WHERE'S JOHAN BORNMANN!!??

[madmarc]

Thank JB. This is fantastic information. Would you mind if I copied and pasted it into an article for our clubs newsletter???

 

Alfa things happen?......Hmmmmm. I'll leave that bit out though  

 

You're welcome to use it' date=' but it probably needs a bit of editing for clarity. I'm not always sure if my writing is too technical or if I attempt to over explain things. Something interesting I can add about white metal bearings is that their condition can be tested through oil analysis. By zapping a sample of the oil with a known hours or miles of use into a spectroscope, they can see how much of the bearing material (or in an Alfa's case, crankshaft material ) there is in the oil and make a reasonable judgement as to the bearing's condition.

 

I have an old Merc that I bought new in 1986 and put some high mileage on. All the way from 250 000 kms I used to take an oil sample after every 50 000 kms or so to the lab and ask for an analysis. Up to 500 000 kms they detected nothing usual. Eventually I had the engine redone because toher things started to fail and I lost faith in its immortality. When the mechanic measured the bearings there was nothing wrong with either the shafts or the bearings. We replaced the white metal bearings as a matter of course, just in case.

 

I stil remember cutting chunks of metal out of the old bearing with a pen knife, amazed at how this miracle metal works. That's when I discovered that it was invented some 100 years ago by a chap named Babbit.

 

Something else that I found interesting about big end bearings (those are the ones on the crank shaft) is that they are designed to leak oil. The oil pumped into them under pressure squirts out the sides and lubricates the inside of the cylinder behind the piston. Not only does it lubircate it, but it also cools it. Hot liquids rapidly cool when squirted out a nozzle under pressure.

 

There are lots of other interesting things that happen in there but this is a cycling forum and gratuitous tech will be flamed.

 

 

 

[/quote']

 

JB we bow down with humbleness in the shadow of your almighty wisdom

[Pocketbikes]

Some great reading 

 

Our race bikes' cylinders are aluminium and the bores are Nikasil. I found it funny that we never had steel sleeves... that was until I started porting them, all I can say is Nikasil is hard

 

[Veloce]

Went to a hillclimb on Sunday, the 2 litre Alfas gave the Volkswagens.....er i mean Porsches real carrots... Brilliant to watch!!!

[dirtrider]

Where are the days when you could remove the head whenever you get bored and put it back without a visit to the engineering shop ?

 

Bring to Alfas to the hill climb in CPT . We got a few Toyota's that would like a go

[Veloce]

Are you trying to compare fine Italian engineering to uncharasmatic Japanese mass production??? Thats like having the words Ferrari and Volkswagen in the same sentance. The two cannot be placed next to one another in any way let alone compared, its just wrong, on all levels.

[dirtrider]

Sorry . Will a DKW do ?

[Veloce]

DR.... GRRRR    actually that was pretty funny.....

 

What bike do you ride???

[dirtrider]

Funny ? DKW won it in 1966 !!!

 

90% of the time on the Morewood .

[cling]

DKW! Brings back many memories! Dad had a Borgward in those years!

[R2S2]

Some great reading 

Our race bikes' cylinders are aluminium and the bores are Nikasil. I found it funny that we never had steel sleeves... that was until I started porting them' date=' all I can say is Nikasil is hard
[/quote']

 

Nikasil is a compound made up of silicon cristals, embedded in a nickel substrate, so is quite literally as hard as glass!

Since you obviously have a  usefor it, have you yet discovered anyone in SA that does Nikasil (or Alusil) plating?

[R2S2]

Went to a hillclimb on Sunday' date=' the 2 litre Alfas gave the Volkswagens.....er i mean Porsches real carrots... Brilliant to watch!!!

[/quote']

 

Which hilclimb was this - I am always interested in attending those!

 

Also, tell me more about the Porsches.  Pre-'73, mid-years, or the newer stuff?

[R2S2]

Are you trying to compare fine Italian engineering to uncharasmatic Japanese mass production??? Thats like having the words Ferrari and Volkswagen in the same sentance. The two cannot be placed next to one another in any way let alone compared' date=' its just wrong, on all levels. [/quote']

 

Hey, didn't you know that for every fast car that goes by, there is always a Tejouta that gives chase...

 

Love it when Clarkson refers to them as appliances!

[Veloce]

It was in Westmeade, Durban. Porsche club pitched up as well as Subaru club. The Porsches included some 924's (Audi engine...I know) some 80's 911's as well as a 60's Speedster. There were also the newer ones there: The 2001 911 (Bi-turbo...not sure) and a GT2.

[R2S2]

It was in Westmeade' date=' Durban. Porsche club pitched up as well as Subaru club. The Porsches included some 924's (Audi engine...I know) some 80's 911's as well as a 60's Speedster. There were also the newer ones there: The 2001 911 (Bi-turbo...not sure) and a GT2.[/quote']

 

The espeedster you saw was probably a 356.  They are sweet cars, especially 356 "c" model.  There is one or two 356 Carreras around, but given their value you will certainly not see them at a hillclimb!

 

Don't dismiss the 924 too quickly!  Some of the later reincarnations, were not half bad, given their good weight distribution.  The 924 Carrera became the mould for the 944, and later the 968, which was a truly brilliant car.  For their day the 924s were very advanced, but will most certainly not keep up with any newer cars.

 

So which p-cars exactly were given carrots then?

[Veloce]

The 80's 911's (not sure of the exact year) were fed large doses of bright orange carrots. The 924 sucked and came about last. We wont speak about the Subarus...they flippen creamed everyone down to the GT2.

[R2S2]

I actually don't find that very surprising, believe it or not!  Truth be told though that you will always hear guys driving other cars telling of the day the beat a Porsche to the flag, but never really the other way around!