06-09-2022, 07:55 PM
(This post was last modified: 06-16-2022, 02:28 PM by Terry Bentley.)
Chapter 108
The rest of this week was mainly focused on homework. But after finishing it today, still left some free time. I decided to make some more carburetors. That first one turned out, well perfect from the way it ran. So decided to make two more that matched.
Since this carburetor made such a huge difference over the slightly smaller HL-15's we are running, I wonder if it would out perform Franks massive HL-88A that comes stock on the later model Westbend 580 engines. Originally those engines were equipped with a float bowl carburetor, then changed to the HL-15 along with a still very wimpy flat four petal reed assembly.
When Frank had bought his engine last year, it was the deluxe model, according to him. So that means it should have the larger 6 petal flat reed assembly. Not anything impressive to look at. I saw one in the Westbend 700 we have in our junk pile. But it is 50% larger than the four petal reed plate. Well more or less. I guess that is right.
![[Image: attachment.php?aid=5020]](https://www.vintagekartforum.com/attachment.php?aid=5020)
pic 6 petal Westbend intake manifold
Dang it! That was the other thing I wanted to mention to Frank. Those new parts for his engine. Sometime last year the newest model 580 engines changed over to a very impressive looking style Vee reed assembly designed by Westbend.
The new intake manifold has a stuffer instead of just being a flat plate like Franks engine has. This is something Frank should pick up for his engine. I knew there was at least one thing I forgot. But how do I convince Frank he needs to buy these parts? Maybe tempt him with the modified Tillotson he still thinks is the new HL-115? That might work...
One of the older dead chainsaws from our clean up pile at the Gasset repair shop over the summer was a Homelite. It had the first pyramid reed assembly I had ever seen close up. I then realized that Go-Power copied it and added some improvements. But last year they really stepped up and offered a 6 petal pyramid reed assembly.
When we finally committed to sticking with the bushing class, Steve picked up three of these Go-Power six petal reed cages so we could try them out eventually. One each for our engines and the other one on the spare engine. When he decided to get a new Bradfield connecting rod, these were added to his order. It looks like the best design by far that will work on our little bushing engines.
Since I have new tires for my kart now, thanks to Chris, maybe go ahead and test a couple of these 6 petal pyramid reeds. I dont know how much better they might work, but at least all of us will have about the same equipment.
Wow, just thinking in my head the possibility of hogging out the stock manifold so a six pedal pyramid reed can fit. The six petal reed doesnt need that big squarish opening like the four petal style does. I probably need to make a spacer so it will work, but that should be easy enough.
If this works, then Steve will have about the same thing as me and Chris on our engines. I can also set up the spare engine with one. Or use a modified manifold on my main engine, leaving the Palmini on the spare. Wow this is just getting better and better.
So I keep the stock manifold, but open it up to use the six petal reed for mine and Steves engines. Since Chris bought all new parts, his engine should be the fastest. Then we can use him to compare how much difference there is and which parts work out best.
Thinking back at our first race, Chris was by far the fastest of all the stock Clintons. His driving did not hold him back against those other drivers. But his kart sure did. He managed to work around that just fine. With his kart now set up better, along with what should be a much faster engine, he might be very hard to beat after some track time.
I figure with some more laps driving in traffic, like we were doing with Frank the last time practicing, Chris will get a lot better. I am amazed how much that helped out both me and Steve when we finally got to run our first race. Just getting comfortable driving around unknowns can really help drop your lap times in traffic. And Frank is always an unknown.
Neither one of us really got stuck behind any of the other karts. We just waited until there was an opening, which usually showed itself at the very next turn. A little bit of patience and then make a smooth clean pass without loosing any momentum driving outside of your line.
OK after checking over what it might take on the stock manifolds, a six petal reed should fit. But only after spacing it out about 5/8 inch, give or take a mile. So the stock manifolds might be worth keeping. I could cut this spacer from a flat piece of aluminum plate. Then machine it round on the little lathe. The large diameter hole measures about 1.350" I checked this by using the vernier caliper. It tapers down to roughly 1.125" in that thickness of material.
I can machine it round after cutting out a piece of plate. Then bore the hole to that smaller diameter of 1.125" Keep rotating the top slide on lathe until the angle tapers out to the larger diameter of 1.350". I know there is a formula that can be used after looking thru the Machinists Handbook. It shows how to calculate the actual angle needed to cut and get the correct dimensions. Wow, I am right back to bench racing again.
