I have a one and a half (two bedroom 1st year, 1 bedroom 2nd year) time share at "Kings Creek Plantation" in Williamsburg Va. I used it for vacation trading purposes, it will trade with the Ritz Carloton in NY. I would put it into the RCI program and they always upgraded the two bedroom to a three and the one to a two. Since it is only me at home now, I have no futher use for it. I paid $12K for it 10 years ago, if you pay the $500. deed transfer fee it can be yours. Maintenance fees are $352. a year. There is currently a three bedroom unit in the RCI program that needs to be used this year. Contact me at tdaniels@rocktenn.com

Please talk this over with your spouse and only contact me if you truly want it.

June 15th & 16th                 

 ARMA  National Points Race 
 Brian Smith  (Summer Nationals)


  Hosted by ARMA & S.C.L.M.R.A

 Benefit Race
 This race is set up to help (Brian Smiths Kids)
 We are going To setup a Collage Fund For the Kids.
 

I have a large two peice Pro Fox racing suit and nomex underwear, paid almost $600. for it, let it go for $250. used it once at Bonneville. This is not a good suit for Lawn Mower racing, but if you run dirt tracks or drag race, it would be great.

How about some thoughts on what the word "Champion" means? We struggle each year with the best way to pass this title to the person who has acomplished this feat. This person is the one who above all others accomplished this and is rewarded for his or her efforts. the system we had in place when we first started allowed the person who attended the most races accumulate the most points and most of the time became champion. Our system now allows people to win their region, go to the nats and compete with up to three other people that one day for the title. remember also that anything can happen and breakage, wrecks and what ever can happen and allow someone else beside these four to win that day.

There has been suggestions of all types of "Points" systems which reward people for finishing where ever in each of the races, points rewarded for not being first, but finishing near the top place postions. I'm concerned this would be accumalitive and again reward the person who showed up the most and placed high enough to first place to enter the Nats with only having to finish anywhere but first place?

Thoughts?

Anyone displaying mowers at the Turkey Run in Daytona?

Guys, I am starting what i hope to be a long relationship with Precision Cams that will help all of us as racers to take our engines to the "Next Level"

I will be assisting Mike by fielding your questions you may have on your cams and getting some new cam profiles out there so some of you can do some "On the Track Testing" As you can imagine the shop work takes a lot of time and hopefully me coming on board and making sure you guys stay in touch with Mike and the Gang at Precision will help all of us.

I have won three National Championships with help from several machine shops and definiately with the Cams that I have gotten from Mike. I have used other cams after a rebuild,and last year I ran one 15 minutes because the grinder promised me a better cam than I had, sorry it would not rev and pull as my old Precision.

So, if I can be of any help please feel free to contact me at  Huffy044@yahoo.com or tdaniels@rocktenn.com, daytime number is 804-843-5275

Just small help here for those of you who like to get things right. Almost all of the crankshafts that I have balanced starting several years ago had anywhere from .001 to .014 runout on the crank journals measured from either end. Most average .006, this causes a 1 X engine speed vibration and depending where it's bent can increase vibration 3X engine speed. The best balance job can still have a serious vibration even though the counter weight has been adjusted proplerly.

Real easy to fix, just takes some time, you will need a dial indicator (you should have one to check crank end play) a magnetic base to hold the indicator and hopfuly a lathe to suspend it while turning. If you dont have a lathe, build a set of Vee Blocks or take a set of front wheel bearings (go kart) and two peices of angle iron. Mount the bearings a 1" or so apart so when the journal is placed on then it will spin easily. Make two of these.

Place the dial indicator on a soild surface next to the crank, place the end of the indicator on the crank and spin it noting the amount of run out. If you get .006, you actually have .003, you are measuring a cirlce so you must cut the reading in half.

Once the high spot is found I have old sumps that I put in a vise with the oposite end of the crank from where I took the reading. With the high spot up, smack it with a soft hammer such as a brass one. Go easy, check it again and you should see the runout decrease. I play with it until I get it to .001. I guarantee this will reduce vibration, add HP, and you did it!

Track safety is a huge concern we all have with both racing and around the track. drivers are really good about observing and obeying flags and signals from the people running the track. One huge issue I see is getting everyone to slow down or stop safety when a flag is thrown. The person nearest the flagman will see the falg and if it is red will try to stop immediately. This is great unless the person behind you did not see the flag and plows into you from the rear.

