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Old 12-05-2010, 06:14 PM   #128 (permalink)
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A good friend of mine who used to race go-carts told me something once that I will never forget. They dynoed a 5 HP Briggs and Stratton engine at 18 HP on alcohol. They put a brace that clamped the head to the block, a girdle to keep the head from blowing off the engine at 100 MPH on a dirt track.

When they finished the race you could put your hand on the cylinder head and it would not burn you, but the exhaust would fry you in a heartbeat.

I guess that might mean the actual peak heat from combustion was much later due to the alcohol fuel. No cooling system other than air cooled, no pressurized lubrication, just a splash feed.

He never got past the 10th grade as far as any formal education, but the family business is worth millions. His father was one of 12 sharecroppers children who left home at 16.

regards
Mech
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