Technical ***August 2024 Banger Meet Thread - Hot/cold August Nights***

i was racing with the fourbanger belly tank on romo beach.

 

It was a beautiful thing too.

 

So the little Cream T did me proud at Romo.
Drove there through four countries, raced all day on the Saturday, and drove home.

 

Good job there Fil...you should be proud and looks like the place was full of fun

I'm planning on the RPM Nationals on the 21st of September at Santa Margherita Ranch ...I certainly hope the weather turns off cooler
probably 2000 + mile round trip for the Cabriolet by the time I wander around

 

Fil
How would you rate Romo as compared to Pendine?
Warren

 

Here's a roadster i've been working the bugs out of.

 

Entirely different experience. Even the sand is not the same. The excitement of paired racing over the 1/8” is over quicker than the adrenaline rush of higher speeds at Pendine. But there’s more runs. Difficult to compare really as I’m a marshal at Pendine, and a punter at Romo. But the quantity of spectators in Denmark was amazing.

 

Nice to have the options not that Romo is close to you.

 

This is something I thought you lot may be interested in.
These are some half finished F-Head (Inlet over Exhaust) patterns that have been kicking around in my collection for 20 years. I bought them in a job lot of banger Engine parts.

I have been amazed at what has been made in Aussie backyard's over the years & no doubt other countries.

As you can see it has been made as a 2 piece head, & a single inlet valve, I don't know what the plan was for valve gear, but we'll work that out in due time. Of the other F-Heads out there, how many were a single inlet valve?

I would love to be able to run a head I have had a hand in, but that won't be happening for some time I expect.

 

That's a lovely machine, any chance of a build thread?

 

It is very satisfying to have a hand in the construction of any component especially cylinder heads
That chamber is reminiscent of the Art Sparks design that if I remember went to Indy500
Now I will have to go look it over closely again
Keep going on this project and keep on the updates
J

 

That is some encouragement @johnneilson if you happen to have some pearls of wisdom or insight on what to try & aim for I'd love to hear

 

I don’t know about wisdom, maybe some realism

It will cost you more than you expected
You will not make a profit or don’t expect to make a profit
Material should never be conserved in casting
Especially in aluminum thicker is better you get no points for light weight components that leak or crack

Enjoy your build J

 

As I go further down the banger rabbit hole it’s time to build an engine. I’d like to keep it simple with a 3.54 gear and V8 transmission.

I have a couple 7:1 heads, B blocks , “C” cranks., cams etc…

Is there a strong argument one way or the other to use a Burtz Block or to have insert bearings and full pressure oiling done to a B block?

I’d like to not be a nuisance in traffic and be able to hold 60 mph. My pickup is good up to 45- 50moh but the 4.11 gear is limiting. There’s a strong possibility of a Model A being added to the household in the future as well.

Dean

 

Got a question for you folks that know distributors, which is probably the area of this hobby that I am least literate in. This is probably a super remedial question:

Working hard on the Jern plate/28 Chevy conversion on my A block. I was originally thinking of ordering an electronic setup from FSI with a custom advance curve for the OHV head. This, they can do.

Now... I'm thinking I would like to keep it points. I like the simplicity and serviceability of points.

I'm thinking of using a B distributor, but would need to have the shaft extended a certain amount to clear the top of the Chevy head. Is this something that any machinist could do? Does anyone have any better recommendations if I'm going to be buying a distributor anyway?

 

Have you seen the adapter plate Neil Jern offered? it just extended the distributor vertically and dressed up the right side of the engine. Extending or making a new Model A/B distributor shaft is incredibly simple.