There is a device available to us that is no bigger than a pager and you listen in through a ear peice (or a speaker in your helmet) to all conversation the Track Steward is talking about. Imagine hearing RED Flag through your ear piece and knowing everyone on the track just heard the same thing and are coming to a stop without getting to know your backside? How about on caution laps when that one individual just can't seem to get in the proper line up? The Head Flagger could come on the radio and say Number  3, go to second place. Then we don't circle the track until a red is thrown and the poor guy is finally lined back up.

www.rh2way.com has just such a unit and will give us a substantial discount if we order together. List is $99.00, but were were order in numbers the nice lady said she would do a LOT better. Christmas is coming, this is lot cheaper than the deductable you pay on insurance. And it would be cool to know what is going on.

Think about it and if there is enough intrest, maybe we can all be safer on the track.

Comments?

Just a very GOOD LUCK and GOD SPEED to the Crowl family as they head out west on the ARMA Tour. Aaron is driving the big rig by himself with the family to keep him awake and alert. This is dedication and a love beyond the normall for our sport.  I do hope all out there appreciate the incrediable task these wonderful people have in front of them and the hard work they are doing to bring the west coast some of the finest racing there is! Wish them well!!!!!!

Just a thought for you guys and gals, the last two engines I got in to balance, the engine pulley was WAY out, they had been welded on and the weld threw the balance off so bad the intake and exhaust would loosen up very quickly. So far I have not found a stock unmolested pulley that was off.

Just food for thought, might save you some grief.

Thought this might be intresting to you guys and gals, I've heard complaints before about set screws loosing up, with that being said, there are five different types of set screws and they all do something different.

Knurled Point: is used for quick and permanant location fittments. Counterclockwise knurls prevent the set screw from loosening from vibration, the knurls may mar the shaft and interfet with removal. These should only be used ONE TIME.

Flat Point: this is the best type to be used when parts must be removed or reseated from time to time, leaves little or no damage, can be used with hardened shafts.

Oval or Round Point: Best use for angular surfaces, V-grooves or when circular indents (for location) sre placed on a fitment, shaft ect. This point works best to allow for axial adjustment of a device.

Cone or V Point: Used for "Permanant" location of parts. This point allows for deep penertation and provided the highest axial and torsional holding power

Dog Point:  This is also used for permanat location of one part to another. This point is typically "Spot" drilled in a shaft or placed againist a "ground flat"

So, it looks like I need to throw all mine away as all I have is the first one, the knurled point, which the majority of us use, it's also the worst one. The "Cone or Dog Point" apears to be the best chooice for holding pulles on.

This info and the one about the key came from a Reliability Soulutions Class attended by some of the guys where I work, great stuff, trust me, I did not come up with this by myself. I never knew there were five types, but i have wondered why My pulleys sometimes fell off. As Paul Harvey used to say, "And now you know the rest of the story"

Over the past few years doing tech and seeing the bottom of a lot of mowers out there, I have noticed a lot of people have the wrong size keys in their drive pulleys on the engine. The proper length of the key contributs to the balance of the engine, I will admit it's small, but as George says "A lot of little things add up to one big thing" With that being said here is the proper way to determine the length your key needs to be.

1st, measure the length of "Cut" keyway on the crankshaft, go all the way to the end of the radius. Say it's 3"

2nd, measure the length of the "Cut" keyway on the pulley. Say it's 2"

Now add the two together and divide by 2. So,  3 plus 2=5 dividiveded by 2=2.5"

Now multiply by .95, this will be the length needed for your aplication 2.5 times .95=2.375"

Simple, but this contributes to the overall balance of the engine.

Briggs has now discontinued the oil pump/governor Part #691980 for the 8 hp flathead, if you like useing new ones on your builds, better start hunting inventory.

Anyone needing machine or baLacing work performed, I'm now open for business. I can cut just about any amount off of whatever head or heads you have, machine excentrics off the single cranks, pin your balance weights and polish the crank journals. Also can balance SINGLE cylinder cranks. Custom work-send your wants.
Two email addresses:
tdaniels@smurfit.com
huffy044@yahoo.com

I am in Florida for the Turkey Run and visiting some friends in LaBelle, while here I visited the local Lawn Mower track and they would like to have a race here the last weekend in Febuary. This coincides with the Swamp Cabbage Festible that is held every year.

The track is awesome! It is around 785' in circumference, 195' straight aways, a small chicane, one dog leg and some super looking clay/based shell and located in the city limits of LaBelle Florida.

We are asking how many of you would attend the event if we could arrange it? It's a great break for the winter, the weather is usually in the high 70's to low 80's while most of us have snow on the ground, great time to sample some alligator and swamp cabbage. The track is approximately 14 hours from Richmond Va.

How about it? Anyone intrested?