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Ardun Woes and Vintage Engines

To: land-speed@autox.team.net
Subject: Ardun Woes and Vintage Engines
From: ARDUNDOUG@aol.com
Date: Thu, 27 Jul 2000 22:23:02 EDT
In a message dated 07/27/2000 4:55:11 PM Pacific Daylight Time, 
lona@finishlinecoatings.com writes:

<< Hi Doug
 Boy these belly button motor guys don't know what they are getting
 themselves into if they go to a vintage motor do they!! A set of mains
 and rod bearings for my GMC are $200.00--$350.00 depending on when and
 where you can get them.  Then call up your local auto parts and try to
 buy a gasket set. (you want what??). Whats a 1950 GMC truck motor?
 Hey Keith..us flat motor and inliners stick together when it comes to
 kicking belly button motors.
 Got the rings today red label from Michigan..looks like next wednesday
 will be dyno day.
 RM #902 XO M.R.
  >>
Russ,
    If you think that the Jimmy or a Flatty head gasket is an orphan, try the 
Ardun. Several years ago I had the local gasket shop make up a die for 
cutting them out of Velumoid paper. These had no fire-rings so I had a 
machine shop make up some copper rings which had to be individually fitted 
into the Velumoid. The block has to be "O" ringed to take the stainless .042" 
wire that seats itself into the copper and discourages the head gasket from 
blowing out into the valve relief area of the Flatty block.
    Using the crank girdle necessitates completely revamping the oil pan and 
requires either a custom pan gasket or the use of silicone. The Ardun uses 
mostly silicone for gaskets, the exceptions being the head gaskets and 
injector/intake gaskets.
    I've gotten to the point on rings where the availability and size of good 
small bore rings dictates what size I order the pistons and what I bore the 
blocks to.
    Cotton Werksman, the Ardun Guru from the Chicago area, finally took the 
plunge earlier this year and had a run of asbestos-sandwich head gaskets made 
up by Victor. Kinda pricey ($60 each gasket) but they work good and it beats 
all the scissor work on the Velumoid paper plus heat-treating the copper 
fire-rings everytime the head comes off.
    Back to the shop. I hope to light the engine over the weekend and start 
the warmup, cool-down, re-torque, adjust valves, warmup, cool-down, etc., etc.
                                            Ardun Doug King

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