News & Updates

FEBRUARY 2003 Barker Joins Inside . . . as Crew Chief for 2003. Robert “Bootie” Barker has been Dave in his first season in our cars,” said Customer Profile: named crew chief for the #77 Jasper Doug Bawel, President, Jasper Engines After Hours Auto Engines & Transmissions Team. Barker & Transmissions and co-owner of the Repair pg. 2 assumed his role after serving two full #77 Jasper Ford. “Barker brings with seasons as crew chief for the #23 Bill him great engineering expertise, but has Davis Racing team and driver Scott also shown an ability to take his engi- A New Deal for a Wimmer in the NASCAR Busch Series. neering skills and apply them to on- Lasting Seal pg. 3 Barker, 31, is a former chassis and track performance with his drivers. In shock specialist for the #24 Hendrick the past years, his cars helped Scott On the Technical Side: Motorsports team for four-time Winston Wimmer challenge for the NASCAR Troubleshooting from Cup Series champion Busch Series championship and win 1980-2002 pg. 4 (1999-2000) and for the #22 Bill Davis four of the last eight races of the season. Racing team and driver We believe he certainly has the ability to (1998-99). He rejoined BDR in fall, take Jasper Motorsports to the next Stump Lewis Wins 2000 as crew chief for Wimmer, then a level.” Truck Challenge for recent graduate of the American Speed For the 2003 season, Barker joins Jasper Motorsports pg. 5 Association (ASA), and flourished in his Blaney and a #77 Jasper Engines & first managerial role, guiding Wimmer Transmissions team that was among the Zach Bawel: to four NASCAR Busch Series victories most improved NASCAR Winston Cup Oh, The Potential! pg. 5 and finishes of 11th and third, respec- programs, finishing 19th in the final tively, in the NBS standings (2000- 2002 WC standings and dramatically 2001) with limited sponsorship support. improving its consistency in its first sea- Associate Sponsor “Every guy in my position wants to son with the former BDR driver. “With Spotlight pg. 7 compete against the best, and this his engineering background and what opportunity to work with the Jasper he’s shown as a winning Busch Series team and Dave gives me the platform to crew chief over the past two sea- race against the best every week in the Winston Cup Series,” said Barker. (continued on page 6) A native of Halifax, Virginia, Barker began his motorsports career working on Late Model Stock Cars for current Busch Series regular Ashton Lewis while still in college. He graduated from Old Dominion University in 1996 Published by: with a degree in mechanical engineer- Jasper Engines & Transmissions ing. Prior to joining the #22 BDR team P. O. Box 650 in 1998, Barker worked as a chassis spe- Jasper, IN 47547-0650 cialist for owner Kurt Roehrig in the Phone: 1-800-827-7455 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Fax: 1-812-634-1820 “We’re excited about being able to Robert “Bootie” Barker, Crew Chief of the www.jasperengines.com add Bootie to our race team, which we #77 Jasper Engines & Transmissions Ford believe made significant strides with driven by . 2 Profile oil level orneedswindshield light bulbout,ablown fuse,low Hours. “Ifacustomerhastail- w child hasdecidedonthetoy they fromthecustomer,information the children. Bythetimewe have our without beingdisturbedby the us abouttheirvehicle problems cial toy, thecustomercantalkto child isbusylookingforthatspe- to keep atnocharge. Whilethe we customer hasachildwiththem, withtoys.showcase Ifthe filled aglass they willfind front office, “When acustomerwalks intoour are ourfamily,” says Jeff Bielarz. tomers’ needs.“Ourcustomers respect andunderstandtheircus- They strivecustomer service. to istheir After HoursAutoService foot facility. vice bays withinthe7,500square To K Bielarz. Theirtwo sons,Jeff and tion owned by JosephandEdith since March,1987. South Laramie,hasbeenopen repair facility, locatedat2934 Auto Repair. Thisfullservice AfterHours Cicero, you willfind facility serving Chicago’s Westernsuburbs. After HoursAutoRepairinCicero, Illinois,isafamily-ownedfull-servicerepair ant. Andeveryone ishappy.” eith, arethetechnicians. gether they operate thefourser- askthechildtopickoutatoy Little thingsmeanalotatAfter thebiggestpriorityat By far After Hoursisafamily opera- In theChicagosuburbof After HoursAutoRepair further theirautomotivefurther education. nars atnearby Triton College to technicians attenddiagnosticsemi- ments oftoday’s vehicles. Their with thetechnological advance- After Hoursinordertokeep up do itonce.” J We ranty, nodefects,” says Bielarz. y and transmissionsforthepastten engines quality remanufactured been aprouduserofJASPER v also driving andbringingtheir is thattheirteenagechildrenare Bielarz. “And what’s even greater coming tousforyears,” says have customersthathave been paid off forAfterHours.