This time with my bench racing, I am going to do it the Frank Price way. All calculations to achieve the goal I am after on paper first. Then turn it in to a finished product. I know this will work because it was proven on paper thru all of those complicated calculations. Look at me! I am now an engineer. I have solved a problem already and not even crunched a single number yet. Frank better watch out. I might take his job. You better laugh. Because that was so funny, I sure forgot to.
So now adding to those carburetors needing to be modified, then two manifolds converted over to six petal reeds, and finally assembling three engines, we might be getting closer to making a practice day and blowing everything up. That is if something doesnt work out like it did on paper.
Dang it. Now I really do need to cut out three carburetors. One for the spare engine, then Chris and Steves engines. I thought about making one for Frank to try out. But until he gets the new parts for his engine, would be a waste of time. Of course that is just my uneducated opinion since I dont have that store bought education like Frank has. And with a piece of paper to prove it too. I guess that diploma would be considered his receipt.
Frank was very interested in my bored out carburetor that he mistakenly thought was the new HL-115 model. I used good smarts investing it that carby, according to him. He was also sure it would be just about perfect for his well tuned Westbend engine. Frank was reluctant in giving me back the carburetor after I showed it to him.
I told him he might get the chance to try out this carburetor after he has the kart running its best when we make another practice day. Another thing I might have failed to mention is that my bored out carburetor was that red one from his old blown up Power Products AH-82. That would have really blown his mind.
But there is no way I am going to trust him with one of the carburetors already spoken for going on our engines. It is not worth risking him screwing one up. So if I make an extra carburetor for him to try, will be the only way he gets to find out if one works on his engine. Its not that I dont trust him, which I dont, but I have watched him work on things. There is a total disconnect between his hands and his brain. Call me skeptical.
It looks like this weekend is going to be spent working on all of the parts we need to get the engines built. I still have to find some aluminum to use for the spacers. Maybe tomorrow I can stop by the metal shop in school and talk to the teacher. He might have some ideas of where to get the aluminum plate. I only need a small piece about 3 x 6 inches. Maybe get away with even a smaller piece than that.
The rest of this week was mainly focused on homework. But after finishing it today, still left some free time. I decided to make some more carburetors. That first one turned out, well perfect from the way it ran. So decided to make two more that matched.
Since this carburetor made such a huge difference over the slightly smaller HL-15's we are running, I wonder if it would out perform Franks massive HL-88A that comes stock on the later model Westbend 580 engines. Originally those engines were equipped with a float bowl carburetor, then changed to the HL-15 along with a still very wimpy flat four petal reed assembly.
When Frank had bought his engine last year, it was the deluxe model, according to him. So that means it should have the larger 6 petal flat reed assembly. Not anything impressive to look at. I saw one in the Westbend 700 we have in our junk pile. But it is 50% larger than the four petal reed plate. Well more or less. I guess that is right.
pic 6 petal Westbend intake manifold
Dang it! That was the other thing I wanted to mention to Frank. Those new parts for his engine. Sometime last year the newest model 580 engines changed over to a very impressive looking style Vee reed assembly designed by Westbend.
The new intake manifold has a stuffer instead of just being a flat plate like Franks engine has. This is something Frank should pick up for his engine. I knew there was at least one thing I forgot. But how do I convince Frank he needs to buy these parts? Maybe tempt him with the modified Tillotson he still thinks is the new HL-115? That might work...
One of the older dead chainsaws from our clean up pile at the Gasset repair shop over the summer was a Homelite. It had the first pyramid reed assembly I had ever seen close up. I then realized that Go-Power copied it and added some improvements. But last year they really stepped up and offered a 6 petal pyramid reed assembly.
When we finally committed to sticking with the bushing class, Steve picked up three of these Go-Power six petal reed cages so we could try them out eventually. One each for our engines and the other one on the spare engine. When he decided to get a new Bradfield connecting rod, these were added to his order. It looks like the best design by far that will work on our little bushing engines.
Since I have new tires for my kart now, thanks to Chris, maybe go ahead and test a couple of these 6 petal pyramid reeds. I dont know how much better they might work, but at least all of us will have about the same equipment.
