In a previous article, I discussed some of the merits of using magnesium alloys in race engines. This isn't an original train of thought; the use of magnesium was widespread in different forms of motor racing more than 50 years ago, and the car and motorcycle manufacturers embrace it willingly in an effort to reduce engine and vehicle mass. Indeed, it has been common to use magnesium covers - cam covers, for example - on production motorcycles for decades now. With a density of...
In my younger days, when fuel injection was but a luxury and the roads were less crowded, the journey to work was always so much more enjoyable in the foggy early morning light than at any other time. The engine in my transport - a high-compression 'A' series unit, tuned ever so close to (and sometimes beyond!) combustion 'knock' - would run totally free of detonation and be a joy to drive around the twisting country roads where I lived. As a development engineer I put this...
In the previous article on this subject, I looked at a reversing differential for a bike-engined car where the engine is mounted longitudinally. Many bike-engined cars are configured with the engine mounted transversely, as it is in the motorcycle from which it is taken. This arrangement is commonly seen in Formula Student, for example. One particularly enterprising car constructor has developed, and very successfully used, its own gear-drive conversion in place of the existing chain...
In previous articles about pushrods, several designs have been discussed and explained. And although in these articles the developments, manufacturing and control processes are said to have matured over the years, there are still many race series worldwide where top-end pushrods are not used. Often the reason is product cost. These race series rely on performance parts that are not as sophisticated as the high-level series, or not even production components. That's not to say these...
Getting valve springs to live in a World of Outlaws sprint car engine - one that is 408-410 cu in and makes 850 hp (with more than 700 lb-ft torque at 6300 rpm) - is one of engine building's black arts. At Shaver Specialties Racing Engines (SSRE) in Torrance, California, the challenge is to overcome the "voodoo of valve spring breakage," according to Dennis Hardesty, right-hand man to owner Ron Shaver. "For the past year-and-a-half, the majority of our racing valve...