“We fear.” ripped off, which istheirbiggest right way, and they won’t get They know thejobwillbedone area always comebackforservice. wh in thepriceoftheirrepairs.Thisis bills. Allthisisalreadyincluded customer forshopsuppliesontheir “There isnoreasontocharge a items freeofcharge,” says Bielarz. w ASPER product,we only have to ears. “Good product, great war-ears. “Goodproduct,great ehicles inforservice.” asher fluid, we take careofthese y customersthatmove fromour Education isalsoapriorityat has After HoursAutoService It’s astrategy thathasobviously know when we installa A New Deal for a Lasting Seal By Raymond King, Director of Marketing for Aftermarket Gaskets, Bearings & Seals, Federal-Mogul Corporation #2, then and now a select engine output. The result is an Raymond King number of Ford teams, including the extremely challenging sealing envi- #77 of Dave Blaney, are relying exclu- ronment – one poorly suited to com- is Director of sively on MLS head gaskets from Fel- posite or graphite gaskets, regardless Marketing for Pro® to ensure the lock-tight seal re- of what some gasket manufacturers Aftermarket quired for a trip to the winner’s circle. might claim. Gaskets, MLS gaskets, which feature multi- “Composite and graphite gasket Bearings & ple solid layers of heat-treated stainless technologies are very effective in a Seals and is steel separated by and covered with a large number of OE and replacement responsible very thin rubber coating, first came applications, but they’re simply not for total cate- onto the automotive scene in the late capable of withstanding the casting gory product management 1980’s as a solution to significant cast- motion encountered in other engines,” in the Americas. His ing motion encountered with lighter- Rosenquist explained. responsibility includes the weight cylinder heads and engine Multiply the dynamic forces of a market-leading brands of blocks. Fel-Pro engineers have since late-model automotive engine by a Fel-Pro Gaskets, National perfected and applied this technology factor of 10 and you’ll understand the Oil Seals and BCA to a broad range of late-model replace- sealing environment in a typical Bearings. Prior to his cur- ment applications through the all-new NASCAR Winston Cup engine. In rent position, Raymond was line of Fel-Pro PermaTorque MLS™ fact, until the mid-1980s head gasket Product Manager for Fel-Pro head gaskets. failures ranked among the leading Gaskets. He started in the “Every new generation of engine durability issues facing NASCAR automotive industry as technology presents a new set of seal- engine builders. That’s when Fel-Pro owner and operator of a ing challenges,” said Fel-Pro Chief entered the performance market and racing engine machine shop Engineer Jerry Rosenquist. “At some developed the first of a series of in Chattanooga, TN. point, you cross a threshold where the advanced head gasket designs engi- Raymond received his BA dynamic forces represented in an neered to seal even the most challeng- from Vanderbilt University engine require a new approach to seal- ing Cup engines. and his MBA from The ing. A significant number of engines “We’ve literally built our reputa- University of Memphis. have crossed that threshold, rendering tion on the racetrack by helping conventional gasket materials and NASCAR teams solve their toughest Up until a few years ago, multi- designs inappropriate from a perfor- sealing problems,” said Raymond layer-steel (MLS) head gaskets were mance and durability perspective.” King, marketing director for the Fel- the exception – a sophisticated solu- The dynamic forces cited by Pro brand. “As a result, we’re always tion for the sealing challenges repre- Rosenquist include lateral and vertical the first call when Cup teams and sented in a select number of light- motion of the cylinder head due to engine OEMs have questions or con- weight yet comparatively high-horse- thinner head and block castings, cerns about engine sealing, and we power engines. reduced clamping forces, higher oper- The “exception” has become far ating temperatures and increased (continued on page 6) more common with the continuing trend toward thinner, lighter block and head castings, increased horsepower per cylinder and reduced clamping loads. In other words, today’s engines are becoming a nightmare for tradi- tional head gasket technologies, including those featuring even the most advanced composite and graphite technologies. The same trend is sweeping the world’s most brutal engine battle- ground — NASCAR Winston Cup racing, where first Dodge, including the Penske Jasper powered cars of Multi-Layer-Steel technology, such as the Fel-Pro PermaTorque™ head gasket is Ryan Newman #12 and expected to dominate the category in the coming years.

