20th Annual AETC Online

Jim D’Amore - JDM Engineering

I James D’Amore Jr. was brought up in the automotive industry. Started sweeping floors in my fathers Auto Repair business back in 1973 at the age of twelve. I would peddle my bike nine miles after school everyday. On the weekend my father and I would head off to Englishtown Raceway Park . NJ’s Premier Drag Strip. For the past 30 years I have dedicated myself to designing and building Performance Engines exclusive to Ford.

In 1990 I got invited up to Ford by an Engineer named Tom Johnson who had read about one of my project motors. At my two weeks stay in Michigan is where I got my first look at the 4.6 modular motor. What most intrigued me about the engine was the cylinder head. At the time there was only the two valve version. Over the next couple of years I met a lot of Ford Engineers and even got involved with their Desert Racing Program.

One of my many trips back to Michigan I was asked to do some abuse testing,” as they called it” on the new 4.6 four valve motor. So in early 94 they gave me six engines and two cars . The cars were 93 Mustang coupes. They were outfitted by Roush to fit the 4.6 four valve. I was so impressed on how much real-estate that four valve motors filled up the engine bay and that is where I started my sub-contracting business for Ford.

I was the first one outside of Ford Motor Company to have these engines. I was the first one to supercharger the two valve and four valve motor. I worked with Eaton Corporation on the supercharger for the first ever supercharged four valve.

In early 95 Ford liked it so much that they started their own supercharged four valve which was called the King Cobra. The car was black with gold stripes. So for the past ten years I have found that most of the power was to be gained by the cylinder heads. My company JDM Engineering builds over one hundred 4.6 and 5.4 motors per year and over one hundred and sixty sets of cylinder heads per year for the two valve, four valve and the three valve engines.

So as you can see I have big passion for the Ford modular engine. For the past nineteen years I have driven one every day, have worked on one everyday and I have designed parts and engine combinations espatically for the performance industry.

The past ten years, JDM Engineering has won the most championships , the most race wins and the most round wins than any other company in the world with our design modular motors.