Okay, guys, can we dial this back a little bit here?
Mike, I saw pictures of your turbo car and heard stories about it before I ever
started going to
Shasta. From all accounts I heard, the car is a rocket. I always wanted to see
it, but we've never
been there at the same time (I seem to have this curse on odd-numbered years.
I've made it in 1990,
1992, 1994, 1996 and 1998. I should be there this year). Why don't you bring
the car this year?
Don't misunderstand, this isn't a challenge. I'd just really like to see the
car after hearing about
it for so many years.
When you get right down to it, the real questions about any car are:
1. How fast does it go?
2. How long will it last?
Beyond that, it really doesn't matter if it's running a corn cob cam and glow
plugs. Sure, I'd be
reluctant to build a boosted motor without adding the insurance of stuff like
forged pistons,
ceramic coatings, electronic ignition, knock sensor, etc. But people were
building supercharged and
turbocharged motors long before that stuff was invented.
It isn't impossible to build a reliable turbo motor without that stuff, but the
average guy is going
to go through a hell of a lot of major parts and some serious money before
getting the combination
just right. I've seen it happen too many times.
So if you're one of the people out there on the list thinking about building a
trick motor that will
make your roadster launch like a Sidewinder missile, look in your billfold
first and ask yourself,
"Do I feel lucky, kid?"
--
Gordon Glasgow
http://www.gordon-glasgow.org
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