Some of the blown up engines/pieces I've seen at dirt track races. Back in the day it was pretty common to mix nitro in the alcohol 10%/20% and at 30% circle track racing, usually a quick failure. 4 Cyl Chevy 2, 153 ci 20% top of block broke at depth of head bolts in block all the way around, lifted head off, 155 Sesco Chevy at 30%, heard the pieces bounce off armco fence, the midget VW race engines were hand grenades, ran them with great success and great expense, a few of my racing engine stories, Midget, Buick alum 215, rod out bottom of oil pan, no Chevy 2 or Sesco failures of mine, VW, dropped new trick titanium intake valve at around 7000+ rpm, saved mag, injectors and a few misc, broke a Carrillo rod bolt (never happens) saved injection, even broke mag shaft, spit out drive line, rear end QC gears, R & P, blew side cover off. These 2 events cost about 10K back in 80/81. Chevy V8 sprint car, 87-91, broke crankshafts 2X in beginning w/o major damage as they failed when letting off for a yellow, felt vibration, shut it off, purchased 4340 non-twist cola crankshaft, solved problem, ran that rotating assembly for 5 years, 100+ nights w/o any failures, would freshen 15/20 races depending on leak down readings, only ran 20% on very rare occasions as I only had 1 engine, around 17K back then. I saw many major/spectacular engine failures through the years, some due to improper maintenance, parts choice, too much pop and as a famous engine builder pointed out to me, All racing engines are destined to failure, its just a matter of time. Have stories of my street racing days, from 64/70 about my broken parts, mostly from my speed shop, the local junkyard, most spectacular, flywheel/clutch explosion, from the hole in floor, lucky I have my feet, pieces up through dash, blew out windshield, junked the car, kept engine, All of my cars had a scatter shield from then on, (never anther clutch problem)many broken transmissions, u joints, R&P, axels, amazingly no engine failures, a testimony to my good luck/guidance/skills when first building engines and working on cars, when proof reading my post, the only racing engine failures I had ever were from a part failure.
Truckedup, while I agree Carburetion won’t work without airflow, airflow causes a lower pressure in the venturies which then causes the atmospheric pressure to push the fuel into the airflow. Bones
Thought I'd quickly jump in on the Jeeps and Harleys in crates story. I don't know about the Jeeps (apparently there's about 10 and a couple of Studebaker trucks buried in a hillside near my place) but Harleys in crates were definitely around. In the early 80's the Australian Army cleaned out the storage sheds at the Banyo camp. They found several WLAs still wrapped in their Cosmolene, and since they were too old to use and it wasn't like the Americans were around to take them home they auctioned them off, for more than $50 a pop. As an aside, a farmer somewhere in my area has a crated Flathead V8 that he bought as a spare for his Bren gun carrier/tractor. Plenty of legends about "Jeeps and trucks and planes and guns" that were buried or pushed in a mine after the Americans left still going around. Sent from my SM-G955F using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
It was the CKD (complete knocked down) Model Ts that were shipped to distant customers that used the crate wood floorboards.
Actually they were made of wood and steel...the French Navy first used the Corvette name to describe a class of war ship in the 1670's then the British followed ,around 1830's by raising the size of ship that was tagged the Corvette class then other countries started adopting the Corvette term and raising the size of the ships in that classification.....then in 1951 GM started working on a new two seater sports car and they named it Corvette a name barrowed from the Navy meaning small and fast.....just saying.... Sent from my QTASUN1 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I guess the car was sold did a search found these pics the story is also on line Sent from my QTASUN1 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I had that very Torino in 1972. 2 barrel carb. auto transmission. It would barely squeal one rear tire if I tried hard enough. It did have a healthy top end speed though.
Nope not the same branch. If you were to plant a tree that has a horizontal branch exiting the trunk at say 4 feet off the ground it will never grow "up up and away" like that. Split or double leaders are the same deal, at 4 feet (or whatever height you choose), that crotch will stay at the same forever. Has to do with the way growth is initiated, it's at the tips. This characteristic of plant growth is basically why we have to prune yard trees in the first place, they never lose branches in full sun or thin out like they will naturally in a forest situation, due to shade competition. Since branches don't get any higher off the ground they will forever be in the way if we don't remove them.
