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LMR Engine (APPCO 1977 ad)
#11
Man was I glad to rid myself of those lame engines about 15 years ago. The castings are very porous and many had horrible air leaks. The motors were not fast enough to compete with the same type of Italian engines. I guess if there was an LMR only class then maybe would be competitive.

I am sorry those that were modified still got beat my any decent Komet, Corsair, Parilla, BM, Atlas, Hewland, and even some older Saettas still running at that time. In stock form could run with a Corsair T72. But when the Komet K55 and Atlas made their debut that LMR got spanked.

After going thru several, one thing I could see was a big problem(if you didnt have major air leaks) is how opened up the transfer passages and feeders were. Stock reeds were too thick. The only time I got one running well is after punching it out to a 55 mm piston from a B-bomb. Added another spark plug and used two Motoplats. Ran the coldest plugs I could get. Motorcraft AG203. At least there was some decent crankcase pressure then. That was back before the days of third bearing supports, so this particular motor had a tendency to break the pto crank half. But with the two mag side cranks for ignitions, I added an adapter shaft and third bearing cover.

Scott Pruitt ran a pair in the Long Beach Gran Prix, if I remember correctly. After that I never saw them at big races.
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#12
I love this part:
"I guess if there was an LMR only class then maybe [they] would be competitive."

Sounds just like the type of praise I always get, at home, at work, pretty much everywhere else...

Hey, maybe I should get me one of these LMR's... but I'd hafta run it with a BDC-16, in order to get the full self-inflicted-wound experience.
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#13
What a load. The LMR was competitive with any engine on speed. It just was poorly executed. The Florida 100cc open crowd was on par with any and all national karters, and my open LMR was on par with any of them. Mr. Lumello was a darn good engine designer, and the LMR was his baby. Just because Margay wouldn't spend the money to execute the manufacturing did not mean that there was any lack in the concept. The cylinder liner was fine, but the castings were porous and sloppily machined. My engine was far and away the fastest 100 open I ever ran-I just couldn't keep it in one piece. I probably should've designed and machined a billet case and used a Komet or Parilla crank and rod. Execution, not design, was the LMR's downfall! TJ
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#14
(02-08-2020, 09:27 AM)doug tenney Wrote: Hey, maybe I should get me one of these LMR's... but I'd hafta run it with a BDC-16, in order to get the full self-inflicted-wound experience.

When I was still in high school, my first italian engine was an old obsolete Parilla BA-13A. This one had the die cast motor scooter head on it. Ugly! Since I wasnt sponsored by anyone, or funded by my parents, the idea of me owning a Burco carb was still a pipe dream. Those big Mac carbs were plentiful and cheap. So I welded up the stock rotary valve cover for a Delorto and made an adapter to bolt on a big Mac carb. Now I was stepping with the big boys.
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