Ranger Biodiesel Swap - First Start (Video Post)

 The first start and run of my Volkswagen 1.6NA swapped 1999 Ford Ranger. The process required several hours of bleeding air from the fuel lines and purging old diesel residue from the system, and now it runs perfectly! It's been approximately 20-25 years since this engine ran, and it was eager to clear out the cobwebs.

Biodiesel Sportster Land Speed Racer - Loring Timing Association 2018 (Video Post)

Racing the Biodiesel Sportster at the 2018 Loring Timing Association. We set a new class record for "Supercharged Alternative Fuel" at 96.8mph, running 7 pounds of boost with a modified injection pump and governor.

Biodiesel Sportster Land Speed Racer - Loring Timing Association Sunday Pass (Video Post)

Onboard footage from one of the passes I made on Sunday. The weather was perfect and winds were favorable, and the bike managed an 86.5 mph pass.

Biodiesel Sportster Land Speed Racer - Ohio Mile 2016 Second Pass (Video Post)

After we discovered that the CVT was either slipping or not fully shifting, we moved the GoPro mount to the left side of the bike and pointed the camera towards the transmission. During the next run, we were able to document the CVT behavior.

 

It appears that the CVT simply does not shift all the way to top gear. We suspect that this is occurring because the diesel engine's redline is much lower than the redline of an equivalent gasoline engine. The CVT primary has three weighted rollers that are thrown outwards by centrifugal force and push the plate inwards, which changes the effective diameter of the pulley. If the engine rpm is too low, then they would not have enough force to completely shift. The solution is to either make custom heavyweight rollers, install weaker return springs, or some combination of the two. 

 

 

Adjusting the transmission alignment with shims. Unfortunately, this didn't help all that much.

Biodiesel Sportster Land Speed Racer - Ohio Mile 2016 First Pass (Video Post)

Here is a video of the first pass! The Comet Series 40 CVT did not shift fully, so unfortunately the fastest speed I could manage was 67mph. This was still enough to set the record, but I have a lot of tuning and improvements to do for next year.

We examined the CVT, and determined that the centrifugal weights in the primary are not heavy enough. This transmission is set up for a gasoline engine with a redline around 5000-6000 rpm. On a diesel engine that peaks at 3600 rpm, there simply isn't enough centrifugal force to make the current weights shift all the way. I will be experimenting with custom weights, and will post my results here.

Biodiesel Sportster Land Speed Racer - Part 14 - First Test Ride (Video Post)

 

Diesel Land Speed Racer Mk2 - Part 10 - Exhaust Test (Video Post)

Diesel Land Speed Racer Mk2 - Part 5 - First Start (Video Post)

Loring Spring 2015 - Road Trip To The Race (Video Post)

The full video of the road trip to Loring Spring 2015.

Steam Engine Restoration - Shaking Out The Cobwebs (Video Post)

This is the long-overdue higher resolution video of the steam engine running. It has been on display inside for nearly 8 months, so I pulled it out, wiped it down, regreased everything, and hooked it up to some air. Runs like a champ!

CL450 Racer - Syncing The Carburetors (Homemade Vacuum Gauge)

This is a quick video post to show the custom Carb Sync Vacuum Gauge set that I built. Most of the available sets use regular vacuum gauges and an adjustment valve to smooth out the engine ignition pulses. Without this valve, the needles would rapidly jump in time with the engine vacuum from the intake stroke, so it is difficult to take a reading. 

Instead of this design, I built a gauge set that uses Glycerin-filled gauges. Glycerin is a thick liquid and fills the entire gauge, which resists the movement of the needle and causes it to move slowly. This action dampens the needle's response to the vacuum pulses, which smooths out and stabilizes the reading.

Steam Engine Restoration - First Start in 80 Years (Video Post)

Last Christmas, the stationary steam engine that I received from my grandfather looked like this, the result of spending most of a century neglected:

But now, after 9 months of work, this engine is a runner!

KZ400 Diesel - First Try at a GoPro Riding Video

After a long hiatus without any actual "alt-fuel", I've pulled the diesel out of storage, repaired the transmission damage from last year, and tried my first attempt at a GoPro riding video.

Last year while putting the bike in storage, I noticed extensive damage to the supercharger drive sprocket and chain. Looking closer, I found that I hadn't correctly lined up the drive chain, so the sprocket was being eaten up by the chain. I finally cleared through enough projects to get the diesel back on the lift to address the problem.

The drive sprocket was shot, so I made and installed a new one.

Steam Engine Restoration Part 10 (Video Post) - Casting New Babbit Bearings

After months of research and watching tutorial videos, I finally took the plunge and started the process of casting fresh crankshaft bearings for my steam engine.

This engine uses Babbitt bearings on the crank, which are cast in place between the structure of the machine and the rotating shaft it will be carrying. These were extremely common in old industrial machinery and engines of all types because they could be easily made to a high tolerance using basic hand tools.

Engines that utilize these bearings have hollow bearing blocks, which act as cups that hold the finished bearing in place. To cast the bearing, the rotating shaft is placed into the bearing block and suspended in the correct location using shims or collars. I machined a pair of steel shims that rested on the edge of the bearing block and held the crank vertically in place.

Crankshaft locating shims

The steam engine base with crank shims installed

I purchased a used casting ladle off of Craigslist and melted down the Babbitt metal brick using the propane forge. This burner maintained steady heat and quickly liquefied the brick. 

Finally getting to use the propane furnace!

Melting the Babbitt brick

 I packed clay between the bottom of the crank and the bearing block and poured the molten Babbitt into the cavity (detailed above in the video). After cooling and trimming down the excess material, the bearings were ready for test fitting. The next step is to pour the bearing cap bearings.

Trimmed and installed in the bearing blocks

Bearing halves removed for cleaning

The crankshaft installed in place for test fitting.

CL450 Racer - Building the Steering Damper (First Video Post!)

And now for something completely different.

I set up a video camera while I was making the parts for the CL450's steering damper, and then edited the footage into a quick montage.

(bear with me people, this is the first time I have EVER used video editing software)

So presented here, for your derision, is my very first video post!

I was able to find an original triple tree with the steering damper lugs, and a set of NOS friction and steel plates. I had to make an adjustment rod and custom triple tree cap, so I modified a stock cap from my stash and purchased a threaded rod and aluminum knob from McMaster-Carr.

Modifying the CL77 plates to fit the CL450 triple tree

The knob and rod were cross-drilled and pinned together

I modified the cap by drilling through it and pressing a flanged bronze bushing into the hole.