Band Name Origin

Zero Deck is a strange name, yes. The origin of which Tyler Stipe got the name from is not very commonly known and is probably not what anyone would even think. It involves engine blocks. I will explain the parts of the engine and then what Zero Deck means. An automobile engine consists of the engine block, crank shaft, which connects to rods, which then are connected to the pistons. Above the crankshaft, on an older engine, sits the camshaft, which has lifters sitting on it, and to those are pushrods.

Those push on the rocker arms, that create a lever that push down on the intake and exhaust valves. The rockers and valves are mounted to the cylinder heads, which are bolted to the block. This should be all the info you need for me to explain the Zero Deck. Once you take the cylinder heads off the engine block, the pistons are exposed. You will notice that these pistons, at TDC (top dead center/all the way up...) are NOT flush with the engine block, though it seems it should be, it's not.

Decking an engine involves cutting off a layer from the portion of the block the cylinder head mounts on. You can do this in all kinds of levels. But the key one here is DECKING the block to ZERO. Which means there is ZERO clearance from the top of the piston to the top of the block. Basically, it's flush. This creates quench and will increase power dramatically. It's an old hot rod thing to have your local machine shop do for you.

So, there you have it folks, the answer to the question you've all been wanting to know!

Zero Deck is a way to make your car go FASTER!

If you have any questions, comments or corrections, please feel free to contact me.

Tyler Stipe