Search found 117 matches

by billinstuart
December 6th, 2014, 9:56 am
Forum: Tech Tips, Rules, and Safety
Topic: Ackerman
Replies: 5
Views: 6907

Re: Ackerman

Personal choice for many. If your car "pushes"..understeers..you may want to dial in some ackermann so the inside front tire helps steer the car. However, that can affect bump steer, which, to me, is more important.
by billinstuart
April 30th, 2013, 9:18 pm
Forum: Tech Tips, Rules, and Safety
Topic: Valve Lash Adjusting.
Replies: 7
Views: 5750

Re: Valve Lash Adjusting.

Steve: No argument. However, my experience is the clearance increases with temperature on our VW stuff. I have the utmost respect for you and Rollin, and I'll defer to you guys judgement with no hesitation. My experience, since the '70's, is that clearances increase. Been doing this for decades with...
by billinstuart
April 28th, 2013, 9:14 am
Forum: Tech Tips, Rules, and Safety
Topic: Valve Lash Adjusting.
Replies: 7
Views: 5750

Re: Valve Lash Adjusting.

Good method.

The lash increases with temperature. We used to set 0 lash cold or just barely warm. Sometimes it would run on 3 cylinders cold til it warmed up enough for the valve to seat. NO! valve issues in 10 years.

Too much clearance is bad..shouldn't sound like a thrashing machine!
by billinstuart
April 13th, 2013, 9:46 am
Forum: Tech Tips, Rules, and Safety
Topic: Rear Axle Nuts
Replies: 9
Views: 5780

Re: Rear Axle Nuts

Mixed emotions on this. Tightening the nut simply squeezes the brake drum tighter, yet it's the splines which prevent the drum from turning on the axle. We've all seen axles happily spinning in a stripped drum..tightening the nut won't help. I've also seen drums squeezed so hard the ends mushroom. O...
by billinstuart
April 9th, 2013, 8:22 pm
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: Share your FV 50th Photos...
Replies: 17
Views: 10408

Re: Share your FV 50th Photos...

Well, I heard some grumbling, but that's par for the course with SCCA. Can't comment on grouping..was the 5 car field the 1600's?

Hey! At least it was ALL Vees..no door slammers, no Atlantics, no enduros.

To me, it was worth the trip, and I wished I was behind the wheel again............
by billinstuart
April 9th, 2013, 10:01 am
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: Share your FV 50th Photos...
Replies: 17
Views: 10408

Re: Share your FV 50th Photos...

I drove up from Florida and went to track Saturday. What an awesome event. Well run and well attended. Credit goes to those involved with putting this event together! Saw old cars, old friends, new cars, new friends. A gorgeous day for both drivers and visitors. Ironically, I attended one of the fir...
by billinstuart
April 4th, 2013, 7:36 pm
Forum: Event News, Info, and Results
Topic: Roebling Road Hints
Replies: 2
Views: 1759

Re: Roebling Road Hints

1) Turn 1 is WAY faster than you think! 2) I loved passing under braking inside 4 3) 5 and 6 are NOT passing areas 4) It's all straightaway from turn 6 to turn 1 5) turn 2 is a double apex 6)Be extremely careful at turn 9(?) where it meets the front straight. There's a hump and it doesn't meet at a ...
by billinstuart
February 25th, 2013, 8:53 pm
Forum: Tech Tips, Rules, and Safety
Topic: Long box/short box AGAIN
Replies: 10
Views: 7619

Re: Long box/short box AGAIN

The ideal set-up is usually a "transporter" 3rd gear, 1.22/1. 4th should be a 0.89/1. Long box is 4.12/1, short box is 4.37/1. You don't want much rpm drop between 3rd and 4th.

What tracks do you run? How high does your engine rev?
by billinstuart
February 3rd, 2013, 10:15 am
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: Daytona, WTF!
Replies: 13
Views: 9373

Re: Daytona, WTF!

Ed Womer wrote:I test drove a Masada 6 in the back parking lot.
I remember them being debuted..non-wankel plain jane stuff. People driving the poo out of those mundane vehicles.

Great old track..longer infield, no stupid bus-stop on the back straight.
by billinstuart
February 3rd, 2013, 10:09 am
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: Daytona, WTF!
Replies: 13
Views: 9373

Re: Daytona, WTF!

I was there at the original race. Little did I know, at 15, I'd be driving one of those things a couple decades later. They used a configuration I've never seen since..no banking except the front start/finish. Entered the east end of the tri-oval through a fence, I think used as the drive over entra...
by billinstuart
January 12th, 2013, 10:07 am
Forum: Tech Tips, Rules, and Safety
Topic: Torquing head studs
Replies: 12
Views: 9870

Re: Torquing head studs

1) I never used paper gaskets under the cylinder..added a few thousandths' to the clearance above the piston.

2) I would assemble the jugs/heads and lightly tighten the studs. Then I would turn the engine over a few times, and line everything up perfectly.
by billinstuart
November 22nd, 2012, 9:57 am
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: remember "Pro Vee"?
Replies: 18
Views: 13451

Re: remember "Pro Vee"?

