[SEL] Need Spring Help

[Curt]

> Jeez Louise, Square Nuts!
>
> K rates, bathroom scales, assistants and slide rules?
> You should be making toilet seats for the government.

Rob,
You in a technology funk today???
I thought that was a pretty down to earth means of identifying existing 
springs, so one could narrow down the selection from the 10's of 
thousands of springs available in a catalog. I for one don't like the 
costs and length of time associated with picking out dozens of springs 
that "look" like they might work, paying for them, only to find out by 
trial and error fit, that I picked the wrong ones.

I didn't suggest a much more complicated process such as determining the 
krate of governor springs. Take the Alamo, for example, that I just 
finished. When I started on it, there was no spring left on the 3 ball 
governor. Where do you start? You know some basic dimensions but the 
k-rates vary from 2 pounds to 200 pounds/in. and the lengths are all 
over the place. I made a basic assumption about what speed I thought the 
engine would run at slow. Figured the gear ratio to determine what speed 
the flyball governor would be running at. Measured the weight of the 3 
balls in the governor, worked the statics on the linkage, figured  the 
centrifugal force, and then determined the preload and krate the spring 
should have. I then chose 3 springs from the 100's available in that 
size range, and ordered them. The first spring was just a little too 
soft for a brand new engine with new bore, piston, and rings. The second 
spring was dead on. I never put the third spring in. I'm really quite 
pleased with the speed and it's had several dozen hours of run time now 
at Baraboo, Portland, and CGD's. Don't believe I'll do any more work to 
the governor.
But there you go.....a little pen and paper work resulting in a very low 
cost spring bill, and v'oila, success!

Your upside down square nut, Budweiser drinking, Windows, engine buddy. :-)
Curt Holland
Gastonia, NC
P.S. Is the Mac doing this to you?