While it is quite true that carburetors METER based on pressure differential; Bracke was not talking about METERING, rather the action of the air valve which was operated by suction (or vacuum) pulling on the air valve. (See the posted pictures, the round looking doohickey is the air valve). The air valve was then connected to a tapered metering pin which passed through a jet (similar to Carter design). The flow of fuel through the variable jet (area of jet less the dynamic area of the tapered pin) was controlled by pressure differential; but the position of the pin was controlled by suction. Word meanings can change over time. Also, a few that can cause arguments : first, last, best, worse. However, the purpose of the "tease" was that an experimental carburetor (actually 1000) were placed on a certain model of car for testing, and then removed at the first dealer service. This may have been the event that evolved into the urban legends of fabulous mileage carbs accidentally placed on cars, then removed. No mileage claims for the Bracke were made. Often there is some basis for the urban legends, even if a specific legend is, in fact, a legend. Jon.
Carbking, I didn’t read the lengthy patent description, but when you mentioned the metering rods like the Q- jet, I understand where he was going. There are some references that get to me, such as when someone says that vacuum/suction “ pulls” the piston/ diaphragm up/ down.... well no, atmospheric pressure pushes it. No really a big deal, most of the time it makes no difference. The other is calling an internal combustion engine a motor! Just doesn’t set right with me, they are engines... not motors. Well my rant is over, I need some relaxation, it’s a nice day, I’m going to go take a spin on my Harley enginecycle. Bones
There was a vette that was in Rod and custom similar to this, back in the late 80's I think Was in a walled in section of an old store, there was a slot to allow changing of the light bulb in the walled room. Car was pulled out and the guys daughter had it...pics and all EDIT tree'd by Rudestude!! Found it!! https://barnfinds.com/entombed-1954-chevrolet-corvette/
I'm told by physicists that there is only a certain amount of energy (BTU) that can be extracted from a gallon of gasoline. I'm not a physicist, but I tend to believe them, over some random guy on the intertubes. Of course we live in a crooked world, I don't believe hardly anything I hear and only half of what I see. But World War II sticks in my mind as a time when virtually every nation on the planet was involved one way or another and fuel shortages loomed large for everybody. Top scientists were engaged in fuel research by axis and allies alike. You can be sure if 100 mpg V8 carburetors were even remotely possible they would have used them NO question about it. Since they weren't... Smokey Yunick did a lot of research for the OEMs and focused for a time on "lean burn" or "hot vapor" strategies. Vaporising fuel does help some too, and extremely lean air/fuel mixtures can be used on the highway but he found the engine temps ran very high. And the NOX pollution levels were off the chart. That's the stuff that, when exposed to sunlight, creates the reddish-brown haze that floats over big cities. Once the federal smog mandates were enacted, that was the end of that. But I think he was getting fairly good highway mpg for the time, somewhere close to 50 apparently.
I planted lots of trees when I was a kid. If the little tree had a branch that was waist high it should still be waist high 30 years later? I guess nobody told the little tree that.
Totally agree. I may have posted before, but two of the most interesting files I have ever read, I acquired with the remains of Stromberg. One was the engineering resources Stromberg applied to help carburetor inventors, including those with "high mileage carburetors" (of course, with the assumption any patents would go to Stromberg). The second was the engineering resources Stromberg applied to finding an engineering work-around to avoid paying patent royalties to other carburetor companies. But allow me to enter some additional controversy in this thread What are differences among myths, old wives tales, and urban legends? Are old wives tales an early form of gender discrimination? Are rural populations too intelligent to believe urban legends? When did the term urban legend evolve? Is it simply a political correct label for old wives tale, and if so, why do we not use the word myth, as that does not evoke any geographic discrimination? And Bones, enjoy your ride on your enginecycle. If I have time, I will pull my toy steam motors out of storage and fire one up. Jon.
I planted trees on my property 30 years ago and this is my real world no bullshit observation. all of the trees were about 6 feet tall when planted the lower branches were probably 3 feet off the ground they are now 15 to 18 feet off the ground. there are some ornamental trees that there lower branches only get a few feet off the ground as they mature. I say go for a walk in the timber and look up
I know for certain that sycamore branch grew thicker and much farther from the ground. lots of trees develop their branches when small and then grow taller and do not develop limbs on the trunk. Many times you will get a Butt cut and one or two 8ft6 in tie cuts that do not have any limbs and when sawed will be clear lumber free of knots and defects.If I get the chance this weekend I will take pictures of the woven wire fence that grew up in the air.