High speed? Old Daytona before the bus stop on the back straight. The 2 black cars (ONeill and ?) drafting for a couple miles with a 0.82 4th gear and tall tires.
by billinstuart
August 11th, 2012, 9:05 am
Forum: Tech Tips, Rules, and Safety
Topic: Gearbox lube
Replies: 10
Views: 7406

Re: Gearbox lube

Been a few years, but remember when VW had their automatic stick shift? VW tranny with a torque converter? Ran ATF from the factory. It is the high shear from a hypoid gear which requires an additive, often molybdenum disulfide. That's why older gear oil stunk so bad. It's a balancing act..you want ...
by billinstuart
July 29th, 2012, 6:30 pm
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: Lightening axles
Replies: 25
Views: 20331

Re: Lightening axles

Balancing is legal..find one light axle and balance the other one to it.
by billinstuart
June 26th, 2012, 9:10 pm
Forum: Tech Tips, Rules, and Safety
Topic: case sealing
Replies: 7
Views: 5226

Re: case sealing

Never use RTV..anything that has ANY thickness affects main bearing clearance and pinch in the case.

We used hylomar, which will squeeze to 0.00 thickness

I've seen aircraft engine cases go together with silk thread.
by billinstuart
May 14th, 2012, 6:02 pm
Forum: Tech Tips, Rules, and Safety
Topic: transmission questioni
Replies: 6
Views: 4665

Re: transmission questioni

There's a fork and slider that engage 3rd and 4th. It was probably set up incorrectly, as it MUST be done in a jig or cutaway transmission. Holding it in gear wears the fork and slider, destroying them. The synchro's/balk rings engage the gears to speed them up/down to match the desired speed..they ...
by billinstuart
May 12th, 2012, 9:54 pm
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: Spec Tires
Replies: 91
Views: 93610

Re: Spec Tires

If you use the stock wheels it may help. Tried the wide wheels and tires years ago, destroyed the suspension. Too much spinning/vibrating mass for the components. The same "too much mass issue" is still present with stock tires, but it may be manageable. ANY! wheel with an offset centerlin...
by billinstuart
May 12th, 2012, 9:43 pm
Forum: Tech Tips, Rules, and Safety
Topic: Tail aerodynamics?
Replies: 8
Views: 6216

Re: Tail aerodynamics?

Listen to Steve.

The case is just a big magnesium radiator. The more airflow around it, the better the engine cools. There was a guy who won the runoffs one year..Wayne Moore. Never ran an oil cooler. It took a while to realize that car had excellent airflow around the case and heads.
by billinstuart
May 6th, 2012, 8:54 am
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: Spec Tires
Replies: 91
Views: 93610

Re: Spec Tires

This "spec tire" issue has been going on for decades, and has never been successful.
by billinstuart
March 12th, 2012, 10:28 am
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: Link pin questions
Replies: 4
Views: 2521

Re: Link pin questions

Binding is the key issue. The link pins will tell YOU where they want the shims. You cannot force more or less camber from the pin/bushing assembly without binding, unless you wallow out the precision fit of the bushings, which introduces major slop in the corners.
by billinstuart
February 25th, 2012, 10:00 am
Forum: Tech Tips, Rules, and Safety
Topic: push rod tubes
Replies: 5
Views: 3284

Re: push rod tubes

Always install the tubes with the weld seam up..that way, if the seam splits it won't leak as much........
by billinstuart
February 15th, 2012, 9:20 am
Forum: Tech Tips, Rules, and Safety
Topic: Distrutator cap
Replies: 2
Views: 2178

Re: Distrutator cap

No. Changing a cap position has no affect on timing. The CORRECT question is..is the cam lobe ground 3 degrees retarded?

Persistent rumors for decades say that stock and 009 distributors have a 3 degree retard on #3, and the 050 distributor is ground straight up. Personally, I never saw it.
by billinstuart
November 12th, 2011, 9:31 pm
Forum: Novice Area
Topic: pistons
Replies: 6
Views: 6428

Re: pistons

Oil rings never need to be changed unless you have an oil control problem. "looks good" isn't close enough. The ring lands are the most important part of the sealing component. The lands/rings must have NO side wear, nicks, etc. The cylinders must be round. Pistons are usually lightened by...
by billinstuart
September 13th, 2011, 8:12 am
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: Combined FV/F5 qualifying for *ALL* sessions ??
Replies: 14
Views: 8533

Re: Combined FV/F5 qualifying for *ALL* sessions ??

SCCA has created their own nightmare..too many classes. When I started in Vee, F440 was developing. Those things were a rolling POS, and absolutely dangerous to race with AND drive. Vees accelerate slow and brake slow, but carry alot of speed in the turns..those glorified go-karts did just the oppos...
by billinstuart
September 12th, 2011, 7:06 pm
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: Take an hour and watch this
Replies: 5
Views: 3510

Re: Take an hour and watch this

1977(?) at Roebling. Sullivan had yet to gain fame. McInnes, Carl Lane-Lopez...gotta find my certificate. Yer right about the Fords..been a couple years. Ford fields were huge then. It was Lola 440. No argument about safety, or lack of it, in the '60's and 70's. Just don't vilify Chapman..NONE of th...