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The 10,000 rpm BombSeveral times a week we get calls from people that have just exploded their engine and, for the most part, they're looking for answers as to why it happened. On occasion, they'll send us some of the parts (or the whole mess) for evaluation hoping that we can shed some light on the problem. Well - sometimes we can and sometimes we can't.Lets take a moment to consider where it all started and where we are now.We took a 5 hp. lawn …

Rod Length RatiosThere are as many theories about rod lengths as there are any other subject that deals with racing.As strokes get longer, rod lengths get shorter and at some point in time, this will create a problem. We don't know if we've crossed the line yet, but we're definitely leaning on it. At the same time, there's a point where rod lengths can get too long for a particular stroke and we're leaning on that line also.Rod length ratios are …

WEDNESDAY, JULY 8, 1998 Discovery by FatalityRe: Crankshaft flex and side covers By: Lynn Cooley Date: July 8, 1998We all are aware that a crankshaft will flex and bend. What we don’t know, or should I say didn’t know, is how much. We also didn’t know what kind of specific problems the flexing would create.Obviously the .875" journal crank could flex more than the 1.000" journal crank but there is not as much difference as you might think.As a l …

THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 1998The Art of Design & ProductionBy: Randy Amundsen Date: August 20, 1998We probably have 20 calls a week from customers who are full of ideas and thoughts about designing or re-designing our products or someone else's product. Some have a brand new idea that they would like us to manufacture. We like to hear new ideas and sometimes we can react and sometimes not. Bringing a new idea to market is a very complex task and very …