For several years, we had been calculating horsepower and torque of The Red Baron based on engineering equations and results from race runs. The most direct way to get these numbers is using a dynamometer, but that gets complicated with our starting procedure and our reverse-shift pattern: push down to shift up, and lift up … Continue reading Reverse-Shift Pattern Dynamometer Disaster
Leak-down test & pressure-loss calculation
When turning the crankshaft on an internal combustion engine, you can feel an increase in resistance caused by generating a vacuum or building compression when the valves are closed. This indicates that the piston rings are holding a seal with the cylinder walls. Smitty noticed that we were not holding compression pressure, particularly in the … Continue reading Leak-down test & pressure-loss calculation
El Mirage Record Run – July 2017
The Red Baron achieved its first land speed record at El Mirage! The instrument panel of The Red Baron shows the engine performance throughout a race run. In this record run, The Red Baron exhibited partial detonation in the rear cylinder, shown by the cylinder head temperature (C.H.T.) spiking from 400-degF to near 600-degF in … Continue reading El Mirage Record Run – July 2017
Starting procedure for The Red Baron
https://youtu.be/5JNrygpVce8 The Red Baron has a starting motor that we use to spin up the rear tire, generating oil pressure, before ignition. I like this video because it captures the procedure and the satisfying sound of the Mighty Morini. The video shows the second iteration of the starting motor design that was made to accommodate … Continue reading Starting procedure for The Red Baron