Second Wind: the 200mph Merkur

[salt27]

  Hey Stan, how's your wife like your new hat?
  Mike, sorry about the thread hijack, still got the (Kansas?) crud............  Bob

Dodge thing weighs 14 pounds.  A little modification will help.  The thought is what really counts.  Thanx!

Stan, I thought you roadster guys liked lots of weight.   
 
Nice meeting you at Freuds gig, Don

[4-barrel Mike]

Weight's of little consequence when you have coolth!  It's a cool hat!   

With perfect 20-20 hindsight, I should have taken my camera, but who would have thought?

Mike

[salt27]

Mike, It was good to finally meet you in person.

I've been enjoying your build and can't wait to see it run.

I brought my camera but left it in our car.   

  Don

[4-barrel Mike]

The same, Don.  If I had known that we'd spend a couple hours bench-racing at my place before moving to ORB's, I would have invited you and others.  That was quite a group we had at the table (JimL not John L - sorry).

Mike

[4-barrel Mike]

After some delay, I got the engine into the shop at Aldridge Motorsport last Tuesday, and Denny quickly something that I had overlooked: I have a brand new billet crank with 2.100" rod journals and brand new billet 5.850" rods for 2.000" journals.   

The three ready solutions are:

1.  Order new 5.850" rods for a 2.100" journal.  Estimated completion: 10 weeks, which means I wouldn't make it to Speedweek.

2.  Use "on-the-shelf" 6.000" rods with new pistons (2-3 weeks) which will put the pin into the lower ring land. 

3.  Cut a brand new $3000 crank to 2.000" rod journals (couple of weeks down to Southern Cal and back). 

#1 is probably the "best" solution, but anyone have any opinions about doing 2 or 3?

Mike

[salt27]

#3 = lower bearing speed.

  Don

[38flattie]

Mike, none of these will work for you?

http://www.summitracing.com/search/department/engines-components/part-type/connecting-rods/connecting-rod-length-center-to-center-in/5-850-in

EDIT: Sorry Mike-I saw the rod length and journal diameter, and immediately started thinking SBC!

I'd go with option 1, and hope they could rush the order a little!

[desotoman]

After some delay, I got the engine into the shop at Aldridge Motorsport last Tuesday, and Denny quickly something that I had overlooked: I have a brand new billet crank with 2.100" rod journals and brand new billet 5.850" rods for 2.000" journals.   

The three ready solutions are:

1.  Order new 5.850" rods for a 2.100" journal.  Estimated completion: 10 weeks, which means I wouldn't make it to Speedweek.

Mike

Mike,

Call these guys and see what they can do for you.

http://rrconnectingrods.com  14741 E. State Route 17 | PO Box 250 | Grant Park, IL 60940
815-465-6741

From there website: R&R Racing Products will set the standard for custom connecting rods - rush service will be available in as little as a few days to a week for most applications!

Good luck,

Tom G.

[4-barrel Mike]

Thanks for the responses, both here and by PM.  Anyone else?

Now, (past) time to update the rollcage.  Starting here, does this look right?



It's a little close; I need a 30* angle not the 22.5* which was all I could find and I'll move the bend up some for more clearance.

Mike

[4-barrel Mike]

#3 = lower bearing speed.

  Don

Don: 

Rick Byrnes "designed" the engine.  When it came to the rods, rather than use one of the three sizes common to the racing cranks for this engine type (stock: 2.046", 'Chevy': 2.000", & 'Honda': presumably smaller), he chose 2.100, which is often used for, among other things, small block Ford 347 c.i. stroker kits.

I'm not deeply into the engineering, as Chris is getting (I'm too old, too fat, & too tired; besides my poor brain is struggling with the electronic tuning I'll be using  ), but I suspect that when building a four-cylinder engine with the potential of 8000+ rpm, ~40 pounds of boost, & ~1000hp that a larger bearing surface is more important than slower bearing speeds.

But, I dunno.  Maybe Rick will elaborate a little on the subject if he reads this.

Mike

[Rick Byrnes]

Hi Mike and all
I'm still around, mostly lurking.  Finally started enjoying working on the liner again and making some forward progress.

Rod journal size of 2.100" is a common Chevy size.  I choose the larger dimension because of anticipated load, and we could do a crank with more overlap thus providing more area for the higher loads.  I made a concession for the N/A motor running with 6.120" rods, so later as a turbo, we would have the strength to live a long healthy life.  I did not design the crank.  At the time I still had friends in "Good" places and one of the analytical crank designers helped a great deal.  If you choose to reduce to 2.000" pins, any good crank grinder can help, but then you need another round of normalize and heat treat.
Sorry you have hit this snag.  For what its worth running pistons with the pin bore intruding into the oil ring land is pretty common these days.  I've been doing it on a long stroke engine and not having problems.
I'm not really an engine designer, other than gaskets and seals.  I am very fortunate to have really good council from some really smart and experienced folks both inside Ford Motor and out.
Count Dan Esslinger and family in that group.  I do know how to listen and apply what they teach me.
As one of my friends in Brasil used to say, "I am but a simple technician."

Happy Easter to all

[Rick Byrnes]

Seats of over 30 degrees are done by Butler.  We had them do the seat for the Hydrogen Hybrid Fusion.  No one else would do it and the car was built around me and that type of reclining seat.  The fuel cell tray required all the room folks would normally sit.  With all the packaging requirements the car would not accommodate a pilot of more than 5'6"
and I was reclining 33 degrees.  Almost the same as the liner.  More than that I am not comfortable and I spent lots of time looking at seating positions on the Fusion, lakesters and liners.

Butler can handle your requirements and make a superb product.
I did bet my A$$ on them.

[tauruck]

Rick, the last two posts were excellent.

There's more information there than meets the eye.

Thanks. I learned a few things.

When a guy calls himself simple beware.!!!!

Ken Howes, who runs Hendrick Motorsports used to say that.

[4-barrel Mike]

Thanks, Rick!

[4-barrel Mike]

The crankshaft is currently in the possession of FedEx on its way to Esslinger Racing for a quick trip back to Marine Crankshaft http://www.marinecrankshaftinc.com/.

Shouldn't take too long.



Mike