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Found this problem on a street motor I was building, with reground crank, f=
or a TR-4. A good practice for us all is to add this item to checklist for=
rebuilding engines. It is easy to forget to look at the many details that=
can bite you in the backside. A good shop would have stood behind the scr=
ew up, crank grinders, good ones understand this issue.
Ken
Sent from Mail for Windows
From: Terry Sopher via Fot
Sent: Thursday, September 7, 2023 5:29 PM
To: fot@autox.team.net
Subject: [Fot] Beware: Spitfire Cranks & Parts
FOT Spitfire Racers,
Beware of Crankshafts from Kurtis Johnson/Dean Johnson of MN!
Two of us FOT members bought =E2=80=9Cfully serviced=E2=80=9D small journal=
crankshafts for 1296 race engine builds from Kurtis Johnson (Son of Dean J=
ohnson, former Spitfire SCCA racer).
Both Don & I experienced crankshaft failure leading to catastrophic engine =
failure on very low hour engines. Upon inspection, the crankshafts were im=
properly ground, leaving a sharp step right at the radius - right where the=
y cracked!
Kurtis is liquidating Dean=E2=80=99s huge repository of Spitfire Race parts=
- Cranks, blocks, NOS camshafts and much more. My and Don=E2=80=99s exper=
ience with him was generally ok, but not always good=E2=80=A6on a few items=
, he substituted lesser quality/worthless used parts from what he originall=
y pictured, but made it right after he was called out=E2=80=A6
I contacted Kurtis after the engine tear down reveled the crankshaft failur=
e & root cause of my engine failure and told him that he shouldn=E2=80=99t =
sell any more of those cranks and certainly should warn a perspective buyer=
s first. He said he would see what he had left and if he had any more woul=
d let any buyers know. He also, unsolicited, offered to make it right for =
Don & me, but then retracted the offer saying =E2=80=9Cthat=E2=80=99s racin=
g=E2=80=9D.
If you bought a crank from him - have the radius grind checked! =20
Best, Terry,=20
#64 Spitfire Racer
=E2=80=9866 TR4A
=E2=80=9868 Spitfire=20
=E2=80=9868 TR250
_______________________________________________
fot@autox.team.net
http://www.fot-racing.com
Archive: http://autox.team.net/archive http://www.team.net/pipermail/fot
v.com
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--></style></head><body lang=3DEN-US link=3Dblue vlink=3D"#954F72" style=3D=
'word-wrap:break-word'><div class=3DWordSection1><p class=3DMsoNormal>Found=
this problem on a street motor I was building, with reground crank, for a =
TR-4.=C2=A0 A good practice for us all is to add this item to checklist for=
rebuilding engines.=C2=A0 It is easy to forget to look at the many details=
that can bite you in the backside.=C2=A0 A good shop would have stood behi=
nd the screw up, crank grinders, good ones understand this issue.</p><p cla=
ss=3DMsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal>Ken</p><p class=3D=
MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal>Sent from <a href=3D"ht=
tps://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=3D550986">Mail</a> for Windows</p><p =
class=3DMsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div style=3D'mso-element:para-borde=
r-div;border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'=
><p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'border:none;padding:0in'><b>From: </b><a hre=
f=3D"mailto:fot@autox.team.net";>Terry Sopher via Fot</a><br><b>Sent: </b>Th=
ursday, September 7, 2023 5:29 PM<br><b>To: </b><a href=3D"mailto:fot@autox=
.team.net">fot@autox.team.net</a><br><b>Subject: </b>[Fot] Beware: Spitfire=
Cranks & Parts</p></div><p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p c=
lass=3DMsoNormal>FOT Spitfire Racers,</p><p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p> </=
o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal>Beware of Crankshafts from Kurtis Johnson/Dean=
Johnson of MN!</p><p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=3DMso=
Normal>Two of us FOT members bought =E2=80=9Cfully serviced=E2=80=9D small =
journal crankshafts for 1296 race engine builds from Kurtis Johnson (Son of=
Dean Johnson, former Spitfire SCCA racer).</p><p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p>&n=
bsp;</o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal>Both Don & I experienced crankshaft =
failure leading to catastrophic engine failure on very low hour engines.=C2=
=A0 Upon inspection, the crankshafts were improperly ground, leaving a shar=
p step right at the radius - right where they cracked!</p><p class=3DMsoNor=
mal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal>Kurtis is liquidating Dean=E2=
=80=99s huge repository of Spitfire Race parts - Cranks, blocks, NOS camsha=
fts and much more.=C2=A0 My and Don=E2=80=99s experience with him was gener=
ally ok, but not always good=E2=80=A6on a few items, he substituted lesser =
quality/worthless used parts from what he originally pictured, but made it =
right after he was called out=E2=80=A6</p><p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p> <=
/o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal>I contacted Kurtis after the engine tear down=
reveled the crankshaft failure & root cause of my engine failure and t=
old him that he shouldn=E2=80=99t sell any more of those cranks and certain=
ly should warn a perspective buyers first.=C2=A0 He said he would see what =
he had left and if he had any more would let any buyers know.=C2=A0 He also=
, unsolicited, offered to make it right for Don & me, but then retracte=
d the offer saying =E2=80=9Cthat=E2=80=99s racing=E2=80=9D.</p><p class=3DM=
soNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal>If you bought a crank fr=
om him - have the radius grind checked!=C2=A0=C2=A0 </p><p class=3DMsoNorma=
l><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal>Best, Terry, </p><p class=3DMso=
Normal>#64 Spitfire Racer</p><p class=3DMsoNormal>=E2=80=9866 TR4A</p><p cl=
ass=3DMsoNormal>=E2=80=9868 Spitfire </p><p class=3DMsoNormal>=E2=80=9868 T=
R250</p><p class=3DMsoNormal>______________________________________________=
_</p><p class=3DMsoNormal>fot@autox.team.net</p><p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p>&=
nbsp;</o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal>http://www.fot-racing.com</p><p class=
=3DMsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal>Donate: http://www.t=
eam.net/donate.html</p><p class=3DMsoNormal>Archive: http://autox.team.net/=
archive http://www.team.net/pipermail/fot</p><p class=3DMsoNormal>Unsubscri=
be/Manage: http://autox.team.net/mailman/options/fot/kknight@klaenv.com</p>=
<p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p> <=
/o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>=
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_______________________________________________
fot@autox.team.net
http://www.fot-racing.com
Archive: http://autox.team.net/archive http://www.team.net/pipermail/fot
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