I've been told about blackbirds not liking to be hammered around a track.
as it is its a standard engine, not had the sump baffled(yet), and can't afford a dry sump .
so i need to know do i have to have both of these fitted. cos i really dont want to have to buy a new engine.....

and has anybody else raced with a blackbird engine..

the odd one as gone pop, do you have a oil press gauge ?

Dont go without one, take it steady and keep an eye on it whilst cornering, any significant loss of pressure stop, if you maintain oil pressure ok whilst cornering then you should be ok, i used blackbird power last season and will be this year too, i dumped all my oil on two separate occasions and both times she lived to tell the tail,
take a look on the yahoo BEC list, they where discussin "ACUSUMP" a cheap dry sump alternative that works, ive thought about one myself, i would baffle sooner rather than later though if i was you.

Hope i aint put you off, just watch the pressure around the corners, that will tell you if you have a problem or not.

Dont know if its a regular thing or not but one oil dropping session was a "honda" oil cooler pipe end blowing off, if you have used them check em, the pic shows what happens when oil meets exhaust, mees tryes on a chicane..........

the pics here, cant post it for some reason though

http://www.bikecars.co.uk/Gallery/Detail.asp?id=19&p=2

Jon,

Do you know where I can get an Acusump, did a search on the net but it didn't come up with much.

ta,
Ric h.

Search for AcCusump with two c's Accusump Website

As for taking it on track, an Accusump and baffled sump really is the minimum you'll need on a 'bird IMHO. I think they are better in a transverse installation like John has in his GT1, but quite a few have gone pop in front engine'd cars (Westfields etc). I don't want to scare you but at Anglesey a couple of years ago I saw two F27 'bird engine'd cars go bang on the same corner within about 5 minutes of each other, and also know of several others via the Yahoo BEC list that all run the same no.3 main bearing, the weak point where they which usually goes first if any oil starvation occurs.

Put up a post on the Yahoo BEC list tho, there are a few 'bird experts such as Dan Bromilow who will give you the lowdown on what's best to go for.

Chris

[Edited on 3/2/04 by ChrisGamlin]

ive heard of the autograss lads doing a mod to the oil ways too, they have same problem #3, Martin at MK knows what they do, he told me but its that long ago i can't remember, i will see him at weekend n ask again.

It is a brave (or stupid) bloke who can keep his eye on the oil pressure guage and corner at the same time if on a track day, Far better to get a bright big f#ck off light, mount it just in the drivers eyeline, and run it off a high pressure oil warning light switch.




HTH Stu.