How fast will this car go? Doc Brown is at it again...lol

In reply to Vigo (Forum Supporter) :

Between the torque converter system and the transmission input shaft I'm using a chain drive.  Right now the chain drive is reducing the input shaft speed by a 3:1 ratio, however I do have another set of sprockets for 2:1,    Off camera tests showed that the 2:1 ratio drive system caused a significant reduction in performance ....Lol... as if the car wasn't slow enough.     Anyway,  we may see the return of the lower ratio after the next round of engine mods   

Just watch the videos! I am hooked and subscribed!

There's a lot of novelty in running a production car with a lawnmower engine, but I'm curious to know how far down the weight reduction slope you plan to go.  That transmission is an obvious starting point, but there's lots more you can do to hack away at the car.  Have any plans to do so, or will you keep it pretty much as is in these initial videos?

Doc Brown said:

In reply to Mr_Asa :

I have access to royalty free music for YouTube creators, but its hard to find free stuff that actually sounds good.

I typically use old ragtime tunes to play over sped up action to give a Youtube video a silent film / Keystone Kops vibe. Pretty easy to find it royalty free too since the copyright is long gone.

nderwater said:

There's a lot of novelty in running a production car with a lawnmower engine, but I'm curious to know how far down the weight reduction slope you plan to go.  That transmission is an obvious starting point, but there's lots more you can do to hack away at the car.  Have any plans to do so, or will you keep it pretty much as is in these initial videos?

  Right now the car is stripped as far as I'm willing to go.  The car appears to be completely normal to the casual observer and that is the look I was trying to obtain.  Currently the interior is fitted with camera mounts and whatnot, but once they are removed and the passengers seat is reinstalled the interior also appears normal at a quick glance.  The difference between a totally stripped interior and a normal looking interior is worth the weight penalty in my opinion.  Most of the interior stuff is extremely light weight for the most part.   

Mr_Asa said:

Finally got time to watch all the vids.  Love 'em.

A note on production, the spots where you're just turning a wrench and not talking, maybe speed those up so they zip by faster?  They kill the momentum a lot.

My son really appreciated the explain, then show aspect of things like the "double nut" technique. 

Completely coincidentally i ended up having to remove the carb studs on the 212 engine i have (on a go kart) and did the double nut thing and then a day later remembered i had watched the exact same thing on a video i had seen only a day or two before but didn't make the connection at the time. Which just goes to show that the mechanic part of my brain works better than the whole rest of it.

Also, i didn't have a welding tip cleaner small enough to fit the idle jet of a 212 predator. One thing my wife came up with at the 2017 Challenge when we were trying to clear an accelerator pump jet was to cut a wire off a wire brush and use that. At some point you have to wonder if the tricks you're trying to use are worth more money than the part you're using them on. As someone who replaced a very small engine with something 1/5th the size and is about to expend a lot of effort getting the result from 44 to 50 mph, i assume these are relatable sentiments. 

In reply to Vigo (Forum Supporter) :

Pro tip: the wire inside the twist-tie on a loaf of bread is handy for clearing small orifices. I leave half the plastic on em so they're easier to see and pick up.

Hadn't heard of that one! Thanks!

Greg Smith (Forum Supporter) said:

Mr_Asa said:

Finally got time to watch all the vids.  Love 'em.

A note on production, the spots where you're just turning a wrench and not talking, maybe speed those up so they zip by faster?  They kill the momentum a lot.

My son really appreciated the explain, then show aspect of things like the "double nut" technique. 

For sure, the odd little tips and tricks, include those.  I'm talking about where he's bolting the fuel tank in on that strut support bar, or general wrench turning with no tips.

You could save some weight by hacking out the useless floorpans, and then do some Fred Flintstone action for a hybrid drivetrain! 

In reply to Vigo (Forum Supporter) :

Never use steel wire of any kind on a carb you actually care about. I know, it is done, and recommended, but steel is much harder then brass, aluminum, or pot metal. Torch tips I still see recommended from time to time, but I don't like to run a bastard file across precision surfaces, either. Take the plastic lid off a can of carb cleaner; spray cleaner into lid in a way that leaves liquid in the cap. Put your jet in to soak. We all loose the "straw" that comes with 'em, but find one and use it to spray directly into passages, and medium pressure air. NEVER use steel, if you what to dial a carb in right. If close enough is close enough, a soup can and a butterfly will work close enough.