So, I spent some money on engine parts from John Mummert. He's another great guy (this hobby is full of them). I now understand why I have such a hard time reaching him on the phone... he really likes talking to people, and just doesn't hear the phone ringing when he's talking! I've got to respect that. He's got a small shop with no front door... he doesn't usually get walk-ins like me. He and his small staff do engine work on ATV motors and y-blocks. That's about it. John sends y-block parts all over the world, but he rarely sends stuff locally. Most local folks tend to rip the y-blocks out of their '50's Fords, and put in something newer, bigger. But in Europe, the American Midwest, and Australia, they treasure their y-blocks! funny...
Anyway, I got a mild street cam, gaskets, stainless valves, springs, keepers, retainers, plugs/keys, pushrods, oil pump shaft... I think that's about it. It doesn't make sense to me to scrimp on engine parts, especially the ones that go deep inside. I'm still shooting for an honest 9:1 compression ratio, but Mr. Mechanic has measured the deck height at .025" (distance the pistons are "in the hole" at TDC). Mr. Mummert says .065" is too much to shave off 113 heads, so I should zero deck the block (mill the block to make the pistons even with the top of the block) and only take .040 off the heads. Zero decking the block is a good idea anyway with "quench head" engines like the y-block. Mr. Mechanic and I are taking the block and heads to the machine shop tomorrow.
Minor tech diversion - I find this to be pretty cool! A "quench" or "wedge" head, unlike a hemi head, has a flat spot right above where the piston sits at top dead center, and has a "D" or heart shaped scooped-out combustion chamber off to one side of the cylinder. Like this:
1. the fuel-air mixture in the cylinder gets squished under very tight "flat" space, and squirts out at very high velocity into the "scooped out" combustion chamber, causing really good mixing and making for a more thorough combustion... and more power (grunt, grunt, grunt).
2. the piston surface, being so close to the water-cooled head surface, has a brief chance to "quench", or transfer some heat and cool off during the short time while it is at top dead center... but it happens many, many times a second!
I'm not really ready to discuss the spiritual significance of quench heads yet... but I'm sure there is something significant there.
Another really interesting thing that happened this weekend was taking my son to the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. This is the premier car show in the USA, and probably the world... there is nothing else like it, only the best of the best cars get invited... and if they are competing, they only get invited once. I was overwhelmed by the number of really beautiful cars there, but I was also feeling blessed to be able to spend the day with my son! On the advice of "Uncle Packard", who has shown cars there many times, we arrived at 6:30 AM and watched these cars drive on to the field, one at a time. For a car guy, the sights, sounds and even smells of this event are heavenly! I took way too many pictures to post much here, but I will share one outstanding car that we saw (and heard): the Blitzen Benz!
The sound of this car taking the field was enormous, as you would expect from an engine with cylinders the size of small block chevys. 21.5 liters is a BIG motor in anybody's book. It's hard to tell from this pic, but this motor is the size of a medium refrigerator.
My son and I had an excellent day. It has been a sublime joy to share our love of cars, to talk and dialog about something we both found facinating, and to both reflect each others enthusiasm.
I tend to think that my heavenly Father likes to spend time with me, in much the same way. He enjoys my love of life, and my enthusiasm, and wants to share his with me!
Cars are created things, and each created thing says something about its creator... what they thought was important, their sense of style and balance. When it comes down to it, cars aren't really meant to be possessed. They are meant to bring people into relationship, to inspire awe and appreciation. Spanning a century, the Blitzen has offered me a relationship, however brief, with it's designer (Julian Ganss). What a remarkable person he must have been!
8/29 Update: The Blitzen at Pebble Beach is featured on Jay Leno's Garage.
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