Johnston Synthetics

s  The above car was the first I owned a 1950 Chevrolet 2 dr Business Coup. I wish I could find a picture of it, but it was lost over time if I had one. The above video is of a deluxe rendition of what I owned so it isn't an exact repressive of it. From what I can remember is it's color was a really bad light green. The engine was Chevrolet's 6-cylinder engine with a 3-speed transmission. I remember my dad taking me to a dealer in Excelsior, MN which is a short distance from my hometown of Hopkins. My dad told me the dealership was owned by a classmate of his in school The sale's man who showed us the above car I assumed was the owner because my dad seemed to know him. Told us that the car's previous owner was an "older woman" which is a car dealer's sales pitch. The asking price was around $500 but I wasn't ready to put my name on the dotted line I guess I wanted something better. So the owner told my dad and me why don't we take it home for a...

In a sea of spectacular builds found at car shows, catching eyes can be a difficult task.  Team Hybrid  has perfected the craft. Those on the scene are no doubt familiar with this long-standing crew that takes home a trophy haul almost everywhere they go. For more than 28 years, Team Hybrid has been a force to be reckoned with in the highly competitive world of show-stopping vehicles that perform as well as they look. Led by founder & President  James Lin , Team Hybrid has seen a steady rise among the ranks of their peers with no signs of stopping. They live and breathe their craft, and it shows in both team mentality and in the results they produce. One of the most consistent themes of Team Hybrid is their ability to show up and win. They also have a knack for landing magazine features, a bucket list goal for any serious builder. We caught up with James Lin to get an update on what they’ve been up to lately. As it turns out, they are still doing what they do best, bo...

  Clean oil is vital to keeping engines running properly. Oil filtration plays a significant role in the performance and longevity of an engine by removing contaminants and promoting proper oil flow. Engines introduce contaminants into oil throughout their life cycle, including wear products from the rubbing surfaces of the engine, the environment, and degradation of the oil itself. An oil filter is designed to remove contaminants introduced into the oil and prevent them from reaching sensitive engine parts without restricting normal oil flow. To compound the issue, modern oil sumps are shrinking, leaving fewer detergents and dispersants to help fight byproducts of the internal combustion process. An oil filter’s capacity must be able to contend with the additional contaminants. To provide top-notch performance, a filter must be constructed with the optimum balance of capacity, efficiency, flow and durability. To understand the significance of each, let’s cover some basics of oil f...

The old saying goes, when you love your job you never work a day in your life. Few embody that adage like Murray Pfaff of Pfaff Designs. Pfaff has built a career around designing and building spectacular vehicles for himself and others, bringing an infectious enthusiasm for the job. Murray Pfaff: SEMA star His impressive portfolio of custom builds and designs spans far and wide. His projects have been featured in print, television and high-profile trade shows  including SEMA , where more than 50 of his designs have made an appearance. His path has crossed with many big names in the hot-rodding industry along the way, drawing prominent clientele seeking his expertise in building their own dream rides. A true “Influencer’s Influencer,” Pfaff is the latest feature in our  Company of Enthusiasts  campaign. “FireMaker” Check out the video for a glimpse of his hottest project known as “FireMaker.” This 1956 Cadillac has been in Murray’s arsenal for more than 25 years and has go...

  The Grizzly Lodge relies on generators, groomers, snowmobiles, snow bikes and track trucks in subzero day-to-day operations. Owner Adam Trainer discusses the extreme conditions his equipment faces and why he trusts  AMSOIL products  to protect all of it. AMSOIL: What do you do? Adam:  I run a backcountry snowmobile lodge about 50 km (31 miles) out in the mountains, and I’ve been doing that for almost ten years now. AMSOIL: Is that difficult? Adam:  It’s a huge challenge operating 50 km from pavement, with only snowmobile or helicopter access. Just getting supplies in here, rental sleds up and down the trail, parts when things break down, it’s a big challenge. AMSOIL: What kind of equipment do you use? Adam:  Our  generators  run 24 hours a day; 7 days a week for 8 months at a time, so they take a lot of abuse. Our  Snowcat  gets a lot of hours grooming the trails, with lots of cold starts. We get down to -35°C.  Cold starts  ...

                            Viscosity is the measure of a fluid's resistance to flow. The physical properties of lubricants are measured by characteristics like viscosity, shear stability, high- and low-temperature performance, water resistance, and volatility. Lubrication science seeks to optimize a lubricant’s performance by managing these properties using different base oils and additives. A lubricant’s viscosity and how it changes under different temperatures and operating conditions is one of the most important properties that determine lubricant performance and protection. When external forces such as gravity act on a fluid, the molecules within the fluid begin to move against each other, resulting in molecular-level friction that resists flow. The greater the internal friction, the higher the viscosity of the fluid. How the viscosity of a fluid reacts to changes in temperature and pressure determines how w...