As a teenager in the 80s I was told that Shirley Muldowney had a white Mustang that she raced on the streets with the “If you can beat me you can eat me”. Then I started hearing the same stories with the Corvette and such. There was also some engineer that developed a piston for the ford Escort that increased power and fuel mileage as well as allowed the engine to not need the air pump which big oil bought the patent to. And Bones I agree with you on the engine thing but there’s a thread here about terminology that argues that pretty well. But the weather here in NY just broke an I too am going to ride my Harley enginecyle. Sent from my iPad using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I knew a guy back in Ohio who, while turning around in the Napa store's parking lot, backed into the rear end of a minivan. Unfortunately for him, he was driving his loaded septic tank truck that day. An "Oh, shit" moment, for sure.
All you Hamb'ers swearing YOU had such and such happen, it's true............................................. No you didn't! They are bullshit urban legends! The present year is 2018, I hear some of these in 1965...when I was in 7th grade.Almost ALL of them were common during High School-67 through 71. And every single time the bozo telling the story KNEW IT WAS TRUE! It happened to their brother, their Dad, their cousin or even to them! But don't bug me. I took my car to TJ for tuck and roll, they stuffed it with horsehit! HONEST! It happened to me! REALLY! Uh...................really.
Ok ....the TJ tuck & roll story....well I have one and I witnessed possibly a good benefit of having your upholstery stuffed with horse shit ...growing up there was this family my parents were friends with I remember the father had a really nice red 49 Olds v-8 tri-power 4-spd and it had black T&R upholstery with red piping and he claimed he had it done in TJ when him and his wife went on there honeymoon there and it had horse shit in its stuffing...well years went by the car ended up parked behind there house for years every one in town tried to buy that car ...no sale ...honey moon car the would never sell it well kids had jumped on the roof and smashed it down engine Goodie's and trans disappeared eventually the car became over grown with brush then they had to move and I remember going over by the place and the three sons where trying to chop a path so they could get the car out so I stopped to see if it was going to be sold ....no they said so I hung out for a bit checking the car out ...t was in pretty sad shape lots of rust dented panels and caved in roof but I got one of the doors opened up and I could not believe the interior ...it was in very nice condition still and no signs of any mouse nests or bugs and this is in Oregon and it was in a field out behind the house for probably 25+ years could it be the horse shit kept the mice and bugs away... I didn't recall seeing a bunch of cats don't know what ever became of the car after the move..... Sent from my QTASUN1 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Yep. It will be. Attention to detail my friend. They simply don't grow the way that people think. Don't take my word for it. Look it up.
Okay Boys & Girls time for some Schoolin', apparently. "In humans and other animals growth can occur in most parts of the body. As we mature, our bones, skin and muscle all increase in size. Trees do not grow like this. Trees grow by producing new cells in a very limited number of places. These places of cell division are called meristems. Meristems are zones of intense activity. They are where all new cells are formed and where they expand. Trees grow in height as a result of meristems that are located at their branch tips. These meristems are called apical meristems. Roots also expand through the soil by growing at their tips as a result of apical meristems. All buds that you see on a tree contain apical meristems. Trunk diameter growth occurs as a result of another meristem already mentioned called the vascular cambium. The vascular cambium produces new xylem and phloem each year and as a result the trunk, branches and roots continue to increase in diameter. Have you ever seen a fence wire or board grown into a tree?" That is the result of the vascular cambium. The fence wire or board doesn't rise into the air because height growth doesn't occur out of the ground, it only occurs from the branch tips. http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/forsite/hdtg2.htm
As to the Shirley Muldoney beat me whatever silliness I seem to remember it was in a movie she had a cameo in, maybe Apple Pie. In any event it may have happened in Hollywood but not sure it happened in the real world. I ran Woodward back in the day in a 61 Vette many nights yet I hear today how there was a Vette (the year and model changes depending on the particular BSer) that some girl had beat me bang me. If there was one running Woodward in the 60s I would have known of it-I was a Vette nut then and now. I still lean towards urban legend. There could be a pretty decent car show with just the Corvettes that had similar expressions painted on the car, if one actually believes that such ever existed.
Don't know about the tuck and roll in the Oldsmobile, but there is plenty of horse shit in this thread...................Well, maybe not Horse.
It seems horseshit and bullshit have a lot in common..... Ray edit: oops, choffman41 beat me to it....
There are other ways to destroy a convertible. Years ago, I was at a self-serve car wash and watched an 18-wheeler make a u-turn from street to car wash parking lot. As the trailer swung around following the cab, all of the trailer axles gently rolled over a convertible parked in a parking place facing the street. Oops.
The Jalopy Journal
