DYNOTHON 2014

[Milwaukee Midget]

Unofficial results - Fordboy will be posting the exact numbers to base your contributions on - BUT -

After reeling in a major oil leak - brought about by nothing short of my misunderstanding of how seals are supposed to work - hey, I'm still a student - and a three hour round trip from Gurnee, Illinois to Cicero Avenue on Chicago's South Side in order to get seals that actually lived up to their title, it appears as though I've got a 99.1 hp motor.

That elusive number - 100 - just isn't going to happen.  But we do have a 4.2% increase.  On an engine that was compromised by antiquated design parameters the day the ink dried on the blueprints, I'm calling this year's work a success.

Once Fordboy has the sheets sorted and indexed, he will be posting up the numbers here and on the Milwaukee Midget build diary.  None of this is proprietary info, and I'm willing to share any sheets we've created in association with this build, so don't hesitate to ask.

Here's a photo of this year's curve along with last year's . . .



We're up on torque across the board, and that 7100 rpm dip that was just so difficult to pull out of has been fixed. Last year, it was all I could do to get the Midget up to a competitive speed by the 2 mile marker.  It was still accelerating, although very slowly, between the 2 and the 3.  While this graph doesn't show it, there is substantially more power in the 6500-7000 range.  This should make the car more driveable, and hopefully take the Midget to terminal velocity quicker.  Then, just hold, take a deep breath, relax, and let it cruise until the three.

In short, it will need to be driven like a 3 mile drag car, and it will be a lot easier to do that this year.

Just a huge "thank you" to all who will be making contributions based on these results.  This site is a resource for the LSR community that would be sorely missed, and your contributions keep it going.

SEE YOU ON THE SALT!   

[WOODY@DDLLC]

Chris & Fordboy, a most valiant effort! 

If we could apply inflation to your lump then you made about 312 HP!   :-D

But I'm in for 4.2% x $10 = $42!! 

[Milwaukee Midget]

Thanks, Woody!

Just posted up some preliminary thoughts on the build diary.

I think the engine is as ready as it will ever be.

And I'm pleased I didn't have to bring it home in a wheelbarrow. 

[Graham in Aus]

Good solid results Chris and Mark I'm impressed!
This plus the Aero mods must surely take you to where you want to be! 
Donation PAID!! 

[manta22]

Great! Congratulations, Chris! 

Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ

[Queeziryder]

Chris
Money is winging its way electronically to Slim.

Well done, the graph looks good 

Neil

[Milwaukee Midget]

Neil, I just did the same, and Woody, thanks for your support, both of the website, and your shared insights and thoughts on this project.

And if anybody knows of someone running a vintage Formula Junior car, and is in need of a pretty stout BMC 1 liter 5-port, the Grenade is going to be pensioned off after Speedweek to raise funds for the DOHC 4 valve 1 liter MG/Rover that I'll be running in 2016.

Quite honestly, other than a Lotus 7 - which always had better engine options available - I can't think of another application where one would need a 99 hp tractor motor that turns to 9K all day.

[Finallygotit]

Well, I'm going to double my initial pledge.  Good job Chris.  Hope to see you on the salt next month.

Take care.

[Rex Schimmer]

Chris,
Just Paypal(ed) Slim a hundred bucks, $60 for the additional 4.1 hp and the rest just because! Sorry that I won't be there to see the Midget get the record. Best of luck!!

Rex

[SPARKY]

I like Woody's math  4.2 x $15. == $63.00

done done  sorry about no ton

[Seldom Seen Slim]

I'm posting this list here -- and will put it on the home page of the site, too.

These are at least some of the folks that have sent in $$ for the website in the recent past.  Thanks to the Dynothon there are more than enough to make sending a thank you to each and every one of you easy, so please take notice of your name on this list - if you're wondering if your $$ got through to lr.com HQ.  Some of the donations were for other stuff, too - be it Salt Talks shirts or just general principles or to pay for stuff that's for sale on the site.

Sparky

Rex Schimmer

Woody

Dan St. George  (TWICE!!! )

Chris Conrad

Neil Diggens

Graham H.

Jim Dincau

Bill Huff

Gary Perkinson

Land Speed Louise

Peter Allan

Stainless

Again -- thanks very much.  And again, if you sent and didn't see your acknowledgement here -- get in touch with me and we'll see how I missed it.

[Milwaukee Midget]

Wow - Thanks to everybody for joining us on the fun.

Slim - I'm glad it's helpful.

It can be unnerving - watching and listening to an engine spool up, applying the water, realizing the loads being put upon it.

But it's also quite gratifying pulling it off the dyno and realizing that you've got a proven, reliable piece that has the potential to crack a record. 

I've become a believer in dyno testing before running.  I know there are those who have the ability, experience and the talent to put together an engine that will run strong, and that they can dial it in on the salt - but I'm not that guy. 

If I lived closer to Utah, I might be.  But given the expense of simply participating - hotel, entry fee, fuel - the time and money spent on a dyno is actually cheap insurance to insure time at Bonneville will be spent running the car, and not working on it.

I've already spent 6 years working on it - why screw up a perfectly good vacation in the desert?

Thanks - EVERYBODY - We'll see you in a few weeks!

Chris Conrad

[jacksoni]

Well I decided to join the party late, knowing the outcome; $10/hp improvement==$40

Chris, power peak was right at 8000. How does that fit with your gearing? Expect is somewhere in the 275 pages but I don't have the strength to go find it? Sail boat racing today (think we won fleet, 2nd to finish) and is after 500 .

[Milwaukee Midget]

Well I decided to join the party late, knowing the outcome; $10/hp improvement==$40

Chris, power peak was right at 8000. How does that fit with your gearing? Expect is somewhere in the 275 pages but I don't have the strength to go find it? Sail boat racing today (think we won fleet, 2nd to finish) and is after 500 .

It was though I had reverse-engineered the power curve, and hit the bullseye.

It's a 4.22:1 drive with 22" tires, which puts the peak at about 124.  What's cool is that we actually upped the bottom end of the peak power arch, so it should pull through the 3 gear, and fall right into the sweet spot.

Yeah - that's what I said last year . . .

But key is going to be taching at least 7800 in 4th at the 2, so the torque will be put to good use.  We need to launch it swiftly, stay in the power band - and let the car do the rest.

Thanks for joining the fund drive, and congrats on the sail boat racing finish. 

IT'S MOJITO TIME!

[Seldom Seen Slim]

Thanks, Jack, for the donation.  I'll get it onto the list on the home page - I hope.  But no hoping about my thanking you.  I do appreciate your support, and so does Chris.