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RE: engine weight/things that go boom

To: "'andrew stark'" <whitedog72@hotmail.com>, fot@autox.team.net
Subject: RE: engine weight/things that go boom
From: Bill Babcock <BillB@bnj.com>
Date: Fri, 12 Apr 2002 10:57:34 -0700
In high RPM, high horsepower motors catastrophic piston failure is fairly
common. They crack right across the top of the piston in line with the
wrist pin. If you think about it you can visualize how the forces would
tend to fold the piston in half along that line. I hate to think of the
number of motorcycle engines that I've seen with a pile of piston pieces
in the bottom of the crankcase. 

I've thought about lightening my engines every time I pull them in and
out. Man those lumps are heavy. I can lift my entire Radical motor (1000cc
Kawasaki) by myself.

There's no doubt that there's a lot of extra cast iron in a tractor motor.


Bill

-----Original Message-----
From: andrew stark [mailto:whitedog72@hotmail.com]
Sent: Friday, April 12, 2002 10:30 AM
To: fot@autox.team.net
Subject: engine weight/things that go boom


Two weeks ago I ran a SCCA super school in  a Gt-4 EXP. I made the first 
day, but 2/3 of the way through the second day the engine came unglued.
Made 
a big boom! education by fire and all that stuff. Needless to say I did
not 
complete school. In hopes of running the IRP school I am helping the owner

of the car install a new engine.
Two things about the engine I am very surprised by are.
1: the piston completey exploded taking the cylinder wall with it. There
are 
no pieces of the piston bigger than a quater left. The rod, rist pin and 
valves seem to be relativly ok with just nicks and scraps in them. My 
question on this is. Is  this a rare thing to have this kind of total loss

on piston?
2: The blown engine and the new engine appear to have been lightened. It
is 
very obvious that alot of meat has been taken off the block. These two 
engines were so light that I could pick up the long block without a 
struggle. I am not a strong guy so this amased me. While looking at this
the 
wheels started turning in my head. " My Gt-6 is very nose heavy by nature 
because of the brick #$#!house of an engine sitting up front. So my second

question is can a Triumph engine block be lightened??
                             Thanks
                            Andy Stark
                            72 EP GT-6




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