MDP

Stan & Barry.......First of all, I would like to say thanks for all the hard work putting on the Southern California races. Without you Spark Plugs, there wouldn’t be any races....... I would also like to talk a little about the clipped Idle adjust screws, and welded mufflers that have been coming up in APRA discussion. Gino’s APRA engine was protested by some contestants, at the last Whittier race, so $25 was put up to look at it, Barry, with help from the Whittier officials inspected it, and found it to be legal, so Gino picked up an extra $25. There was a question about the Idle adjust screw being clipped. I told them I had clipped it with wire cutters, for a few reasons, and Barry said he was not going to declare it illegal, simply because of this. I appreciated that. Yes, clipping it, could slightly increase air flow in the carb, but simply screw a stock needle almost all the way out, and you accomplish the same thing. With it screwed almost all the way out, there is no restriction either. You could use Silicone, Epoxy, Loctite, etc. to keep it from falling out. I had seen other guys clip them, and I did the same thing, and for quite some time. What I like most, is the fact that with the idle set as rich as possible, it is easier to shut the engine off, and shutting it of rich is better for the engine. Most Pylon engines, never idle anyway. The most important reason, in my opinion is, with the idle set real rich, if you get a lean needle, you can still stay in the race by throttling back, and maybe still pick up some points. Plus you won’t burn up your engine, trying to finish...... We did not have a welded muffler, so I don’t know where that started from. The muffler, in my opinion, should be able to be inspected. I think the TT’s run better with the baffles in them. Jim is right. Most muffler failures, are due to the long screw breaking, from being over tightened. I tighten mine to about 12 in lbs, Loctite it, and even rough up the threads, behind the nut, so the nut cannot back off. The Nylon in the lock nut melts with heat , and it can loosen. I use high temp Silicone, to help keep the tail cone on. The $25 protest bonus was nice, but nothing new. This was the seventh time, my engines have been protested, torn down, & declared legal. One was even claimed for $100. Gino’s engine had a set of Bocca bearings in it, and they were about $40, so claiming it for $100 would be a steal for someone. I don’t know why more guys don’t take advantage of the $100 claimer rule. Go to a race, decide who is fastest, and claim it .......One word of caution though....Be careful it is not just a good pilot making it look fast. A good, smooth, tight course, can make it look a lot faster than it is. I would claim the engine from the pilot that is flying like a Bat, all over the sky, and still keeping up. Now that’s horse power.....