3 On the Technical Side: Troubleshooting from 1980 - 2002 By Eric Bakke - JASPER Customer Service ing is available for our Customer problem. You can them compare the Eric Bakke Service Department associates in before and after data to see where the areas they feel they could use more problem lies. It may be a part failure is a 1980 grad- training. or something you overlooked. As uate of Saskat- Working in the Customer Service some of you know, if you do not clear chewan Tech- Department and dealing with our the codes in the computer, it can nical Institute customers, we work to provide good affect the transmission performance. in Moose Jaw, technical assistance and direction of If we have checked the codes previ- Saskatchewan repair. Our staff includes several ous to the repair, we would know if it majoring in was a prior problem. This will save a college graduates, mechanics, and automotive lot of aggravation and time in the former factory associates. If our rep- repair. Eric has been in the long run. automotive field for 22 years resentative cannot answer a product So what does it take to be a great as a business owner, fleet question, the answer can be found on technician? maintenance supervisor, and the factory floor. Sometimes these an automotive machinist. He questions can be as simple as product Be A Good Listener - The techni- nas been with JASPER for information, warranty coverage, or cian/service writer needs to be able to two years. And Eric is ASE just technical information regarding listen to the complaint, and if needed, Certified as a Master Engine a problem a customer is having on a talk one on one with the customer. Specialist, Engine Repair, non-JASPER product. For years we have taken the com- Automatic Transmission and The industry we are dealing with plaint information from the service Transaxles, and Manual is only going to get more detailed. Drivetrain and Axles. writer or manager, sometimes we Our technicians will need more train- need a little more information that can ing, more tools and a lot more expe- As we all know, the automobile be gained from the end user. rience. As the technician matures, he field has changed a lot, from the computer control system of the or she will find his resources and Patience - The technician needs to be 1980’s to the fuel injection on experience will benefit himself at his able to take their time and use their today’s cars. We had no scanners to or her shop. One thing to keep in ability and resources to make a good diagnose if the ECM was command- mind, in this day and age of comput- quality repair. Don’t confuse activity ing correct data of if a sensor was ers, almost all gasoline engines oper- with accomplishment. operating properly. Today, our tech- ate on the same principles. We nicians have the “Continental” of sometimes look over the simple Experience - We would all love to diagnostic equipment. I can remem- things and jump to the most difficult have the technician with ten-plus ber working in a dealership in the issues. years of experience, and the ability to early 80’s and the only tools we had work on anything from a flathead were a dwell meter, and a volt meter Always start with a complaint. to try and diagnose a ‘Check Engine’ Was this the same problem the Ford to the most difficult new car. light. We were also required to first engine or transmission had? But such a technician is hard to find. make the repairs from the shop man- Sometimes, we just need a little So we are left with training. Even the ual with no formal training. The more information from the customer 10+ year guys can learn, even if they only training available was from the on the failure or the symptoms. So don’t always want to admit it. factory, which was not very often. always keep in mind, the customer Today, we have a lot more options in comes first, for you to be a caring Tools - Experience has told us we these areas. technician. need the basic tools, but we also need Here at JASPER, we stress ASE If you use a series of diagnostic some other tools to make our lives testing for all our associates, along aids, you can try to pinpoint the easier. Tools such as scanners, wave- with more advanced training at the problem. You can record data form testers, pressure gauges, and a Federal-Mogul Training Center in St. stream information before a replace- leakdown tester, to name a few. It Louis, Missouri; seminars by Allison ment engine or transmission is Transmissions, ATRA transmission installed or even a simple tune-up is always seems to me, as we see new seminars and many others. JASPER made. This seems like a little extra cars in the shop, they require us to also offers its customers in-house effort, but it will benefit the repair in purchase new tools. We hope clinics for driveability and transmis- case you are having a ‘Check sion diagnosis. Also, in-plant train- Engine’ light or a transmission shift (continued on page 6)

