[Shotimes] Smokey's take on engine cooling

[Donald Mallinson]

Ron,

Thanks for the post on Smokey.  I am a fan too.  Did you buy 
his three volume autobiography ("Best Damn Garage in Town"). 
  If not, get one, it is a hoot!  See my review on 
SHOclub.com at:

http://shoclub.com/editorial/smokey.htm

As for heat in the motor, do you remember when Smokey wrote 
his tech articles for Popular Mechanics?  He did a wild 
article on his "heat" motor (I think that is what it was 
called) where he took all the water jacket and exhaust heat 
and poured it back into the motor in one way or another. 
This motor was a little blast furnace that was turned in on 
itself!

He claimed that you could get by without any cooling system 
at all and get more power, but I think the level of 
metalurgy at the time did his theory in.  Maybe today 
someone could make it work?

Don Mallinson
SHO Club

Ron Nottingham wrote:

> I read with interest the latest T-Stat thread, especially the part about
> cooling and the thermodynamic physics, etc.  So, I pulled out some of
> Smokey's words of wisdom (we all know Smokey Yunick, and he is still sadly
> missed by yours truly).  If you have his book "Power Secrets" turn to page
> 121, if not, follow along....
> 
> "It is esay to see how overheating can be a problem, but I think some racers
> overlook the fact that it is possible to 'overcool' the engine.  Some guys
> go to great lengths to keep the temperature down to 180 deg.  And, though
> the engine doesn't overheat, they don't realize that they're putting energy
> (heat) into the cooling system that could be used to produce power at the
> crankshaft.