Wow, just thinking in my head the possibility of hogging out the stock manifold so a six pedal pyramid reed can fit. The six petal reed doesnt need that big squarish opening like the four petal style does. I probably need to make a spacer so it will work, but that should be easy enough.
If this works, then Steve will have about the same thing as me and Chris on our engines. I can also set up the spare engine with one. Or use a modified manifold on my main engine, leaving the Palmini on the spare. Wow this is just getting better and better.
So I keep the stock manifold, but open it up to use the six petal reed for mine and Steves engines. Since Chris bought all new parts, his engine should be the fastest. Then we can use him to compare how much difference there is and which parts work out best.
Thinking back at our first race, Chris was by far the fastest of all the stock Clintons. His driving did not hold him back against those other drivers. But his kart sure did. He managed to work around that just fine. With his kart now set up better, along with what should be a much faster engine, he might be very hard to beat after some track time.
I figure with some more laps driving in traffic, like we were doing with Frank the last time practicing, Chris will get a lot better. I am amazed how much that helped out both me and Steve when we finally got to run our first race. Just getting comfortable driving around unknowns can really help drop your lap times in traffic. And Frank is always an unknown.
Neither one of us really got stuck behind any of the other karts. We just waited until there was an opening, which usually showed itself at the very next turn. A little bit of patience and then make a smooth clean pass without loosing any momentum driving outside of your line.
OK after checking over what it might take on the stock manifolds, a six petal reed should fit. But only after spacing it out about 5/8 inch, give or take a mile. So the stock manifolds might be worth keeping. I could cut this spacer from a flat piece of aluminum plate. Then machine it round on the little lathe. The large diameter hole measures about 1.350" I checked this by using the vernier caliper. It tapers down to roughly 1.125" in that thickness of material.
I can machine it round after cutting out a piece of plate. Then bore the hole to that smaller diameter of 1.125" Keep rotating the top slide on lathe until the angle tapers out to the larger diameter of 1.350". I know there is a formula that can be used after looking thru the Machinists Handbook. It shows how to calculate the actual angle needed to cut and get the correct dimensions. Wow, I am right back to bench racing again.
This time with my bench racing, I am going to do it the Frank Price way. All calculations to achieve the goal I am after on paper first. Then turn it in to a finished product. I know this will work because it was proven on paper thru all of those complicated calculations. Look at me! I am now an engineer. I have solved a problem already and not even crunched a single number yet. Frank better watch out. I might take his job. You better laugh. Because that was so funny, I sure forgot to.
So now adding to those carburetors needing to be modified, then two manifolds converted over to six petal reeds, and finally assembling three engines, we might be getting closer to making a practice day and blowing everything up. That is if something doesnt work out like it did on paper.
Dang it. Now I really do need to cut out three carburetors. One for the spare engine, then Chris and Steves engines. I thought about making one for Frank to try out. But until he gets the new parts for his engine, would be a waste of time. Of course that is just my uneducated opinion since I dont have that store bought education like Frank has. And with a piece of paper to prove it too. I guess that diploma would be considered his receipt.
Frank was very interested in my bored out carburetor that he mistakenly thought was the new HL-115 model. I used good smarts investing it that carby, according to him. He was also sure it would be just about perfect for his well tuned Westbend engine. Frank was reluctant in giving me back the carburetor after I showed it to him.
I told him he might get the chance to try out this carburetor after he has the kart running its best when we make another practice day. Another thing I might have failed to mention is that my bored out carburetor was that red one from his old blown up Power Products AH-82. That would have really blown his mind.
But there is no way I am going to trust him with one of the carburetors already spoken for going on our engines. It is not worth risking him screwing one up. So if I make an extra carburetor for him to try, will be the only way he gets to find out if one works on his engine. Its not that I dont trust him, which I dont, but I have watched him work on things. There is a total disconnect between his hands and his brain. Call me skeptical.
It looks like this weekend is going to be spent working on all of the parts we need to get the engines built. I still have to find some aluminum to use for the spacers. Maybe tomorrow I can stop by the metal shop in school and talk to the teacher. He might have some ideas of where to get the aluminum plate. I only need a small piece about 3 x 6 inches. Maybe get away with even a smaller piece than that.