. It begins by looking at the raw design needs, and then shares how these needs are met at the various phases of an engine's development, assembly, testing and tuning.

The full series of guides features reviews of many popular modern tools, techniques, products, and testing/data collecting machinery. Showing the proper way to use such tools, how to accurately collect data, and how to use the data effectively when designing an engine, is critical information not readily available elsewhere. The special needs of a competition engine aren't commonly discussed, and the many secrets competition engine builders hold closely are openly shared on the pages here.

Authored by veteran author John Baechtel, Competition Engine Building stands alone as a premier guide for enthusiasts and students of the racing engine. It also serves as a reference guide for experienced professionals anxious to learn the latest techniques or see how the newest tools are used. Baechtel is more than just an author, as he holds (or has held) several World Records at Bonneville. Additionally, his engines have won countless races in many disciplines, including road racing and drag racing."

14 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 8, 2015

About the author

John Baechtel served as technical editor of Car Craft Magazine in the seventies, executive editor of Hot Rod Magazine throughout the eighties and then editor of Car Craft again in the nineties. He was a GM motorsports consultant for ten years and then opened a race engine testing facility for over a dozen years before retiring early to write technical and historical automotive books and manage a growing group of automotive high-performance enthusiast websites.

He is a Bonneville racing veteran, 200 MPH Club Member, International FIA speed record holder and avid collector of land speed record memorabilia and LSR model cars. He builds his own race engines and is the author of a dozen technical books on engine building and race car construction. He enjoys researching and collecting vintage engines and speed equipment.