i ain't backin off of jackshit!
nope ain't gonna do it!
never ever,, ever...
now then i must go back and reread what i have posted, but i am pretty sure i have not stated that i think it is a perfect
engine without its faults,, to date i have never met such an engine no matter how much it costs or who made it.
the perfect engine does not exist.
having said that there certainly are engine's that are better than others, and there are most certainly better engineered engines
than others, and it is without a doubt that there are engine's with vastly better QC.
i don't think i have been secretive about how i feel about any engine, everyone should know by now that i don't like the tophole fed
lister/oid rod brgs for one, i don't like cats 3126 oil cooler, and i could go on for pages but nobody cares one way or the other.
the thing is, basically in my opinion, the redstone design is a sound one from everything that i have seen.
i was initially very skeptical when i had heard that it was not a counterbalanced engine, that one feature was a non starter in my opinion.
when i found out it had a counterbalance shaft then i thought "well ok, lets take a closer look at this puppy"
upon closer inspection, looking at the prints, the parts list, pictures of all the parts, starting and hearing it run, i became a bunch more
optimistic about the engine.
like i said before this is really an apples to oranges comparison, the only thing the redstone shares with a big listeroid is that it burns diesel fuel.
quite frankly i don't understand all the fuss and negativity surrounding this engine, most especially from those that will likely never see one
up close and will never own one.
over the years i have seen many new engine's come to market, and have been pretty much on target with my assessment of what they will run like, what is likely to be a problem and whether they will be successful or not.
back in the late 70's detroit decided to get into the 4 stroke mid size engine game with the 8.2 V8
there was so much excitment over that engine it wasn't even funny,, it was called a fuel squeezer
the only thing it squeezed was money out the new owners pocket, and i told detroit that after seeing the first
prototype engine's at detroits training center.. they told me the same thing
"you are not an engineer, you are a mechanic, and therefore you don't know what you are talking about"
that engine turned out to be much worse than the old 5.7 diesel that most everyone learned to hate.
the bottom line is i have been around enough engine's over the last 40 years to have a feel for good design
and also a second sense for what is likely to be problematic design.
just like the boys that build race engine's, they can take a look at an engine and know up front whether it is
designed strong enough to warrant spending time on to develop.
or like most farmers they can look at a tractor and tell if the sheet metal is likely to crack and fall off in the first season,
no plastic is going to impress them.
same goes for heavy equipment operators, find one that has been around for 40 years and he can take a walk around
of a new piece of equipment and tell you what is likely to bend, break or fall off.
after looking over the redstone it is hard for me to imagine that there are any shortcomings in the design that will cause anywhere
near the grief some folks have had with listeroids, my god there are thousands of reports of broken timing gears, sand, leaking head gskts,
worn guides, non rotating lifters blah blah blah
not to say the lister was a bad design, but some of the listers are very poor copies of the original.
yes we shall see the Redstone coming online with more and more folks getting and working them.
i would bet a dollar to a dog turd that the problems will be a fraction of a percent of those reported by listeroid buyers.
and no they won't be perfect, but
it all comes down to picking your poison, buy a listeroid and know up front that there are many problems that must be addressed
before you start it, and many more you will be dealing with over time, or
buy a Redstone and at least have something that likely does not require a complete teardown, rework, refinish and refit
before you put it into service.
what is you time worth?
buy a 1400 dollar 6/1 and spend a couple hundred more dollars in replacement parts (with shipping) and what? 40 hours
labor to go through it? or spend ~2500 for a big twin and double the dollars in replacement parts and labor?
vs
buying a Redstone, fit it up right and put it to work
maybe it is because i have a very bad back? there is no way i want to pour a ton of concrete to mount an engine
that alone is enough difference to me, and likely many other older folks.
ok, i tell you what
anyone that wants a pair of petteroid twins, with w/pumps, fan and radiators, preban and in the crate let me know
i will part with them for a very good price and then put my money where my mouth is.
i will then buy a Redstone, fit it with either an st12, stc12 or st15 (i got them already) and put it through its paces.
it will be cradle mounted and will run as smooth as silk with no vibration transmitted to any adjoining structure.
i will dyno the living hell out of it, do whatever testing you guys want and invite anyone that wants to come over and witness
any testing.
and i will do it out of the crate with no take down for inspection till after all testing is complete, and likely won't even bother to do so
then.
i am just tired of reading all the bullcrap from those that have never seen or heard the engine run, never seen a print of the engine, or a parts list.
there are those that are so negative, and bring nothing to the table, no alternatives??
you see the problem i have with all this is based on what would a newbie think when he comes onto this board?
typically when one comes onto a new forum he takes notice of the post count and assumes a large number attributed to
an individual equates to that individual being some sort of expert in the subject matter, when clearly this is often not the case.
yes i too have a large post count, and sometime i am embarrassed of it. i try to post things that are hopefully helpful if not always
positive, and i do make an effort to not be negative about things i know little or nothing about. i don't expect anyone to take my word for
anything, nor should anyone take anyones word for anything.
what folks should do is read up on what is available and do some research, read what is posted and if it is negative read it carefully to find out why the poster is negative, conversely if there is a positive report, read it too carefully to learn if the reasoning is sound.
there is no reason why we can't have opposing views and oppinions, but we should be able to support our positions without going to blows.
i think i have been fair and supported why i think the redstone is a good engine, what i like about the design, and the QC
and have compared it honestly with the typical indian listeroid.
on the other hand there are those that take a negative view of the engine based on what? some secret handshake bullshit?
good grief i ain't special, if i want to know about something i do what i have to do to find what i want to know.
bearing in mind that a teaspoon of sugar goes alot further than a gallon of vinegar with most folks.
in other words, i don't go out of my way to poke suppliers in the eye and then expect them to provide me with information.
good way to burn a bridge and then find oneself on the outside looking in.
ymmv
bob g