Forum Discussion
MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
Smokey Yunick
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In my (humble) opinion the two sharpest mechanics who ever lived were:
1) My Granddad ... if he needed a part and he didn't like the price of one or if one wasn't available ... he made it.
AND
2) Burt Munro ... the real life character depicted in the movie "The World's Fastest Indian".rhagfo wrote:
mbopp wrote:
One story I heard was that Smokey mounted a licence plate in front of the grill. NASCAR thought it was cute but Smokey found it created a high pressure area over the carburetor - a mild supercharging effect.
Smokey was great at knowing NASCAR rules of the time and their loopholes. Like a 7/8 version of a Chevrolet and using a 2' fuel line.
Yeah, NASCAR tried the template they used and it didn't fit. So they went to the parking lot and it didn't fit a stock Chevelle either.
If you're gonna play with rattlesnakes, you better know what rattlesnakes do.....
There are two types of racers - cheaters and losers....
As far as cheating goes, they'll never stop it. The only way it can be done successfully, only one person can know about it......
You don't race cars, you race the rulebook....
Smokey Yunick.mbopp wrote:
One story I heard was that Smokey mounted a licence plate in front of the grill. NASCAR thought it was cute but Smokey found it created a high pressure area over the carburetor - a mild supercharging effect.
Smokey was great at knowing NASCAR rules of the time and their loopholes. Like a 7/8 version of a Chevrolet and using a 2' fuel line.T18skyguy wrote:
Gene was the man when it came to VW engines!!
The legendary hat. Is Smokey still alive? One guy who taught me a heck of a lot was Gene Berg. His specialty was air cooled VW's, but nobody did it better. When young teens wanted to spend a ton of money with him on their engines, he would talk sense to them even if he lost sales. He had a sign hanging outside his shop that said "Speed cost's money, how fast do you want to go ?"- One story I heard was that Smokey mounted a licence plate in front of the grill. NASCAR thought it was cute but Smokey found it created a high pressure area over the carburetor - a mild supercharging effect.
- The legendary hat. Is Smokey still alive? One guy who taught me a heck of a lot was Gene Berg. His specialty was air cooled VW's, but nobody did it better. When young teens wanted to spend a ton of money with him on their engines, he would talk sense to them even if he lost sales. He had a sign hanging outside his shop that said "Speed cost's money, how fast do you want to go ?"
- For sure, Smokey was a flamboyant character in NASCAR. Mr. Yunick reminds me of Johnny Cochran, F. Lee Baily, and Gerry Spence all rolled into one. You definitely want them on your team when you need them, but everybody knows that you really can't pull a rabbit out of your hat, . . . . unless it's a real special (trick) hat.
I liked Smokey's idea of adding a downforce wing (spoiler) to hold his car to the ground in the corners improving cornering speed. Well, . . . . until he realized that with downforce comes drag. In NASCAR, what he gained in the corners, he more than gave up on the straights! But hey, if Smokey did it, either it was promptly banned, or everybody else had it the next day. The show must go on!
Chum lee JoeH wrote:
MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
Another neat concept is desmodromic.
Camshaft lobe operated valve closure. No springs. No float. No tons of resistance against engine revolving.
Smokey taught me the TRUE way to audit energy at age ten. The TRUE way of auditing production costs. The TRUE way of analyzing pros and cons of anything mechanical. He is held sixty-two years later on a personal pedestal of awe.
Ducati motorcycles have had desmodromic valves for a long time -- since the late 50's .
true, but the racing engines were a complete desmo engine, no valve springs of any kind. usually needed bump starting since valves wouldn't completely close at starting rpm with valve clearance set properly. The street bikes desmo engine use (or at least till a few years ago) a set of very light springs on intake and exhaust to make sure the valves close completely making it easier to start and better low rpm performance.
Mercedes also used desmo engines on some of their racing engines. But I think Ducati is the only mfg to consistently use a desmo design on production engines.MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
Another neat concept is desmodromic.
Camshaft lobe operated valve closure. No springs. No float. No tons of resistance against engine revolving.
Smokey taught me the TRUE way to audit energy at age ten. The TRUE way of auditing production costs. The TRUE way of analyzing pros and cons of anything mechanical. He is held sixty-two years later on a personal pedestal of awe.
Ducati motorcycles have had desmodromic valves for a long time -- since the late 50's .
