Dyno Testing

yes. here tell them diferent but yes this it is. is 1500cc ,catcams 278.biger port head. original valves. cut head 1mm and up compresion. ansa exhaust 4 2 1, other exhaust is 50mm, electronic ignition, doubles idf 40 40 40 40. diff 17 64. the car job perfect for all rpms with mutch mutch power....
 
Its very difficult to accurately compare readings from two different dynos. Dyno's are just measuring sticks and each has its own scale. Run the same car, back to back, on a Mustang and a DynoJet and you will get two very different readings.
 
For that matter, run the same car on the same dyno on the same day at the same location back to back and you will get two different readings. Lots of factors at play. But in general it is still one of the best ways to assess the overall capability of an engine.

Karl, I like the idea of having a portable dyno at the various events. I've seen that at many other (non Fiat) shows.
 
I have used a variety of dynos for various racecars over the years. I had a log for my DSP X1/9 and remember having made well over 200 dyno pulls in it. Always on the same dyno and careful to use the weather station to factor changes in air temp and density.
 
Didnt i read on here from someone, that Al Cosentino or maybe some other legendary X1/9 builder would by large quantities of engine parts, measure them closely and strategically pair them together to get the best tolerance stack up for each. This was all for optimal power.

Maybe the stars were aligned that day, the moon was full, the Pope making his rounds through Italy and blessed the plant, and the engine builder ate his Wheaties that morning. All this resulted in the ultimate stock FI 1500. You never know!
 
AKimball92 said:
Maybe the stars were aligned that day, the moon was full, the Pope making his rounds through Italy and blessed the plant, and the engine builder ate his Wheaties that morning. All this resulted in the ultimate stock FI 1500. You never know!
Click to expand...
Then again, it was Italy in the 70's. I might be this particular engine wasn't so much the best of everything, as much as the builder happened to stay sober for the brief time it was in his work station. Remember, being better than most can be the result of the rest being even worse. :D
 
AKimball92 said:
Didnt i read on here from someone, that Al Cosentino or maybe some other legendary X1/9 builder would by large quantities of engine parts, measure them closely and strategically pair them together to get the best tolerance stack up for each. This was all for optimal power.

Maybe the stars were aligned that day, the moon was full, the Pope making his rounds through Italy and blessed the plant, and the engine builder ate his Wheaties that morning. All this resulted in the ultimate stock FI 1500. You never know!
Click to expand...

Not just Al. Any top race team, even the top amateurs in SCCA and other series, practice this. When you have a "spec" race series (which just about everything is these days), you are limited to the same parts as the other guys, so you have to do your best to build a "blueprint" engine out of the parts you have available.

Pete
 
AKimball92 said:
Didnt i read on here from someone, that Al Cosentino or maybe some other legendary X1/9 builder would by large quantities of engine parts, measure them closely and strategically pair them together to get the best tolerance stack up for each. This was all for optimal power.

Maybe the stars were aligned that day, the moon was full, the Pope making his rounds through Italy and blessed the plant, and the engine builder ate his Wheaties that morning. All this resulted in the ultimate stock FI 1500. You never know!
Click to expand...

When I built my DSP Championship winning DSP X1/9 motor I did exactly this. I measured cranks, rods, (bought aftermarket pistons that were of very high quality), cams, heads, pulleys, etc... and chose the parts that were optimized to build the engine. The rule book does allow blueprinting but there are limits to what can be achieved there. A good block and head were key. I tested more than a dozen heads on the flow bench before cc'ing those before making a final choice. This is all normal practice for building limited prep racing engines.

If you're building a full prep engine you can simply buy parts made to the specifications you want.
 
AKimball92 said:
Didnt i read on here from someone, that Al Cosentino or maybe some other legendary X1/9 builder would by large quantities of engine parts, measure them closely and strategically pair them together to get the best tolerance stack up for each. This was all for optimal power.
Click to expand...

That was Kim Baker of Baker Automotive. They were fast cars, seeing a fuel injected X outdrag a GTI of the time was pretty surprising.
 
Later became famous for his Covettes. He found a market that was willing to spend the money it took to make the power.
 
kmead said:
Later became famous for his Covettes. He found a market that was willing to spend the money it took to make the power.
Click to expand...

Correction: He found a manufacturer that was willing to write him checks to build competitive cars and race them. After Fiat/Bertone left the US his funding went with them.

I met and got to know Kim after he retired from regular competition. He was still doing the NASCAR event at Watkins Glen then but that was about it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top