4 Stump Lewis Wins Truck Challenge for Jasper Motorsports Bill “Stump” Lewis, transporter driver for the No. 77 Jasper Engines and Transmissions Race Team, won the Final round and Championship of the 2002 International Truck Chal- lenge at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Lewis, 50, traversed the obstacle course laid out over the high-speed 1.54 mile quad-oval’s frontstretch, pit road, and its internal quarter-mile oval, with the best combination of a fast time and precise maneuvering to overcome 22 other entrants. It was Lewis’ second straight indi- vidual event victory, as he also won the previous round in July at . “It was exciting,” said Lewis, who Bill “Stump” Lewis, tractor-trailer driver for the #77 Jasper Engines & won $25,000 from International. “The Transmissions Race Team poses with his $25,000 check after winning the 2002 way they had the course laid out, you International Truck Challenge. had to go fast, hit your marks (and) try ter’s wedding. and are pretty close, but there’s some not to tear anything up.” “This is a pretty big deal for us truck serious bragging rights involved as “It was real fast. In fact, they said I drivers,” said Lewis. “The best thing well, just between us.” had the rear axle and the trailer off the about this is that it gives you bragging “We’re honored,” says Doug ground when I threw it into one turn, rights for a year and I’ve got them.” Bawel, co-owner of Jasper but it was fun.” “All the transporter drivers are out Motorsports. “Stump and his wife, Lewis, who has driven for here together as a group every week, Cindy, work as a team and are a class NASCAR teams for seven years with going down the road about 70,000 miles act. We’ve known it for seven years, JASPER, said the prize money would a year to get the cars to the track every now the world knows it.” come in handy to pay for his daugh- week. We all look out for each other

Oh, The Potential! by Zach Bawel, JASPER Vice President of Sales reinforced my belief that there are customer about the repairs their Zach Bawel huge opportunities in the automo- vehicle will need in the future. tive repair business. Your customer can then budget for is a graduate AAA stated that there are over these future expenses that he or she of Indiana 4.5 million vehicles on the road will incur to have a properly operat- University today in need of some kind of ing vehicle. with a Bache- repair. These repairs may vary in Remember, you’re the expert. lor of Science their severity, but the point is that Customers are coming to you to degree in even though cars and trucks are provide the solutions to their trans- Finance. He built better today, the motoring pub- portation problems. By providing lic still is in need of quality automo- quality auto repair and great cus- joined Jasper Engines & tive repair. tomer service, your customers will Transmissions in 1987 as a With colder winter temperatures come back to you for those needed sales representative. Bawel upon us, it is more important than repairs in the future. later was named General ever to point out needed repairs to Sales Manager in 1991 and your customers to avoid further was named Vice President of problems or an unexpected vehicle Sales in 2001. breakdown. Are you doing a thorough While watching the news a few inspection of your customer’s vehi- weeks ago, a statement made by the cle? By performing a thorough 1-800-827-7455 American Automobile Association inspection, you can educate your

