let's chat

[matchbox]

What about kevko oil evacuation kits? R they worth it?

[fastford]

i think so , i have been using there oil pans for several years and there 2nd to none,,,,,,IMO,,,

[Dirtslinger20]

Brad, thanks for your response and a wise choice, beyea makes a great product and are affordable.Doyle, you are correct, I’ll keep my set of $640 Beyea’s and spend the other $1360 somewhere else

[brad hibbard]

Dirtslinger
whatever brand of header that is being run---if they are a season old or more and steel they can be perked up some
simply have the inside of the tube blasted and then a coating applied---yes that can run about $300 but it will be noticeable from the seat
If coatings are not in the budget---apply automatic transmission fluid to the inside of the header for a couple of days and then install them on the car and smoke out the neighbors---once the smoke stops the inside of the tube will have a new finish and last for a reasonable amount of time (they still need to be blasted first)

steel headers will build up with rust and degrade the exhaust flow over time
stainless headers do not have this issue and run pretty much the same their entire life

beyea makes a budget minded stainless header by cutting back on the pretty stuff
they are mig welded and not polished
they do also offer a tig welded version that is polished for the folks with a larger budget
however most will stick with mild steel and save enough for 2 sets of tires or go with mig welded and save enough for one set of tires

It's funny how some of us describe funds
I have been in this business for 40 years and solely in the engine business for 14 years and I still compare available funds to tires--LOL

Merry Christmas
Brad

https://www.race-1.com

[dmags]

Brad, What is your take on Brisk sparkplugs?
Thanks in advance! appreciated

[brad hibbard]

let me start with saying many spark plug issues come from people damaging the spark plug when they set the gap
this is one reason why you will sometimes here big claims from someone that installs a Brisk or E3 plug
those two brands do not require the end user to adjust the gap which equates to them not damaging the plug.

we did some extensive testing and development with E3 several years ago and never really hit on anything better than what we have been doing for years so we moved away from it---not saying it's bad ---we just couldn't get it better in any category of spark plug evaluation

I have been intrigued by the Brisk spark plug and performed some limited testing with them where nothing really jumped out at me
BUT an associate of mine shared some information about fuels that are less than desirable to the tune and in those situations the Brisk plug out performed a standard plug
still nothing that is going to make a 5th place car a winner but in the overall picture when dealing with some bad fuels it may have some advantages

I spoke with one of the engineers from Brisk at PRI for most of the afternoon one day and once I was able to get him off of a sales pitch and discuss actual situations where there is a benefit and get him to admit there are some downsides as well---we had a productive conversation

I believe we will be offering the Brisk spark plug at Race-1 in 2020 but we will also maintain our pre gapped and lubed "old faithful" NGK plug

as a final note ---all spark plug companies emphasize that we torque our plugs into the head----over tightening will damage the plug just like improper gapping procedures
I am guilty as charged on the over tightening but everyone in the shop now reminds each other to use a torque wrench when installing plugs

I want to say Merry Christmas to everyone and I enjoy the productive conversation here on 4M
My wife has decided that we need a vacation so I am banned from the computer and the shop for a week and a half--LOL
hope everyone has great Christmas and a safe new year---

Brad

https://www.race-1.com

[fastford]

i guess im old school , we still use the ole autolite 23,s , i do index them though , but not sure that is worth doing or not......

[FtrSpeedy]

ok i got one, 602 crate, whats rough lifespan on water pump? into the 4th season now and engine has been running hotter (240+) than it used to (210). new radiator helped some but still hotter than i care to run. engine runs rich on fuel, tried new fan and tried different fans all with fan shroud, no restrictor or t-stat. bumped timing up a few degrees bumped timing down a few degrees with no changes.

[fastford]

ive have always ran a restrictor with a 5/8 hole in summer or thermostat in winter , did you not have one in before ?

[FtrSpeedy]

no there has never been a restrictor, always double pass deairation radiator, and fan shroud has never been changed or modified.

[brad hibbard]

I have definitely seen water pump impellers erode and not flow water properly---so yes I would say that is a good possibility
my first areas of concern you have already addressed (radiator and fan blade)

is the water system pushing water out?---this would be due to a leaky head gasket or cracked head

brad

https://www.race-1.com

[FtrSpeedy]

i did have to replace intake gaskets. some reason the front started leaking coolant into engine. cracked heads common? no not pushing water. the engine was brand new in late 2007, raced handful of nights than sat till 4 years ago. will sitting erode impellars? always filled with antifreeze.

[brad hibbard]

sitting will not erode impellers
the leaking intake gasket was due to improper tightening of the intake or lift plate abuse
the replacement gasket should have had spacers in it to prevent breakage when over tightened

I would check for any signs of "milky" oil in the valve cover and then air up each cylinder with radiator cap off and watch for bubbles

Brad

https://www.race-1.com

[FtrSpeedy]

alright ill check all that, thanks.

[billetbirdcage]

alright ill check all that, thanks.

Check pulleys for slippage. They wear and will/can slip over time, grab fan with hand and try to turn engine. It should not slip or least not much.


No 1 problem I see with running hot, belt slippage due to worn pulleys