Stan,
Your spelling of `Westphalia` was certainly clever and seemed appropriate after you described dual carbs. Also thought `Westfakia` likewise clever. Our friend M.O.N. clearly is not using an adaptive filter on his language computer or may not have enough fiber in his diet.
All,
As some of you are aware I spent time operating a high energy, high voltage lab in my recent past and produced some neat artificial lightning generators for science centers as well as commercial insulation breakdown testing machines, etc. When I was a child I was taking stuff apart with my father`s tools trying to figure out how all this amazing stuff worked. That trait has stuck with me for my entire life. I am self taught in most of what I know including SETI radio astronomy for which I actually collected a paycheck from NASA for a while. That was probably my most significant hobby to which I devoted my most life energy. It involved the largest toys (huge dish antennas) and cutting edge state of the art microwave radio receivers, cryogenics and other neat forms of technology that I found a real joy to play with and exciting to learn. I enjoyed antenna design and have taken what I learned and found it helpful in my recent hobby work designing very excellent, ultra low distortion, high efficiency loudspeakers for home hi-fi use. As a generalization in life I have found that the best results can usually be obtained when one tries not to defy the laws of physics.
My speaker building led to setting up a bit of a woodshop here and I do enjoy making stuff with wood as well as my metal creations.
I had begun to experiment with vacuum tube circuits and audio amps before I was ten and by mid late teens had found something else to feed my curiosity. Motorcycles! Had about five into my early twenties then came an interest in four wheel gas guzzlers like mouse and rat motor powered Chevrolets. My list of money sink holes includes 1957 Bel Air 283 with 4 on the floor (my very first car!), 1964 Biscayne 283 turned 350, 1967 Impala SS396, 69 Camaro 396, 67 Chevelle 283 turned 350. My last and the one I did the most to by fabricating the speed equipment myself (no chrome on this car) was a 70 Chevelle that got a freshly rebuilt 350 mouse motor and a 6-71 GMC blower. I made the blower drive from the big cam belt pulleys, stacked to accept 2 inch gimler belt, from taking these parts out of four Vega engines at the wreckers. 1:1 drive ratio. Manifold was a cast iron Q-jet with the carb box hogged out and a flat 3/8 inch thick steel plate brazed onto the top. This car went 0-60mph- 0 in 300 feet, and it only had manual drum brakes! That means it spent most of that 300 feet trying to slow down.
0-60 mph time was 4.2 seconds on street tires. Fun! Sounded like you were at the airport all the time with the turbine like whistle from the blower drive. The mechanical education was expensive but the good news is so here I was all prepped and ready to fool with stationary diesel engines when the opportunity recently arose!
My priorities have changed and now I consider MPG the measure of performance, not 0-60 times. I am using what I have learned to try to make my estate energy self-sufficient. I built a battery powered bicycle last summer but have not got it on the road yet. The PWM controller for an army surplus 28 volt generator used as a drive motor was a DIY challenge that took me past the riding season to fully sort out. I had no previous experience in such motor control electronics so as often is the case, I chose in part to make the project for the learnin` I knew it would give me. This is not your average E-bicycle. It weighs as much as a Harley (~850 lbs with rider). The AGM battery bank weighs 400 lbs alone. It began as a Honda 360 twin and the frame where the engine sat got stretched 12 inches to accomodate the batteries.
I am also trying to make my own large wind turbine as part of the path to firing Ontario Hydro. A ground source heat-pump all DIY with salvaged refrigeration equipment is also on the front of the important large DIY projects list. I need to find some money to hire a backhoe and to purchase the collection piping.
I am in the process of finishing a recently crafted generating plant to charge my home battery bank that uses a tiny JD 175A diesel and have just purchased a Changfa 1115 to make a backup for my mission critical VW diesel genset which now powers my machine shop.
If I was ever talked into going on a vacation I would surely have to take my tools and a project with me or I`d certainly not enjoy myself!