5 (Barker, continued from page 1) (MLS, continued from page 3) leak paths for coolant and/or combus- tion gasses. sons, Bootie was at the top of my list specialize in solving problems other “Engine professionals trust Fel- when we knew a change was going to brands can’t.” Pro because our products deliver per- be made with our crew chief position,” The Fel-Pro solution for Winston manent sealing solutions for even the said Blaney, who finished third at both Cup teams is an MLS configuration most challenging applications,” King Dover and Charlotte in fall, 2000 in with four stainless steel layers to said. “We do that by developing BDR Busch Series entries as well as allow for lateral and vertical motion materials and designs that address his final WC race for BDR in 2002 at without compromising sealing perfor- each engine’s operating environment Atlanta (qualified a career-best third, mance. The gasket also includes a and by ignoring technologies that led 16 laps before engine failure) with welded “stopper” combustion seal and aren’t up to the challenge. That’s Barker at the helm. fully embossed secondary seal to why Fel-Pro won’t offer composite or “He’s worked with a championship ensure leak-free performance at maxi- graphite gaskets for engine platforms level Winston Cup program in an inte- mum rpms and water temperatures. that were equipped with MLS at the gral position and knows what it takes The gasket’s top and bottom stainless OE level or other applications that to build a program that can run at the steel layers are coated on both sides need MLS to ensure a lock-tight front and win races. That’s what we with a proprietary semi-cured rubber seal.” were looking for with the #77 Jasper coating to maximize combustion and Whether it’s a new Winston Cup team to help move us ahead even fur- fluid sealability. engine or a passenger car application, ther after last season. We worked The gasket’s “active” layers fea- MLS technology delivers essentially together in a few races at BDR and it ture precision-engineered, embossed the same benefits – positive, reliable was easy to see what his potentials beads at all critical sealing areas. sealing in spite of casting motion. were once he got the opportunity to This feature, combined with the full- But while MLS technology is now run his own Winston Cup team. hard stainless steel material, helps the widely available within the aftermar- gasket maintain contact with the head ket, there are significant differences and block and spring back to its prop- between one brand and another. er shape in spite of the brutal pound- From the machinist’s perspective, (Troubleshooting, continued from ing it absorbs. the most important difference be- page 4) “The multiple layers of steel also tween MLS and composite and/or help us maximize the gasket’s graphite gaskets is the required deck manufacturers aren’t in cahoots with strength in applications where clamp- finish. Whereas a composite gasket the tool companies so we will need to ing force is an issue,” Rosenquist might require a 70 to 100 Ra finish, keep buying tools. But if we must, said. “Fel-Pro PermaTorque MLS™ the best replacement MLS gasket then we must. gaskets give racing teams and after- needs a finish of 50 to 60 Ra. Many Reliability - No one likes to resched- market engine builders that crucial OE-style and aftermarket gaskets ule a vehicle to be repaired, thus we extra margin of safety.” actually require a much less forgiving technicians must be there. Available immediately for more finish – approximately 20 to 30Ra – than 30 domestic and import engines, to ensure leak-free performance, but Trust - This goes along with reliabili- new PermaTorque MLS™ head gas- Federal-Mogul has developed an ty. The technician has to respect the kets are engineered to withstand the exclusive semi-cured rubber coating shop and understand he is working increased cylinder pressures, extreme that enables Fel-Pro PermaTorque with a team, and not as an individual. temperatures and constant head-block MLS™ gaskets to seal with finishes We also must build trust with the cus- casting motion encountered in many up to 60 Ra. (Be sure to use a pro- tomer. The best way to do that is late-model engines. Conventional filometer with all MLS gasket instal- through great quality work. gasket materials, including even the lations.) most advanced composite and “A finish of 50 to 60 Ra is very We must keep in mind that our customer comes first, whether it’s a graphite gasket designs, are highly do-able in any well-equipped engine warranty issue or just simple service. susceptible to premature failure in shop,” Rosenquist said. “If you’re these operating conditions. using a rotary broach, contact your Single-layer composite and equipment manufacturer for recom- graphite gaskets are easily damaged mendations on achieving a proper by the scrubbing and/or crushing finish; you’ll probably have to alter forces caused by head-block casting the depth of the cut and feed rate to motion. The result is the creation of get it where you need it to be.”