 

Hey John,

I see we have designed some similar parts.
Crank Reluctor by nomadpsd, on Flickr

 

I have hopped up A's B's and a Burtz....
From my experience...it depends...
If you have a good B engine with a counterbalanced crank modern main babbitt material is good ...great... even for a 7.1 to 1 CR head
I 'cap the well' with the Riley guidance and modify an A/B pump for pressure oiling the block and mains
Dipper inserted rods are an upgrade below an extended 4000 RPM engine speed....is the guidance I have followed with success.....but that is with a modified oil pump and the relief to 'keep the dipper tray full' for oiling the rods.
Rods with modern inserts are available from Antique Engine Rebuilding....as are modern inserted mains. Modern mains require align boring and fitting the block for thrust surfaces
I turn the slinger down and install a 'modern' Bertz rear main seal...I have a process and they stay leak free with careful assembly and additional sealant.
So, does your A/B block have good modern main babbitt material? Is the deck sound and no cracks?
The Bertz I built is OK and "they" have different assembly guidance now from when I first assembled mine.
It vibrates no less than my carefully assembled A/B engines
It does have 5 main bearings to put up with the 90 degree power stroke and a modern GM rear main seal.
It also is full pressure oiling...to the rods with larger journals.
It requires a higher volume oil pump and I used a modified A/B oil pump that I installed V-8 oil pump gears in.
I drive my B powered flathead powered Cabriolet more than any other car I have
so, it depends...you might want to talk to the 'Model A Medic in Kansas or Antique engine rebuilding....they have done quite a few of both and some of all of the above...

 

You bet!!

 

Thanks for the thorough and thoughtful response. I definitely was/is of the mind to have a B engine or two built but the Burtz crowd has given me second thought. I don’t see any reason why a solid B engine could not be built. Thanks for the insight on this.
I’m new to being so committed to working on banger powered cars. I had a few in the past but sold them before I got any real wrench time in but they left quite the impression on me.
The blocks I have appear to be very good and I have a few counterbalanced cranks to go along with them. Plus the engine I purchased used to put in the truck has a counterbalanced crank with babbitt bearings. So I have plenty of B engine parts. I’ll move forward with using what I have and build a B engine for my truck.
I intend on driving it a lot.
Also I’m unfamiliar with the Riley guidance of capping the well. Where can I find this info?

 

Wow, thank you for those detailed photos! I only have the adapter plate for the block, so having to cobble the rest of the assembly together. That is a cool piece. It's a shame he's no longer with us.

 

Well,
We just lost another one
Art Moore passed Friday morning
Former President of the 4Ever4 club who hosted the Antique Nationals
Art’s speedster put many to shame at Hill climbs and in the quarter

Rest in peace Art
J

 

San to hear that. Art suffered for many years; but always seemed to overcome his disabilities. Condolences to O)live!

 

One of the good guys for sure- Always a pleasure to be around and a true inspiration. I will miss dearly my conversations with him. Our best to Olive and his family.

 

News of Art's passing is sad. I always enjoyed his company. Condolences to his family.

.

 

Id keep it points just from the simplicity but i run points on all my bangers. Some have said they had plenty problems running fsi , i cant speak from experience so hard to say what the issue was. Non of my bangers are very typical as we custom machine the heads and they all have required a custom drive shaft for the distributor, wich im able to make at my home shop. Correct measurement on the length is key, i use a long depth micrometer to measure.The car in this picture will be running a mag.

 

@Tumblin' Dice - X3 on the points deal, I rebushed and installed a Stipe cam in the Model B distributor that I put in my roadster. Pulls strong and I've run it hard many thousands of miles with nary an issue.

 

I'm currently working on the next episode of 4Banger Archives, but have unfortunately hit a roadblock! Is there anyone I can talk to about HAL Dohc conversions or the blocks he made? Would love to learn a bit!

 

Regarding Hal Info:

this link gives credit to Charlie yap
https://www.museumofamericanspeed.org/hal-engines.html

Kem Robertson might be the best source of info. I can send you the last contact info for Kem or you might get it from Charlie. I'm sure you have this stuff already but............

https://groups.io/g/RacingHistory/topic/glossary_hal_the_last_hal/66361486