Peter wrote:
>Anyway, if you look at the power curve in the Kastner manual, this work
>pushes the hp from stock of 105 to about 139 at 4500RPM an increase of
>24hp.
>If you look at the total hp increase it is more like 40hp. Based upon my
>costs, this works out to $30 for each horse. Of course, I did the assembly
>work myself.
Kastener's dyno figures are for *net* horsepower, not at the rear-wheels.
So his 24hp
increase at the crank (not even the flywheel) probably equates to 18hp at
the wheels.
Further, his curve is for 10:1 compression, not 9.5 as you built into your
motor.
I am also quite sure that when Kastener did this work, he did not simply
shave the head
and throw in a cam; that is not his style as he was a perfectionist. I am
sure that the
modified motor was probably balanced, blue-printed, and possibly running
lightened rods.
He was probabl also running his lightened pushrods and lifters
This is worth another 2hp, over the straightforward approach of "bolting on"
go-faster
bits.
If we do the sums so far, it is possible that you may have gained 12-14 rwhp
with the work
that you performed.
And finally, putting effort into the top-end without rebuilding the bottom
end is only
ensuring that you will be rebuilding the bottom-end sooner.
Peter, I am sure that what you did is an absolute blast to drive, and I
think should
be a minimum that any owner consider when rebuilding their motor. These
mods do
not detract from driveability, makes the motor more responsive and a hoot at
that.
However, I stand by my statement; horsepower is not cheap. We may argue
whether
it costs $80/hp, or $100/hp. I tend to lean towards the higher number,
because I would
like to last several seasons between major rebuilds.
Shane Ingate in Maryland
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