6 “Associate Sponsor Spotlight” These great companies help us, and we ask you to help them! Trio Provisions OFS Trio Provisions was established in 1996 when Dan OFS is a family-owned corporation located in and Hope Ring founded a new provisions company. southern Indiana. They have been manufacturers of Dan worked for a local provisions distributor from quality wood furniture since 1937, and the official 1988 until 1996. Initially hired as a sales representa- office furniture supplier to Jasper Engines & Trans- tive, Dan held positions of increasing responsibility, missions the past seven years. The company has built eventually becoming Territory Manager. In that capac- their reputation on furniture of the utmost quality and ity he was accountable for the sales function and new style, offered to their customers at an incomparable business development. value, and with service that exceeds their customers’ The decision to establish Trio was based in part on expectation. OFS has always been a community ori- the Rings’ desire to capitalize on Dan’s training as a ented company. Their belief is that their customers, butcher and Hope’s flair for customer service. employees, the community, and the work environment Located in East Texas, PA. (Allentown, PA./ metro- are at the heart of their business. politan Lehigh Valley area) Trio recognized a need in OFS is different from most other furniture manufac- the market to fuse “meat know how” and people skills. turers. A private, family-owned company whose histo- Philadelphia style cheesesteak meat, chicken ry is steeped in the rich furniture making tradition and cheesesteak meat and hamburger patties are still the strong German heritage of southern Indiana. This art core product lines of the business. Over the last 7 of old-world craftsmanship is one OFS has mastered years, however, the company has added an impressive and still adheres to today. It was in the early 1980’s array of frozen, refrigerated and grocery products. The that OFS turned their efforts solely to crafting fine offerings include everything from frozen chicken ten- office furniture. Today, the company employs over ders to custom cuts of poultry, french fries to frozen 1200 associates. Their operations include seven manu- appetizers, portion control pork to fresh hams, and cus- facturing plants, each specializing in its own range of tom cuts of steak to luncheon meats. product to insure quality. OFS also has four support Trio Provisions serves the foodservice trade includ- plants supplying raw material to the manufacturing ing white tablecloth restaurants, casual dining estab- facilities. Together these facilities total 2.1 million lishments, pizzerias, institutions and recreational facili- square feet and are responsible for millions of dollars ties. A retail outlet was established on sight in East in production. Texas in 2000. “Word of Mouth” endorsements for While other manufacturers may claim to have a fur- this community based butcher shop have tripled sales niture-making heritage as strong as OFS, few can equal since year one. Customers praise the “old fashioned their commitment to customers. Their operating phi- butcher shop” feel, the reasonable prices and friendly losophy is “our customer is our business.” OFS strives service. to provide the products customers are looking for prod- Distribution covers the eastern half of Pennsylvania. ucts that not only meet but exceed customer expecta- In addition to Lehigh Valley, the company covers the tions for quality and value. And OFS has their own area from Scranton-Wilkes Barre in the north, to transportation service, guaranteeing on-time, damage- Philadelphia in the south and Harrisburg/Lancaster/ free deliveries. York in the central part of the state. At OFS, you won’t find big company committees A web site for internet ordering by the general pub- waiting for other committees to make a decision about lic is in the planning stages and should be operational what furniture will be produced this year. What you by the Spring of 2003. New products in development will find are craftspeople who are dedicated to creating include seasoned chicken patties and pre-marinated the office furniture you need. Through the years, OFS steaks. has ‘crafted’ our company into a customer-focused Trio provisions takes its name from Matthew 7:24. team. OFS employees take great pride in producing The foundation for our business and the basis of our the finest quality furniture. OFS . . . For one-of-a- success are the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Trio’s kind quality and service, they are simply a cut employee family strives to provide the quality, value above the rest. For world-class office furniture, con- and service their customers have come to expect... tact OFS at 1-800-521-5381, or visit their website at every day. For really great food, contact Trio www.ofs.com. Provisions at (610) 530-1430, or write to P.O. Box 152, East Texas, PA 18046.

7 Prst. Std. U.S. Postage Paid Permit 49 Jasper, IN 47546 JASPER ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION EXCHANGE 815 Wernsing Road · P.O. Box 650 · Jasper, IN 47547-0650 e-mail: [email protected]

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